‘I would be less aroused if she had worn pants,’ says man who attacked woman for wearing shorts in Istanbul

Çetin Aydın - ISTANBUL

A man who attacked and injured a young woman on a public bus in Istanbul for wearing shorts on Sept. 12 has said he would not have attacked the woman if she had dressed “properly,” according to his testimony obtained by daily Hürriyet.“People can embrace others’ faith but they cannot ignore it. Everything has a proper way. Had she dressed properly, we would not have acted that way. If people wear pants or at least a tracksuit, we would be less aroused,” Abdullah Çakıroğlu said in his testimony on Sept. 18.Çakıroğlu was arrested on Sept. 19 when a prosecutor ordered his re-detainment on charges of inciting animosity among society shortly after his release.He also said he kicked the 23 year-old victim thinking that she “ignored social values” with her style of dress.“When I turned my head to the left, I saw a woman opposite of my seat. She wore shorts and was sitting in an obscene way with her legs sideways. She was staring at me with an obtrusive look. I lost myself in an instant. I thought she disregarded the values of our country and society and she did not show respect for herself and the people around her with her clothing style. My spiritual side took over and I kicked her in the face,” Çakıroğlu said.According to his testimony, Çakıroğlu was beaten by passengers on the bus after the attack.Working as a security guard at a private company for a month, Çakıroğlu also said he had suffered psychological problems one year ago and received treatment in hospital for 15 days.He said he was still using antidepressant drugs.Meanwhile, a woman who was assaulted in the western province of İzmir several days after A.T.’s incident said she pressed charges against the attacker with the police and reacted to the fact that he had not been captured yet.Neriman G., 23, claimed she was hit in the face several times by an assailant who allegedly attacked the woman saying, “No one can say ‘no’ to me,” after she rejected his advances.The victim said there were surveillance cameras around the scene, while speaking to daily Habertürk, adding, “Just like how the attacker who kicked the nurse wearing shorts on a bus in Istanbul was found, this lout must be found too. The one who injured me could injure other women and young people, too.”Neriman G., who is a teacher, said she could no longer go out on the street over fear, adding she could not get over the shock of the attack. The victim added that after her story was published in the media, she had received support from NGOs and women’s associations.After the attack, the victim shared a post on social media describing and condemning the attack. Neriman G. said: “When he attacked me, no single person showed up saying, ‘What is this man doing?’ I held his hand but my strength was not enough. Is this manhood, is this being human? What kind of a country has this turned into?” Neriman G. also posted photos of her injuries she claimed she sustained in the attack.In the northwestern province of Bursa, meanwhile, a woman was verbally assaulted and threatened with a similar attack that was faced by A.T. by a male on a subway train after she warned him not to curse at a young boy for listening to loud music.The victim of the verbal assault, identified as D.K., reportedly reacted to a 50-year-old male cursing at a boy for listening to loud music. When she warned the man, he allegedly said to her: “You know what happened to the woman wearing shorts and you still talk, shut up whore.”After the incident the victim pressed charges against the assailant with the prosecutor’s office.