Muslims should not use birth control, says Tayyip Erdogan

Turkish president calls again on pious Muslims to have more children during speech

Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan waves as he addresses the members of an educational foundation in Istanbul on Monday. He said: “Nobody can interfere in God’s work. The first duty here belongs to mothers.” Photograph: Kayhan Ozer/Pool via AP

No Muslim family should engage in birth control or family planning, Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, calling again on pious Muslims to have more children.

“We will multiply our descendants. They talk about population planning, birth control. No Muslim family can have such an approach,” he said in a speech in Istanbul broadcast live on television.

“Nobody can interfere in God’s work. The first duty here belongs to mothers,” he said.

Women’s groups and opposition politicians have criticised Mr Erdogan, a devout Muslim, for telling women how many children to have and dismissing the western idea of gender equality. He has previously equated birth control with treason.

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– (Reuters)