Its no laughing matter in Turkey if your a women.

Some total idiot politician the deputy prime minister Bulent Arinic has caused an almighty row for saying that "women should not laugh in public". How crazy its that its enough to make you 'laugh all the way to the parliament'? He then claimed that his remarks had been taken out of context - he didn't mean "only women but also men" - as if that makes his comments less imbecilic. Needless-to-say women have been laughing all over the place and putting their hilarity on line for all to see. Perhaps the Turkish politicians have a poor sense of humour, but there are fears that this betrays a deeper malady that of increasing pressure from more orthodox Muslims to bear down on women in public. The more religious conservative politicians are causing many to question their real long term motives for the nation and this one act betokens their real attitude towards women. The deeper fear will be that the people are actually 'laughing at them' the final nail in the coffin of an repressive regimes. Mockery is a great form of attack and pierces their pomposity and deflates them like a balloon. How can you ban laughter - its nuts?