Ayşenur İslam

She was born to Mehmet İslam and his wife Cahide on 16 January 1958 in Üsküdar, Istanbul. She studied Turkish literature at Ankara University and earned a master's degree at the same university. She received her PhD from Gazi University.[1][2][3]

In 2005, she became an associate professor. İslam worked as a lecturer at Ankara University, Kırıkkale University, and Başkent University.[1][3] She is author of ten books and around 40 publications.[2]

She is the daughter-in-law of Nadir Latif İslam, a former deputy from the Justice Party (AP), who is also the father-in-law of Merve Kavakçı. Her husband Bahadır İslam is a physician, who volunteers in relief organizations. He was on board the MV Mavi Marmara, which was involved in the Gaza flotilla raid in 2010.[4]

İslam has one child.[1][3][4]

She entered politics through the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), and was elected into the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in the 2011 general election as an MP from Sakarya Province.[4]

On 26 December 2013, she assumed office as the Minister of Family and Social Policy, succeeding Fatma Şahin during Erdoğan's cabinet reshuffle with ten new names that was announced the day before, on 25 December, following the 2013 corruption scandal in Turkey.[1][5][6][7][8]

It was reported that President Abdullah Gül played also a role for her entry into the cabinet. During her civil servant time, she had worked together with the President's secretary general Mustafa İsen. She is a capacity in social policies.[6]

• Women in Turkish politics