Despite this anxiety, though, Turkey remains a long way from becoming a country defined by religion. The way Turkish women reacted to Ar?nç's remarks is evidence of that. They took to social media en masse, posting photos of themselves laughing in public, including the hashtag#direnkahkaha, which means to resist and laugh.
Kahkahayla güleriz biz hem de sokak ortas?nda @aaytalar @ALUSESRA @esingedik @edersuneli #direnkahkaha pic.twitter.com/5yZAbzQhPh
Nuray Özger (@nuray_ozger) July 29, 2014
Tam iffetli olucaz, bi gülme geliyo asdfghjk:))) #direnkahkaha pic.twitter.com/uQPNNbGrCx
P?nar Öztürk (@pinarozturkkaya) July 29, 2014
#direnkahkaha araba da surer?z, k?zk?za da gezeriz, kahkaha da atar?z. pic.twitter.com/svMpwjZKM9
benbuoyunubozar?m. (@lgncanycl) July 29, 2014