Minister, Family and Social Servies of the Republic of Türkiye
Born in Brussels in 1982, Mahinur ÖZDEMİR GÖKTAŞ, graduated from Université Libre de Bruxelles, Department of Economy, Political and Social Sciences. She began her political career as the Vice President of the Schaerbeek Organization of the Francophone Christian Democrat Party CDH.
In 2006, she became a member of the Schaerbeek City Council in Brussels. In the election of 2009, she became a member of Brussels Parliament as the first ever member with a headscarf. Within the context of this duty, which she continued until 2019, she served as the Deputy Chairman of the Social Services Commission of the Brussels Parliament, and the Deputy Chairman of the Commission on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women. Throughout her political career, she took an active role in the fields of employment of women, women entrepreneurship, violence against women, domestic violence and equal opportunity as well as environment and urban planning not only in the Brussels Parliament but also in various NGOs. She also took an active role in the fight against discrimination and Islamophobia.
In 2005, she was expelled from her party on the grounds that she did not recognize the allegations of Armenian genocide. She then continued her career as an independent member of Parliament.
For two years, she contributed to the execution of the “Forgotten Women Project”, which was initiated to increase visibility of the Muslim women in Europe by the European Network against Racism.
For three years, she was placed in ‘The Muslim 500’ list, which identifies the most influential Muslims in the world, declared each year by Jordan-based Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (RISSC).
In 2009, she was awarded the title of “Pioneer and Exemplary Woman” by the New Arabic Woman Forum. In 2019, she was declared as one of the most 100 influential women in Belgium. She was awarded the Order of Leopold thanks to her contributions in Belgium in the same year.
Since 2019, she has continued being a member of The Organization of Islamic Cooperation Women's Consultative Council. In 2020, she was appointed as the Ambassador of Algeria, which made her the first woman Ambassador of Türkiye to North Africa.
On the 4th of June, 2023, she took her place in the cabinet as the Minister of Family and Social Services of the Republic of Türkiye.
She is married with two children and speaks French, English and Dutch.