The Presidency of Religious Affairs launched an investigation into Halil Konakçı, Imam of Uluçınar Mosque in Istanbul's Pendik district, regarding his posts on social media.
Konakçı used the following expressions in his video shared on social media for Hatay: “The majority of Hatay is Arab. We have Kurdish and Arab brothers there. And they still do. It was like that then too. It was under French occupation until 1938. There were debates about whether it should stay inside or outside the border. The call to prayer was banned in 1932. The French did not ban the call to prayer in Muslim villages and mosques in Hatay. In the center and villages of the French-occupied Hatay, the call to prayer was sung as ’Allahu akbar’ until 1938. When Hatay was annexed to Turkey in 1938, the first thing they did was to ban the call to prayer. In other words, they committed the cruelty in this land that the French did not.‘ Özdağ and his party lawyers came to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan today and filed a criminal complaint against Konakçı for ’inciting the public to hatred and hostility’, ’shaming, condemning and humiliating the laws of the state, devaluing them”, “violating the Constitution”, “publicly insulting the memory of Atatürk”.
SUPPORT FROM DEMIRCAN
Halil Konakçı's statements were supported by theologian Ali Rıza Demircan, father of former Beyoğlu Mayor and former Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Ahmet Misbah Demircan.
Halil Konakci said:
“When Hatay was annexed to Turkey, the first thing they did was to ban the call to prayer. In other words, they did the cruelty that the French did not do in this land.‘
“When Hatay was annexed to Turkey, was the first thing they did was to ban the call to prayer, or not? If it was...
- Ali Rıza DEMİRCAN (@AliRizaDemircan) August 14, 2023
Demircan used the following expressions in his social media post:
Halil Konakci said:
“When Hatay was annexed to Turkey, the first thing they did was to ban the call to prayer. In other words, they did the cruelty that the French did not do in this land.‘
“When Hatay was annexed to Turkey, the first thing that was done was to ban the call to prayer” or not? If it was, Halil Konakçı is right. Someone had to remind the persecution.
Not only the tampering with the language of the call to prayer, but all revolutions made without going to the nation through a referendum are mistakes/crimes... How can one tamper with our nation's 1000-year-old religion and, for example, its alphabet and law? Because there is No. 5816, will consciences be dulled, scholars and religious leaders be silent and historians not examine scientific facts?