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Deutsche Welle , Germany
June 9, 2012 Saturday 3:51 PM EST
Turkish pianist faces trial for joking on Twitter
Pianist Fazil Say is an internationally acclaimed Turkish artist. He
could face a sentence of 18 months in prison on charges of insulting
Muslim religious values on Twitter. Critics call him a "traitor to the
nation."
"Could paradise be a brothel?" is one of Fazil Say's Twitter posts
that have incurred the wrath of Turkish authorities. Some of the
tweets by the internationally acclaimed Turkish pianist weren't even
his own words. Say quoted medieval Persian poet Omar Khayyam: "You say
that there are rivers of wine. Does that mean it is a heavenly bar?
You say two virgins will be given to every believer. Does that mean it
is a heavenly brothel?"
Say's Twitter posts instantly provoked debate and Muslim Turks
insulted him online. The 42-year-old, who has said he is an atheist,
stayed calm and reacted with sarcasm: "The muezzin's call for evening
prayer lasts only 22 seconds. Prestissimo con fuoco!! Why the haste? A
mistress? The raki table?"
Charges of sedition
Say's comments also drew the ire of Turkish authorities who alerted
Istanbul's Public Prosecution Service. Say now faces charges of
inciting hatred and public enmity, and insulting "religious values."
The prosecutor claimed Say's tweets could lead to a "collapse of
public order."
Say is not unknown to the Turkish authorities. He openly criticized
the Turkish government on several occasions, and said he'd consider
leaving his home country because of the politics by the government of
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose party has strong roots in
Islam.
In an April 23 interview with Turkish daily Hürriyet, Say announced he
would emigrate to Japan, because of the growing cultural intolerance
in Turkey.
"When I said I was an atheist everybody insulted me," said Say. The
authorities "chased after everything I posted on Twitter." In the
interview Say said he felt completely ostracized from Turkish society
and that the criticism he was facing was a sign of a growing
atmosphere of intolerance in Turkey.
Getting rid of an annoying critic?
Say was one of the 166 Twitter users to circulate the Khayyam quote
but is the only one to face a trial for posing a risk to public order.
But Turkish authorities have punished other artists. Author and Nobel
Prize winner Orhan Pamuk had to pay damages in 2006 after he openly
criticized the genocide of Armenians. The same year saw author Elif
Shafak standing trial for broaching the same topic in her book "The
bastard of Istanbul." Turkish author Nedim Gürsel was the latest case
of a prominent artist who - like Say - got into trouble with the law
in 2009, for allegedly criticizing Islam. The author of the novel
"Allah's daughters" had to stand trial in Turkey on charges of
blasphemy.
Internationally-acclaimed artist
Say is a star pianist of international acclaim and has in the past
performed with the philharmonic orchestras of Berlin, New York, Tokyo
and Israel, as well as with the French national orchestra. In 1994, he
won the first prize at the European Young Concert Artists
International Auditions. That was his break-through.
According to Say's lawyer, Meltem Akyol, insulting religious values
can be punished with prison sentences in Turkey. Akyol has denied all
charges made against her client. Turkish news agency Dogan reported on
June 4 that Say declared he never intended to offend anyone and that
freedom of opinion was a universal right.
The trial against Say is to start on October 18. If found guilty, he
faces up to 18 months in jail. Say has said he believes that if he is
sentenced to prison, his career is finished. Fans and friends have
launched a campaign to support the musician. By June 8, the campaign
had more than 5,000 members.
Author: Arne Lichtenberg / nh
Editor: Sean Sinico
June 9, 2012 Saturday 3:51 PM EST
Turkish pianist faces trial for joking on Twitter
Pianist Fazil Say is an internationally acclaimed Turkish artist. He
could face a sentence of 18 months in prison on charges of insulting
Muslim religious values on Twitter. Critics call him a "traitor to the
nation."
"Could paradise be a brothel?" is one of Fazil Say's Twitter posts
that have incurred the wrath of Turkish authorities. Some of the
tweets by the internationally acclaimed Turkish pianist weren't even
his own words. Say quoted medieval Persian poet Omar Khayyam: "You say
that there are rivers of wine. Does that mean it is a heavenly bar?
You say two virgins will be given to every believer. Does that mean it
is a heavenly brothel?"
Say's Twitter posts instantly provoked debate and Muslim Turks
insulted him online. The 42-year-old, who has said he is an atheist,
stayed calm and reacted with sarcasm: "The muezzin's call for evening
prayer lasts only 22 seconds. Prestissimo con fuoco!! Why the haste? A
mistress? The raki table?"
Charges of sedition
Say's comments also drew the ire of Turkish authorities who alerted
Istanbul's Public Prosecution Service. Say now faces charges of
inciting hatred and public enmity, and insulting "religious values."
The prosecutor claimed Say's tweets could lead to a "collapse of
public order."
Say is not unknown to the Turkish authorities. He openly criticized
the Turkish government on several occasions, and said he'd consider
leaving his home country because of the politics by the government of
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose party has strong roots in
Islam.
In an April 23 interview with Turkish daily Hürriyet, Say announced he
would emigrate to Japan, because of the growing cultural intolerance
in Turkey.
"When I said I was an atheist everybody insulted me," said Say. The
authorities "chased after everything I posted on Twitter." In the
interview Say said he felt completely ostracized from Turkish society
and that the criticism he was facing was a sign of a growing
atmosphere of intolerance in Turkey.
Getting rid of an annoying critic?
Say was one of the 166 Twitter users to circulate the Khayyam quote
but is the only one to face a trial for posing a risk to public order.
But Turkish authorities have punished other artists. Author and Nobel
Prize winner Orhan Pamuk had to pay damages in 2006 after he openly
criticized the genocide of Armenians. The same year saw author Elif
Shafak standing trial for broaching the same topic in her book "The
bastard of Istanbul." Turkish author Nedim Gürsel was the latest case
of a prominent artist who - like Say - got into trouble with the law
in 2009, for allegedly criticizing Islam. The author of the novel
"Allah's daughters" had to stand trial in Turkey on charges of
blasphemy.
Internationally-acclaimed artist
Say is a star pianist of international acclaim and has in the past
performed with the philharmonic orchestras of Berlin, New York, Tokyo
and Israel, as well as with the French national orchestra. In 1994, he
won the first prize at the European Young Concert Artists
International Auditions. That was his break-through.
According to Say's lawyer, Meltem Akyol, insulting religious values
can be punished with prison sentences in Turkey. Akyol has denied all
charges made against her client. Turkish news agency Dogan reported on
June 4 that Say declared he never intended to offend anyone and that
freedom of opinion was a universal right.
The trial against Say is to start on October 18. If found guilty, he
faces up to 18 months in jail. Say has said he believes that if he is
sentenced to prison, his career is finished. Fans and friends have
launched a campaign to support the musician. By June 8, the campaign
had more than 5,000 members.
Author: Arne Lichtenberg / nh
Editor: Sean Sinico