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Jihad Watch
Feb 7 2014
Satirical Turkish site on trial for insulting religion
Robert Spencer
This is yet another sign of the erosion of Turkish secularism and its
galloping re-Islamization, but what is noteworthy here is that the
complaint was brought by Adnan Oktar (pictured above). Under the name
Harun Yahya, Oktar has published a huge amount of Islamic apologetics
material, including some `moderate' Muslim explanations of why jihad
violence and suicide attacks aren't justified in Islamic teaching, and
so non-Muslims need not be concerned about them. But he seems to have
no problem with the Sharia denial of the freedom of speech and
enforcement of the prohibition on any criticism of Islam.
`Satirical Turkish site on trial for insulting religion,' from
Al-Monitor, February 5 (thanks to Jerk Chicken):
One of Turkey's most popular websites, the satirical Sour Dictionary
(Eksi Sozluk), is on trial for insulting religion. Forty contributing
writers have been charged following a complaint by popular Islamic
figure Adnan Oktar. The trial kıcked off Jan. 14 with 27 of the
defendants in attendance.
Oktar, in his complaint to the prosecutor, claimed that some entries
in the dictionary included comments that amounted to insults of
religion and prophets. The entries he cited and for which the
prosecutor eventually pressed charges include jokes that the Prophet
Muhammad and Allah had `sent money' to Turkey's Housing Development
Administration and that Jesus Christ and religious people were of low
intelligence. Other examples include an entry on suggestions for a
100th name for Allah in addition to the 99 names Muslims have for
their god and another titled `Allah's official sponsors.'
The prosecutor is seeking jail terms of six to 12 months for the Eksi
Sozluk writers. The defendants disputed the charges against them at
their first hearing, arguing that they had no intention of insulting
religion and that their comments fell within the scope of freedom of
expression. A second hearing was scheduled for Feb. 17.
A string of similar legal cases in recent years indicate that
accusations of insulting religion, especially Islam, is being used
with increasing ease and frequency to press criminal charges. Emma
Sinclair-Webb, a Turkey researcher for Human Rights Watch, says that
the trials point to a new trend. What was once an epidemic of cases of
`insulting Turkishness' are now being replaced by those of `insulting
religion.'
Al-Monitor readers will recall that world-famous Turkish pianist Fazil
Say was sentenced to 10 months in jail for insulting Islam and its
prophet on Twitter. His sentence was eventually suspended but remains,
dangling over Say's head.
Another prominent figure convicted of the same charges is the
Turkish-Armenian intellectual Sevan Nisanyan, for making the following
remarks in a television program: `I don't believe that Muhammad was a
prophet. I don't believe in the existence of a prophethood
institution. I find it absurd that anyone could claim receiving
special revelations from god. To me, that's impertinence. Muhammad
must have either lied or had hallucinations.'
Nisanyan was given 13 months in jail. Although he is yet to begin
serving his sentence, Nisanyan was sent to prison in January to serve
a two-year term over a small structure he built in violation of
construction laws on his own land in the village of Sirince, in Izmir
province. As explained in Al-Monitor, many in Turkey are convinced
that construction regulations were used as a pretext to punish
Nisanyan for his outspoken views on the Armenian genocide and critical
opinion of religion.
Other cases demonstrate that even people who refer to religious
figures in a critical context can end up in court on charges of
insulting religion. Take, for instance, Canan Arin, a lawyer from
Antalya who was charged after she said that the Prophet Muhammad had
married an underage girl. Her trial was suspended conditionally, but
she will find herself back in court if similar charges are brought
against her over a period of three years.
Cartoonist Bahadir Baruter was also charged and faced a year in jail
over a cartoon he drew of a mosque wall with the inscription `There is
no Allah, religion is a lie.'
The zealous pursuit of `insults to religion' extends beyond the
courts, with media outlets facing administrative sanctions. The
Turkish CNBC-e channel, for instance, was fined by the Higher Board of
Radio and Television over an episode of `The Simpsons' deemed
offensive to religion.
Even though no one ended up behind bars in the above cases, the mere
fact that people stand trial and risk jail sentences no doubt
seriously intimidates the defendants as well as anyone with critical
views on religion. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has
come under fire for promoting `religious chauvinism.' It appears that
prosecutors who endorse the AKP's views or vie to win the government's
favor are working hard to come up with such cases.
The prosecutors use the seemingly general wording of `insulting
religion,' but all the cases pursued thus far have concerned comments
deemed to be offensive to Muslims. Insults and hate speech against
Jews or Christians clearly do not merit similar vigilance.
In this charged context, the case against Eksi Sozluk is likely to
produce a serious bullying effect on social media. It is an alarming
trial that calls for close monitoring.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2014/02/satirical-turkish-site-on-trial-for-insulting-religion
Feb 7 2014
Satirical Turkish site on trial for insulting religion
Robert Spencer
This is yet another sign of the erosion of Turkish secularism and its
galloping re-Islamization, but what is noteworthy here is that the
complaint was brought by Adnan Oktar (pictured above). Under the name
Harun Yahya, Oktar has published a huge amount of Islamic apologetics
material, including some `moderate' Muslim explanations of why jihad
violence and suicide attacks aren't justified in Islamic teaching, and
so non-Muslims need not be concerned about them. But he seems to have
no problem with the Sharia denial of the freedom of speech and
enforcement of the prohibition on any criticism of Islam.
`Satirical Turkish site on trial for insulting religion,' from
Al-Monitor, February 5 (thanks to Jerk Chicken):
One of Turkey's most popular websites, the satirical Sour Dictionary
(Eksi Sozluk), is on trial for insulting religion. Forty contributing
writers have been charged following a complaint by popular Islamic
figure Adnan Oktar. The trial kıcked off Jan. 14 with 27 of the
defendants in attendance.
Oktar, in his complaint to the prosecutor, claimed that some entries
in the dictionary included comments that amounted to insults of
religion and prophets. The entries he cited and for which the
prosecutor eventually pressed charges include jokes that the Prophet
Muhammad and Allah had `sent money' to Turkey's Housing Development
Administration and that Jesus Christ and religious people were of low
intelligence. Other examples include an entry on suggestions for a
100th name for Allah in addition to the 99 names Muslims have for
their god and another titled `Allah's official sponsors.'
The prosecutor is seeking jail terms of six to 12 months for the Eksi
Sozluk writers. The defendants disputed the charges against them at
their first hearing, arguing that they had no intention of insulting
religion and that their comments fell within the scope of freedom of
expression. A second hearing was scheduled for Feb. 17.
A string of similar legal cases in recent years indicate that
accusations of insulting religion, especially Islam, is being used
with increasing ease and frequency to press criminal charges. Emma
Sinclair-Webb, a Turkey researcher for Human Rights Watch, says that
the trials point to a new trend. What was once an epidemic of cases of
`insulting Turkishness' are now being replaced by those of `insulting
religion.'
Al-Monitor readers will recall that world-famous Turkish pianist Fazil
Say was sentenced to 10 months in jail for insulting Islam and its
prophet on Twitter. His sentence was eventually suspended but remains,
dangling over Say's head.
Another prominent figure convicted of the same charges is the
Turkish-Armenian intellectual Sevan Nisanyan, for making the following
remarks in a television program: `I don't believe that Muhammad was a
prophet. I don't believe in the existence of a prophethood
institution. I find it absurd that anyone could claim receiving
special revelations from god. To me, that's impertinence. Muhammad
must have either lied or had hallucinations.'
Nisanyan was given 13 months in jail. Although he is yet to begin
serving his sentence, Nisanyan was sent to prison in January to serve
a two-year term over a small structure he built in violation of
construction laws on his own land in the village of Sirince, in Izmir
province. As explained in Al-Monitor, many in Turkey are convinced
that construction regulations were used as a pretext to punish
Nisanyan for his outspoken views on the Armenian genocide and critical
opinion of religion.
Other cases demonstrate that even people who refer to religious
figures in a critical context can end up in court on charges of
insulting religion. Take, for instance, Canan Arin, a lawyer from
Antalya who was charged after she said that the Prophet Muhammad had
married an underage girl. Her trial was suspended conditionally, but
she will find herself back in court if similar charges are brought
against her over a period of three years.
Cartoonist Bahadir Baruter was also charged and faced a year in jail
over a cartoon he drew of a mosque wall with the inscription `There is
no Allah, religion is a lie.'
The zealous pursuit of `insults to religion' extends beyond the
courts, with media outlets facing administrative sanctions. The
Turkish CNBC-e channel, for instance, was fined by the Higher Board of
Radio and Television over an episode of `The Simpsons' deemed
offensive to religion.
Even though no one ended up behind bars in the above cases, the mere
fact that people stand trial and risk jail sentences no doubt
seriously intimidates the defendants as well as anyone with critical
views on religion. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has
come under fire for promoting `religious chauvinism.' It appears that
prosecutors who endorse the AKP's views or vie to win the government's
favor are working hard to come up with such cases.
The prosecutors use the seemingly general wording of `insulting
religion,' but all the cases pursued thus far have concerned comments
deemed to be offensive to Muslims. Insults and hate speech against
Jews or Christians clearly do not merit similar vigilance.
In this charged context, the case against Eksi Sozluk is likely to
produce a serious bullying effect on social media. It is an alarming
trial that calls for close monitoring.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2014/02/satirical-turkish-site-on-trial-for-insulting-religion