Turkish pop star Gülşen arrested over religious schools joke

[sammuel]

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Turkish pop star Gülşen arrested over religious schools joke​

The Turkish pop star Gülşen has been arrested on charges of “inciting hatred and enmity” over a joke she made about Turkey’s religious schools.

The 46-year-old singer-songwriter, whose full name is Gülşen Çolakoğlu, was taken away from her home in Istanbul for questioning and formally arrested late on Thursday. She was then taken to a prison pending trial.


The arrest has sparked outrage on social media. Government critics said the move was an effort by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to consolidate support from his religious and conservative base ahead of elections in 10 months’ time.

The charges were based on a joke Gülşen made during an April concert in Istanbul, where she quipped that one of her musicians’ “perversion” stemmed from attending a religious school. A video of the singer’s comment began circulating on social media, with a hashtag calling for her arrest.

Gülşen – who previously became a target in conservative Islamic circles because of her revealing stage outfits and unfurling of an LGBTQ flag at a concert – apologised for the offence the joke caused but said her comments were seized on by those wanting to deepen polarisation in the country.

During her questioning by court authorities, Gülşen rejected accusations that she incited hatred and enmity, and said she had “endless respect for the values and sensitivities of my country”, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Her request to be released from custody pending the outcome of a trial was rejected.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition party, called on judges and prosecutors to release Gülşen. “Don’t betray law and justice; release the artist now!” he wrote on Twitter.

The spokesperson for Erdoğan’s Justice and Development party, known by its Turkish abbreviation AKP, appeared, however, to defend the decision to arrest the singer, saying “inciting hatred is not an art form”.

“Targeting a segment of society with the allegation of “perversion” and trying to polarise Turkey is a hate crime and a disgrace to humanity,” the AKP spokesperson Ömer Çelik tweeted.

Erdoğan and many members of his Islam-based ruling party are graduates of religious schools, which were originally established to train imams. The number of religious schools in Turkey has increased under Erdoğan, who has promised to raise a “pious generation”.

Among those calling for Gülşen’s release was the Turkish pop star Tarkan, best known internationally for his song Kiss Kiss.

“Our legal system, which turns a blind eye to corruption, thieves, those who break the law and massacre nature, those who kill animals and those who use religion to polarise society through their bigoted ideas – has arrested Gülşen in one whack,” Tarkan said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Turkish pop star GülÅen arrested over religious schools joke

Singer previously targeted for support of LGBTQ rights rejects charge she âincited hatredâ

www.theguardian.com

 

[TNT]

Insulting an educational institute is wrong, she should be punished harshly.

 

[313ghazi]

Being sent to prison for a joke is ridiculous.

If it was offensive an apology and a fine should be plenty.

 

[sammuel]

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U.S. concerned about judicial harassment after Turkish pop star's arrest​

WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL, Aug 27 (Reuters) - The United States said it remained concerned about Turkey's censorship of free speech, and women's groups protested in Istanbul on Saturday, after the arrest of pop star Gulsen over a past quip she made about religious schools.

The singer-songwriter was jailed on Thursday pending trial on a charge of incitement to hatred after a video of her on-stage remark in April was broadcast by a pro-government media outlet

While several state ministers condemned Gulsen's words, her arrest drew a fierce response from critics who see President Tayyip Erdogan's government as bent on punishing those who oppose its conservative views.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said it remains concerned about widespread efforts in Turkey to restrict expression via censorship and judicial harassment following Gulsen's detention.

Protesters in Istanbul criticised what they called inconsistency between the judiciary's inaction towards violence against women and the artist's speedy investigation and arrest. Many say Gulsen was targeted for her liberal views and support for LGBT+ rights.

"Hundreds of women would be alive today if men who assaulted other women were captured as fast as Gulsen was," organizers of the Istanbul protest told demonstrators through a loudspeaker.

Her arrest is the latest injustice against "women who don't fit the mold," or are not "the type of woman the government wants," they said.

In the video of her performance in April, Gulsen refers to a musician in her band and says in a light-hearted manner: "He studied at an Imam Hatip (school) previously. That's where his perversion comes from."

Erdogan, whose Islamist-rooted party first came to power two decades ago, himself studied at one of Turkey's first Imam Hatip schools, which were founded by the state to educate young men to be imams and preachers but have since exploded in number.

Gulsen on Thursday apologised to anyone offended by her remarks, saying they were seized upon by some who want to polarise society.

U.S. concerned about judicial harassment after Turkish pop star's arrest

The United States said it remained concerned about Turkey's censorship of free speech, and women's groups protested in Istanbul on Saturday, after the arrest of pop star Gulsen over a past quip she made about religious schools.

www.reuters.com

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[Maula Jatt]

wait lol- hold up

they also have a stereotype of pervert teachers in religious schools?

 

[lastofthepatriots]

She looks like the turkish lady gaga

 

[Trench Broom]

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U.S. concerned about judicial harassment after Turkish pop star's arrest​

WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL, Aug 27 (Reuters) - The United States said it remained concerned about Turkey's censorship of free speech, and women's groups protested in Istanbul on Saturday, after the arrest of pop star Gulsen over a past quip she made about religious schools.

The singer-songwriter was jailed on Thursday pending trial on a charge of incitement to hatred after a video of her on-stage remark in April was broadcast by a pro-government media outlet

While several state ministers condemned Gulsen's words, her arrest drew a fierce response from critics who see President Tayyip Erdogan's government as bent on punishing those who oppose its conservative views.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said it remains concerned about widespread efforts in Turkey to restrict expression via censorship and judicial harassment following Gulsen's detention.

Protesters in Istanbul criticised what they called inconsistency between the judiciary's inaction towards violence against women and the artist's speedy investigation and arrest. Many say Gulsen was targeted for her liberal views and support for LGBT+ rights.

"Hundreds of women would be alive today if men who assaulted other women were captured as fast as Gulsen was," organizers of the Istanbul protest told demonstrators through a loudspeaker.

Her arrest is the latest injustice against "women who don't fit the mold," or are not "the type of woman the government wants," they said.

In the video of her performance in April, Gulsen refers to a musician in her band and says in a light-hearted manner: "He studied at an Imam Hatip (school) previously. That's where his perversion comes from."

Erdogan, whose Islamist-rooted party first came to power two decades ago, himself studied at one of Turkey's first Imam Hatip schools, which were founded by the state to educate young men to be imams and preachers but have since exploded in number.

Gulsen on Thursday apologised to anyone offended by her remarks, saying they were seized upon by some who want to polarise society.

U.S. concerned about judicial harassment after Turkish pop star's arrest

The United States said it remained concerned about Turkey's censorship of free speech, and women's groups protested in Istanbul on Saturday, after the arrest of pop star Gulsen over a past quip she made about religious schools.

www.reuters.com

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Erdogan is an Islamist dictator who outwore his welcome 15 years ago but still clings on desperately.

However, the US under the Democrats have absolutely no moral authority to lecture anyone about judicial harassment given what they've done with the FBI and supreme court judges recently.

 

[mulj]

Smart, it is better then all present idiocracy in public sphere around the west. She should have been smarter and do her job, entertaining visitiors on her concerts.

 

[AlKardai]

Good riddance
I Never liked her songs anyway.

 

[Rollno21]

Insulting an educational institute is wrong, she should be punished harshly.

She commented about a religious school and not a educational institution.

 

[Foinikas]

Except for the LGBT flag thing in the article,I like her!

Gel gel gel geeeeel!

 

[AlKardai]

Except for the LGBT flag thing in the article,I like her!

Gel gel gel geeeeel!

Her music is pretty dry, with a continual spamming of the same 3 sentences throughout the whole song

 

[TNT]

She commented about a religious school and not a educational institution.

A religious school is an educational institute. The president of Turkey studied in one of those she ridiculed. Just because a school have added focus on religion doesn't make it a lesser educational institute. Seems seculars are losing their brains slowly.

 

[Foinikas]

Her music is pretty dry, with a continual spamming of the same 3 sentences throughout the whole song

To be honest I haven't listened of many of her songs. Only this and maybe 1-2 more. I remember the video-clip caused a scandal in Turkey but in the early 2000s (or whenever it was released) and it was banned from TV.

But there are so many good artists in Turkey,both actors and singers who are probably wondering right now if they can actually say something freely. I remember there was a director who had been pro-Erdogan for years,he had been making videos,documentaries etc about him and after the coup,he tried to make a fictional TV series (or movie) where a coup is succesful. There was a scene where the military executes the president while he's praying. Of course,the director wanted to show how bad such a coup would have been for Turkey. But he was arrested and jailed.

If @dBSPL has more info on that guy,he could tell us more.

 

[musti]

Primitiveness dominates Turkiye step by step.

Agenda of Turkiye should be achievements, not a f....g joke during concert.

But pro AKPians presecutors are silent for huge sized corruptions but they looks like thunder for a insignifcant jokes.