Azazi performed his latest project "Dervish in Progress" during a gala dinner for the United Cities and Local Government Culture Summit hosted by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) İzmir Municipality.

Attendees from the AKP and MHP condoned the performance for Azazi's combination of the traditional Sufi whirling with a topless outfit as part of his performance and called him a "naked whirling dervish."

Responding to the critics, the municipality said that they weren't surprised by the bigoted and antiquated statements of groups who "failed to write a single word about the cultural activities of the summit." 

"We are not addressing these groups because we know that they are opposed to art, light and all modern values and that there's no cure for the sick mentality they carry," the municipality said.