Top Turkish religious body files criminal complaint against journalist over criticism of fatwa

Duvar English 

Turkey’s top religious body (Diyanet) has filed a criminal complaint against journalist Fatih Altaylı on the grounds that he shared “grave insults against the institution and its personnel” on its social media account. 

In the criminal complaint filed to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the institution stated: "It has become necessary for our presidency to fill a criminal complaint over the suspect who tried to provoke our citizens and earthquake victims against our presidency by insulting our presidency and its employees with derogatory expressions on his Twitter page."

In the previous week, Diyanet opened a special section on its fatwa website about earthquakes and answered the question of “Can children of earthquake victims be adopted?” The fatwa stated that it is not right for foster families to treat adopted children like their own children and that "there is no barrier to marriage between the adopter and the adopted child."

The fetwa mounted criticism on social media and many public figures reacted against the Diyanet’s response. 

Journalist Fatih Altaylı also reacted to the Diyanet's fatwa on his Twitter account, saying: "We understand that you are really perverts, but what are you doing in an institution like the Diyanet? Perverts. Go into the porn industry. Don't pollute the institution established by (founder of modern Turkish Republic) Atatürk to give people proper religious knowledge with your perverted imagination."

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