In Turkey Today, 'Anyone Who Does Not Pray is an Animal'

It is Ramadan, and in Turkey, like all Muslim countries, it is a month of fasting, prayer, and worship. Mustafa Ashkar, a professor at the Faculty of Theology at Ankara University, speaks about the 'purity of Ramadan' on a live program on Turkey's state television channel TRT 1. He says, 'Some people constantly boast here and there that they fast and pray. Well, that is an obligation, your duty. You are not doing good if you are bragging about it.' He then becomes excited and recounts that he and his colleagues from the same Faculty of Theology visited one of the zoos in Australia. While watching the animals at the zoo, the professor concludes that the only living being that puts its forehead on the ground to pray is a human: 'This means that only animals do not pray. No one should take it personally; let me say it sincerely, there are verses about it, meaning that anyone who does not pray is an animal.' Amazing! Saying such a thing 14 years ago, when Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) had not yet come to power, would have been impossible. Nevertheless, nothing strange happened until people took notice. The video of the theology professor circulated and was shared, first through 'still independent media' and then with the help of social networks and blogs. After a cabinet meeting, journalists asked Nurettin Canikli, the Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesperson, about the theology professor's comments. The Deputy Prime Minister neither condemned these statements, nor criticized them, nor even commented, but simply said, 'In this case, I better pass. I think they are deliberately blowing this issue out of proportion. If someone has committed a crime, the prosecutors will pursue it.' However, the reactions were probably much stronger than the government expected, as the theology professor reappears – this time with a different tone: 'What I meant by my statements was not that. There has been a misunderstanding, and I apologize for this misunderstanding.' Is this the same Turkey that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk built? It is also sad that the insults of this religious studies teacher at Ankara University are a small example of a growing trend in Erdoğan's Turkey, a trend in which the government's and rulers' interpretation of Islam and its public observance is supported both openly and coercively by the state. During this Ramadan, many restaurants in Turkey open special iftar tables and offer colorful dishes to their customers after iftar. Just a few days ago, I spoke with a shopkeeper in a coastal city on the Aegean Sea and told him how nice it is that despite an Islamist-leaning government, everyone is free to fast or not. Even having lunch in broad daylight in restaurants or drinking water in the street does not seem to be a problem. He smiled and said, 'Of course, in this coastal city where everyone's income comes from tourism, your point is correct. But just go 50 kilometers away from the coast and head inland. Then try drinking water in the street or smoking a cigarette, and see if you can keep your fast or if they will eat you!' A young man in the northern city of Trabzon, on the Black Sea coast, recorded a 'selfie video' in the streets of the city and published it on social media. This young man also speaks in a threatening tone: 'Look at these streets and the people coming and going. Is anyone eating or drinking? Is anyone smoking a cigarette? Forget about that democracy nonsense and so on. Here, in Ramadan, if someone eats something in the street, I swear they will pop their eyes out!' However, the charm of Turkey still lies in the fact that, despite all this, in this country, it is still – and the word 'still' can be emphasized – possible to say 'no' compared to many other countries in the Middle East, although such avenues of dissent and criticism are gradually becoming fewer and fewer. Regarding the insulting remarks of that theology professor, a young man from the 'Beykoz' neighborhood in Istanbul filed a complaint against that professor, stating in his complaint: 'I have never prayed in my life. According to a social survey, 27.5% of adult people in Turkey and nearly 85% of the global population do not pray at all. Claiming that anyone who does not pray is an animal is an insult to billions of people on Earth.' It is unlikely that the court in Istanbul will address this young man's complaint. But perhaps that does not even matter. For him, the very act of filing a complaint is probably more significant.