'Damn' part omitted from Friday sermon following social media post of armed forces

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After the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) posted a message with a picture of soldiers in front of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's Monumental Tomb in Ankara the other day, the "damn" part of the Friday sermon read out by President of Religious Affairs Ali Erbaş in Hagia Sophia on July 24 has been omitted from the official website of the Presidency of Religious Affairs.

It was alleged that Ali Erbaş "damned" Atatürk, the founder and First President of the Republic of Turkey, in his Friday sermon that he read during the first Friday prayers held in Hagia Sophia after 86 years.

It has then caused a public outrage, especially on social media. Amid all these ongoing debates and reactions, the TAF has shared a picture with soldiers walking in Atatürk's Monumental Tomb in Ankara.

The last time the Turkish Armed Forces shared a post about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was seven months ago. The social media account of the armed forces usually shares messages about soldiers and operations. That being the case, this recent social media post of the TAF about Atatürk has been interpreted as a message to the Presidency of Religious Affairs.

The debates on 'damn'

The debates started after President of Religious Affairs Ali Erbaş said the following in his Friday sermon that he read with a sword in his hand:

"Sultan Mehmed II devoted this magnificent sanctuary on the condition that it would remain remain a mosque till the doomsday, entrusting it to the believers of the Islamic faith. In our faith, the property of a foundation is untouchable. It burns whoever touches it. The condition of the one who devoted it is unalienable; who tramples upon it is damned."

As Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and the first President of the Republic of Turkey, is the person who had his signature under the Council of Ministers decree that converted Hagia Sophia from a mosque into a museum in 1934, it is argued that the above remarks of Erbaş targeted Atatürk.

In response to these remarks, İYİ Party İzmir MP and Chair of National Security Policies Aytun Çıray filed a criminal complaint against President of Religious Affairs Ali Erbaş for violating the Constitution as well as the Article 5816 of the Law on Crimes Committed against Atatürk.

While the debates on his words are still ongoing, including today's Parliamentary group meetings, Erbaş has spoken to daily Hürriyet, noting that he did not say "he has been damned," but said, "One will be damned if he touches it.' "Atatürk passed away 82 years ago. Prayers are uttered for a deceased person, not damns. Bygones are bygones," he has added.

Pose of Chief of General Staff at Hagia Sophia

Among the ones invited to the first Friday prayers in Hagia Sophia on July 24 was also Hüsnü Bayramoğlu, a disciple of Said Nursî, who was the founder of Nur Religious Community. The picture of Hüsnü Bayramoğlu with Chief of General Staff Yaşar Güler was also shared on social media.

An alleged visit by Minister of Defense

It was also alleged that Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar visited the grave of Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front (İBDA-C) leader Salih Mirzabeyoğlu and said prayers for him. Akar allegedly also visited the grave of poet and Islamist ideologue Necip Fazıl Kısakürek.

After a person named Sabahattin Aslan posted a message on Facebook, saying "Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar visited the Master and Commander," the allegation has started to circulate on social media. Commander is the nickname of Salih Mirzabeyoğlu.

The following picture was attached to the Facebook post:

Statement by the magazine about 'call for Caliphate'

After Hagia Sophia has been opened to worship following the first Friday prayers on July 24, a magazine called Gerçek Hayat (Real Life) made a call for the establishment of "Caliphate" in its July 27 issue, which has sparked a public outrage, especially on social media.

In its issue dated July 27, the magazine made a call for the establishment of "Caliphate" by saying on its cover page, "Come together for Caliphate." Amid reactions and criticisms, Editor-in-Chief Kemal Özer shared a message on Twitter and defended the cover of the magazine.

As this call has caused a public outrage, Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın has made a statement about the issue.

Addressing the debates in a TV program, İbrahim Kalın has noted that "starting a debate on the regime through discussions on Caliphate is an artificial agenda. Turkey does not have such an agenda."

Kalın has said, "Our goal must be to ensure that Turkey attains its rightful place in 2023 as a fully independent country based on the democratic will of the people. These are all artificial discussions. Saying 'Atatürk was defamed' or 'Let's declare Caliphate' means shadowing this success."

Concluding his remarks, Kalın has indicated that "Hagia Sophia must be a symbol that brings everyone together."

As for the magazine, it has made the following statement on Twitter:

"Caliphate means the union, unity and solidarity of the ummah. The leaders of likeminded countries should come together and establish a Union of Islam with İstanbul and Topkapı as its center."

'Republic' statement by the government

In this context, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Spokesperson Ömer Çelik also made a statement on Twitter yesterday (July 27).

Warning against "political polarization about political regime," he noted, "the Republic of Turkey is a democratic, secular and social state of law."

"Our Republic is the accumulation of our nation's great state experience dating back to centuries, it is a crystallized version of this experience. Our nation, which we proudly belong, is a distinguished and respectable member of the family of humanity. It is a duty and fate of us all to be worthy of it," he said and added, "Long live the Republic of Turkey..."

MHP: 'The lie that he was cursed...'

Forming the People's Alliance with the AKP, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chair Devlet Bahçeli has also made a statement about the issue.

"An immoral and unpatriotic person who would dare to curse Atatürk in this land has not yet been born. An insult and treason against Atatürk means high treason," MHP Chair Bahçeli said and added:

"It is a cruel separatism to polarize the society by lying that Atatürk was cursed, it is a poisonous preparation to drive Turkey into an abyss."

Commenting on these statement by Bahçeli, journalist Murat Yetkin has said on his website that the remarks in question should, in fact, be considered a "yellow card" to Ali Erbaş in this debate on "curse." (AS/SD)