LGBTI+s Targeted in Friday Sermon

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Shortly after the LGBTI+phobic statements of Director of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş caused outrage especially on social media, this week's Friday sermon sent by the Directorate to mosques has made targeting and discriminating remarks about LGBTI+ individuals.

The Directorate of Religious Affairs sends the weekly Friday sermons to all mosques across Turkey every Friday. These sermons are read out by the imam during the Friday prayer at mosques.

The Friday sermon sent by the Directorate this week has targeted LGBTI+ individuals with discriminating remarks and hate speech.

"All types of thoughts and actions disregarding the family, in fact, target social bonds", the sermon has indicated and continued as follows:

'Sexual freedom is danger for the human'

"Extramarital affairs and 'free attitudes', which they try to keep on the agenda under the name of 'sexual freedom', are far from protecting the dignity and rights of both men and women. An affair without a legitimate and admissible wedlock has been forbidden by Allah.

"No benefit would come from a road taken with something forbidden by religion because it is always deceptive and destructive; it a danger for the human and detriment for the society."

'Being genderless leads to destruction'

Claiming that "the Holy Creator has determined our gender, just as it has determined our race, color and life", the sermon has argued further,

"The efforts to interfere in gender and invite to being genderless lead to the destruction of not only the individuals themselves, but also that of the whole human generation. Presenting gender choice as a realm of freedom and, thereby, disregarding the divine will mean going over the line and deviating from being the servants of Allah."

The sermon has further claimed that "it is the religious and moral values that keep the nations on their feet" and, referring to "moral corruptions" within this context, the sermon has indicated, "Let us keep off habits and uglinesses that would damage the honor of women and men." (EMK/SD)