Singer Gülşen detained over remarks about religious 'imam-hatip' schools

Renowned pop singer Gülşen was detained today (August 25) in an investigation for "inciting the people into hatred and animosity" because of her remarks about Muslim vocational schools, known as the "imam-hatip schools" in Türkiye.

UPDATE - Court arrests Gülşen over joke about religious schools

The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office opened the investigation late yesterday, after a video excerpt from the concert circulated on social media. In the video, the singer is seen saying, "He had studied at a imam-hatip school before. This is where his perversion comes from," sparking laughter from the audience. It is not clear whom she was talking about.

Gülşen was detained after he gave a statemet to the prosecutor at the İstanbul Courthouse.

The investigation came after the singer was targeted on the pro-government media and social media because of her remarks.

GÜLŞEN'DEN HADDİNİ AŞAN SÖZLER!

Konserlerinde LGBT bayrağı açıp 'beğenmeyen gitsin' diyerek tepki toplayan Gülşen'in imam hatiplileri hedef aldığı skandal sözleri ortaya çıktı:

"İmam hatipte okumuş kendisi, sapıklığı oradan geliyor" pic.twitter.com/7L7k7jzwpb

— Sabah Gazetesi (@Sabah) August 24, 2022

After the video began circulating on social media, thousands of tweets were posted under the hashtags "Arrest Gülşen" (#GülşenTutuklansın) and "Know your place, Gülşen" (#HaddiniBilGülşen).

In a report about the reactions against the singer, pro-government daily Sabah said, "Scandalous remarks targeting imam-hatips from Gülşen, who had drawn reactions by flying LGBT flags at her concerts and saying, 'Those who don't like this are free to leave'."

The singer has long drawn ire from conservative circles because of her stage costumes and support for LGBTI+ rights.

Government officials also criticized Gülşen over her remarks on social media.

Ömer Çelik, the spokesperson of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), tweeted, "Producing hate is not a branch of arts. Targeting a section of society with the claim of 'perversion' and trying to divide Türkiye is a hate crime."

President of Religious Affairs Ali Erbaş wrote, "It is unacceptable to the imam-hatip schools and their members. I strongly condemn this." (VK)