04/12/2014 | Writer: Ömer Akpınar
Turkish PM Davutoglu will answer a written question about a newspaper’s claim that Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs (DIB) gave an anti-gay fatwa.
Turkish PM Davutoglu will answer a written question about a newspaper’s claim that Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs (DIB) gave an anti-gay fatwa.
Davutoglu at a DIB contact meeting held in October, 2014
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) MP Aykan Erdemir, one of the LGBTI allies in the Turkish Parliament, has sent a written question to PM Davutoglu today upon the conservative newspaper Milli Gazete’s claim that the DIB said “homosexuality is a perversion” in a fatwa.
Conservative paper attacked human rights conference
The written question supported by Kaos GL Association is based on a news article by Milli Gazete on November 25, 2014. The newspaper reported on a European Parliament conference in Tirana regarding fundamental rights and LGBTI issues participated by Turkish MPs, the Turkish Ombudsman Institution and LGBTI activists from Turkey:
“We have asked about the LGBTI perversion seminar that met in Tirana, the capital city of Albania, to the CALL Fatwa hotline of the Directorate of Religious Affairs. We asked ‘Is it right to attend this meeting?’ We received this answer: ‘Those who support such a meeting positively are sinning. One ought to stay away from this and the malice of this should be publicized through NGOs.’ Additionally, we received the following response on homosexual perversions: ‘It is definitely perversion. It is forbidden in our religion.’”
"Invitation to morality!"
Milli Gazete is the newspaper of a political ideology called Milli Gorus (National View) representing traditional Islam out of which the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was born as a result of a rift.
“What are the DIB’s reference sources?”
Erdemir’s written question to the Turkish PM should be answered in written form in 15 days. The questions asked to PM Davutoglu are as follows:
Was a question about “participating in the conference” asked to the CALL Fatwa hotline as claimed in the news article mentioned? If asked, how did the DIB respond to that?
Since 2002, how many questions – under which topics – were asked to the CALL Fatwa hotline on the situation of gay and trans citizens by gay and trans citizens or their relatives? What kind of a manner and content were used answering these applications?
What are the “religious and non-religious written sources” that the DIB makes reference to, including the CALL Fatwa hotline, in the frame of discrimination, hatred and violence towards gay and trans citizens as part of the DIB’s public services? Among these, are there the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, conventions and documents derived from it and the entire corpus of human rights such as the European Convention on Human Rights and rulings by the European Court of Human Rights?
Erdemir together with LGBTI activists at the Turkish Parliament for a press meeting in September, 2014
Can the DIB give an opinion on attending a conference?
Formed by the founder of Turkish Republic, Ataturk, in 1924, the DIB aims at “enlightening the society on religion” by law. The Turkish Constitution’s Article 136 states that the DIB should comply with the principle of secularism, be free from all political opinions and ideologies and aim at solidarity and integration as a nation.
Tags: life
