Diyanet steps back after the nightclub massacre in İstanbul

While Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate, or Diyanet, declared the New Year celebrations as “illicit” one day before the New Year’s Eve, after the nightclub attack they stated that it is intolarable to divide the society and confront different people according to their life-style
Monday, 02 January 2017 08:13

Celebrating the New Year was declared as being “illicit”, “infidel”, “temptation” by vairous people and reactionary groups, including reactionary public figures, reactionary student groups, reactionary and pro-government newspapers, nationalist political party groups, deputies from AKP, other government officials and finally Religious Affairs Directorate.

In the Friday sermon (khutbah) of December, 30 prepared by the Religious Affairs Directorate, or Diyanet, New Year celebrations are declared to be “illicit”. The sermon by the Directorate, declared that “it is never suitable to a believer [Muslim], forgetting himself and his aim of creation [...], to exhibit illicit manners and behaviours that don’t comply with our values and don’t contribute to human life”.

The Directorate targeted the celebrations by stating that “it is thought-provoking that the first hours of new years turn into a waste by the festivals and entertainments that belong to other cultures, other worlds”.

In the public statement made by the Religious Affairs Directorate about the nightclub massacre that killed at least 39 people, it is seen that the directorate takes a step back. It is stated that “The bloody attack targeting defenseless people within the first hours of the new year has hurt everyone deeply. The only difference between today’s terrorist attack and other events is to divide the society and confront different people according to their life-styles”.

While their statement before the massacre included confrontations by saying that the ones celebrating the New Year ignore the differences between the good and the evil, after the massacre Diyanet stated that it is wrong to divide people according to their life-style.