A Turkish pop star has reportedly been arrested on charges of “inciting hatred” in response to a joke she made about the country’s religious schools. Gulsen, a 46-year-old pop star in Turkey, was removed from her home in Istanbul for questioning and formally arrested late Thursday after she joked at a concert in April that one of her musicians’ “perversion” came from attending an Islamic school . . “He studied at an Imam Hatip (school) in the past,” the singer said. “That’s where his perversion comes from.” A video of the singer’s comment started circulating on social media recently, with a hashtag calling for her arrest. ISRAEL ANNOUNCES RENEWED REGULAR RELATIONS WITH TURKEY, RETURN OF EMBASSIES Turkish pop star Gulsen performs during a concert in Istanbul, April 10, 2016. Gulsen, whose full name is Gulsen Colakoglu, was arrested Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, on charges of “inciting hatred and enmity” for a he made a joke about Turkey’s religious schools. (AP Newsroom) Gulsen was reportedly taken to jail and is awaiting trial. The arrest sparked outrage on social media. Critics of the government said the move was an attempt by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to consolidate support among his religious and conservatives ahead of elections in 10 months. Gulsen apologized for the offense the joke caused, but said her comments were exploited by those who want to deepen polarization in the country. TURKISH REQUEST FOR CHANGE OF OFFICIAL NAME TO “STRENGTHEN” COUNTRY’S BRANDING, CULTURE During her questioning by judicial authorities, Gulsen rejected accusations of inciting hatred and enmity and said she had “endless respect for the values and sensitivities of my country”, state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Gulsen’s request to be released pending trial was denied. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan holds a press conference during the NATO summit at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, June 14, 2021. (Reuters/Yves Herman/Pool/File Photo) A spokesman for Erdogan’s Justice and Development party, known by its Turkish acronym AKP, however appeared to defend the decision to arrest the singer, saying “inciting hatred is not an art form”. “Targeting a section of society with the claim of ‘perversion’ and trying to polarize Turkey is a hate crime and a shame for humanity,” AKP spokesman Omer Celik tweeted. The Associated Press contributed to this report Andrew Mark Miller is a writer at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips at [email protected]
