Diyanet, which preaches 'austerity' to citizens, fails to follow its own sermon! They held a meeting at a 5-star hotel

The Presidency of Religious Affairs, which calls on citizens to practice 'austerity' in its Friday sermons, did not follow its own sermon.

Organizing an Education Personnel Evaluation Meeting between January 23-26, the Presidency of Religious Affairs chose a 5-star thermal hotel in Kızılcahamam, Ankara, for the meeting.

In the luxury hotel, which offers services such as a spa, thermal pool, massage, and salt room, the price for a single-person stay starts at 4 thousand TL per night.

The meeting, opened by the President of Religious Affairs Ali Erbaş, was attended by 200 educators working at Religious Specialization Centers. The cost of a one-night stay for the educators alone amounts to 800 thousand liras.

According to the report by Deniz Ayhan from Sözcü, the nature hotel Eliz in Kızılcahamam, Ankara, is classified as a “Thermal Spa & Wellness” hotel. The hotel features a semi-olympic swimming pool, a thermal pool, a Turkish bath, a spa, and a sauna. Services such as outdoor pools, fitness centers, foam, salt room, care treatments, scrubbing, and massage are provided separately for men and women. Most recently, Diyanet held its three-day Overseas Religious Services Conference in November at the five-star Dedeman Hotel in Konya, and the expenses for the meeting were covered by the AKP-run Konya Metropolitan Municipality, which paid 1 million 684 thousand 750 TL.

The opening of the meeting in Kızılcahamam was conducted by the President of Religious Affairs Ali Erbaş. Addressing the staff hosted at the hotel, Erbaş said, “Raising people requires the precision of a goldsmith. Just as one holds the scale when weighing gold, our precision must be even greater. The training of those who will guide the spiritual life of society is very special. When it comes to religious education, your responsibility increases even more.”

News Source: 12punto