Another religious community course, another scandal: 5 children abused!

The court has announced its verdict in the abuse scandal that emerged at a boarding Quran course affiliated with the İsmailağa Community.

A 17-year-old who subjected at least five children to abuse was sentenced to 50 years in prison. However, the community members who covered up the abuse were not prosecuted.

In the Orhaneli district of Bursa, at least five children aged 10-12, who were staying at a boarding Quran course affiliated with the İsmailağa Community and had been pulled out of formal education despite being of middle school age, were subjected to repeated sexual abuse by another child at the same Quran course, whom they called "older brother," in April and May of 2024.

THEY COVERED UP THE SCANDAL

According to a report by Birgün, during the investigation, the victimized children who had been pulled out of formal education recounted what they had experienced and witnessed one by one. A 10-year-old child stated in his testimony, "After seeing these events, I told my mother.

Later, I heard that five others had told these events to teachers named Fehim and Faruk who worked at the course... Then at night, teachers Fehim and Faruk gathered us at the course. They told us not to tell anyone what we saw, and that if we did, the course would be closed down, hundreds of people studying there would be victimized, and we would be responsible for their sins..."

THEY DECEIVED THE FAMILIES

The testimony of community member Muhammed Kır, who stated that he had been volunteering at the course for 10 years, was also taken as a "person with knowledge." Kır admitted that they lied to the families of the abused children, saying, "A student whose name we do not remember reported that there were obscene acts among the mentioned children to the officials at our institution. When we learned this, we met with the children... We told the students' families, without going into too much detail, that the child was reluctant to learn and that it would be better to take them out of the course. They then took the children out of the course..."

Community member Fehim Özmen, who stated that he had been working as a volunteer at the Quran course for about a year, said, "We did not clearly explain these issues to the children's families. We told the children's families that 'they were reluctant in their education and that it would be appropriate for them to leave the course'."

During the investigation process, some families whose testimonies were taken said they were not filing a complaint against the child who abused their children. The 17-year-old child named A.S., who abused the other children at the Quran course, confirmed the abuse in his testimony and said, "It was meant as a joke." A.S. was arrested on September 20, 2024, and sent to a juvenile detention center.

In the prepared indictment, the child named A.S. was charged with "qualified sexual abuse of a child five times and deprivation of liberty using force, threat, or deception." While the child named A.S. was being tried under arrest in the ongoing case at the Bursa Juvenile High Criminal Court, the community members who covered up the abuse were heard as "witnesses" and were not prosecuted.

50 YEARS IN PRISON SENTENCED

At the hearing on October 2, 2025, the defendant A.S., who was being tried under arrest, was sentenced to 50 years in prison in total—10 years for each of the five victimized children—for the crime of "chain-offense qualified sexual abuse of a child," and it was decided by majority vote that A.S. would remain in custody. The presiding judge, contrary to the two members, entered a dissenting opinion stating that the child should be released.

Lawyers for the victimized children emphasized throughout the trial that the officials of the dormitory affiliated with the İsmailağa Community should also be prosecuted.