Fatih Portakal reacts to Diyanet's 'fatwa on men and women': What is your mind working on?
The Friday sermon prepared by the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), which stated that 'friendships between men and women that begin with thoughts of friendship and sharing troubles drag people into the quagmire of adultery,' has become the focus of backlash. Fatih Portakal was among those who reacted to this fatwa.
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Sözcü TV main news anchor Fatih Portakal lashed out at the fatwa stating that 'friendship between men and women can lead to adultery.'
Portakal reacted to Diyanet by saying, 'There is theft, ostentation, and abuse in the country; why don't you write a sermon about those? What is your mind working on?'
Fatih Portakal used the following expressions regarding the controversial fatwa:
"It says relationships that start as friendship and sharing troubles can turn into adultery. My friend, what kind of mindset do you have? Where is your mind, I mean.
This is the best question: what is your mind working on? Does your mind always go there?
For example, Sinem is in front of me, she has a broadcast after me.
She is my friend, I have known her for years. She is a married woman, we share our troubles and talk. Is this going to turn into adultery! Is that what you mean! What is your mind working on? Why does it work like that.
There is no right, no law, no justice in the country. Prepare a fatwa about that; there is theft in the country, there is corruption. Prepare a Friday sermon about that; there are rights being violated, there are abuses, prepare a Friday sermon about that. There is stealing, there is thievery, there is ostentation in the country.
Talk about that, especially on the side that claims to be religious. Say that there is no place for ostentation in religion, prepare such a sermon. Your mind and thoughts are elsewhere. I will say something else now and they will shut down the television"