IMM issues swift response to Friday prayer allegations: 'Claims are untrue'

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) issued a written statement regarding allegations that it requires personnel attending Friday prayers to sign documents and work overtime.

The statement read, "The claim that Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality requests signed documents from personnel during periods when Friday prayer times coincide with working hours, and that it requires personnel to work after hours by adding the duration of the Friday prayer to the end of the workday, is completely untrue."

'THE SOURCE OF THE ALLEGATIONS IS A 2016 GOVERNOR'S OFFICE ANNOUNCEMENT'

The statement continued, "Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality recognizes freedom of worship as a fundamental right and provides all necessary arrangements for its employees to comfortably perform all their acts of worship, including Friday prayers," and included the following remarks:

"To date, the only complaint made regarding IMM on this matter, even indirectly, concerns noise from metro construction. A citizen who filed a noise complaint with CİMER regarding the metro construction site near the Kadıköy Sahrayıcedit Mosque received a prompt response. The IMM Department of Rail Systems stated, 'Our employees are granted permission for Friday prayers, and noise-generating activities in the project have been halted.' 

The allegations that IMM forces personnel attending Friday prayers to sign documents or work overtime are completely fabricated and have no basis in reality. The practice cited as the basis for these claims is a 2016 circular signed by the then-Governor of Istanbul, Vasip Şahin. 

'FREEDOM OF WORSHIP IS A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT'

In the Istanbul Governor's Office letter dated January 4, 2016, it was stated that the lunch break for public employees wishing to attend Friday prayers should be arranged between 12:00 and 13:30. Furthermore, it was requested that the loss of working hours be prevented by shortening this break to 12:00-12:15 on the other four days of the week. This decision, which was implemented previously, has not been applied in any form by the IMM administration since 2019. 

Acknowledging that freedom of worship is a right guaranteed by the constitution, the IMM will continue to mobilize all its resources to ensure that its employees can perform their worship in peace, just as it has done until now."