Statement from the Istanbul Governor's Office on book list: School principal suspended

The Istanbul Governor's Office announced that an investigation has been launched into a book reading list allegedly prepared at an Imam Hatip school in Pendik, and that the school principal has been suspended.

The Istanbul Governor's Office issued a statement regarding a book list allegedly recommended to students at an Imam Hatip school in Pendik.

The Governor's Office stated that the books mentioned on social media do not appear on the lists prepared by the Istanbul Governor's Office or the Provincial Directorate of National Education. It was noted that the school principal declared that the signature on the list did not belong to him and that his signature had been forged. An investigation into the incident has been launched, and the school principal has been suspended.

"WHAT HAPPENED?"

A book reading list allegedly prepared at the Şehit Olcay Duman Imam Hatip Secondary School in Pendik, Istanbul, became a topic of discussion on social media and in some news outlets.

The books on the list in question were alleged to include:

Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, Martin Heidegger's What is Metaphysics?, Elif Şafak's The Gaze, Zülfü Livaneli's Disquiet, Edip Yüksel's The Message: A Translation of the Quran, Yaşar Nuri Öztürk's Deception with God, Zekeriya Beyaz's Islam and Clothing, Caner Taslaman's Islam and Women, Recep İhsan Eliaçık's Tell Me About Religion, and Cemil Kılıç's Mosque and Politics.