Turkish Consul General makes 'shahada gesture' during visit to Archbishop
Turkey's Consul General in Lyon, Cemil Yıldırım, drew attention with his gesture during a visit to the region's Catholic spiritual leader, Archbishop Olivier de Germay.
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During his visit to the Archbishop of Lyon, Turkey's Consul General Yıldırım posed for a photo standing one step ahead while pointing his index finger upward.
In a post shared on the consulate's social media account, it was stated, "We thank the Archbishop of Lyon, Germay, for his hospitality during our courtesy visit."
In the photo shared regarding the visit, it was noted that Consul General Yıldırım stood in front of his host and raised his index finger, which is referred to as the Shahada finger in Islam.
NO OFFICIAL STATEMENT
Following the reactions, the tweet in question was hastily removed from the consulate's account, and no official statement has yet been made regarding the pose Cemil Yıldırım struck next to the priest.
ABOUT CEMİL YILDIRIM
Consul General Yıldırım served at the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Luanda between 2010-2013, the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Paris between 2013-2015, and the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Canberra between 2018-2020 as part of his overseas assignments, before serving as a Department Head at the Presidential Foreign Policy Advisory Office between 2020-2023.
Yıldırım was appointed as the Consul General in Lyon in 2023.