Cemil Tugay reacts to Menzil's 'repentance' rally in İzmir

A mass repentance meeting held in the Karabağlar district of İzmir, led by Menzil community leader Muhammed Saki Erol, has sparked political debate. Mayor Cemil Tugay stated that there are questions regarding whether this event was authorized and invited the relevant institutions to be transparent.

In his statement regarding the organization, Tugay said, "Was such a meeting held with permission? If not, this is a situation that requires an explanation from judicial and administrative authorities, as well as the police." Emphasizing İzmir's multicultural and secular structure, Mayor Tugay stated that they always respect freedom of belief in society. Tugay said, "We stand by people's freedom of belief to the end. We have no problem with anyone's faith. Neither I nor the CHP have any such issue. We are in favor of all people living their own beliefs freely. But our country is a secular, democratic republic. Our country has experienced firsthand the dangers that anti-secular structures can pose in a secular country. So, I hope our state is closely monitoring such things and will not allow anything wrong to be done."

Following the controversial event, Tugay underscored that the relevant state units should look closely into the matter and pointed to the importance of the principle of secularism. Arguing that the secular state structure should not be put at risk, the Mayor also drew attention to the lessons learned from the country's past.

Tugay continued his words as follows:

"Knowing that the people of İzmir generally have a republican and secular stance, I wondered, 'Could this be a provocation?' One should not get into such debates. Because they are trying to polarize people through faith. This has been used as politics for years. Many administrators of our party, both in the past and today, are religious people. They are people who are devoted to their religion and are moral. The CHP has no problem with faith. Especially today, no one can say a single word about this, but as I said, if there is something being done to change the order of the state, to disrupt or destroy secularism, everyone has seen the results of this firsthand in the recent past. We know what the consequences are. Therefore, one must be careful. So, there is nothing for us to do at this stage. Secularism is valuable for everyone. It is very valuable for everyone. I said this so that it is not forgotten. It is also necessary for people of faith to live their beliefs freely."

News Source: 12punto