Imam Metin Özcan arrested for targeting Atatürk and the Republic at a mawlid ceremony

Metin Özcan, an imam at the Hazreti Ali Mosque in the Yavuz Sultan Selim neighborhood, delivered a speech targeting the Republic and Atatürk. 

Özcan said the following in his speech:

"With the Republic, decisions were made to hang Islamic scholars. The Caliphate was abolished, madrasas were closed, and dervish lodges were shut down. Alphabets were changed. Muslims who knew everything became people who knew nothing. Read history well, research it well. The men they love are not men worth loving at all. May God protect us. Mothers; you educate your children. They are 'bare-legged' people who put children into schools, and sermons are read under the name of centers of knowledge and wisdom. There is no such thing. There is neither education nor knowledge and wisdom. There is neither education nor instruction. Do not leave your child there expecting them to grow up. They might reach a position, but they will use that position for bribery and wrongdoing." 

ARRESTED AFTER APPEAL

Following the backlash, imam Metin Özcan was detained and subsequently released by the court under judicial control conditions after his interrogation at the police station. 

The public prosecutor appealed this decision. Upon re-evaluating the case following the appeal, the court decided to arrest Metin Özcan. Özcan was arrested and sent to Kandıra Prison. 

Meanwhile, the Körfez District Mufti's Office has also launched an administrative investigation into the imam. 

News Source: 12punto