Reminder of 'Belgium' for Minister Göktaş, who shared a video singing hymns with children: From the Christian Democratic Party to the French School...

Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş's recently shared footage of herself singing a popular hymn with young children has sparked a debate about "sincerity" in the public eye.

Tüm Türkiye’nin yüreğine işleyen o ilahiyi duyunca çocuklarımızla birlikte eşlik etmeden duramadık.

Seslerimizin ve gönüllerimizin bir olduğu, aynı duygu ve inançla birbirimize kenetlendiğimiz nice Ramazanlara…??

Bu kıymetli eseri milyonların diline düşüren besteci Abdurrahman… pic.twitter.com/v4SPPvUAQF

— Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş (@MahinurOzdemir) February 26, 2026

Following this post by Minister Göktaş that appeals to religious sentiments, citizens have leveled harsh criticisms by recalling the Minister's political past and family choices.

FROM THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO THE CABINET

At the center of the criticism lies the fact that Göktaş was born in Belgium and is a Belgian citizen. The fact that the Minister began her political career not in Turkey, but in Belgian politics, has been brought back to the agenda.

The identity of the party for which Göktaş was elected to the Brussels Regional Parliament is noteworthy. Göktaş served as a member of parliament for the Centre Démocrate Humaniste (Humanist Democratic Centre) party, which has roots in the "Christian Social Party" (PSC) tradition and represents center-right Christian democratic ideology. Social media users asked, "How consistent is it for a figure who shaped her political career in a European party with a Christian Democratic tradition to send messages to conservative voters in Turkey today via a hymn?"

"DOMESTIC AND NATIONAL" RHETORIC, "FRENCH SCHOOL" PREFERENCE

Another dimension of the reactions concerned educational choices. Despite the government's frequently voiced "domestic and national education" rhetoric, it was recalled that the school Minister Göktaş chose for her own children is the Ankara Charles de Gaulle French High School.

Citizens described a Minister enrolling her children in an elite French high school rather than Turkey's national education system as being "out of touch with the public" while the people struggle with economic crisis and problems in the education system.

In comments made on social media, the view that "It is not found credible for a Minister who educates her children in a French school, holds Belgian citizenship, and comes from the ranks of the Christian Democratic Party to address the public with a hymn video" came to the fore.

News Source: 12punto