A lawyer in Turkey was put in prison after she criticized Sharia law in one of her several posts on social media, including one where she said “f*** sharia” in response to a Persian poem.
Turkish lawyer Feyza Altun was detained after she made a post criticizing Islamic law, known as Sharia, on social media.https://t.co/mcLXTnAdKH
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) February 23, 2024
37-year-old Feyza Altun was arrested by the Beykoz Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul after it accused the lawyer of violating Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), which criminalizes any acts of openly inciting enmity or hatred towards a protected social group, including a religious one.
Altun wrote several posts on X (formerly known as Twitter), but the one that garnered the most attention was her reply to a Persian poem posted on the platform, in which she said “F*** Sharia” as a response.
The post amassed significant reactions from netizens, with some users initiating a campaign to have Altun arrested under the hashtag #feyzaaltuntutuklansın” (Feyza Altun should be arrested).
She deserves to be moved and put in prison.
— Farid Al Ali (@MRMH_2011) February 23, 2024
“For two nights, I struggled with thousands of tweets from people who said they would put me to the sword and that I would become their concubine,” Altun said in front of the court.
Altun also defended herself and her posts on social media, writing, “To this day, I have never written the slightest thing that is offensive about any belief. I don't care about anyone's religious belief or the way they live it, no matter what religion it is.”
“For me, what you call Sharia is the Taliban mind that stones women on the streets. In this context, I stand behind my word. That regime will not be implemented in this country either. Modern secular law rules apply in this country. Demanding sharia is a threat to the constitutional order and a crime.” Altun also added.
Bugüne kadar hiçbir inançla ilgili en ufak rencide edici şey yazmadım yazmam da. Kimsenin dini inancı , hangi din olursa olsun onu yaşama biçimi beni ilgilendirmez.
Şeriat dediğiniz şey sokaklarda kadın taşlayan Taliban aklıdır benim için. Bu bağlamda sözümün de arkasındayım. Bu…— Feyza Altun (@feyzaltun) February 19, 2024
The lawyer also issued a statement dispelling rumors that she drank “raki,” a Turkish alcoholic drink prohibited under Islamic law, when police came to her home to arrest her.
“I have already said more than enough to say about the investigation I have undergone. I also gave my statement yesterday. For this reason, I have decided not to make another statement at this stage. However, since the following news was the result of a misunderstanding, I wanted to correct it,” Altun said.
“I did not say that I drank raki when the police came to my house. I think there was such a communication accident. I said that I was drinking only raki at home when the police came. When my detention period began, I did not drink anything. As you will appreciate, such a thing is not possible. I wanted to correct the issue as there would be a situation that would put my fellow officers under pressure,” she added.
