Turkish lawyer Feyza Altun was detained Monday (February 19) following several anti-Sharia social media posts. Refuting charges that she had attacked anyone’s religion or lifestyle, Altun doubled down on her criticism of Sharia, referencing Afghanistan’s Taliban government.
Altun, who has frequently received attention for her provocative social media posts, landed in hot water this week following a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which the lawyer wrote “F*ck Sharia”. The post, which was later deleted, had been written in response to a follower’s reply to a Farsi poem Altun had posted on her X account.
‘Inciting the public to hatred and hostility’
Following Altun’s explicit social media post, an investigation was launched by an İstanbul prosecutor based on the allegation of ‘inciting the public to hatred and hostility’, which can carry a 1-3 year prison sentence.
Altun’s house was raided and the lawyer was then taken into custody as part of the investigation. In a social media post denying the allegations, Altun said:
“I have never and will never write anything related to anyone’s beliefs. Whatever religion or lifestyle one chooses to practice does not concern me.
To me, Sharia refers to these Taliban members who stone women on the streets. On this point, I stand behind what I said.”
On Tuesday morning (February 20), Altun was released from custody with a ban on international travel, and a requirement that she report to police headquarters twice a week.
Sharia in Turkey
Sharia, or Islamic law, is used as a legal basis in some countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia. The practice of Sharia in modern times has been criticized by many human rights groups and western governments, who see the use of Islamic law as incompatible with liberal democracy. Advocates of Sharia have denounced these criticisms as western-centric.
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Sharia holds no official status in the Turkish legal system. In a 1998 ruling, the Turkish Constitutional Court ruled Sharia as incompatible with democracy and Turkey’s secular order. Islamist parties have nevertheless advocated for the increased influence of Sharia in Turkey. In remarks made at a graduation ceremony for officials of Turkey’s Ministry of Religion (Diyanet) earlier this month, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: “Hostility towards Sharia, which represents Islam’s rules governing life in its entirety, is hostility towards the religion in itself.”
Geert Wilders gets involved
Far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders shared a social media post on Monday with the caption “Feyza Altun is a hero!”
Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV), has been a long-time critic of President Erdoğan and Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), criticising the Turkish leader as a “loser, terrorist, and Islamofacist.” Wilders has also on numerous occasions expressed his admiration for Turkey’s secular founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. On Turkey’s 100-year anniversary in October 2023, Wilders shared a post saying:
“Congratulations Turkey! Now just get rid of Islamist dictator Erdoğan and elect a leader proud of Ataturk’s legacy who will focus on a true secular state, invest in the security and rights of women and stop the mass immigration of Arabs to Turkey.”
Surprise gains by Wilders’ PVV in the Netherlands’ November 2023 elections led to concerns of where Turkish-Dutch relations may be headed should the far-right leader succeed in building a large enough coalition to become Prime Minister, given Wilders’ years of overtly anti-Erdoğan remarks.
Who is Feyza Altun?
A self-described lawyer, feminist, activist, philanthropist, and writer, Altun graduated from Istanbul’s Bilgi University with a degree in human rights law. Founder of the Tarafsız Çalışan Anneler Platformu (Neutral Working Mothers’ Platform), Altun authored a book ın 2016 titled Kadının Fenni.
Written/translated by Leo Kendrick for Medyascope
