Photo: Reuters The jaundice A Turkish pop singer could face up to three years in prison after she was charged Friday with “inciting hatred and enmity” over a joke she made about the country’s religious schools. Singer-songwriter Gulsen was jailed last week, but was released four days later and placed under house arrest. The accusations stem from a joke the singer made during a concert in April, when she quipped that one of her musicians’ “perversion” came from attending a religious school. A video of the singer’s comment started circulating on social media recently, with a hashtag calling for her arrest. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and many members of his Islam-based ruling party are graduates of religious schools called Imam Hatip, which were originally established to train imams. The 48-page indictment includes 702 complainants, including individuals, a pro-government women’s rights group and an association from the religious school. Turkey’s penal code criminalizes inciting hatred and enmity against different groups in society based on class, race, religion or sect, requiring a prison sentence in cases that lead to threats to public security. In her statement to police included in the indictment, Gulsen said she joked with a band member whose nickname was “Imam,” but had not attended the school. “I never said this to insult or belittle Imam Hatips disciples or any section of our country. My respect for all values and sensitivities of the country is eternal,” he said and denied the allegations. The 46-year-old singer, whose full name is Gulsen Colakoglu, has previously been targeted by Islamic circles for her revealing outfits and for unfurling an LGBTQ flag at a concert. The court must approve the indictment for the trial to begin. A request by Gulsen’s lawyer to release her from house arrest was denied.
