TV sequence suspended: What Turkish viewers should not see | EUROtoday

It’s about radical Islam and an explosive love affair: The TV sequence “Kızıl Goncalar” needs to carry a mirror as much as Turkish society – to the dismay of conservative sects. That had penalties.

A great week in the past, the Turkish tv viewers was fairly upset: Contrary to what was introduced, FOX TV didn’t present the newest episode of the sequence “Kızıl Goncalar” (“Red Buds”). Instead, to many individuals’s shock, a documentary movie was proven.

The Turkish broadcasting authority RTÜK stated there had been greater than 30,000 complaints about “Kızıl Goncalar.” A two-week broadcast ban was subsequently imposed on the sequence.

This is the story of “Kızıl Goncalar” purely fictional. It’s concerning the relationship between Levent and Meryem: He is extra secular, she is a member of a conservative Islamic sect.

In “Red Buds” two worlds collide. It’s about marriage in childhood, violence in Koranic faculties – and in the end additionally concerning the political affect of Islamic sects in Turkey.

These non secular communities see themselves portrayed in a foul mild by the fictional sequence. The Ismailaga group particularly looks like it’s a goal. She introduced through platform X after the primary episode in mid-December:

The affect of Islamic sects

The sequence ban reveals how nice the affect of Islamic sects is in Turkey. According to a report by instructional researcher Esergül Balci, round 2.6 million Turks are a part of a sect or comparable group. According to the examine from 2018, nearly one in ten of them is radical. Accordingly, they reject the time period “moderate Islam”.

Koranic faculties play a very necessary position for the sects. For many church buildings, opening and sustaining instructional establishments is a confirmed technique of recruiting new members. According to the Turkish Ministry of Education, 210,000 college students are anticipated to attend establishments which have connections to sects or radical non secular communities.

The variety of complaints – unmatched

Many sects are financed by donations and their members. For instance, some communities present their followers with jobs and obtain a portion of their wage in return. In addition, some communities are additionally economically energetic themselves and, for instance, are concerned in outlets or smaller corporations. Many sects at the moment are deeply rooted in Turkish society and are properly linked.

When “Kızıl Goncalar” got here into the sights of the sects, the stress on the broadcasting authority RTÜK was nice. “I can’t remember any production in RTÜK’s history that has caused so many complaints,” says RTÜK Chairman Ebubekir Şahin.

The committee, by which Erdogan’s AKP holds the bulk, subsequently imposed harsh penalties. The program was banned from broadcasting for 2 weeks. In addition, the producers of the sequence needed to pay a high-quality equal to round 270,000 euros.

The opposition isn’t blissful

The determination brought about huge criticism in Turkey. “Isn’t it allowed to criticize religious communities and sects? I don’t think it makes sense for RTÜK to act as a protector of sects and religious communities,” says the opposition CHP politician Ilhan Tasci, for instance.

The producers of “Kızıl Goncalar” additionally reject the criticism. The sequence is fictional and never a documentary. They simply needed to carry up a mirror to society.

The present debate is unlikely to hurt the sequence itself. Next Monday the obligatory break ordered by the RTÜK might be over. When “Kızıl Goncalar” is allowed to flicker throughout Turkish screens once more, there’ll doubtless be nice curiosity – and the controversy concerning the affect of the sects will proceed.