“Our civilization never tolerates insulting or mocking acts at places of worship,” Kurtulmuş said.
Turks Desecrate The St. Takavor Armenian Church In Istanbul. pic.twitter.com/hb9UoWzUqm
— Zartonk Media (@ZartonkMedia) July 12, 2021
“Men desecrating Istanbul church detained,” Daily Sabah, July 12, 2021:
Three people were detained on Monday after footage of men desecrating an old Armenian church in Istanbul late Sunday emerged on social media. The footage shows two men dancing next to a stone cross atop the large courtyard gate of Surp Takavor Armenian Church in the city’s Kadıköy district. Istanbul Governorate identified two men as Y.E.U. and Ö.F.A. and a third suspect who accompanied them and said in a statement on Monday that all three were detained in their residences while an investigation is underway. The suspects were part of a group of revelers who allegedly protested a ban on music after midnight, which was among the COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions imposed across the country. Further footage from the street where the church is located showed people dancing on the street, accompanied by loud music. A video shows a group stopping a tow truck passing by and climbing on it to dance.
Social media users expressed anger over the “desecration” of the church while officials condemned the offensive act. Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu termed the act as “disrespectful.” Soylu tweeted that he contacted Arman Bükücüyan, director of the foundation that runs the church, and expressed his sadness over the incident.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) also condemned the incident, Group Deputy Chairperson Numan Kurtulmuş said Monday. “Our civilization never tolerates insulting or mocking acts at places of worship,” Kurtulmuş said, adding that he strongly condemns the provocative and horrid act, as he said he has full faith in the Turkish legal system to do whatever is necessary….
Frank Anderson says
Any predictions that the “dancers” will walk free and the photographer will be arrested, beaten and jailed?
Ray Jarman says
Only a fool would take that bet Frank but can you imagine the outcry from all over the world if a mosque was used as a dance platform? Imran Kahn and the Shaw of Iran would be on every network clamoring for the dancers to be put to death.
gravenimage says
Quite likely, Frank.
Walter Sieruk says
This is a fitting time to mention that there’s a Christian Bible based site which replies to the man different claims made by the apologists and propagandists for Islam.
It’s answering-islam.org
CogitoErgoSum says
At least they were not smashing the cross and breaking into the church to burn it. I don’t think these men were targeting that church specifically. They were just being stupid. In fact, I have a suspicion they care very little about religion at all and they may have been drunk.
Infidel says
That’s the newsworthy event, rather than the dancing itself. For some reason, the Turkish regime still sees the need to look at least somewhat fair when it comes to dealing w/ Christians. Who knows how long that will continue!
James Lincoln says
And all the while I had thought:
“There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam.”
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2019/08/there-are-no-jokes-in-islam-there-is-no-humor-in-islam-there-is-no-fun-in-islam
tim gallagher says
This is the sort of crap intolerant Muslim scum do all the time. They treat non-Muslims like garbage and yet we are always being told to treat the Muslims in our countries tolerantly and pleasantly. Any tolerance is always only one way. Our countries are fools to let the intolerant, hate filled Muslims migrate into our societies. The intolerant, totally disrespectful Muslim scum should be kept in their own barbaric Muslim sewers, Turkey being just one of those Muslim sewers.
Terry Gain says
Lying is a Muslim sacrament.
mortimer says
“Our civilization never tolerates insulting or mocking acts at places of worship,” Kurtulmuş said.
What balderdash.
The chief examples this desecrating spirit of Islam are the HEAD CHURCH of Eastern Christianity (Hagia Sophia) and Temple Mount, the most sacred spot in Judaism … both DESECRATED PERMANENTLY by Muslims.
Wherever Islam has gone, churches, synagogues and Hindu temples have been destroyed, vandalized, desecrated and rebuilt as mosques.
The taqiyya of Numan Kurtulmuş insults the intelligence of Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
gravenimage says
Yes, Mortimer–Kurtulmuş saying this is grimly laughable.
Here’s what he had to say about turning Hagia Sophia into a Mosque:
Numan Kurtulmus, deputy chairman of Erdogan’s political party, responded that the decision is a matter of national sovereignty.
“The sole decision-making authority about the status of Hagia Sophia … belongs to Turkey. We do not need anyone’s advice or recommendation on our own affairs,” he said, according to Reuters.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/45111/hagia-sophia-belongs-to-all-of-humanity-eastern-orthodox-patriarch-says-amid-mosque-plans
SAFI says
Gravenimage first thanks for the link.
That’s funny cause the Turks sure seem comfortable telling others what to do with Ottoman era mosques(including “mosques” that were previously churches). And not just mosques… I remember for example few years ago the turkish government being really mad when the Saudis demolished an old ottoman military fort and built a massive skyscraper in its place. Apparently everyone else has to get Turkey’s permission on how to deal with ottoman or islamic “cultural heritage” but the Turks can do as they please with Greek or Armenian buildings in their country and it’s nobody’s business…
Anyway what struck me more after followed the link you posted Gravenimage is the Orthodox Patriarch’s groveling display of dhimmi servility to his muslim “superiors”… I mean read that nonsense once more
“the symbolic place of encounter, dialogue, solidarity and mutual understanding between Christianity and Islam.”…. “a place that now allows the two peoples to meet” “the Hagia Sophia is a center of life “in which East and West embrace.”….”belongs to all humanity” and so on…
Clearly the old Patriach having spent his whole life as a second class dhimmi subject of Turkey is too scared to tell the truth to his turkish overlord’s face: It is a Christian Church and it belongs to Christians. Period.
Another point that caught my attention is this
“Some of Erdogan’s supporters speak of the Hagia Sophia as the third holiest place in Islam, behind the Grand Mosque of Mecca and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem”
It seems that every time the muslims wanna steal something from the infidel they make up a story about that thing being super “holy” to Islam. Same as they do with Jerusalem which had never really been holy in early Islam. But today they relentlessly push the narrative of it being extremely holy for Muslims so they can overwrite jewish claims to it.
Infidel says
SAFI
Just wondering – are you a Turkish non-muslim? I’ve always wondered, given how familiar you are w/ anything Turkish
Infidel says
SAFI
What is fascinating is how both the al Aqsa and the Hagia Sophia both trump the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina. Only in the minds of the Turks does this happen: the Arabs certainly don’t think that about either. Only thing those 2 ‘mosques’ have in common is their negative value – the denial of the most sacred holy places of the Judaism and the Eastern Orthodox Church
As for the Saudis demolishing an Ottoman fort – and if they could destroy a lot of monuments in Medina, I’m sure they’ve destroyed a lot of Ottoman mosques as well – that’s more a part of MbS’ great project to modernize Saudi Arabia than any conscious attempt to rile the Turks. Of course, he wouldn’t care about offending their sentiments, given that Turkey is trying to snatch the title of the leadership of the ummah from the Arabs. If that were to work, it would be harder for him to get his country’s imams to do what he tells them – be it to stop abusing Jews or Hindus or Buddhist, and focus on a modernized economy
SAFI says
@Infidel No, but I have a few friends in Turkey (mosly non-Turks) and I’ve been closely following the news from there for many years, I also know some turkish, though I wouldn’t say I’m extremely fluent in it.
Oh yes I know about MbS’ building projects, I can even remember turkish english language media(and other anti MbS media) making a big fuss about his supposed destruction of islamic shrines a few years back. It’s just this particular story of Turkey protesting the destruction of its fort(I think it was in Mecca) kinda stuck in my head and I thought it was relevant here, given how adamant Turks are about no one having the right to tell tell them what to do with greek and other churches (let alone secular buildings) in their country.
Infidel says
SAFI
Thanks. I think it’s also fascinating how the Turks don’t say anything like that to the Chicoms, who are busy demolishing mosques in Qashqar and Hotan and converting them into toilets. Those mosques were built by the Karakhanid Turks as well, and the Turks have nothing to say about that, but they are busy interfering in either al-Aqsa, which was built by the Arabs, or forts in Arabia built by the Ottomans
It’s amazing how much silence money can buy
gravenimage says
Good exchange.
sidney penny says
“Turks Desecrate The St. Takavor Armenian Church In Istanbul.”
Pleasing to Allah
sidney penny says
“Turks Desecrate The St. Takavor Armenian Church In Istanbul.”
There was no Armenian Genocide. The Armenians are all here in Istanbul going to their Church.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/17/world/europe/turkeys-century-of-denial-about-an-armenian-genocide.html
gravenimage says
There are only a tiny handful of Armenian Christians surviving in Turkey. There were between one and two million murdered between the late 1890s and 1923.
sidney penny says
“Our civilization never tolerates insulting or mocking acts at places of worship,” Kurtulmuş said.
/destroying? /building over?/desecrating?
I am sure the Hindus in India will tell you otherwise. (about the “civilization”)
see
The History of Jihad: From Muhammad to ISIS