ISTANBUL (AP) – Two students have been arrested in Turkey on charges of inciting hatred and insulting religious values for a poster depicting the holiest site of Islam with LGBT flags.
Their arrest late Saturday came after top Turkish officials hit the poster, which was on display at an exhibition at Turkey’s most prestigious Bogazici university. For weeks, students and faculty have been protesting against the appointment of the Turkish president of a new rector who has ties to his ruling party and clashes have broken out with police.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu wrote on Twitter that “LGBT perverts” had been detained for “disrespecting the Grand Kaaba.” Senior government officials of the Conservative, Islamic ruling party condemned the poster. The spokesman of the secular, secular opposition party also criticized the work of art as a challenge, calling it an attack on sacred values.
Their statements came after the university’s Islamic research club hit the poster on social media, prompting people to go on Twitter with hashtags denouncing the poster, LGBT people and the university. The country’s director of religious affairs, who previously caused a stir by saying that homosexuality brings disease and was defended by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he was criticized, said he would take legal action.
The Kaaba in Mecca is the holiest place in Islam, with believers from all over the world praying in its direction.
The poster placed a mythical creature of half a woman and half a snake found in Middle Eastern folklore at the place of worship, along with the flags of LGBT, lesbian, trans and asexual people. The text below said that the work of art was a critique of traditional gender roles.
The Istanbul governor’s office said five people were initially detained and police were looking for two more suspects. One person was released, two were arrested at home and two were detained pending trial.
Police searched the university’s fine arts and LGBTI + student clubs. The statement said police had found books about an illegal Kurdish group and rainbow flags.
Melih Bulu, the rector in protest, wrote on Twitter that an attack on Islamic values is unacceptable and does not take place in the university’s values.
The Bogazici Solidarity student group said the exhibition of more than 300 works of art was partly to protest the new rector and acknowledged that Muslim students have problems with the poster.
“All works of art are open to criticism. But the trial of art is simply a restriction on freedom of expression, “they said. The group stressed the value of pluralism in the university and said that hate speech based on sexual orientation and gender identity is unacceptable.
The university’s LGBTI + group posted on Twitter that they were with their friends and said they rejected the new rector “who targeted his students.”