‘There Is No Idol Worship in Islam’: Man Takes Sickle to Founder Atatürk Statue in Turkey
by FRANCES MARTEL
BreitBart.com
1 Aug 2017
Police have arrested a man dressed in traditional Islamic garb who attacked a statue of founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in southeast Turkey on Saturday. The man claimed he needed to destroy the statue to adhere to his Muslim faith.
Courts have charged the man, identified as Mehmet Malbora, with “damaging a sculpture that represents Atatürk,” a specific crime in Turkey. Turkey’s legal code also prohibits insulting Atatürk or disparaging his memory in any way.
The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet notes that the incident occurred in the southeastern city of Siverek on Saturday, and that the man attacked the statue while shouting, “There is no idol worshipping in Islam! Are those who protect the idol worshipping descendants of the Prophet?” He allegedly also likened admiration for Atatürk to “paganism.”
Malbora’s family claimed he has a substance abuse problem (the Islamic sharia code bans the use of drugs), while the newspaper described him as a “peddler.” In court, Malbora said he was “told in a dream” to destroy the statue. Police are nonetheless inspecting his computers, phone, and all communication fearing ties to a radical Islamic group, given the propensity of groups like the Islamic State to destroy statues.
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