Rights violation: Atheist Turkish pianist faces charges for comments mocking Islam on Twitter

A TURKISH court has charged Fazil Say, a classical and jazz pianist with an international career, with insulting Islamic values in Twitter messages, the latest in a series of legal actions against Turkish artists, writers and intellectuals for statements they have made about religion and Turkish national identity.

Rights violation: Atheist Turkish pianist faces charges for comments mocking Islam on Twitter Ipadartwidew203220fazil

Say, 42, who is also a composer, is accused of ''publicly insulting religious values that are adopted by a part of the nation'', the semi-official Anatolian news agency said.

A trial is scheduled to begin on October 18, and Say faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted.
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It is unusual for Twitter posts to be the subject of an indictment in Turkey. Some of the messages were written by Say but one, which poked fun at an Islamic vision of the afterlife, was written by someone else and passed along by Say via his Twitter account.

Likening heaven's promise of rivers of wine to a tavern and of virgins to a brothel, Say said that it referred to a poem by the 11th and 12th-century Persian poet Omar Khayyam.

A tweet that was written by Say joked about a muezzin's rapid delivery of the call to prayer, asking if he wanted to get away quickly for a drink.

The pianist, who has frequently criticised the pro-Islamic Justice and Development Party government over its cultural and social policies, publicly defines himself as an atheist - a controversial admission in Turkey, which is overwhelmingly Muslim.

In a text message from Slovenia, Say said he was only one of 165 people who shared the Twitter post on the vision of Islamic paradise.

''I just thought it was a funny allegory and retweeted the message,'' he said.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/atheist-turkish-pianist-faces-charges-for-comments-mocking-islam-on-twitter-20120602-1zoi0.html#ixzz1woaev7cs

Rights violation: Atheist Turkish pianist faces charges for comments mocking Islam on Twitter

Rights violation: Atheist Turkish pianist faces charges for comments mocking Islam on Twitter

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