Religious movements cancel their Sunday meetings

ISTANBUL

A number of religious movements in Turkey have canceled events scheduled to be held on Dec. 25.

The movements announced that their meetings would be held over the internet, as they refrained from explaining the reasons for the cancelations in their announcements over Twitter.

Ahmet Mahmut Ünlü, popularly known as “Cübbeli Ahmet Hoca” (Robed Ahmet Hoca), said in a video announcement that religious movements “should not put police officers in a difficult position” while also claiming that “there was an attempt to provoke a sectarian fight in Turkey.”

He also noted that the decision was taken upon “several pieces of unexpected news.”  

“A community is coming [to the talks]; I don’t want to bear responsibility,” he also said. 

Journalist Ahmet Şık commented on the incident from his Twitter account, saying the cancelation decisions “weren’t coincidences.”

“What is happening? It is obvious that it’s not a coincidence. This is not a situation to make fun of,” he wrote on Dec. 22, adding that “it is beneficial to be cautious.” 

Meanwhile, it was alleged that the National Intelligence Agency (MİT) received information that a terrorist attack could target the movements’ meetings and contacted them in order to make them cancel their meetings.