Quran-shaped cake under investigation in northern Turkey

TOKAT

Turkey’s top religious body, the Diyanet, has opened an investigation over a Quran-shaped cake made by a Quran class in the Black Sea province of Tokat in 2013, stating that the cake did not comply with the spirit of the Holy Birth of the Prophet Muhammad and the Quran.

Mehmet Görmez, the head of Diyanet, commented on recent news circulated on the Internet about the Quran-shaped cake, prepared within the scope of the Holy Birth Week in the Zile district, saying the Holy Birth was not a birthday celebration, while speaking at a Holy Birth Week event in the Central Anatolian province of Konya.

Diyanet denounced the cake as “unacceptable,” even if it had been prepared by Quran course students.

The Tokat Mufti’s Office said it had no knowledge of the Quran page design added to the cake.

“The cake was prepared by the Zile Chaplain’s Association and the Quran course students, while the Quran page was added outside the office’s knowledge,” the statement said.