Turkish cleric links objections to infant rape to pre-marital sex

ISTANBUL

The mufti of the Black Sea province of Samsun has raised eyebrows after questioning the sincerity of those who object to the rape of infants, saying they should also display the same reaction to youngsters engaging in pre-marital sex.

“If you cannot object to a 18-year-old’s pre-marital sex, your objections to seven-month-old babies being raped are just crocodile tears … Chastity can be lost with very attractive offers following puberty. A relationship that starts with good intentions can end up badly. A youngster loses their chastity while in the bloom. Unchastity begins with the eyes, ears and hands,” mufti Hayrettin Öztürk said in a speech in Samsun on Oct. 13.

“Passion is such a thing that if you don’t draw a line, there is no place to stop you. Allah tells us ‘do not show [yourself] like women of ignorance,’” he added.

His statement has prompted the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) to launch an internal investigation on the case.

“We have invited our cleric to Ankara, we will meet and listen to him,” said Mehmet Emin Özafşar, the vice head of the Diyanet.

Öztürk previously made headlines after warning people against performing the “horon,” a Black Sea folk dance, with other members of the opposite sex. Men and women dancing together was religiously impermissible, he warned.