Turkish imam abuses former student in southern Turkey
ISTANBUL
File photo shows female students at a Quran course in the Anatolian province of Çorum. AA photo
An imam was detained after allegedly abusing his former student, R.K., on the street in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş, daily Vatan reported yesterday.
The imam allegedly kissed the 19-year-old girl on the lips after the girl kissed his hands to show her respect when they encountered each other on the street.
"I said hello when I saw him because he taught me the Quran before. I kissed his hands," the girl said. "He kissed me on the cheek at first. Then he kissed me on the lips."
"I kissed you [on the lips] because you read the Quran with your lips," the imam reportedly said when the girl reacted.
The man said R.K. was his child and that he could kiss her when a relative of the girl intervened in the incident.
After the girl called police, the imam reportedly offered to buy ice cream for the girl and her relative to clear up the “misunderstanding.”
Police detained the imam, but a Kahramanmaraş court released him pending trail.
