Turkish pianist Say slams lawsuit

ISTANBUL

Hürriyet photo

World-renowned Turkish pianist Fazıl Say has slammed the ongoing lawsuit against him on his Facebook page, hinting that he could leave Turkey if he is given a jail sentence.

"If I go to jail they would be victorious. They don't want to create something but all they want is to destroy," Say said, referring to those who criticize him for his comments that Turkish "Arabesque" music is akin to "treason" because of its poor quality.
 
"They want to punish all differences with a jail term ... A pianist cannot go to jail, it means the end of life for him," he said, adding that he would prefer to leave the country if faced with a jail term.

"I haven't made a plan to leave behind my 12-year-old daughter, but I could," Say said. "They want me to keep my silence against this fascism."

Say is accused of "insulting religious values" for a number of tweets that he sent, such as: “Wherever there is a stupid person or a thief, they are believers in God. Is this a paradox?”