The atmosphere was excessive on 6 September, when six young women in tight outfits took the stage at the open-air Venue Kukukftalic Park sold in Istanbul: a cheer went up from a crowd of 12000 people, which had joined the dance in late summer.
Musicians – Meena, Axin, Zenp Sude, Amin Hilal, Lidya and Sheda – are members of the Turkish Girl Band Manifest, who were formed after a talent show in February.
With his simple young songs and a ke-pap-inspired dance routine, the manifest quickly captured the hearts of teenagers. The first album of the band released in July led a successful tour.
After the concert in Istanbul, however, the promising future of the band now seems to be part of the past. The office of the Public Prosecutor is investigating them for “indecent and immoral acts” and “exhibitions”. In his stage shows, he is said to have “violated and angered the feelings of shame, morality and moral values of society.” In addition, it is claimed that they have a bad effect on children and youth.
Target female artists
On the X Turkish President Recep Taip Erdogan’s Chief Advisor, Saral, in a Turkish post on X, called the band members “immoral, shameless, demonic creatures” and demanded legal action to prevent Thone from the “perceived exhibition act”. He posted a picture of the group with his body.
After interrogation, the band issued a statement that he emphasized that he took responsibility for his show, but that it was never with the intention of hurting. For that time, he had to give up his dream of representing Türkiye on the world stage. On X, he wrote that his Turkey Tour, for which tickets were sold weeks ago, could be canceled. “We thank our audiences for their interests and love”
The case of manifest is not a separate incident. Women artists have been targeted by the justice system in recent years.
Pop Diva Seven Aksu became the goal of sight campaigns on an old song with an old song, which clearly offends religious sensitivity.
Popular musician Gulsen was arrested for a joke he built on stage about religious school.
In January, the manager of an artist agency, Aysey Barim was first imprisoned for an attempt to monopol and deletion, and later accused of helping the government uproot during the 2013 Gaizi Park protests.
Screen writer Mars Gokatem was arrested after an excerpt after an excerpt from the 4 -year -old interview that went viral on social media. He is accused of “supporting prostitution and provoking crime.”
DIYANET’s ‘decisive role’
Since Türkiye’s return from the Istanbul conference in 2021, the pressure on women has increased considerably. After investigation, women politicians, academics and activists were targeted, followed by journalists and lawyers. In recent years, female artists have been impressed.
The approach is often the same. First, supporters write important articles government columnists; Then, excerpts from older interviews or tasks are excluded from reference and broadcast on social media. Finally, pro -government gathering groups and Islamist brothers and asking officials to take action until the police arrest the target person.
Historian and feminist Barin Sonmez called it a political strategy. In his opinion, the Governing Justice and Development Party, or AKP has converted religion to the core of its government policy in the last 10 years to secure its power. He believes that the country is now in a phase where religion is not the basis of politics, but constant legs are constantly exploited for political objectives.
Sonmez said, “Religious Authority Dinet has a decisive role in it.” Through its Friday’s teachings, Dione, called the Presidency of Religious Affairs, publishes weekly fatwa, which are non -existent, but still formal opinions, which aims to shape the society as per its will. Sonmez analyzed last year’s teachings: 30% of the texts behave with women, family and children, while 30% deal with sexual orientation, which was depicted as “deviation from human nature” and “the result of global propagation”.
Government silent dissatisfaction
In August, Sonmez, a pious Muslim, took his headskerf to oppose a Diyanet sermon on the laxity of women. She considers this development very dangerous, as Diyanet addresses millions of men in more than 90,000 mosques across the country every Friday. In such fathers, the government is making necessary calls on men to torture women and strengthen male dominance.
Effects are worth noting, supervisors say. Shortly after the preaching in the question, one included one, in which a doctor refused to treat a young woman patient as she appeared in a hospital wearing a crop.
Sonmez said that the increasing harassment of women was part of a comprehensive government scheme to calm the dissatisfaction. He said that the AKP base is stabilized through increasing religious pressure and legal harassment of dissatisfied.
He said that the attack on the manifest group was another message for women who refuse to comply. Even though the artists are about to reveal the clothes and dance performances, Sonmez believes that these young musicians discovered opposition slogans as “law, justice and equality” in their songs.
Nevertheless, the office of the Public Prosecutor deliberately limited the allegations to obscenity, immorality and exhibition, so that not only to intimidate women but also to discredit them. His political attitude was ignored, and the debate was reduced to his body, shadow and morality.
AKP has over the years claimed that it has freed women, especially orthodox and religious people, and has opened the doors widely for them. Sonmej disagreement argues that even though the ratio of women in many areas has increased, it is only confusion.
He said that essentially, even in the AKP era, women are still re -charged for the background and have little impact on policy making, he said. Women, he said, only as supporters of government policy can be present.
This article was the original published in German.