BDP’s campaign to boycott imams draws widespread criticism

In a call earlier this month, BDP Chairman Selahattin Demirtaş claimed imams are spying for the state and accused them of imposing Turkishness and statist views on the people. He told Kurds not to pray behind such imams. The call yielded results, and many people in some provinces in the East and Southeast refused to perform the Friday prayer behind state-appointed imams. Instead, they lined up behind other imams, believed to have been trained by the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), the urban arm of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

For many observers, it is unusual for the BDP -- known as a party distant to religion-- to issue a call regarding people’s religious sensitivities. They believe the call is linked to the party’s desire to distance pious Kurds from the conservative Justice and Development Party (AK Party) ahead of the parliamentary elections, slated for June 12, and, in this way, garner more votes in the elections.

According to the results of opinion polls carried out by social research companies, the AK Party is expected to sweep at least 45 percent of the national vote in the elections. The BDP, on the other hand, has decided to run with independent candidates as it believes it will fail to surpass the 10 percent threshold if it enters as a party.

The Aksiyon newsweekly claimed in last week’s edition that the KCK has trained around 1,000 imams and sent them to the East and Southeast to replace imams appointed by the state. The imams belong to a group that calls itself the Union of Kurdistan Imams. The PKK and the KCK are hoping to break the ties between pious Kurds and state imams before the elections so that they can shape the political opinions of Kurdish voters in these regions more easily. They fear imams will strengthen ties of brotherhood between Turks and Kurds, which will eventually bring more votes to the AK Party. For them, state imams should be sent out of the East and Southeast so that more votes will flock to the BDP in the June elections.

A photograph taken during the Friday prayers two weeks ago as a group of Kurds prayed behind non-state imams showed many BDP officials and members standing up or sitting down idly and not joining the prayers. According to Aksiyon, the photograph has come to show very clearly the BDP’s abuse of the Kurds’ religious sensitivities.

Abdulkadir Kurtuluş, the head of the Mardin branch of the Religious Officials’ Union (Diyanet-Sen), which represents imams employed by the Religious Affairs Directorate, said imams guide people in performing religious services but are not “servants” of any political party or organization. “Fully aware that Islam prohibits all kinds of discrimination over race, religion and sex, our imams treat and serve all believers equally. They do not ally themselves with any political or ideological camp,” he stated. Kurtuluş also added that heavy responsibility falls on the relevant authorities to find if any imam or man of religion is acting contrary to the principles he mentioned.

The Religious Affairs Directorate appoints Kurdish-speaking imams in communities in the eastern and southeastern provinces. The choice is related to a desire to appeal to more people in the two regions, as many people can speak Kurdish but not Turkish. This way more people have the chance to benefit from the services provided by imams sent to their provinces. The PKK is believed to have killed more than 50 imams to date.

Diyanet-Sen Van branch President Nurullah Arvas said there are people in the East and Southeast who call themselves imams even though they have no connection to the Religious Affairs Directorate or muftis’ offices, which is a problem for the directorate.  “Imams cannot be seen as members or elements of a political party or an organization. It is highly wrong to assume that imams belong to a political party or organization. Islam and its principles cannot be interpreted in accordance with the conditions of a region or province,” he stated.

Kurds’ refusal to stand in prayer behind state-appointed imams is believed to be part of a “civil disobedience” campaign launched by the BDP last month. On March 23, BDP officials asked the Kurdish population to join in acts of civil disobedience. They argued that the campaign would bring to light the demands of the Kurds. However, some participants in the campaign have resorted to violent methods, clashing with security forces in the demonstrations that have so far taken place as part of the campaign.

The mastermind behind the campaign of civil disobedience is reportedly Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the PKK. According to claims, the PKK is using the BDP as a political element in the implementation of the plan.

Lütfi Şenocak, the head of the Union of Directorate of Religious Affairs Employees (Din-Bir-Sen), lashed out at BDP officials for “abusing the religious sensitivities of the people” ahead of elections. He expressed his belief that people should not pay heed to attempts to cast a shadow on fraternal feelings displayed in mosques.

“We are sad to see people, who usually ignore many values of Islam, attempt to abuse those very values when they believe they will serve their purposes. No one should make plans to garner more votes [in elections] by making the people of this country clash with each other. No citizen of this country is superior to anyone else,” he said.