• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • Essays
  • Reports and Analysis
Pop culture and the support for equality and diversity in Turkey under threat

Pop culture and the support for equality and diversity in Turkey under threat

11:16 PM - 10 September, 2022
Erdogan’s election campaigns in Europe: Coalition with the “Gray Wolves”

Erdogan’s election campaigns in Europe: Coalition with the “Gray Wolves”

3:03 PM - 2 February, 2023
No clear signal from the EU: According to Brussels, Iran’s Islamist Revolutionary Guards are not a terrorist organization

No clear signal from the EU: According to Brussels, Iran’s Islamist Revolutionary Guards are not a terrorist organization

1:57 PM - 1 February, 2023
Horn of Africa: The New Battleground of Middle Eastern Powers’ Rivalries

Horn of Africa: The New Battleground of Middle Eastern Powers’ Rivalries

9:27 PM - 31 January, 2023
Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman ambitions and offensive policy in Africa

Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman ambitions and offensive policy in Africa

2:43 PM - 30 January, 2023
East Asia is calling – The Gulf Region, China and the West

East Asia is calling – The Gulf Region, China and the West

10:32 PM - 27 January, 2023
Germany will not allow Erdogan to use its soil for election propaganda

Germany will not allow Erdogan to use its soil for election propaganda

9:46 PM - 26 January, 2023
Teestunde mit Kenan Güngör, Teil 2

Teestunde mit Kenan Güngör, Teil 2

5:12 PM - 26 January, 2023
Europe Monitor No. 1 in 2023

Europe Monitor No. 2 in 2023

4:56 PM - 25 January, 2023
Islamist sects in Türkiye: Violence against children, support from Erdogan

Islamist sects in Türkiye: Violence against children, support from Erdogan

9:24 PM - 24 January, 2023
European canon of values and political Islamism

European canon of values and political Islamism

4:43 PM - 24 January, 2023
Erdogan’s Long Arm Strategy and Its Implications

Erdogan’s Long Arm Strategy and Its Implications

1:30 PM - 23 January, 2023
A guide to understanding 2023 Elections in Turkey: Losing the Elections is not an Option for Erdogan – Part 1

A guide to understanding 2023 Elections in Turkey: Losing the Elections is not an Option for Erdogan – Part 1

7:26 PM - 21 January, 2023
7:59 PM - 4 February, 2023
  • fr Français
  • en English
  • de Deutsch
  • ar العربية
  • Login
MENA Reseach and Study Center
No Result
View All Result
MENA Reseach and Study Center
No Result
View All Result
MENA Reseach and Study Center
No Result
View All Result

Pop culture and the support for equality and diversity in Turkey under threat

Pop culture and the support for equality and diversity in Turkey under threat

(c) Gulsen - Facebook

Turkey has world famous stars, Sezen Aksu, Tarkan, Gülşen, Sila, Mabel Matız, the list is long. Although Gülşen, revered by fans as “the Turkish Madonna” because of her provocative outfits, her provocative performances and videos, is currently not singing: First, she was taken into custody, now the pop star is under house arrest.

Her arrest and custody triggered a broad wave of solidarity with the artist. Composer Fazil Say expressed his outrage that Gülşen had done nothing to justify the arrest. The Turkish pop musician Tarkan wrote on Twitter that anyone who sexually abuses children, who rapes and kills women is not arrested. But the judiciary, which remains inactive when it comes to corruption, murder and theft, acted quickly on Gülşen. World-famous writer Elif Shafak tweeted, „this is a lynching campaign.” Other famous artists made a joint statement on social media: “Gülşen was arrested for not dressing and acting the way they wanted. If we remain silent, we will be next.” As a silent protest, fans of the Fenerbahce football club sang her song “Lolipopp” in solidarity with her. The lyrics say: “You can tie my hands, but you can’t lock me up.”

Gülşen is a famous musician in Turkey for 25 years. Seven years ago, in the video for her song “Dan Dan”, she sat on a motel bed with red patent leather boots and a red body, made a phone call, then got into a large American convertible and picked up a man on the side of the highway. After the video became public, problems with the Turkish broadcasting supervisory authority RTÜK started. The board warned of Gülşen’s body movements in “Dan Dan“, saying they were a danger to children. She was outraged and spoke of a serious attack on the dignity of women.

Gülşen’s songs are emotional and erotic, superficially intimate, they have a pull. In her music videos, she dances in front of walls of flames and under waterfalls. She is currently the most successful pop artist in Turkey, her songs are clicked a hundred million times on YouTube, has won awards and has toured Europe.

Last month, the 46-year-old musician was arrested in Istanbul for making an admittedly distasteful joke on stage. Gülşen made the “bad joke” in April during a concert. There, she casually said to one of her musicians, the pianist, that his “perverted” behavior might be due to the fact that he attended a religious Imam Hatip school. The best-known Imam Hatip graduate is President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In the band, they call the musician “Imam”. Everyone in the group has a nickname and they are constantly being made fun of, said the singer after she was arrested in her apartment and repeated this before the magistrate. But it ordered pre-trial detention.

It was just a “bad joke”, Gülşen apologized later to everyone who felt offended. It took months for the “bad joke” to become public, causing uproars in the AKP community. The singer suspects that her case is being exploited by interested political circles. Apparently, certain forces wanted to further divide society into secular and religious, she said. After all, Turkey is in pre-election fever, and the pressure on the governing AKP party increases with poor poll numbers.

Back in April, the concert audience cheered. However, a video recording of it only circulated on the Internet much later, and it then went viral. Supporters of the ruling AKP party stormed against Gülşen, the charge of “inciting hatred and hostility” followed. The indictment relates to Gülşen’s statement about the Imam Hatip schools sponsored by the AKP, but also aims at the artist personally.

Her lyrics are apolitical, but Gülşen stands for what Erdogan is fighting. She has a black belt in karate, performed on International Women’s Day, waved the rainbow flag at concerts and donated the proceeds from the sale of one of her albums to the „We Will Stop Femicide“ platform, which documents how many women are killed by partners or relatives. In 2021, Turkey withdrew from the Istanbul Convention on Violence Against Women. There are no official statistics, but the Turkish Women’s Association counted at least 300 dead women in 2020.

Gülşen is also supporting the LGBTQ+ communities in Turkey, a minority under great threat by conservative groups in the country. For an Islamic society like Turkey, the rainbow movement is quite strong and visible, at least in the bigger cities. The Istanbul Rainbow Parade was world famous – until the authorities banned it. Leading government politicians and the head of the state-controlled religious authority „Diyanet“ warn that LGBT+ is the enemy, corrupts children and dishonors Turkish culture.

Music plays a special role in these re-Islamization tendencies. Orthodox Sunni Islamists not only ban images, but also music. Another pop icon had recently become the victim of hostility from the state: Sezen Aksu, the queen of Turkish pop music, made a supposedly blasphemous allusion to Adam and Eve, to the story of creation, in a song. The state broadcasting authority ordered that the song, which violated “moral values,” could not be played on TV and radio. President Erdoğan himself said, referring to Aksu’s lyrics: “It is our duty to cut out such tongues from the mouth.”

All publishing rights and copyrights reserved to MENA Research and Study Center.

Tags: AKPTurkey

Related Posts

Erdogan’s election campaigns in Europe: Coalition with the “Gray Wolves”
Reports and Analysis

Erdogan’s election campaigns in Europe: Coalition with the “Gray Wolves”

3:03 PM - 2 February, 2023
13
Horn of Africa: The New Battleground of Middle Eastern Powers’ Rivalries
Reports and Analysis

Horn of Africa: The New Battleground of Middle Eastern Powers’ Rivalries

9:27 PM - 31 January, 2023
11
Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman ambitions and offensive policy in Africa
Reports and Analysis

Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman ambitions and offensive policy in Africa

2:43 PM - 30 January, 2023
35
Germany will not allow Erdogan to use its soil for election propaganda
Reports and Analysis

Germany will not allow Erdogan to use its soil for election propaganda

9:46 PM - 26 January, 2023
72
Europe Monitor No. 1 in 2023
Podcast

Europe Monitor No. 2 in 2023

4:56 PM - 25 January, 2023
46
Islamist sects in Türkiye: Violence against children, support from Erdogan
Reports and Analysis

Islamist sects in Türkiye: Violence against children, support from Erdogan

9:24 PM - 24 January, 2023
76
MENA Reseach and Study Center

2023 © by Target

MENA Research & Study Center

  • About Us
  • Regions/Areas
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy
  • Imprint

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Regions/Areas
  • Publications
  • Essays
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • English

2023 © by Target

Welcome Back!

Sign In with Google
OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

error: Content is protected !!

Pin It on Pinterest

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
  • English