Fazil Say, one of Turkey’s most famous classical musicians, has been convicted of blasphemy for posting a series of tweets that prosecutors say insulted Islam.<\/p>\n
A court in Istanbul today gave the internationally acclaimed pianist a 10-month suspended jail term for “insulting religious values of a part of the population.” He will not be sent to prison unless he is convicted of reoffending within five years.<\/p>\n
Say, who was not present in court, has denied the charges ever since they were filed in June 2012.<\/p>\n
His Twitter posts contained no intentional denigration or mockery of Islam, defense lawyer Meltem Akyol argued, telling Reuters afterward that she was shocked the court had ruled otherwise.<\/p>\n
“All I can say is, both legally and for the country, it’s a sad decision,” Akyol said.<\/p>\n
More form GlobalPost: Turkey has some serious human rights issues<\/p>\n
Say, who is openly atheist, aroused prosecutors’ ire with some half a dozen tweets referring to Islam and its practices, including one that said: “I am not sure if you have also realized it, but all the pricks, low-lives, buffoons, thieves, jesters, they are all Allahists” (actually a retweet of another user’s words).<\/p>\n
In another, he joked that a nearby mosque had rushed the call to evening prayers, suggesting that the muezzin may have had a lover waiting for him or been eager to have a drink.<\/p>\n
The posts meant Say faced a maximum of 18 months in jail for charges of inciting religious hatred and insulting Muslims’ values.<\/p>\n