Back In Time: Secular Turkey Under Attack as Islam Gains Momentum
A 10-month suspended prison sentence has been handed down in Turkey to a renowned composer and pianist, over a series of tweets mocking Islam. Fazil Say was first charged with denigrating religion in June last year, facing up to 18 months behind bars at the time. The musician, once a cultural ambassador to the EU, is a high profile critic of the Islamic-led government of prime minister Tayyip Erdogan and says his punishment is purely political. Amnesty International's researcher on Turkey, Andrew Gardner joins RT studio from Istanbul.

Turkish Pianist Fazil Say Convicted of Insulting Islam
BBC: World-renowned Turkish pianist Fazil Say has been given a suspended 10-month jail sentence for insulting Muslim values.

An Istanbul court found Say guilty over a series of posts on the social networking site Twitter.

Say was not in court for the sentencing. But he denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated.

The case renewed concern about the influence of religion on politics in Turkey.

Pointing to the prosecution of several artists and intellectuals for voicing their views, critics have accused the governing AK Party of undermining Turkey's secular values and pandering to Islamists. » | Monday, April 15, 2013

Turkish Pianist Fazil Say On Trial for Insulting Islam on Twitter
Fazil Say, a top Turkish pianist and composer is on trial for offending Muslims and insulting Islam on Twitter.

He joked on Twitter about a very short call to prayer, tweeting, “Why such haste? Have you got a mistress waiting or is raki on the table? Raki is a traditional Turkish alcoholic drink made with aniseed. As Islam forbids alcohol, many Muslims find the remark unacceptable. Read the story » | Thursday, October 18, 2012

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Turkish Pianist Charged with Insulting Islam
FOX NEWS: ANKARA, Turkey – A Turkish court on Friday formally charged an internationally known pianist and composer with insulting Islamic religious values in comments he made on Twitter.

The court in Istanbul voted to approve an indictment against Fazil Say, who has played piano with the New York Philharmonic, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, National Orchestra of France and Tokyo Symphony.

The 42-year-old Turk faces charges of inciting hatred and public enmity, and insulting "religious values." Say, who has served as a culture ambassador for the European Union, allegedly mocked Islamic beliefs about paradise in April.

Meltem Akyol, a lawyer for Say, said the pianist has denied the charges. The trial will be held on Oct. 18, she said.

"We certainly do not accept the charges," Akyol said by telephone on Friday. "He has stated in his initial testimony during the probe that he had no intention to humiliate any religion. He was basically criticizing those who are exploiting religion for profit." » | Associated Press | Friday, June 01, 2012

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