Birgün Under Investigation For Ottoman Headline That 'Insults' Erdoğan

A prosecutor has launched an investigation of the BirGün daily's front page headline reading “thief” in Ottoman Turkish on the charge of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The investigation, launched by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, called on the owner of the newspaper and its responsible managing editor to present themselves for questioning. In the notice of investigation, it stated that if the persons identified don't go in to be questioned within seven working days, the prosecutor's office will bring them in “by force.”

BirGün ran a story about Erdoğan's comments rejecting any debate on a proposal for compulsory classes in the Ottoman language with the headline in question on its front page. The daily also published an asterisk after the word explaining its translation.

“If you teach us the Ottoman language by force, this will be the result,” BirGün wrote.

BirGün included Erdoğan's remarks, made during the 5th Religion Council hosted by the Directorate of Religious Affairs, in its inner pages.

During his address at the event on Monday, Erdoğan defended the proposed classes, saying that learning the Ottoman language will restore severed ties with “our roots,” as well as saying that the Ottoman language class -- which is to be a compulsory class in imam-hatip religious high schools and an elective subject in other schools -- will be taught whether critics like it or not.

“There are those who do not want this [language] to be taught. This is a great danger. Whether they like it or not, the Ottoman language will be taught and learned in this country," he said.

The National Education Council voted over the weekend on a recommendation to introduce Ottoman language classes in schools, along with other proposals to make religious culture classes compulsory from the first grade onward and discontinue bartending classes for vocational high schools specializing in tourism.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)