19.07.2026 17:01
An imam's prayer at the opening of an alcohol shop in Çerkezköy district of Tekirdağ has sparked controversy. The imam stated that he was unaware the shop sold alcohol, while the business owner defended the imam's actions.
{"text":"
In the Çerkezköy district of Tekirdağ, the opening of a state-owned liquor store with a prayer recited by an imam sparked controversy. Imam İlhan İlke stated that he was invited to the opening but went without knowing what it was for, while the business owner, Hayrettin Çetinkaya, said, 'We don't think the imam did anything wrong.'
FACED A STORM OF CRITICISM
Last week, the opening of a state-owned liquor store in the Çerkezköy district of Tekirdağ was conducted with prayers and a sacrifice by Imam İlhan İlke, former branch head of Diyanet-Sen Çerkezköy. The opening footage, which quickly went viral on social media, drew intense backlash. Comments on the video criticized the opening of a store that sells alcohol with prayers by an imam.
HE DEFENDED HIMSELF LIKE THIS
Mosque imam İlhan İlke, who made a statement on the matter, claimed he was unaware that the place being opened was a liquor store. İlke said, 'A charitable friend from our congregation called me. He said, 'We have an opening, can you come?' Normally, when such an invitation comes, I would ask what it's for. But because this friend is from our congregation and someone I really like, I said yes without asking. I realized it was a liquor store later. I asked, 'Is alcohol sold here?' As soon as I saw the sign, I left immediately.'
'WE HAD SUCH AN OPENING FOR ABUNDANCE'
Another figure at the center of the controversy, business owner Hayrettin Çetinkaya, also reacted to the negative comments about them on social media. Çetinkaya said, 'We wanted to have such an opening for our workplace to be blessed. We wanted to do it with prayer in line with the commands of our religion, by sacrificing an animal, to avoid any negative situations. Our opening was done with prayers. There was supposed to be a prayer after the ribbon-cutting, but the imam left. I liked that the imam opened it with a prayer. In my opinion, the imam didn't do anything wrong.'"}