Scandalous remarks about imam hatip schools from a former CHP council member! And in the municipal council, no less

03.11.2026 17:30

In Istanbul’s Arnavutköy district, Ayhan Örs, who resigned from the CHP and became an independent council member, drew reaction with his remarks in the municipal council targeting imam hatip schools and their students. While Örs used the phrase “I wish none of them had ever been opened,” his words caused a reaction from other council members.

At the November meeting of the Arnavutköy Municipal Council, independent council member Ayhan Örs’s assessments regarding imam hatip schools came to the agenda.

“I WISH NONE OF THEM HAD OPENED”

Speaking at the 1st session of the municipal council’s November meeting, Örs said the following regarding imam hatip schools:

“I wish none of them had opened. If only they had all remained closed, if only none had ever opened. You opened them, what happened? Our children who are tired of school, suffering, with no intention of studying, whose minds are on pointless things—all of them are at imam hatip schools.”

REACTION FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS

Örs’s remarks drew reactions from other council members at the session.