Netflix is being branded as “Islam’s enemy” over “rumours of a gay character on a Turkish Netflix series.”
The flareup in Turkey now in progress over the series is to be expected. Islamic law is clear on the punishment of execution (Abu Dawud 4462) for homosexual activity, and it is carried out in many Sharia states.
Ebubekir Sahin, president of Turkish TV Watchdog — the Radio and Television Supreme Council — stated: “We will not tolerate broadcasts that are contrary to the national and spiritual values of our society.”
The values to which he is referring are clear. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has placed Turkey on a path of steering the constitutionally secular country onto the path to Sharia. He has warned of a battle between the cross and the crescent, aiming to revive the Ottoman Empire, and has even referred to Turkey as the future of Europe. Turkey also aims to become “a centre for Islamic finance as it seeks to increase its influence in the Middle East and the Muslim world.” According to MEMRI, “a Turkish-language news website promotes the worldview of the Islamic State (ISIS) and is updated daily.”
One can see a clear illustration of where the country is headed, which spells trouble for Turkey’s gay community. A gay travel site warns:
It an Islamic country and one that is moving closer to traditional Middle Eastern values on a daily basis. This is a similar situation to gay right in Indonesia and Malaysia and shows no signs of letting up….At the moment LGBT people in Turkey are not protected either in the public sphere or in employment through anti-discrimination laws.
Pink News highlights an abusive incident by police:
In June 2019, police clad in riot gear fired tear gas at Istanbul Pride marchers to disrupt the event, marking the fifth year the event has been prevented from going ahead.
“Netflix slammed as ‘Islam’s enemy’ by bigots over rumours of gay character in Turkish teen drama,” by Nick Duffy, Pink News, April 15, 2020:
Rumours of a gay character on a Turkish Netflix series have fuelled anti-LGBT bigotry in the country.
New Turkish coming-of-age drama Love 101, which is set to begin on April 24, unleashed a torrent of fury over unconfirmed rumours that it will feature a gay character.
It’s technically legal to be gay in Turkey, but LGBT+ people in the country have few legal rights and face extreme stigma – with Pride parades still often brutally repressed by police.
The Love 101 rumours have fuelled a homophobic moral panic in the country.
According to Reuters, the president of the Radio and Television Supreme Council Ebubekir Sahin made clear: “We will not tolerate broadcasts that are contrary to the national and spiritual values of our society.”
Online, posts have racked up thousands of likes accusing Netflix of “trying to normalise immorality”, branding the streaming giant “Islam’s enemy” for airing the show during Ramadan,
Netflix – which has championed LGBT+ representation in many of its releases – has not confirmed or denied reports about the show, but has warned of “misinformation” spreading online.
The streaming giant told Turkish media: “A lot of false information is spreading from fake accounts… believe only what you hear from us about the series and the characters, not the rumours.”…..
…..But homophobia in the country is no joke. In June 2019, police clad in riot gear fired tear gas at Istanbul Pride marchers to disrupt the event, marking the fifth year the event has been prevented from going ahead.