Gaziantep’te 4.3 büyüklüğünde deprem

Turkey's AKP Gaziantep Chairman, Kerim Çelik, has stirred controversy with his suggestion that Turkey should have a religious minister similar to Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Çelik made these comments in his New Year's greeting to Turkey's 33 million Kurds. He drew parallels between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Khamenei, referring to the latter as "Iran's unique religious minister" due to his dual role in spiritual and temporal matters.

Çelik's remarks about Khamenei's position as a religious leader with political influence were seen by him as groundbreaking, blurring the lines between religious and secular authority. He described Khamenei as "the most unique religious minister in the world" and compared him to Erdogan, who he sees as the leader of Turkey's "Opinionists," a movement advocating for a new Turkey.

In his message, Çelik also made a controversial comparison between the Kurdish national struggle and the Islamic revolution, emphasizing that Iran's Islamic revolution was fueled by the rejection of dictatorial hegemony and a historical-ideological return to religion. He expressed hope that the Kurds would eventually achieve a free country, underlining their significance in the region.

Çelik went on to claim that Islamic countries had defeated Israel at UNESCO, emphasizing Khamenei's role in the Islamic Revolution and advocating for closer cooperation between Iran's leaders. He also made a veiled reference to Erdogan's political challenges and criticized certain individuals, including Mehmet Gormez, the head of the Religious Affairs Department.

The message concluded by highlighting the historic moment when Turkey's Kurds reached a turning point in 2014 regarding language rights, although progress on the matter has been slow. The piece also discussed the denial of Kurdish cultural rights over the years, particularly by Turkish Islamists who have curtailed religious liberties and pushed for Islamization in various aspects of Turkish society.

The article sheds light on Çelik's controversial statements and his perspective on religious and political matters, drawing comparisons between Turkish and Iranian leaders while touching on the Kurdish question and the role of religion in politics.