Protest at Boğaziçi University Over Islamist Nurettin Yıldız: 97 Detained
bu-protest
A planned event at Boğaziçi University featuring controversial Islamic theologian Nurettin Yıldız—known for his past statement that “a girl can marry at six”—sparked mass protests and led to the detention of 97 individuals, according to local authorities.
Controversial Speaker Sparks Outrage
The event, organized by Boğaziçi University’s Islamic Studies Club (BİSAK) under the title “Islamic Sciences: For Whom and How Much?”, was set to host Yıldız as a speaker, provoking backlash from student groups and activists.
Students affiliated with the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) responded by placing banners reading “No to fascism and theocracy” outside the BİSAK office. A similar banner was also seen hanging on one of the university buildings.
As the protest escalated, police entered the university’s North Campus and intervened in the demonstrations. The Istanbul Governor’s Office later announced that 97 people had been detained, including 39 women and 58 men.
Journalist Also Among Those Detained
According to the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), journalist Can Öztürk of T24 news outlet was also among those taken into custody.
Protest Involving Eggs, Physical Intervention
A video shared on X (formerly Twitter) by TİP-affiliated students captured the moment a protester was forcibly removed from the event hall. The post stated:
“Our fellow student who protested the reactionary Nurettin Yıldız—brought to Boğaziçi University as a speaker—was physically assaulted and removed from the room.
You cannot hide your shame behind walls and doors. We will hold both the reactionaries and their protectors accountable.”
Nurettin Yıldız’s Controversial Fatwas
Nurettin Yıldız has long drawn public condemnation for his highly controversial religious rulings. In a 2015 television program, he issued a fatwa suggesting that a girl as young as six could be married under Islamic law, stating:
“There is no age limit for marriage in our Sharia. A child can marry even before puberty… A 10-year-old, 7-year-old, 6-year-old, or even a 135-year-old person—if alive—is a candidate for marriage.”
In 2018, he further provoked criticism by asserting that a man and a woman being alone in an elevator constitutes a situation of halvet—a term in Islamic jurisprudence for seclusion that could lead to immoral behavior.
“If a man and woman enter an elevator on the ground floor and go up to the eighth floor, even though it’s a short ride, from the religious perspective, the elevator creates a halvet situation—because they are in an enclosed space alone.”
According to the Turkish Language Association (TDK), halvet is defined as “an occasion in which one or more people meet privately and do not allow others to enter.”
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