Imam inviting people to take arms was suspended from duty

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The imam of the Cebeci Mosque in Sultangazi, İstanbul, Murat Gündoğdu, who, in the Friday praying on May 19, invited the prayers to take arms during the second round of the presidential elections to be held on May 28 was suspended from duty.

The Directorate of Religious Affairs started an investigation yesterday (May 22) after the video recordings of the imam where he was saying, "Prepare your arms on the evening of May 28," appeared on social media and drew strong reactions. The directorate decided to suspend Gündoğdu from duty in the scope of the investigation.

What happened?

During the Friday praying on May 19 at the Cebeci Mosque in Sultangazi, İstanbul, the imam of the mosque, Murat Gündoğdu, invited the community to take arms on the second round of the presidential elections.

İsmail Arı from Birgün Daily reported on the event and also shared the videos recorded during the event by mobile phones showing that the imam invites the prayers to take guns for election night.

Gündoğdu was heard in the video saying, "Prepare your guns for the May 28 night. I have two guns, fully loaded. Let me see if they can! What is this torture that this country suffers because of you for 80 years? What is this that we suffer from the offsprings of the Armenians? We have so many martyrs."

Imam Gündoğdu and some accompanying him had taken a man, who stood up and protested the imam, out of the mosque forcefully.  (VC/PE)