Music is not haram for Turks

Former Imam Ahmed Muhsin Dooser, who was fired by Dionette in 2018 for singing in a rock band, applied to ECtHR (European Conference on Human Rights) in an attempt to return to his previous profession.

Former Imam Ahmed Muhsin Dooser, who was fired in 2018 for singing in a rock band in his spare time, filed his case in the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) last week.

Dooser came to the Turkish media in 2015 due to his other career as a rock musician. Subsequently, the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs (Dionette) launched an investigation into him, which eventually led to his resignation.

Tüzer took his case to local courts, but to no avail. He eventually appealed to the Turkish Constitutional Court, but his appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court, which ruled that more than 30 days had elapsed since the settlement of the ordinary settlements. Now Tüzer believes he can get his justice on the ECtHR.

Dooser has been working as a civil servant for another government agency in the western province of Eskisehir since resigning from Dionette. “They fired me from Dionette, but my rights as a civil servant are still there,” Tuzer Gazet told Duvar.

He said many imams have been expelled from Thenet for arbitrary decisions. “For example, one of our colleagues was relieved of his duties for attending the opening ceremony of an event. [oppositie] İYİ party, ” he said.

He said there were reports that a few senior Theonet officials had previously promised to fire him.

Dooser said Thionette officials had repeatedly complained about him to then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He said he had met Erdogan at a concert in the United States before and that he had “not shown any negative attitude” towards her.

“There are religious sects that have entered into various institutions of government; They are also in Dionette and I know they are embarrassing in my presence, ”he said.

Career as a rock musician

Dooser said he would like to become an imam again, but would not give up his life as a rock musician.

“My goal is to become an Imam again because I want to serve my religion. Previously I was in the media as much as ‘Rocker Imam’. It really is a service. I want to reach out to young people, touch their hearts and connect with them, ”he said.

He said that if he had given concerts abroad it would have changed his view of Turkey and Islam “positively”. “It turns out that music is not haram,” they would have said. [zondig] It is in Islam, ”he said.

Dooser said he would soon release a new song in the style of “Hard Rock”. “Now he’s become a full-fledged rocker imam,” he said.

Source: Turkish media