Mehmet Görmez: Religious life in Turkey is undergoing a corrupting 'digital coup'

[85917] Mehmet Görmez: Religious life in Turkey is undergoing a corrupting 'digital coup'

Mehmet Görmez: Religious life in Turkey is undergoing a corrupting 'digital coup'

Mehmet Görmez, president of the University of Islam, Science and Technology and former head of the Diyanet (Presidency of Religious Affairs in Turkey), has issued a sharp warning regarding the state of religious life in the country. According to him, it is in a process of continuous "poisoning" as a result of the content displayed on digital platforms.

In a report published by Daily Islamist (a channel associated with religious-conservative positions), Görmez was quoted as calling for the integration of values of modesty ("haya") among children from elementary school age. He attacks the public debates conducted by religious figures online, arguing that these, alongside immoral content, are severely damaging the education of the younger generation.

At the same time, the gdh channel (a general news channel in Turkey) expanded on the words of Görmez, who described what is happening as nothing less than a "coup." According to gdh, Görmez claims that: "I liken this to a coup attempt. It is a bloodless coup, but it has more influence than bloody coups." Görmez emphasizes that the influence is not only social, but penetrates all layers of the individual.

Görmez's criticism reflects the growing tension in Turkish discourse regarding the influence of social media on conservative society, with senior religious figures expressing growing concern that the digital space is becoming an arena for the shedding of moral constraints and damage to religious values.