It’s about radical Islam and an explosive love affair: The TV series “Kızıl Goncalar” wants to hold a mirror up to Turkish society – to the dismay of conservative sects. That had consequences.
A good week ago, the Turkish television audience was pretty upset: Contrary to what was announced, FOX TV did not show the latest episode of the series “Kızıl Goncalar” (“Red Buds”). Instead, to many people’s surprise, a documentary film was shown.
The Turkish broadcasting authority RTÜK said there had been more than 30,000 complaints about “Kızıl Goncalar.” A two-week broadcast ban was therefore imposed on the series.
This is the story of “Kızıl Goncalar” purely fictional. It’s about the relationship between Levent and Meryem: He is more secular, she is a member of a conservative Islamic sect.
In “Red Buds” two worlds collide. It’s about marriage in childhood, violence in Koranic schools – and ultimately also about the political influence of Islamic sects in Turkey.
These religious communities see themselves portrayed in a bad light by the fictional series. The Ismailaga community in particular feels like it is a target. She announced via platform X after the first episode in mid-December:
It is unacceptable to see productions in the media that appear to be aimed at humiliating our religion and pious people by denigrating Allah Almighty, our supreme book of the Quran, our religious beliefs and spiritual institutions.
The influence of Islamic sects
The series ban shows how great the influence of Islamic sects is in Turkey. According to a report by educational researcher Esergül Balci, around 2.6 million Turks are part of a sect or similar community. According to the study from 2018, almost one in ten of them is radical. Accordingly, they reject the term “moderate Islam”.
Koranic schools play a particularly important role for the sects. For many churches, opening and maintaining educational institutions is a proven method of recruiting new members. According to the Turkish Ministry of Education, 210,000 students are expected to attend institutions that have connections to sects or radical religious communities.
The number of complaints – unmatched
Many sects are financed by donations and their members. For example, some communities provide their followers with jobs and receive a portion of their salary in return. In addition, some communities are also economically active themselves and, for example, are involved in shops or smaller companies. Many sects are now deeply rooted in Turkish society and are well connected.
When “Kızıl Goncalar” came into the sights of the sects, the pressure on the broadcasting authority RTÜK was great. “I can’t remember any production in RTÜK’s history that has caused so many complaints,” says RTÜK Chairman Ebubekir Şahin.
The committee, in which Erdogan’s AKP holds the majority, therefore imposed harsh penalties. The program was banned from broadcasting for two weeks. In addition, the producers of the series had to pay a fine equivalent to around 270,000 euros.
The opposition is not happy
The decision caused massive criticism in Turkey. “Isn’t it allowed to criticize religious communities and sects? I don’t think it makes sense for RTÜK to act as a protector of sects and religious communities,” says the opposition CHP politician Ilhan Tasci, for example.
The producers of “Kızıl Goncalar” also reject the criticism. The series is fictional and not a documentary. They just wanted to hold up a mirror to society.
The current debate is unlikely to harm the series itself. Next Monday the compulsory break ordered by the RTÜK will be over. When “Kızıl Goncalar” is allowed to flicker across Turkish screens again, there will likely be great interest – and the debate about the influence of the sects will continue.
Uwe Lueb, ARD Istanbul, tagesschau, January 10, 2024 3:38 p.m