Istanbul Governor Gül's Request for Friday Prayer Rooms in Schools Escalates to Ministry of Interior with Criminal Complaint

The Istanbul Governorate, through a document signed by Governor Davut Gül, requested that Istanbul's 39 district governors and relevant institutions ensure adequate prayer room space for Friday prayers in newly constructed schools, and that suitable areas be arranged in existing buildings within available means.

Attorney İsmail Sami Çakmak, a member of the Secularism Council, filed a criminal complaint with the Ministry of Interior regarding this document. In his petition, Çakmak argued that the directive constitutes violation of the Constitution under Article 309 of the Turkish Penal Code and abuse of office under Article 257; he also contended that it violates the Tevhidi Tedrisat Law and Article 174 of the Constitution.

The Istanbul Governorate has not yet responded to the criminal complaint filed against the gubernatorial directive. The boundary between schools and religious education has been a subject of long-standing debate in Turkey; in 2021, a similar directive was brought before the courts and was suspended by the Council of State.