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Turkish pianist controversy has many facets

While world-renowned pianist Fazil Say faces challenges performing in Turkey, there are growing questions about whether he handled this controversy wisely.
Supporters of Turkish classical pianist Fazil Say demonstrate in front of the court house in Istanbul October 18, 2012. Internationally acclaimed Turkish classical pianist Fazil Say goes on trial on charges of insulting Muslim religious values in comments posted on Twitter.  REUTERS/Burak Akbulut/Anadolu Agency (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY

Fazil Say is a world-renowned pianist. He has been in confrontation with the government for the last two years. The tension recently reached a new height when Say’s works were removed from the 2014-15 Presidential Symphonic Orchestra program. This was outright censorship of an artist’s work. As Fehim Tastekin observed in his Oct. 27 article, this was not the first spat between Say and the government. In one of his Twitter messages in 2012, Say criticized the government over corruption, citing a verse from the Persian poet Omar Khayyam. This was even before the December 2013 graft probe surfaced. Say was found guilty in 2013 for his Khayyam citation, on the grounds that he was “openly denigrating religious values.” He received a suspended 10-month jail sentence.

Say’s global fame and the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) power clearly clashed. Just as the Hollywood stars sometimes do, Say used his stardom to attract critical attention to government’s policies.

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