When someone says something and then feels that it needs an explanation, it is a clear signal that something is wrong.

That is exactly what happened to Mehmet Gormez, Director of Religious Affairs. What he touched upon was something so sensitive that it mirrored all the arguments concerning what Turkish democracy really means if the state is controlling religious practices, and whether there is a way forward under an Islamist-oriented ruling party for people to also exercise the right of freedom from religion. In a free society after all, everyone should be free to choose how they reach God, or not.

“Izmir has a different kind of religiosity. This religiosity is in need of wisdom of the [religious] traditions,” Gormez said on Tuesday [March 26] when he addressed the members of his directorate in Izmir. “Therefore, it is no coincidence that a mufti raised by this [religious] tradition of wisdom is appointed to Izmir.”

His remarks received an imminent reaction from the public, as well as from members of parliamentary opposition parties. In return, ruling party members immediately stood up in Gormez’s defense, accusing others of intentionally misunderstanding him. However, two things echoed in criticism of Gormez, thereby highlighting that people’s sensitivity over his remarks has a long history. For example, those offended in Izmir by Gormez’s remarks recalled what Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in December 2005.