Sezen Aksu, the unrivaled queen of Turkish pop, has invoked the wrath of the country’s Islamist nationalist groups with a song she wrote five years ago that allegedly insults the biblical Adam and Eve.

With Turkey’s challenges piling up from a faltering economy, political divisions ahead of upcoming elections and conflicts in and with neighboring countries, it may appear strange for a five-year-old song by a reclusive diva in her late 60s to make headlines. Yet since the beginning of the week, Aksu, a slight figure with full lips and soulful eyes, has been one of the top issues in parliamentary speeches, statements by Turkey’s powerful Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) and some Turkish political parties’ internal dynamics. 

The controversy started when Aksu shared a clip of her 2017 song, "Şahane Bir Şey Yaşamak" ("How Wonderful to Be Alive") on her YouTube channel, wishing everyone a happy new year. “Pleasure and pain, plans and games, standing tall or hitting the bottom, it is wonderful to be alive,” go the lyrics. “Here we are, on a rollercoaster, heading straight to disaster, just say hi to Adam and Eve, those ignorants.”

Islam considers Adam the first prophet and refers to him and Eve with the religious honorific titles Hz. Adem and Hz. Havva.