Skip to main content

Dollar bills buy Turkish singer big trouble

Turkish pop star Mabel Matiz is the latest public figure under investigation after he had the misfortune to appear in a music video with one-dollar notes, which the government claims Gulenists use as a secret messaging system.
mabel.png

Prosecutors are investigating a Turkish pop singer and champion of gay rights for alleged links to Fethullah Gulen, the Sunni cleric accused of being at the center of the failed attempt to bloodily overthrow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July 2016, pro-government Sabah reported today.

The probe was prompted by a video clip in which Mabel Matiz is seen writhing to the rhythm with dollar bills stuffed in his jacket. It’s the dollars, not the lyrics of the chart-topping “Ya bu ne isler?” ("What’s going on?") that landed him in trouble.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.