ISTANBUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd April, 2023) Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the presidential candidate of the Turkish opposition alliance, was insulted during the prayer at the grave of the earthquake victims in the province of Adiyaman in southeastern Turkey, with the candidate forgiving the offender.
The incident occurred during the collective prayer on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr celebrated on Friday as a man started to shout that Kilicdaroglu does not know how to recite an Islamic prayer, referring to Kilicdaroglu's Alevi faith, according to the video published by Turkish media.
The presidential candidate responded to the insults, saying that a person in a cemetery "can say and do anything" and the one should not expose the individual on social media.
"A person in a cemetery can say and do anything, one should let him express his grief. Let us not talk about today (the incident) ... I ask you not to expose this person, act responsibly especially on social media. I am forgiving this person if I have the right to do so," Kilicdaroglu tweeted.
Two other presidential candidates, Homeland Party leader Muharrem Ince and ATA Alliance candidate Sinan Ogan, condemned the incident.
Earlier in the week, Kilicdaroglu published a video address on Twitter, speaking of his Alevi faith for the first time during the election campaign.� Kilicdaroglu's faith is considered by many experts as his disadvantage at the upcoming election as Turkish conservatives and Islamists may shy away from voting for an Alevi.
Alevism is considered to be a heterodox Islamic tradition. Alevis regard Mohammed, the Prophet of islam, as a saint and have greater reverence for Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed. According to different estimates, Alevis account for 5-25% of the Turkish population.
Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections are set to take place on May 14. The elections are likely to become the most challenging for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party due to the February earthquakes, which killed at least 50,000 people and caused significant material damage. Kilicdaroglu, put forward by a six-party opposition alliance, is considered Erdogan's main opponent. results of pre-election polls are constantly changing and have not yet revealed an unquestionable favorite in the upcoming election.
