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Turkish Pop Star Jailed for Making Fun of Country’s Religious Schools

After calling the alumnus of a religious school a “pervert,” Gulsen Colakoglu has been arrested for “inciting or insulting the public to hatred and enmity.”

According to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency, the Turkish pop star Gulsen Colakoglu has been arrested for “inciting or insulting the public to hatred and enmity.” The charges come after she made a joke about religious schools at a concert in April. On Thursday of this week, a video of the joke began circulating on Twitter, with users calling for her arrest. In the video, Colakoglu says that a musician “graduated from Imam Hatip [religious schools]. That’s where his pervert side comes from.” Gulsen has since shared a message on her official social media accounts apologizing to anyone offended. She added that her joke has been distorted by “malicious people who aim to popularize our country.” Gulsen is appealing the arrest and denies that she has committed any crime.