Turkish journalist describes murky world of sheikhs, lies and video tape
A shocking tale of sexual abuse and exploitation has Turks reeling now that an investigative journalist has published new details about the cult of Ugur Korunmaz.
Further shocking details have emerged about rampant sexual exploitation by certain Islamic religious cults in Turkey thanks to a respected Turkish investigative journalist. Timur Soykan has published his findings in a new book, “Badeci Seyh’in Sir odasi,” or “The secret chamber of the sheikh who engages in oral intercourse.”
The modus operandi of the randy sheikh illustrates what Soykan argues is deep rooted and systemic abuse by a multitude of cults that continue to operate unhindered in violation of a 1925 law introduced by Turkey’s secularizing founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The law banning sheikhs and dervishes and shuttering their lodges was intended to break their hold over segments of society, but it apparently failed. Soykan notes that while they have existed for centuries, the “tarikats,” as the sects are known, are currently enjoying “a golden age” under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP).
