A former Turkish religious affairs official’s daughter sparked controversy this week with a harsh online rebuke of those criticizing a new practice of using religious hymns in place of school bells. The incident underscores ongoing debates about the role of religion in Turkish public life.
Merve Safa Erbaş Likoğlu, who continues to operate as a preacher within the Directorate of Religious Affairs, targeted critics of the practice, which began in some schools with the start of Ramadan. She specifically addressed a recent instance in Konya, where a school began using an ilahi, a type of Turkish religious hymn, as its bell.
“SHUNDAN RAHATSIZ OLDUĞUNUZU AÇIK ETMEKTEN UTANMIYORSUNUZ…”
Likoğlu took to social media to express her outrage at those who questioned the use of religious music in schools, delivering a scathing response.
“Arkadaş siz ne akıllanmaz ne uslanmaz insanlarsınız. Şundan rahatsız olduğunuzu açık etmekten utanmıyorsunuz hadi onu kabullendim. Ulan bir tane cümleniz yok lan çocukların hav havlaması veya cinsel içerikli şarkılar söylemesi ile ilgili! Kifayetsizler!” she wrote, according to reports from Cumhuriyet and HalkTV. (Translation: “You are people who never learn or grow disciplined. You are not even ashamed to express your discomfort with this, fine, I accept that. But you don’t have a single sentence about children barking or singing songs with sexual content! You are inadequate!”)
Arkadaş siz ne akıllanmaz ne uslanmaz insanlarsınız. Şundan rahatsız olduğunuzu açık etmekten utanmıyorsunuz hadi onu kabullendim. Ulan bir tane cümleniz yok lan çocukların hav havlaması veya cinsel içerikli şarkılar söylemesi ile ilgili! Kifayetsizler! https://t.co/usRLBI1kgV
— Merve Safa (@MerveSafaEL) February 27, 2026
The use of such strong language by a religious figure has drawn widespread criticism, with many questioning the appropriateness of her remarks. The incident comes amid a broader discussion about secularism and religious expression in Turkey, a debate that has intensified in recent years.
