Turkish prosecutors have launched an investigation into an imam who in a video message on social media three months ago raised questions about donations collected in mosques.
Ebubekir Karsan, the imam of the Yeni Doğan Bilal-i Habeşi Mosque in the Sancaktepe neighborhood of İstanbul, in a video in social media claimed that mufti’s offices were forcing imams to collect donations at mosques and that it was unknown for what those donations were being used.
Karsan said he has never heard of mufti’s offices or the Religious Affairs Directorate providing financial assistance for the construction of a mosque or a Quran course.
“As imams and muezzins, we think we will provide an accounting in the hereafter to God of the donations our congregations make to us. Mosques are no longer venues that serve people; they are turning into venues of revenue for some,” said Karsan.
Karsan has reportedly been suspended, and an investigation was launched into him for making an unauthorized press statement.