TURKISH COURT CLEARS WRITER OVER ‘DAUGHTERS OF ALLAH’ NOVEL

Agence France Presse
June 25 2009
France

An Istanbul court on Thursday cleared writer Nedim Guersel of inciting
religious hatred in his latest novel "The Daughters of Allah".

The book posed no "clear and evident danger to public order," ruled
the court, following the recommendation of the prosecutor’s office
which had earlier backed an acquittal.

Guersel, who lives in Paris and was not present in court, could have
faced up to three years in prison if found guilty.

The case came to trial after a complaint by Ali Emre Bukagili, a
member of Adnan Oktar, an Islamic group known for its rejection of
the Darwinian theory of evolution in favour of creationism.

He told the court the book was "insulting to the Prophet and the
Koran," "Freedom of expression has limits," he said.

The novel, published in March 2008 in Turkey, deals with various
writings linked to the life of the Prophet Mohammed, providing an
alternative interpretation of the birth of Islam.

In a recent interview, Gursel told AFP he believed in the "freedom to
cast a critical look at religions," while at the same time "respecting
the faith of believers."

He said he regretted that the case had been brought because
"everyone thought that Turkey had made progress in terms of freedom
of expression."

In May, Gursel’s lawyer Sehnaz Yuzer said his client had not attended
due to fears of "incidents" but that he had made a deposition on a
previous visit.

In January 2006 the same court cleared writer Orhan Pamuk of a charge
of insulting the Turkish nation over remarks concerning the massacres
of Armenians between 1915 and 1917. Later that year Pamuk won the
Nobel prize for literature.