Turkish pro-government Bugün newspaper has run a front-page story in the paper’s Tuesday edition targeting a spokesperson from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Selin Sayek-Böke, for her Christianity, Today’s Zaman reports.
The daily stated that one of their reporters phoned the Izmir parliamentarian and asked, “Are you Christian?” To which Sayek-Böke told the reporter to ask her party’s headquarters. The pro-government daily claimed that her Christian identity has caused “serious disturbances” within the party due to her high rank in the party.
The article also highlighted the Armenian Christian Orthodox beliefs of CHP deputy Selina Doğan, who is from Istanbul.
Social media users criticized the report, saying that it is targeting her religious identity. Journalist Ismail Saymaz stated, “The racists and religious people think Selin Sayek Böke being Christian is a ‘defect’ or ‘an offense’.”
