A Turkish Twitter user learned the hard way that Muslim hardliners mean business when they preach against disrespecting their god’s name: He was sentenced to prison for using a social media handle that included the word “Allah.”
The man, named in press only as Ertan P., adopted the Twitter handle “@CenabiAllah,” the website Mashable reported. For that, he was arrested and charged with “humiliating the religious values accepted by a part of the people,” the Turkish news website Hurriyet Daily News reported.
Authorities in the Mus province also alleged that he tweeted anti-government messages, acting as if he were the voice of Allah.
For instance, he wrote in June 2013 that “Here [Heaven] is very safe because there is no police,” Yahoo News reported.
Ertan P. offered a defense that his account had been hacked, but the court didn’t believe him, Mashable said. He was ultimately sentenced to 15 months in prison.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.