Man sentenced to prison for remark under photo he posted on Qadr Night

A man was sentenced to a prison term of three months and 22 days in Turkey for having written "Qadr Night Special" under a photo he posted on social media showing him consuming alcohol.

While Qadr Night, in Islamic belief, is the night when the Quran was first sent to the world and also the night when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad, consumption of alcohol is considered strictly unlawful in Islam.

The accused told the court in his defense statement that he had intended the post to be a humorous one, saying:

"The post was definitely not made with the intention of degrading Islamic faith or the Muslims, nor was it made to degrade or make fun of Qadr Night."

The court nevertheless ruled guilty in the case, and issued a prison sentence, convicting the accused of "publicly degrading the religious values of a part of the people."

The sentence was postponed.