Turkish imam incites violence against striking doctors

Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs reportedly launched an investigation after an imam was recorded making remarks in a sermon in favor of "killing striking medical doctors."

The imam serving in a mosque in Turkey's central province of Konya targeted doctors in his sermon after doctors went on strike across Turkey upon the murder of a doctor in Konya.

Ekrem Karakaya, a cardiologist, was fatally injured when he was shot in Konya City Hospital by the relative of a patient on Wednesday. He died in the hospital.

While doctors went on strike in protest after Karakaya's death, the imam in Konya tried to provoke the congregation against doctors, saying in his sermon: "Just consider that you visited the hospital only to come out empty handed. The doctors said to you, 'We're on strike today.' Won't you kill them? Won't you beat them up? Won't you swear in their faces?'"

The imam also said during the sermon that the reason behind the increase in femicide cases was the news reports about such cases and the media coverage of them.