The man, Ali Özgündüz, is a deputy from the main opposition Republican Peoples' Party (CHP) and the cousin of Selahattin Özgündüz, a leader of Turkey's Shiite community.
Taking the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, Ali Özgündüz displayed the Quran, which was burned during an attack on a mosque belonging to the Shiite community in İstanbul's Esenyurt district.
Özgündüz, addressing deputies in Parliament, said: “Vandals entered and set fire to a mosque named Muhammedi [in reference to the Prophet Muhammad]. Those who lied, saying alcoholic beverages were being consumed by injured protesters taking shelter in a mosque during the Gezi protests, preferred to remain silent in the face of the Quran-burning incident.”
Özgündüz was referring to events during the intense first week of the Gezi Park protests in June 2013, when protesters fleeing tear gas were given shelter at İstanbul's Bezm-i Alem Mosque. The protesters were accused of drinking alcohol and behaving inappropriately there.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and a number of government officials repeatedly argued that the protesters had disrespected religious values by drinking there, despite the fact that Fuat Yıldırım, the muezzin of the mosque in question, said he did not see any alcoholic beverages being consumed.
Özgündüz continued his criticism of the government officials, saying: “Our [Shiite] mosque was targeted, but we did not bring the arson to the political agenda in order to prevent a provocation. However, the same Muhammedi mosque was set on fire once again. These vandals set the mosque on fire and burned the Holy Quran. Look what they did to the Quran! You [the government] have not yet condemned this vandalism. You are just using the Quran for political purposes.”
According to media reports, two unidentified people entered the Muhammedi Mosque in Esenyurt's Yenikent neighborhood from the roof and spent 10 minutes inside. Speaking to the press last week regarding the incident, the imam of the mosque, Hamza Aydın, said various parts of the building were vandalized in early July.
Aydın told reporters he did not believe the vandalism was perpetrated by Sunnis, adding: “We have lived together in peace with Sunnis for many years. This incident is not about being Sunni or Shiite. This is something else. We will not allow anyone to disturb our peace.”
In the most recent incident, the library and minber (pulpit) of the mosque were seriously damaged in the fire. According to various media outlets, unidentified persons entered the mosque grounds with the help of a stepladder near its wall. They set the library and minber on fire and then fled the scene. Police and firefighters rushed to the scene after passersby informed them about the fire.
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