To the Press and Public
On December 18, 2012, we all read in national newspapers that surveys testing children’s religious beliefs were distributed in a primary school. The school in question is Müfettiş Hamdi Girgin Primary School, located in Bağlarbaşı Neighborhood, where Roma people live heavily in Yalova, and this religious survey was distributed only to children of Roma families.
The survey, which Romani children were asked to fill out at home with their families and return, includes discriminatory, degrading, humiliating and offensive questions such as “Do you believe in the existence and unity of Allah?” “Do you perform ablution?” “How often do you pray?” “Do you take your boys to Friday and holiday prayers?” Romani people are being openly targeted and their religious beliefs are being questioned.
The survey, which included 61 religious questions and was reported to be a thesis study, was conducted by Uludağ University Faculty of Theology Academician Assoc. The names and signatures of İsmail Sağlam and Uludağ University Social Sciences Institute Religious Education Master's Student Ayşe Taşyürek are included.
Although the signatories declared that they conducted the survey with the permission of the governor's office, it was soon revealed that this was a false statement. The governor's office immediately made a public statement stating that the permission of the governor's office was not required for the survey in question and that the issue did not concern the governor's office at all.
This attempt, which is not only reckless in measuring people's religious beliefs but also targets a certain ethnic group, also clearly corresponds to academic hate speech.
For this reason, we demand that the academics who signed the survey, Uludağ University Faculty of Theology and the University Presidency make a reasonable explanation about the wrongness of the application and publicly apologize to the Romani people.
This discriminatory practice also points to a crime that must be investigated meticulously and requires an impartial and comprehensive investigation to be conducted immediately and those responsible to be brought to justice.
We hereby state once again that we will follow up on these and similar practices that target the Romani people, that exceed the limits of law and push the limits of reason, to the end.
And we call on the Governor's Office, the Uludağ University Rectorate, the Higher Education Institution, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of National Education, and all other relevant institutions and individuals to act, as they quickly made a statement to clear themselves.
ROMANI NGO DIALOGUE GROUP
1- Zero Discrimination Association – ISTANBUL
2- Human Rights Agenda Association - ANKARA
3- Akhisar Roma Center Federation – MANISA
4- Manisa Roma Culture and Solidarity Association - MANISA
5- Gördes Contemporary Roma Social Assistance and Solidarity Culture Association - MANISA
6- Saruhanlı Contemporary Roma Association - MANISA
7- Gördes Şen Roma Association - MANISA
8- İshak Çelebi Roma Culture Survival and Solidarity Association - MANISA
9- Subaşı Education and Culture Association - İZMİR
10- Dikili Roma Association - İZMİR
11- Atmaca Culture Development Association - İZMİR
12- Çanakkale Roma Social Activities Association - ÇANAKKALE
13- Gelibolu Roma Association President - ÇANAKKALE
14-Ayvalık Roma Mutual Aid and Solidarity Association - BALIKESİR
15-Altınoluk Roma Mutual Aid and Solidarity Association - BALIKESİR
16-Adana Roma Mutual Aid Solidarity and Culture Association - ADANA
17- Dom Tribe Culture Research Development Social Mutual Aid and Solidarity Association - HATAY
18-Gaziantep Martyr Kamil Tribes Mutual Aid and Solidarity Culture Association - GAZİANTEP
19-Diyarbakır Roma and Dom Association Youth Culture Association - DİYARBAKIR
20-Cultural Research and Solidarity Association (LOMDER) - ARTVİN
21-Black Sea Roma Culture Research Education and Development Association - SAMSUN
22-Çatalca Roma Association - İSTANBUL
23-Tekirdağ Aydoğdu Roma Culture and Solidarity Association - TEKİRDAĞ
24-Edirne Roma Education Volunteers Association – EDİRNE
