May your religious holiday bring the most favorable...

During the month of Ramadan companies make use of religious sentiments and traditions of worship for their advertisement campaigns. This situation stands in clear contrast to what Islam preaches. However, Erdal Atabek examines, nobody sees to be enraged. Those that usually protest against every word or drawn line of intellectuals, calling them an offense to religion, remain silent when it comes to making profit.

May your religious holiday bring the most favorable*...

Are you paying attention to the advertisement during the month of ,?

A lot of companies, who have no association with religion or belief, concentrate their advertisement on fasting or fast breaking.

Advertisment that comes to say 'break your fast with our famous coke'.

Kids, elderly and young people, all wait around the dinner table for the time to break their fast. A bottle of coke comes running to the table. Everybody rejoices. Our coke has come!

Has the fast breaking with a date or an olive become a thing of the past?  

An international company is making ice cream flavored like Gullac* and rice pudding.

Irreligious multinational companies suddenly turn into believers.

We aren't religious scholars or a religious authority, but, when we see what's happening, we are staggered.

Is nobody saying something to them?

What happened to those that get up and protest 'that is disrespectful of religion'?

Where are the ones that by every little word or line claim that 'it was an offense to religion'?

Nobody cares.

Can there be a company advertisement using religion, belief or worship?

Is there nothing to be said to those that think to themselves 'I have to line my pockets during Ramadan'?

Apparently when it comes to business everything is permissible. Is it so?

What can one say to what's being done under the name of religion?

In religion, especially in Islam, isn't there plainness, which we learned to embrace?

Is there no modesty?

Was there no such thing as shame that was felt when one openly showed what he did for God?

Wasn't a good deed that was done for somebody kept secret so the person in need would not feel ashamed?

What is it with the longest fast breaking tables, that are trying to make it into the Guinness Book of Records?

Are these things right?

It is like saying 'look you gave a fast breaking dinner for five thousand people, now I give one for ten thousand people. Do these events, covered by the television news, suit the required plainness in religion. 

Does nobody have a word to say?

Is everything by now a tool for advertisement?

Does nobody see where the society is slowly trying to be shifted?

One Far Eastern automobile company is advertising by hinting at fasting "We didn't eat, nor drink in order to reduce the prices for you."

Apparently they have brought society this far.

NO. So much irresponsibility cannot be accepted.

Considering that the referendum is the time of stating one's opinion.

NO to this advertisement ideology.

NO to the fact that the AKP is turning everything into an advertisement campaign.

NO to everything turning into an advertisement under the AKP government.

NO to those that even use the partitioning of the country for their party propaganda.

Supposedly the constitutional amendments will bring more democracy to Turkey.

Becoming more democratic?

As long as the Ergenekon injustice is still continuing?

As long as they regard the law as a heavy iron chain, shackled to their ankles?

NO.

NO to these entrapments. NO to these deceptions.

NO to these advertisements.

May your religious holiday bring the most favorable*...



*It is a play on words. In Turkish, "hayirli olsun" wishes the best thing to happen. However, "hayir" also means "no" and could verbatim be translated as "may it be with a no".

*Gullac is a traditional sweet dish served during Ramadan.