Turkish authorities have changed the name of a 400-year-old mosque in Turkey’s Kilis province from “Kürtler Camii” (the Mosque of Kurds) to “Türkler Camii” (the Mosque of Turks), according to a report by online news outlet Aktif Haber on Thursday.
The report said the name change of the mosque, located in the Küçük Çarşı neighbourhood of Kilis’ city center, was made by the regional branch of Turkey’s General Directorate of Foundations.
It was also reported that the name of the mosque is still “Kürtler’ in its official registration despite the de facto change by the authorities. The move was questioned by pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Adam Geveri in Parliament.
Geveri submitted a parliamentary question demanding an explanation from Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Çavuşoğlu of when the name of the mosque was changed. The General Directorate of Foundations replied and said the name of the mosque was still “Kürtler Camii” in official documents.
Despite the official response, a sign with the new name was reportedly installed by local officials from the General Directorate of Foundations along with an information sheet explaining the new name.
