A leading Turkish businessman was barred from travelling abroad on Sunday a day after being detained over an internal mail prosecutors alleged was limiting freedom of belief, local media reported, reigniting a debate about the extent of secularism in the country, Agence France-Presse reported.
Cem Köksal, CEO of Zorlu Holding — a Turkish conglomerate operating in several fields from energy to appliances and electronics — was detained on Saturday after the İstanbul prosecutor’s office launched a probe into an internal mail exchange over the celebration of Ramadan, Muslim holy month.
Ergün Güler, CEO of electronics company Vestel — a subsidiary of Zorlu Holding — celebrated the start of Ramadan in a message sent to employees on Friday.
In response, Köksal said in an internal mail that as a company, they only recognized Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as official celebrations, not the start of Ramadan.
He said the company wanted to “maintain a secular stance. As we strive to become a multinational corporation, we expect to have employees from all religions and nationalities.”
After the mail circulated on social media, the İstanbul prosecutor’s office launched a probe against Köksal on Saturday on charges of “preventing the exercise of freedom of belief, thought and expression,” the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
A day after he was detained and questioned, Köksal was conditionally released on Sunday but the court barred him from travelling overseas, the private DHA news agency reported.
Zorlu Holding announced late on Saturday that Köksal resigned from his position as CEO.
