Surprising confessions from a secret world
Güncelleme Tarihi:
A former follower of one of the leaders of the Ismailaga Sect, an Istanbul-based religious group whose name moved to the spotlight last month with the sensational murder of a leader who was leading prayers in a mosque in the Fatih Carsamba neighborhood, has made some startling revelations to Hurriyet.
The former follower, whose name is protected, but who had once had a very close relationship with Ahmet Mahmut Unlu, also known as "Cuppeli Ahmet," which means "prayer-robed Ahmet," has provided Hurriyet with stories and photographs which seem to indicate an enormous gap between the sermons provided by Unlu to the followers of the Ismailaga Sect, and his real life actions.
Among the revelations from this unnamed follower are stories of trips taken all over Europe and to Malta last summer, including instances where "Cuppeli Ahmet" would go swimming and even jet skiing, despite warnings to sect members to stay out of the water and away from beaches. Other stories are about the financial questionability of Ahmet Unlu, whose warnings to sect members to live frugally appear to be contradicted by the luxurious villa he lives in in Istanbul, pool included. One detail in particular provided by the former follower was about a purchase made by Ahmet Unlu for his wife in the Genevre airport last year: a 16 thousand dollar Chopard watch. With many photographs to prove the travels and escapades of this "Cuppeli Ahmet," whose life and sermons in Istanbul Fatih Carsamba's ultra-conservative neighborhood are based on tenets of modesty and frugality, the revelations provided by Hurriyet in this special story have already elicited strong reactions across Turkey, especially as the debates over secularity and "religious reactionaryism" rage on.