A local peddler attacked a statue of Atatürk in the Siverek district of the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa on July 30, saying that “idol worshipping had no place in Islam,” Doğan News Agency has reported.

The peddler, identified as Mehmet Malbora, climbed onto the pedestal of the statue in Siverek’s Cumhuriyet Square in the afternoon hours and began to damage it with a wooden sickle.

“There is no idol worshipping in Islam. Are those who protect the idol worshipping descendants of the Prophet?” he reportedly shouted.

Witnesses around the scene informed the police of the incident, and nearby district gendarmerie units also intervened to move Malbora, who was wearing a turban-like head covering, away from the statue.

Police then arrived at the scene and detained him, taking him to the district police headquarters for questioning.

July/30/2017