ISTANBUL, Turkey—A question on Turkey’s nationwide Higher Education Examination (commonly referred to as the YGS) this year referred to non-Muslims as “gavurs,” or infidels, sparking debate in the country, reported Agos.
2,046,583 students across Turkey took the test, which is similar to the SATs. An answer choice to the question, “Which one of the following is relevant about the Ottoman Empire,” read: “A Christian man appeals to the Galata Police Chief with a complaint about a Muslim man. He complains that the man has called him a gavur. The chief calls the Muslim man in and tells him ‘Haven’t you learned by now? We now have reforms in place and can no longer call gavurs gavur!’”
The correct answer choice to the question was, “No one can be humiliated because of their religious beliefs.” The question received criticism because of its discriminatory and racist expression.
The YGS is a standardized test for admission to higher education in Turkey administered by OSYM, the body responsible for organizing the national level university entrance examinations and several other large-scale examinations in Turkey.
