Pianist to Islamists: Why are you so scared of us?

The Turkish pianist Fazil Say, an outspoken atheist, has published an open letter to the theocratic government, demanding to know why they have removed his works from concert programmes.

‘Change your oppressive attitude that sparks outrage and confusion in the whole world. The world condemns this oppression… Stop being destructive… Don’t be afraid of art and artists. We are not a military force. We are just musicians, actors, dancers, humans, ordinary people.’

The ministry of culture responded: ‘We are following with worry the reports and statements aimed at creating an impression that there is censorship on art in our country and blowing the whistle on Turkey to other countries.’