Turkish 'Madonna' faces jail as crackdown on pop music intensifies

One of Turkey's leading pop stars, Gulsen, dubbed the Turkish Madonna, is facing jail as a crackdown on pop music intensifies. The crackdown is seen as an attempt by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erodgan to court his religious base as elections loom amid youth dissatisfaction at economic malaise.   

Drawing thousands, Gulsen regularly performs at sell-out concerts. Her music, her outfits, and her support of LGBTQ rights, has seen her widely dubbed the "Turkish Madonna".

But Gulsen ended up in court and jail when a video of a private joke denigrating religious schools went public on social media.

"Gulsen has become a target for Islamists for a long time not just because of the way she appears in her shows but also for her support for LGBT movements," said sociologist Nazli Okten of Galatasaray University, an expert on popular culture.

Gulsen jailed

But Gulsen's jailing sparked outrage, with football supporters even singing her songs in support.

The US State Department also expressed concern over her detention. Public pressure saw her released, but she still faces prison if convicted of inciting religious hatred.

Erdogan addressing his supporters strongly backed Gulsen's prosecution. With elections less than a year away and lagging in the polls, Erodgan is seeking to rally his religious base.

This summer, Turkish authorities have also banned music festivals across Turkey, hitting the industry hard.

"There is big money turning around these festivals, not only for the artists but people working behind the scene," claimed Ipek Kocyigit, head of Turkey's Musicians Union.

"I know there were 20 festivals canceled recently, which is a big number," added Kocyigit.

"These 20 festivals were canceled for what? For the ethnic identity or the political view of the artist or for the way of dressing of a female singer."

Pop music

Pop music festivals often drawing tens of thousands have spread to Turkey's more conservative regions. The result of the success of Erdogan's massive expansion of universities, from 78 to over 200 institutions argues Okten.

"The number of universities are going up, the scene in the cities is also changing with not also with the coming of university students," she said.  

"Also these university students are changing their lives, because they are independent, they are not living with the family, they are not living in this traditional environment, they have a different kind of liberties.

"These gatherings (concerts) become a kind of not just for symbolising a different way of life, but also at the end of these concerts people sometimes there are slogans. There is a tone; there is a sharing of discontent."

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With elections due next year and near hundred percent inflation, young voters who've known only Erdogan as a ruler pose his most significant threat says pollster Can Selcuki, of Istanbul Economics Research.

"This young group of people aged between 18 to 30 is growing becoming adults into an age where they are highly indebted, they have very little wealth accumulation, and they are finding it increasingly difficult to look into the future and be hopeful. So they have sort of have this resentment to the current system," Selcuki said.

"An overwhelming majority of young people in Turkey prefer a pluralistic democratic system to a strong one-man system," Selcuki added, "The second good piece of news is that over 80% prioritize freedom of expression above all."

Gulsen is due in court in October, where she faces up to three years in jail.

While such a move is likely to be welcomed by Erdogan's conservative base, it could also risk further alienating an increasingly disaffected youth as elections loom.