Turkey’s celebrity preachers to earn fortune this Ramadan

A handful of Islamic preachers in Turkey will earn more than a million Turkish Liras with their special shows on Turkish TV screens throughout Ramadan this year, which will start on June 28.

Top of the list is Islamic scholar Nihat Hatipoğlu, who has clinched a contract worth 600,000 liras with ATV for 30 episodes of his trademark Ramadan program, according to daily Vatan.

A classical Turkish and Islamic music singer will be paid 450,000 liras for a similar show on ATV throughout Ramadan.

Religious scholar Mustafa Karataş will earn 400,000 liras for his Ramadan special on Show TV, while Mehmet Fatih Çıtlak will receive 150,000 liras from Star TV.

The report sparked debate on social media, with some users arguing that earning such large amounts of money by giving religious advice was against Islamic principles. Others stressed that Ramadan programs were a once-a-year opportunities for Islamic scholars to earn substantial sums of money.

Most Ramadan televangelists broadcast their live program twice each day throughout the festival, one coinciding with the fast-breaking dinner called “iftar” and one with the “suhoor,” the meal consumed early in the morning by Muslims before the day’s fast.