The fixation on a CHP member's Christianity

The "story" I came across on social media, the one that I was able to reach with a click, was titled: "CHP spokesperson Böke has been baptized." The CHP is the main opposition party, the Republican People's Party; Böke is Selin Sayek Böke. 

Daily Bugün, which is administered by government-appointed trustees, had this story as its headline story in its Jan. 9 edition. As I was reading the subheading I blushed: "She was not able to answer the question, 'Are you a Christian?'" 

I read the rest of the story. It may look as if I am testing your patience but this exemplary piece can be shortened as follows: 

"Nowadays, the religious identity of Selin Sayek Böke is being debated in the CHP. While Ankara is talking about this claim, our reporter called ?zmir deputy Böke on the phone and asked her, 'Are you a Christian?' The CHP spokesperson was not able to say 'yes' or 'no' to this question, she only said, 'Ask the headquarters.' The U.K. magazine The Economist in an analysis printed on June 6, 2015, wrote, 'And [CHP head] Mr. [Kemal] K?l?çdaro?lu has managed to bring in such female candidates as Selina Do?an, an ethnic Armenian lawyer, and Selin Sayek Böke, a respected Arab Christian economist.' The claims that Böke was a Christian and her religious identity have created a serious uneasiness in the CHP. 

"The Sayek family is known to be one of the oldest families in [the southeastern province of] Hatay. Prof. ?skender Sayek's family is claimed to be Christian belonging to the GreekOrthodox Church. The religious identity of Böke has created a serious disturbance in the CHP and several party members started expressing their concern that 'a Christian person has been named as the spokesperson of the party.'"

Now, where should I start...