Why Did The Turkish Army Ban ‘Game Of Thrones’?
The hit HBO series Game of Thrones is controversial, no doubt, but is it steamy enough to merit a court martial? The Turkish army says yes, it is, and a number of officers have been kicked out over a controversial ban on popular show. The reason why is about as intriguing as the show itself.
On Sunday, The Jerusalem Post pointed to a report from Turkish daily Cumhuriyet that said the Turkish army had forbidden army officers from watching Game of Thrones. The ban on the popular show came alongside new requirements for Turkish officers that say they must take classes on Islam or face consequences.
The actual ban on Game of Thrones has only recently been codified, according to the newest report, but it’s not the first time Turkey has cracked down on Thrones. In 2012, a number of Turkish army officers were kicked out of an Istanbul military academy. Their crime: allowing cadets under their command to watch Game of Thrones.
Just what’s wrong with the hit HBO series? The Turkish army has regulations in place that call for the “protection of students.” Game of Thrones, it would seem, is too racy and violent, and that means it falls under the purview of a ban that covers “sexual exploitation, pornography, exhibitionism, abuse, harassment, and all negative behavior.”
It’s no secret that exposed boobs and butts are mainstays on Game of Thrones, but the ban isn’t quite as open and shut as you might think. The push against Game of Thrones also ties into an issue that is at the core of modern Turkey: just what sort of role should Islam play in the nation’s everyday reality?
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is an avowed Islamist, and his tenure has been marked by what critics say are continual efforts to move the country away from its secularist roots and toward a more Islamic state. To that end, Erdogan’s administration has pushed for more restrictions on alcohol (no Game of Thrones-themed beers for them, please), advised women on how many children they should have, and spoken out against male and female students living in the same spaces.
Game of Thrones, with its racy weekly installments, no doubt falls into the category of material Erdogan would find objectionable, but it’s not just about the boobs and bludgeoning. This is also a matter of Erdogan exerting more control over the army.
The Turkish army has historically been something of a bulwark against increased Islamization in Turkey. Three times, the army has carried out coups in the country, with a 1997 coup pushing an Islamist-led government out of power. Erdogan, no doubt, wants to lessen the likelihood of the army pushing him out, so the Game of Thrones ban is in part a move to flex his control over the military. Plus, the young, impressionable minds of Turkey’s military aren’t exposed to “filth.”
Turkey’s military might not be allowed to get their Game of Thrones fix, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us have to miss out. Even though it’s still months away, spoilers continue to leak out about the forthcoming fifth Thrones season, as reported previous in the Inquisitr. While we’re unlikely to see any other TV shows banned like the medieval-themed series, the intrigue of next season is bound to be as high as anything you’d see in the real word, making Erdogan’s jostling for power look amateurish by comparison.
[Image courtesy of Wallchan.com]
