site.btaJoke about “Kurdish Woman” Told by Turkish Businessman Rahmi Koc Sparks Controversy, Leads to Criminal Investigation

The Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an ex officio investigation into Rahmi Koc, Turkiye’s most well-known and wealthy businessman, for telling a joke “about a Kurdish woman,” Turkish media reported on Saturday.

In a statement on the X social media platform, Turkish Minister of Justice Akın Gurlek said: “The scales of justice are not weighed according to anyone’s wealth, title, or status; the judiciary always protects human dignity and the law. Statements that undermine the honour and dignity of women and are incompatible with our social sensibilities are never acceptable, regardless of who makes them. The fact that such words are uttered under the guise of a ‘joke’ or humour does not mitigate this disrespect shown toward our women and a specific ethnic identity by our society.” 

On Friday, a grand opening was held in Izmir for a general hospital, a branch of the American Hospital, which is a private hospital operated by the Vehbi Koc Foundation (named after Rahmi Koc’s father), established in Istanbul in 1920. The event was attended by a number of officials, including former prime minister and former speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye Binali Yildirim, as well as many journalists.

During the ceremony, while Koc and the other attendees were touring the hospital’s examination rooms, he told the guests a joke. According to reports making headlines in the Turkish media on Saturday, the joke, when translated, goes as follows: “A doctor, whom a Kurdish woman had come to see for an examination, listened to her and said, ‘Madam, please go behind the screen and undress.’ To which the woman replied: ‘Doctor, you undress first.'" 

The incident, which instantly spread on social media, sparked a storm of comments. Pro-Kurdish circles saw it as a provocation. Anger and outrage poured out from conservative circles within the ruling Justice and Development Party and from the Islamist Kurdish party Huda-Par.

“It is everyone’s responsibility to protect the honour, dignity, and social status of women above all else, regardless of their origin, language, culture, or beliefs,” stated a press release from the Huda-Par party, published by the Haberler website.

“Aren’t you ashamed of your age? This is an outrageous disgrace,” wrote Ms. Pervin Buldan, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish DEM party, on social media. 

Protests also erupted against Binali Yildirim, whom cameras showed laughing at the joke told by Koc.

Meanwhile, following the ensuing controversy, Koc issued an official statement to the media, in which he sincerely apologized for his words, which he "did not intend to direct at any specific person or group." "I would like to express my deepest regret,” he added.

95-year-old Mustafa Rahmi Koc is the honorary chairman and former long-time head of Koc Holding, Turkiye’s largest industrial and financial holding company and a leader in the defence industry. Koc is the founder of the Rahmi M. Koc Museum, the first and only museum of its kind in Turkiye dedicated to the history of transportation, industry, and communications.

Currently, the holding company is led by his son, Yomer Koc. A few days ago, the company celebrated its 100th anniversary, an event attended by leading politicians, including President Erdogan’s ally Devlet Bahceli.