Zorlu Holding, a major Turkish conglomerate, said late on Saturday that its chief executive Cem Köksal had resigned after authorities launched a probe into an email exchange for allegedly limiting freedom of belief over the celebration of the start of Islam's holy month of Ramadan.
On Friday, Ergun Güler, chief executive of Vestel, an electronics firm that is a subsidiary of Zorlu Holding, sent a message to employees celebrating the start of Ramadan, which began on Saturday.
Köksal later sent an internal email saying the company only celebrated two bayram holidays, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha officially, not Ramadan and that it wanted to maintain a secular stance as it worked to become a multinational corporation, with employees from various beliefs and origins.
After images of that email were circulated by local media and on social media, an Istanbul prosecutor's office launched an investigation into the issue, Anadolu Agency (AA) said, adding that Köksal was detained on Saturday for "obstructing the exercise of freedom of belief, thought and expression."
In a statement, Zorlu Holding later said it acknowledged the "sensitivity" caused by the "internal argument over management principles" and that Köksal had resigned as of March 1.
"It is known to the public that Zorlu Holding has been an institution with family values and business ethics since 1953 and has been integrated with the national and spiritual values of our country," it said.
"As the Zorlu Group, we convey our sadness due to what has happened to all our stakeholders and the public," it added.
Despite the statement by the group, the issue caused widespread reaction, with some social media users calling for the boycott of the brands tied to Zorlu Holding.
Earlier, the holding was protested by pro-Palestinian supporters after the start of Israel's relentless attacks on Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.
The conglomerate operates in the energy, real estate, electronics, white goods and textile sectors.
