Religious authority urges caution against 'hate-spewing' clerics

The head of Turkey's top religious authority joined the chorus of critics of clerics who drew ire for their controversial remarks.

At a previously unannounced press conference Sunday, professor Ali Erbaş, the director of the state-run Presidency of Religious Affairs (DİB) warned both against "language amounting to undermine Islam" and "those spewing hatred" by deliberately misinterpreting Islam.

Nurettin Yıldız, a writer with a theology background - who is seen as a spiritual leader by his followers - was recently in the spotlight for his controversial remarks justifying domestic violence.

Though his followers claim his remarks that refers to the

Quran in justifying violence was "taken out of context," he stirred up a public outrage and was target of a criminal probe for inciting hatred last week.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has lashed out at "false clerics" without openly naming Yıldız, in a speech earlier last week and called on them to "update" their understanding of Islam. Erdoğan also called upon DİB to inform the public correctly on Islam.

Erbaş said at his press conference that any act of violence against women is "inexcusable" and "cannot be justified with Islam, a religion of peace." He said DİB had a legal responsibility to inform the public with correct information and about "people and groups spreading false religious knowledge."

"An approach ignoring Islam's basic sources, methods to find the true knowledge, an approach hurting our unity, rude language, false mystic attitudes, behavior fueling hatred and rage hurt Muslims first," he said.

Erbaş added that it was also unacceptable to have misperceptions against Islam by "careless reporting and comments," in an obvious reference to media "which almost targeted Islam itself."

Turkish media outlets were awash with reports associating the rise in violence against women with religion in the wake of controversial remarks about the treatment of women made by Yıldız and other theology writers.