Smoking is haram, Erdoğan says

Duvar English

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said that smoking is haram, while calling on people to quit the "malice."

"We should quit this malice, we are harming ourselves. It's harmful to the pocket and the body. It's wasteful," Erdoğan said in a speech in the Black Sea province of Rize on Oct. 20.

"As the president, I'm telling my loved ones that, believe me, this is haram," he added, while also praising the slogan of the event that he attended.
"Let's quit smoking and drink Rize tea," the slogan read, referring to the province's renowned tea.

Being a staunch anti-smoking campaigner, Erdoğan frequently voices his discontent with smoking and urges his followers to quit.

His remarks regarding a ban on smoking in private cars stirred debate in Turkey, with police fining over 50,000 drivers following his speech.
The president is also known for taking cigarette boxes from his followers if he sees them, before making them promise that they won't smoke anymore.
During his speech, Erdoğan also referred to Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) Chief Ali Erbaş's comments on the issue.

"Our Diyanet Chief also said that this is haram. Is it harmful to the body? It is," he added.

Criticizing e-cigarette manufacturers, Erdoğan said "we won't give them any opportunities."

"Can there be such a thing as electronic cigarettes? They come to us and ask for a spot and permission. I didn't and I won't [give it]. Let me tell you the brand. It's not Philips as in radio, but the cigarettes have also a Philips," he said.

"They are saying that they want to make investments in Turkey. Go and do that somewhere else," Erdoğan added.

"I said this to my Customs and Trade Minister, we will never allow them in our country."

Saying that e-cigarettes are entering the country illegally, Erdoğan noted that the companies "become rich via poisoning my citizens."