Despite the unbearable heat, Civil Friday Prayers were held yesterday in Diyarbakýr, Ýstanbul, Van, Hakkari, Batman, Mersin, Adana, Mardin Ýzmir, Urfa, Batman, Baþkale, Aðrý, Varto, Bulanýk, Yüksekova, Malazgirt, Tatvan, Doðubayazýt, Derik, Nusaybin, Siirt, Bismil, Lice, Silvan, Cizre, Silopi, Þýrnak, Uludere, Beytüþþebap, Kurtalan, Viranþehir, Ceylanpýnar, Kýzýltepe and Manisa.

In reaction to the state’s religious politicians, the Civil Friday Prayers in Diyarbakýr’s Daðkapý Square were called “Stateless Friday Prayers.” Also in Diyarbakýr, after the prayers, a signature campaign called, “I want my religion and education in my first language” was launched.

Women took a stand too during Friday prayers.

Police were seen video recording the attendees and the sermons, reported DIHA News Agency.

At the Civil Friday Prayers in Beytüþþebap, huge size pictures of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, PKK flags and Democratic Confederation flags were hung and women prayed for Kato Mountain, symbolically showing their respect to people who live there.

In Adana, during the sermon, the Imam said, “In our religion, there is no division between people. There is equality in Islam. What the AKP does is not Islamic. They are using religious words to manipulate the feelings of the people and to gather them on their side. Their strength comes from exploiting Islam’s best attribute, brotherhood, and mixing it with disorder and sedition. By doing this they are breaking us. We’re saying that these people are making our religion factious. The AKP is factious too. Every day, news of operations and deaths come. We don’t want the death of soldiers, nor do we want the death of guerrillas.