Hürriyet Daily News published an article by Mustafa Akyol devoted to the new alcohol regulations imposed in Turkey by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
According to the author, any Muslim should have 'a right to sin' and that what some people consider as a sin, should not be banned by laws, unless the sins are also worthy of being objective crimes, with clear harm to others.
"Therefore, I would be categorically against any prohibition of alcohol or many other things that Turkey’s hardcore conservatives might consider as “immoral,” Akyol writes.
"Yet when it comes to alcohol, some regulation is a must for the sake of public health, safety and order. That is why nowhere on earth are you allowed to drink and drive, risking the life of not just yourself but also others. That is why “public intoxication” is illegal in the United States, and that you cannot walk around with booze in your hand and even appear publicly drunk," the article reads.
"In this regard, almost all of the new regulations that the AKP brought on alcohol have rational reasons, and hence are found in some democratic Western countries as well. The rule that no bar should be allowed near schools or sanctuaries, for example, is common in the United States. In the EU, a third of all member states have limitations on the hours of alcohol sale, just like the AKP just brought in. In a similar vein, five EU member states have a complete ban on alcohol advertising on TV, just like the AKP just imposed," the author writes.
