Site pool 'haşema' dispute: Manager jailed after child's complaint

An incident at a residential complex in Alanya, Turkey, has led to the arrest and jailing of a Russian site manager. The manager, identified as Ludmila I., 64, reportedly stopped a 13-year-old girl from entering the communal swimming pool because she was wearing a "haşema," a full-body modest swimsuit.

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You cannot enter the pool like this. Your clothes are dirtying the pool. We pay a lot of money for this pool. As the board of directors, we have decided, you cannot enter the pool.

The girl, H.K., explained to the manager that her swimsuit was made of the same material as regular bikinis and swimsuits, but the manager allegedly insisted it was not allowed. The manager reportedly told the girl that her attire was dirtying the pool and that site management had decided against allowing such swimwear. The girl's family was informed of the incident, and they subsequently filed a complaint with the gendarmerie.

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My daughter said her haşema is made of the same fabric as bikinis and swimsuits, only the model is different. But the woman did not accept this.

Following the complaint, authorities took Ludmila I. to the police station for questioning. Although initially released, she was rearrested later that morning on the prosecutor's orders. A court then ordered her jailing, and she was sent to Alanya L Type Prison.

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She spoke to my daughter as if she were talking to an adult. 'I manage several sites, and we don't allow haşemas in the pool at any of them. I don't allow it either. You can come today, but don't come again after today,' she said, humiliating my daughter.

The girl's father, Fatih Kılıçkaya, expressed his distress, stating that the manager spoke to his daughter disrespectfully. He highlighted that the issue goes beyond his daughter's hurt feelings, touching on religious sensitivities. He also noted that the manager claimed to manage other sites where haşemas were not permitted. The family thanked the authorities for their swift and decisive action in response to the complaint.

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It is not an acceptable situation. It deeply upset us that a foreign site manager tried to interfere with a haşema that a Muslim woman or girl should use.