Turkish army ‘bans’ Game of Thrones, prepares for Islam classes

ISTANBUL

The Turkish army has banned screenings of the popular TV series “Game of Thrones,” while introducing classes on Islam for the first time, daily Cumhuriyet reported Nov. 7.The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) reportedly updated its secondary education regulations and added a new article to the chapter titled “the protection of students.” The new article bans the screening of productions like “Game of Thrones” on the grounds of protecting students from “sexual exploitation, pornography, exhibitionism, abuse, harassment and all negative behaviors.”Four military officers were discharged from the army after they let their students watch “Game of Thrones” at a military school in Istanbul in 2012.The new regulations also lay ground for the introduction of elective classes on Islam in military schools for the first time. The new classes will be based on “basic religious education, the Quran and the life of the Prophet Muhammad,” the report said.