Turkish musician accused of Islam insults A prominent Turkish pianist and composer has been put on trial for insulting Islam, in a case seen by some of his supporters as a test of the resilience of the country's secular system. Fazil Say appeared in a cramped courtroom on Thursday charged with "insulting religious values" in Twitter posts, accusations he rejected. The musician, who has performed with orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebow in the Netherlands, faces up to 18 months in jail if convicted. Among the tweets that got him into trouble, Mr Say quoted the 12th century poet Omar Khayyam, who mused whether promises in the Koran of heavenly maidens and flowing wine made paradise into a brothel or a bar. The pianist also suggested that the world's "show-offs, thieves and buffoons" were Islamists. His case has drawn particular attention amid continuing debate, notably among Turkey's traditional elites, over the impact on the country of 10 years of rule by the Justice and Development party, or AKP, which has Islamist roots. Liberals also express concern about the number of journalists in prison, now thought to be about 75, and other pressures on the media. "Fazil Say's trial is another example of Turkey's terrible record on freedom of expression," said Ezgi Basaran, a Turkish columnist. His tweets about Islam might have offended some people but not to get offended is not a human right. She added that, by contrast, minorities such as Kurds, Armenians, Turkey's Alevi Muslim community and lesbians and gays were often insulted in the media and in parliament. While the AKP argues that its decade in power have shown secularist fears about a hidden Islamist agenda to be groundless, some of its critics point to the goal set by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, prime minister, of raising "a religious generation" and a recent educational reform that greatly increased the number of religious schools. In the light of a recent YouTube video that insulted the Prophet Mohammed, Mr Erdogan, who himself was once jailed for reciting a poem, has also promised Turkey will work on anti-blasphemy legislation. Describing Islamophobia as a hate crime comparable with anti-semitism, he has called for similar steps to be taken at an international level. Turkey's government has shown limited sympathy for Mr Say. "I wish Fazil Say would have shown more respect for other people's values, so that Turkey would not have to face such a case and explain it at international platforms," said Egemen Bagis, Europe minister. But he added that if he were a judge, he would respect Mr Say's "freedom to speak drivel." Turkish court cases are often slow and the next hearing in Mr Say's case has been scheduled for February. At Mr Say's request, the judge ruled that he did not personally have to attend further hearings. Since the prosecution began, the musician has closed his Twitter account and announced plans to move to Japan.