A "joke" told by Turkish businessman Rahmi Koç during a public event has sparked widespread criticism and renewed debate over harmful stereotypes in Türkiye.
Video of the remarks quickly circulated on social media, drawing criticism from Kurdish and Turkish voices across Türkiye as well as international observers. The backlash reignited debate over prejudices, sexism and the continued use of harmful stereotypes in public discourse.
Koç recounted the "joke" during the inauguration of a hospital in Izmir, western Türkiye. In the story, a medical doctor asks a "Kurdish woman" to undress behind a curtain for an examination, only for her to allegedly reply that the doctor should undress first. The audience responded with laughter.
For many critics, the controversy extends beyond a single joke. They argue that the story derives its humor from portraying a Kurdish woman as incapable of understanding a simple medical instruction, reducing both an ethnic identity and a gender to stereotypes for "comedic effect."
The backlash soon moved beyond social media and into the political and legal arena, with the Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launching an investigation under Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code on publicly degrading a segment of society.
