The holding of a sahur—the meal eaten just before dawn during the Ramadan fast of the Muslims—days ago in an Armenian church in Istanbul, Turkey, has angered the local Armenian community.

On July 9, the church council and the Sarıyer district municipality organized a sahur at the churchyard, reported Agos Armenian bilingual weekly of Istanbul.

Later it turned out, however, that the church council had not received permission from the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople to hold a sahur.

General Vicar of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, noted that some representatives of the Istanbul Armenian community also claimed that even a namaz—the Muslim ritual of worship centered in prayer—was performed at the said Armenian church.

Ateşyan stressed, however, that if this is confirmed, they cannot impose any other penalties except for recalling the clergyman that was sent to that church to serve.