Metin Balkanlıoğlu

Metin Balkanlıoğlu (1958–2018) was a Turkish Islamic cleric.

Biography
Abdülmetin Balkanlıoğlu was born in 1958 in Aşağıfındıklı, Sungurlu. He graduated from Çorum İmam Hatip school in 1977, and from Istanbul University Faculty of Law in 1986. He began working as an imam in Şile in 1977. He was one of the leaders of the İsmailağa community. Balkanlıoğlu was married and had 2 children. He held nationalist views and supported Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

He frequently made speeches against Gülenists, Kurds, Erbakanists, and the Turkish opposition.

Shortly after a controversial speech where he angrily called for excessive force against Kurdish militants, he had a heart attack, and died on June 20, 2018. His funeral was held at Fatih Mosque and he was buried in Edirnekapı.