Descendants of the Ottoman dynasty in Turkey are preparing legal action against a man who is posing as a member of the former sultanate and spreading false claims on social media, the newspaper Türkiye Today reported.
Using the name Sina Osmanoğlu, although his real name is allegedly Ahmet Memecan, the man recently announced a same-sex marriage and presented it online as “the first (such) marriage in my dynasty,” prompting sharp reactions from actual family members.
Members of the family of Osman, the founder of the ruling dynasty of the Ottoman Empire, say the man’s posts are misleading the public and tarnishing their reputation. A. Kayihan Osmanoğlu explained that many people in Turkey bear the surname Osmanoğlu, even though the dynasty’s original surname was Al-i Osman. He noted that the man using the Osmanoğlu surname is “trying to tarnish our family” and has allegedly defrauded people in the past. He added that legal action will be taken soon.
Experts confirm that no one with that name appears in the official family tree of the dynasty.
Associate Professor İbrahim Pazan, an academic known for his research on the Ottoman dynasty, told the newspaper Türkiye Today that there is no one named Sina Osmanoğlu in the family’s genealogical records. He stressed that anyone in Turkey can legally adopt the Osmanoğlu surname and that the thousands who do so have no connection to the dynasty. According to him, the person in question is spreading false historical information while suggesting a royal lineage.
Turkish media also recalled earlier allegations that the same person had posed as a member of the dynasty to deceive people through various gold-related fraud schemes.
Illustrative Photo by Ikbal Alahmad: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-shot-of-dolmabahce-palace-10570295/
