From a report in the Turkish Daily News:
Fabric doll manufacturer Hamdullah Günes asked for a fatwa – a religious edict – regarding the manufacturing of his dolls of the mufti of Batman. His products have been deemed as idols and buying them is regarded a sin, reported daily Hürriyet yesterday.
Mufti Mustafa Üskülüplü stated that no one has the right to criticize him for earning his living by selling dolls. However, he said that the Fatwa Committee of Religious Affairs Directorate will take the final decision.
The mufti said that this was a sensitive issue and it was difficult to say anything. “Above all, the owner of the factory does not make sculptures; he manufactures dolls in order to earn his bread. The Religious Affairs Directorate can make a final decision concerning this issue,” said the mufti, reported the daily.
Günes has been manufacturing and selling dolls that represent traditional Batman costumes for the last five years. Therefore he has been contributing to the publicity of Batman and is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Now, before anyone jumps to the conclusion that there is some weird “Bruce Wayne, billionaire cleric/crimefighter” vibe going on here, I should mention that Batman is the name of a city, province, and river in the predominantly Kurdish area of southeastern Turkey. The “traditional costume” of the region does not, as I understand it, involve a cowl and utility belt, though there are sometimes head coverings and compact explosives involved.
Even so, it still sounds (properly) bizarre to Western ears to imagine that a doll manufacturer would want to seek an official declaration by a state-sanctioned religious agency that buying his products is not a sin.