In 2012, Arınç opposed education in the
Kurdish language as he didn't deem it a "language of civilization". In 2013, Arınç referred to the
Hagia Sophia as a
mosque, which angered the Greek government. He expressed the wish to see it reconverted from a museum into a functioning mosque. In 2014, Arınç stated women should not laugh out loud to him in public during a speech about "moral corruption" at an Eid al-Fitr holiday gathering: "
She will not laugh in public to Mr. Arinc. She will not be inviting in her attitudes and will protect her chasteness." When asked to explain his comments, he suggested that women
"leave their husbands at home, and go to vacation with their lovers" and that they ''"can't wait to climb poles when they see someone"'', referring to women who
pole dance while on holiday. Both comments were widely ridiculed in social media. In November 2020, Arınç resigned as a member of the High Advisory Board of the Turkish presidency, demanding political reforms in the. He referred to the juridical situation in Turkey and advocated for the release of the philanthropist
Osman Kavala and the Kurdish politician
Selahattin Demirtaş of the
Peoples Democratic Party. Then in 2020 he encouraged the Turkish society to read the book
Devran of Demirtaş, mentioning that the Kurds are the oppressed in Turkey. This drew a harsh criticism from Erdoğan, who denied there was a Kurdish issue in Turkey and branded Demirtaş as a
terrorist. ==Personal life==