“Waiting for death is the most difficult,” said a survivor of the Soma mining disaster. He was rescued within six to seven hours of the catastrophe and watched several of his coworkers die from the deadly gases. The survivor continued: “Some were shivering, others were saying shahadateen (Muslim prayer right before death), we prayed.” Every religion and culture has its rituals of respecting death. When the news of the Soma mine explosion broke, the government immediately deployed 80 imams from Manisa province (Soma is a town in Manisa). Ali Kenanoglu, head of the Hubyar Sultan Alevi Culture Association, penned a column for Evrensel daily explaining that the Directorate of Religious Affairs — operating under the prime minister’s office — assigned 500 imams to Soma along with 10 psychologists. The number raised concerns as the number of imams exceed the number of deaths, now put at 301.

In addition, Minister of Energy Taner Yildiz was seen on camera greeting a delegation of senior imams. These imams were members of a prominent religious group, Ismailaga Cemaati. Yeni Akit, a conservative daily, reported that Ismailaga Cemaati sent 50 imams to Soma. In addition, the Ministry of Education approved that the Imam Hatip (Religious Vocational) schools all around the country read the Quran and prayed for Soma victims and families. It was mind-boggling to view pro-government TV channels during the peak of search and rescue operations reporting the prayer sessions of various religious groups.

In the face of disaster, prayers are important, yet why did the Justice and Development Party (AKP) rush into sending an “army” of imams to Soma? In the news, it was reported that the imams were there to pray for the victims, with the victims’ families and to give sermons to the locals. Many locals told journalists that the imams told them, "Do not protest, remain calm and pray.” One local said, "They told us our loved ones are in heaven now and we should listen to the elders and leaders of the country. These are the AKP’s imams and we do not trust them. They are sent here by the government and for their own salary they are abusing religion.”

However, not all members of religious groups or civil society organizations were allowed to enter into Soma and some reported threats if they persisted in trying. The city was cordoned off by security forces. MAZLUMDER (The Association for Human Rights and Solidarity for the Oppressed) reported several of its members could not enter Soma for days. MAZLUMDER is one the oldest Islamic associations and is most well known for its determined battle against the headscarf ban. Following the Soma disaster, the group asked the government difficult and unpleasant questions. In the midst of such grief, social media witnessed yet again another fault line between Gulen movement-associated groups, groups that try to stay neutral and the AKP.