Until recently, Turkey banned public usage (eduaction, broadcasting etc) of Kurdish language. Kurds make up a fifth of population. There is a strong strand of nationalism which seeks to reframe the Armenian holocaust as the fault of the Armenians. Turkey is seeking membership of the european union.

Richard Dawkins' Turkish publisher is also in trouble.

Karaaslan could go on trial if the prosecutor concludes the book incites religious hatred and insults religious values, and faces up to one year in prison if found guilty, Milliyet newspaper reported.

The prosecutor started the inquiry into the book after one reader complained that passages in the book were an assault on "sacred values", Karaaslan said.