In this mailing:
Churches in
Turkey on the Verge of Extinction
by Uzay Bulut
• April 19, 2015 at 5:00 am
One of
the common features of the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey seems to be their
intolerance of churches.
"Turkey
is not converting churches into mosques because there is a need for more
mosques... The message conveyed ... is that Turkey is an Islamic state and no
other religion is tolerated." — Constantine Tzanos, author.
The
physical devastation of the Christian Armenians was followed by a cultural
devastation. Countless Christian churches and schools have been destroyed or
turned into mosques, storehouses or stables, among other things.
"Christians
are certainly seen as second-class citizens. A real citizen is a Muslim, and
those who aren't Muslim are seen as suspicious." — Walter Flick,
Scholar, International Society for Human Rights.
Sadly,
Turkey, a NATO member since 1952 and supposedly a candidate for membership in
the European Union, has largely succeeded in destroying the entire Christian
cultural heritage of Asia Minor.
While Eastern Orthodox Christians recently celebrated their Easter holy
week, a historical Church in Istanbul -- the once magnificent Christian city
of Constantinople -- is witnessing yet another abuse at the hands of its
current authorities.
"The historic Istanbul cathedral and museum, Hagia Sophia,
witnessed its first Quran recitation under its roof after 85 years
Saturday," reported the state-run Anatolian News Agency of Turkey.
"The Religious Affairs Directorate launched the exhibition "Love of
Prophet," as part of commemorations of the birth of Islamic Prophet Muhammad."
Even though Christians are a tiny minority in Turkey today, Christianity
has a long history in Asia Minor, the birthplace of many Christian Apostles
and Saints, including Paul of Tarsus, Timothy, Nicholas of Myra, and Polycarp
of Smyrna.
Christians Pay
Islam's Price for Freedom
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Sunday, April 19, 2015
Churches in Turkey on the Verge of Extinction
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