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  • F18News Summary: Belarus; Turkmenistan; Turkey;

    FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway
    http://www.forum18.org/

    The right to believe, to worship and witness
    The right to change one's belief or religion
    The right to join together and express one's belief

    ========================================== ======
    14 April 2008
    BELARUS: BAROQUE MONASTERY TO BE LUXURY HOTEL - OR RETURNED TO CATHOLICS?
    http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?arti cle_id=1114
    The Belarusian state appears to have scaled down plans to turn a baroque
    Catholic monastery into a luxury hotel and entertainment complex, Forum 18
    News Service has learnt. Unofficial reports suggest that the cultural
    monument will now house a mini-hotel and/or museum. As Minsk Catholics
    marked a third year of daily prayer vigils outside the monastery's St
    Joseph Church, however, there is still no sign that the government intends
    to fulfil a 17-year-old promise to return the building to believers. Local
    Catholics have maintained to Forum 18 that a nationwide petition for the
    return of the monastery, which gained 50,000 signatures, led to a more
    modest development project. Protestants active in a separate petition to
    change the country's harsh Religion Law joined the Catholic campaign. No
    state officials were available to discuss the issue with Forum 18. Although
    some 95 per cent of historical Orthodox churches in Belarus have been
    returned, all but a handful of Jewish synagogues remain state property.
    Lutherans and Calvinists have also had little success in winning back their
    historical churches.


    18 April 2008
    TURKMENISTAN: "IT IS OUR DUTY TO CHECK UP ON RELIGIOUS ORGANISATIONS"
    http://www.forum18.org/Archive .php?article_id=1116
    Some ten officials from the local Religious Affairs Department, the
    police, secret police, Justice Ministry and Tax Ministry raided a Bible
    class held by the Greater Grace Protestant church in a private flat in the
    capital Ashgabad on 11 April. Asked the reason for the check-up, Murad
    Aksakov of the local administration told Forum 18 News Service they wanted
    to find out how many people attended the classes, who those people were,
    and whether everything was in order with the church's documents. Pastor
    Vladimir Tolmachev told Forum 18 he was warned that the church was not
    allowed to teach its own members without permission from the government's
    Religious Affairs Committee, even though its officially-recognised Charter
    allows this. Officials told Tolmachev he would receive an official warning.
    Further such warnings could lead to the church's registration being
    stripped from it, rendering all its activities illegal. In an illustration
    of the problems even registered religious communities face, the church has
    no building of its own and has already had to move its services ten times
    this year.


    15 April 2008
    TURKEY: ONE YEAR AFTER MALATYA MURDERS, TIME TO ADDRESS THE CAUSES
    http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_ id=1115
    Turkey's Protestants are this week commemorating the first anniversary of
    the murders of three Protestants - Necati Aydin, Tillman Geske and Ugur
    Yüksel - in Malatya. Güzide Ceyhan, a Turkish Protestant, in a personal
    commentary for Forum 18 News Service <http://www.forum18.org>, notes that
    Turkey's Alliance of Protestant Churches described 2007 as a "dark year"
    for their community. She says little has changed to give greater protection
    for the religious freedom of small religious communities, with some hiring
    private security companies or locking their doors during worship services.
    Ceyhan argues that dialogue with all religious communities and
    non-believers must begin so that the State's claim of being "equally close
    to all religions" becomes a reality; long-term educational efforts must be
    initiated to foster pluralism and the equality of all citizens; and the
    state must urgently take steps to remove imminent threats of attacks on
    smaller communities, as well as punish those who have committed attacks. If
    Turkey does not do this, she argues, "we will not have started to genuinely
    address the causes of the three murders."
    * See full article below. *


    15 April 2008
    TURKEY: ONE YEAR AFTER MALATYA MURDERS, TIME TO ADDRESS THE CAUSES

    http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article _id=1115
    By Güzide Ceyhan

    Turkish Protestants are this week commemorating the deaths one year ago of
    Necati Aydin, Tillman Geske and Ugur Yüksel. On 18 April 2007, the three -
    two Turks and a German national - were brutally murdered in their office in
    the south-eastern town of Malatya. The murders left behind grieving
    families, a community in fear and a country with mixed emotions about the
    incident.

    The trial of the five alleged killers of Aydin, Geske and Yucel - finally
    begun late last year in Malatya - drags on. But it raises numerous
    questions as to who else was involved in planning or inciting this terrible
    attack (see F18News 29 November 2007
    <http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?articl e_id=1053>).

    In its January 2008 report of violations of the human rights of the
    Protestant community, Turkey's Alliance of Protestant Churches described
    2007 as a "dark year" for the community. The motivation to compile such a
    report was to draw attention to the community's problems and provide
    concrete information for those concerned for the protection of human
    rights. Sadly, Turkish media coverage of the report was minimal.

    The report includes a long list of incidents of alleged violations of
    human rights and provides a chilling insight into the hardships and attacks
    this group is subjected to.

    First of all, it is interesting to note that all the incidents were
    committed by non-State actors, not by the State as such. This of itself
    indicates enormous societal intolerance against Protestants in Turkish
    society. Yet this does not relieve the State of its obligations to protect
    the life, liberty and freedom of religion or belief of its citizens.

    Secondly, as well as the horrendous murders in Malatya, the list includes
    many other attacks against members of this community or their places of
    worship. These include seven attacks on church buildings (ranging from
    attempts to burn the building to throwing stones), four threats to kill
    church leaders, one plot to murder a church leader, and two attempts to
    kidnap a church leader and his 11-year-old son.

    The report stresses that this list contains only those incidents where the
    victims were willing to come forward. It also acknowledges that many other
    incidents occur, where people are not prepared to make a public complaint
    for fear of being exposed.

    The third striking feature of the report is that, with few exceptions, the
    authorities have not been able to find the perpetrators. The report calls
    on the Government and State institutions to take a proactive attitude to
    the "lynching campaign" directed against the Protestant community, whose
    members are mainly people who have converted to Christianity from Islam.

    But it is not only Protestants who have suffered violence. This year a
    Catholic priest, Fr Adriano Franchini, was stabbed by the 20-year-old R.B.
    in Izmir, though thankfully the priest survived. The statement of R.B. at
    the start of his trial on 9 April is a striking testimony to the causes of
    violence against Christians in Turkey (see F18News 29 November 2007
    <http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?articl e_id=1053>). He testified that he
    had observed that after the murders in 2006 of the Catholic priest Fr
    Andrea Santoro and in 2007 and of the Armenian Turkish journalist Hrant
    Dink, the alleged killers were received as heroes (see eg. Compass Direct 6
    February 2007
    <http://www.compassdirect.org/en/display.p hp?page=news&lang=en&length=long&idele ment=4764&backpage=archives&critere=&c ountryname=Turkey&rowcur=0>.
    R.B. thought he would become a hero like them.

    R.B. also said that he was inspired by the popular television series "The
    Valley of Wolves", which in some episodes portrayed Christian missionaries
    in Turkey as enemies of the nation and (see F18News 29 November 2007
    <http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?articl e_id=1053>). His statement
    confirms that he sees his act as a commitment to nationalism (see Hurriyet
    9 April 2008
    <http://hurarsiv.hurriyet.com.tr/goster/ha ber.aspx?id=8661073&tarih08-04-09>).

    A number of church leaders had already complained about the broadcast of
    this series both to the public prosecutor and to the RTUK (Radio Television
    Supervisory Organ), regarding it as incitement to hatred. However, the
    prosecutor did not regard it as constituting a crime, while the RTUK took a
    long time to issue a warning to the producers and the channel which
    broadcast it (see Hurriyet 11 April 2008
    <http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/magazin/anasayfa/8 659378.asp?gid=222&sz=62545>).

    The current President of the Alliance of Protestant Churches, Zekai
    Tanyar, warns that in the past year Protestants, particularly in smaller
    cities and towns, have felt intimidated by rising intolerance against their
    community. He says they are reluctant to go to the police when they receive
    anonymous threats or face what can only be described as discrimination in
    their dealings with public authorities: they fear they will only draw more
    attention to themselves and, in any case, will not succeed. Only in some
    cases where there have been serious attacks on church buildings and serious
    threats to the lives of church leaders, as referred to in the Alliance's
    report, has the State provided protection.

    A number of churches have instead hired private security companies, while
    others make sure they lock the doors during worship services. While they
    are thankful for the cases where the State has provided protection, they
    are also troubled by the constant reminder of the need for such protection
    against potential attacks. Inevitably, questions are raised. Why is police
    protection needed for a place of worship, where it ought to be possible for
    the fundamental right to freedom of religion or belief to be exercised
    without interference by anyone? Why should a church leader need
    round-the-clock protection wherever they are? How long will such protection
    be needed? Increased worries about security have also frightened church
    members when coming to worship services with their families and children.

    According to Tanyar, the Protestant Churches' concerns and expectations
    are no different than in 2006, before the Malatya murders, as the
    conditions have not changed. He acknowledges that the necessary changes
    will need a long time to take effect. Securing freedom of religion or
    belief for all belief communities requires work on many different fronts;
    it has political, legal and societal aspects. Creating conditions conducive
    for a tolerant society - where not only Protestants, but a wide range of
    groups that are distinct from the dominant or majority of the population
    will be tolerated - will take a long time.

    Tanyar also notes that, for many months, the Government has been held up
    by successive crises in domestic politics, such as the problems around
    lifting the ban on the wearing of headscarves by female university students
    and the recent lawsuit aiming to close down the ruling Justice and
    Development Party (AKP). Like many other reforms, legal steps that need to
    be taken for better protection of everyone's freedom of religion or belief
    are postponed, while the government deals with what it regards as more
    urgent matters. However, concrete steps must be taken in this direction,
    otherwise this goal can never be achieved.

    But despite the progress that has been made in the legal sphere, even the
    steps that have been taken are sadly incomplete. The long-promised new
    Foundations Law does not allow Muslim or non-Muslim religious communities
    to legally exist as themselves, and so they are not themselves allowed to
    own their own places of worship. As Dilek Kurban of the Istanbul-based
    TESEV Foundation noted, the Law is "incompatible with the principle of
    freedom of association, which is guaranteed by the European Convention on
    Human Rights, the Constitution and the Treaty of Lausanne" (see F18News 13
    March 2008 <http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id= 1100>).

    Tanyar is clear that, as a community, the Protestant Churches do not wish
    to become simply a tool for the political ends of various groups. In this
    context he points to politicians who exaggerate the level of missionary
    activities and numbers of those who have converted to Christianity as a
    result of these activities. Such politicians do this to reinforce criticism
    of the Government which has enacted legislation making spreading a religion
    a legal activity.

    Amid all these debates, it seems that the small Protestant community's own
    voice is not heard by the Turkish public and state officials. There is no
    forum or tool whereby the community could effectively respond to
    allegations, or take part in a meaningful discussion, involving all Turkish
    citizens, that might contribute to clarification and allow for the
    Protestant perspective to be heard. In addition it lacks the resources to
    respond to everything that is said in public about it. The voice of
    Turkey's other smaller religious communities also needs to be heard by our
    fellow Turks.

    While it is difficult to remain hopeful about what the future might hold
    for Turks in general and religious or belief communities in particular, it
    is vitally important to continue to strive for better protection of freedom
    of religion or belief. In this context I believe four concrete steps which
    would have the effect of better protection for all belief communities are
    essential.

    The first step in the right direction would be for relevant state
    officials and institutions to engage in dialogue with leaders of believers
    of both religions that have existed in Turkey for centuries and those
    groups that are new. This would of course also include atheists and
    agnostics, as freedom of religion or belief is also a right for
    non-believers. Such a dialogue would enable individuals and communities to
    voice the difficulties they encounter in the exercise of their right to
    freedom of religion or belief. It would also send a strong message to
    Turkish society that the secular State is "equally close to all religions",
    as the authorities like to proclaim. Such a dialogue would also enhance the
    prestige and societal acceptance of groups that now face intolerance.

    The vital second step would be to engage in long-term educational efforts
    to foster pluralism, the equality of individuals with different religions
    and beliefs, and a culture of democracy that would encourage and teach
    discussion of different ideas without resorting to violence. This would
    also include reforms in public education of religion which would bring it
    up to a standard reflecting true freedom of religion for all non-Muslim
    groups, as well as various groups within Islam such as the Alevis (see
    F18News 29 November 2007
    <http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?articl e_id=1053>). Extreme nationalism
    is a major obstacle to this within the educational system (see F18News 26
    July 2006 <http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id= 817>).

    Thirdly, there is in Turkey great controversy around the term "missionary
    activity." Some use it as a negative term, while others recognise that
    everyone being able to share their beliefs in a non-coercive way is
    inseparable from everyone's freedom of religion and belief. In 2005 a
    parliamentary motion was brought to the Ministry of Interior about
    missionary activities in Turkey. The response of the then Minister of
    Interior Abdulkadir Aksu named three groups as engaging in missionary
    activity: Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses and Baha'is. He stated that this
    activity is watched closely in the interests of national security - even
    though this is in international law an unacceptable reason to limit freedom
    of religion and belief. Sadly, such comments are common from both
    politicians and officials (see F18News 10 July 2007
    <http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?articl e_id=990>.) So Turkish society
    needs to discuss what is meant by "missionary activity": if it is different
    >From exercising one's religion or belief, and maybe examine what is proper
    and improper proselytism. It is my opinion that Turkey would gain much from
    a genuine public debate on this, based firmly upon respect for pluralist
    democracy and tolerance.

    Finally, the fourth important step - and one that needs to be taken
    immediately - is for the state to enact measures to remove imminent threats
    of attacks against places of worship and religious leaders. Doubtless
    finding and punishing the perpetrators of previous attacks would have a
    deterrent effect on those who contemplate further such attacks. The
    authorities must strongly condemn such threats and attacks and do their
    utmost to enforce laws protecting members of belief communities who are
    vulnerable to such attacks. It is important that such attacks are condemned
    by the whole of society, so that the perpetrators will not have the
    perception that they will be received as heroes by a significant group in
    society.

    If Turkey wishes to seen as a republic genuinely committed to a secular
    pluralist democracy, it is necessary for our government to: have an open
    public dialogue with all religious communities, as well as non-believers;
    initiate long-term educational efforts to foster pluralism and the equality
    of all citizens; have a public discussion on what missionary activity
    actually means in a pluralist democracy; and, most urgently, take steps to
    remove imminent threats of attacks against places of worship and religious
    leaders, as well as punish those who have committed attacks. For if we do
    not, we will not have started to genuinely address the causes of the three
    murders whose first anniversary we are marking this week. (END)

    - Güzide Ceyhan, a Turkish Protestant, contributed this commentary to
    Forum 18 News Service <http://www.forum18.org>. Commentaries are personal
    views and do not necessarily represent the views of F18News or Forum 18.

    PDF and printer-friendly views of this article can be accessed from
    <http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?articl e_id=1115>. It may freely be
    reproduced, redistributed or quoted from, with due acknowledgement to Forum
    18 <http://www.forum18.org>.

    More analyses and commentaries on freedom of thought, conscience and
    belief in Turkey can be found at
    <http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?query=&a mp;religion=all&country=68>.

    A printer-friendly map of Turkey is available at
    <http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpedition s/atlas/index.html?Parent=mideast&Rootmap=turk ey>.
    (END)

    © Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. ISSN 1504-2855
    You may reproduce or quote this article provided that credit is given to
    F18News http://www.forum18.org/

    Past and current Forum 18 information can be found at
    http://www.forum18.org/
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