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CHRISTIAN CLERICS ALARMED AT GROWING THREATS, PERSECUTION IN TURKEY
Hurriyet
April 10 2012
Turkey
In the wake of an attack against an Istanbul Protestant Pastor,
Christian Clerics in Turkey say they feel alarmed at the accelerating
number of such incidents and even hesitate to open their doors
to people
Vercihan Zifliogluvercihan.
Christian clerics in Turkey have expressed their anxiety regarding
the growing threats they face in wake of an attack against Pastor
Semih Serkek of the Protestant "Lutuf" ("Grace") Church in Istanbul's
Bahcelievler district on April 7.
"Attacks against Christian clerics drop off for a while, then they
begin to re-energize. [Such attacks] have begun to accelerate again
in recent days. We hesitate when opening our doors and welcoming the
faithful inside," Pastor Krikor Agabaloglu of the GedikpaÅ~_a Armenian
Protestant Church in Istanbul told the Hurriyet Daily News.
Attack on Easter
Three unidentified individuals attacked and beat Serkek on the night
of April 7, immediately after an Easter service. "They were three
people around the age of 18. They wore [prayer caps] on their heads.
They forced the door open and said they were going to kill me unless
I recited the 'Kelime-i Å~^ahadet' [Islamic confession of faith]. I
received a severe blow to my chest," Serkek told the Daily News. The
attacks were not coincidental, according to Serkek, who had also
served as a mentor to the three victims slain in the Malatya Zirve
Publishing House incident in eastern Turkey.
Pastor Orhan Picaklar of the Agape Protestant Church in the Black Sea
province of Samsun also said he has been living with a personal escort
24 hours a day for the past four years, since a plot to assassinate
him first came to light. "Police [officers] keep watch at the door
during mass; the believers are afraid to enter the church due to the
threat to their lives," he said. The make-shift church, located inside
an apartment building, also came under attack about a month ago,
Picaklar said, adding that the congregation was chagrined at being
stuck in an apartment. "[The authorities] gave the green light to
the construction of a new church in 2004, within the framework of the
European Union harmonization laws, although with the pre-condition that
it must be no smaller than 2,500 square meters. We have no budget. We
appealed to establish a church building 1,000 square meters in size,
but did not receive approval for it."
Agabaloglu said that in the case of his church, the state intentionally
refused to grant permission for the construction of a church
building. "They are trying to stymie the spread of Christianity in
this way."
Hurriyet
April 10 2012
Turkey
In the wake of an attack against an Istanbul Protestant Pastor,
Christian Clerics in Turkey say they feel alarmed at the accelerating
number of such incidents and even hesitate to open their doors
to people
Vercihan Zifliogluvercihan.
Christian clerics in Turkey have expressed their anxiety regarding
the growing threats they face in wake of an attack against Pastor
Semih Serkek of the Protestant "Lutuf" ("Grace") Church in Istanbul's
Bahcelievler district on April 7.
"Attacks against Christian clerics drop off for a while, then they
begin to re-energize. [Such attacks] have begun to accelerate again
in recent days. We hesitate when opening our doors and welcoming the
faithful inside," Pastor Krikor Agabaloglu of the GedikpaÅ~_a Armenian
Protestant Church in Istanbul told the Hurriyet Daily News.
Attack on Easter
Three unidentified individuals attacked and beat Serkek on the night
of April 7, immediately after an Easter service. "They were three
people around the age of 18. They wore [prayer caps] on their heads.
They forced the door open and said they were going to kill me unless
I recited the 'Kelime-i Å~^ahadet' [Islamic confession of faith]. I
received a severe blow to my chest," Serkek told the Daily News. The
attacks were not coincidental, according to Serkek, who had also
served as a mentor to the three victims slain in the Malatya Zirve
Publishing House incident in eastern Turkey.
Pastor Orhan Picaklar of the Agape Protestant Church in the Black Sea
province of Samsun also said he has been living with a personal escort
24 hours a day for the past four years, since a plot to assassinate
him first came to light. "Police [officers] keep watch at the door
during mass; the believers are afraid to enter the church due to the
threat to their lives," he said. The make-shift church, located inside
an apartment building, also came under attack about a month ago,
Picaklar said, adding that the congregation was chagrined at being
stuck in an apartment. "[The authorities] gave the green light to
the construction of a new church in 2004, within the framework of the
European Union harmonization laws, although with the pre-condition that
it must be no smaller than 2,500 square meters. We have no budget. We
appealed to establish a church building 1,000 square meters in size,
but did not receive approval for it."
Agabaloglu said that in the case of his church, the state intentionally
refused to grant permission for the construction of a church
building. "They are trying to stymie the spread of Christianity in
this way."