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Targeted News Service
March 9, 2012 Friday 9:31 PM EST
Feinstein Calls for Religious Freedom in Turkey
The office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., issued the following
news release:
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) joined with Senators Scott Brown
(R-MA), and Mark Kirk (R-IL) to introduce the Return of the Churches
Resolution, which calls on the Government of Turkey to return all
churches and places of worship to their rightful owners and end all
forms of religious discrimination.
"Freedom of religion is one of our most cherished values," said
Senator Feinstein. "This resolution is a simple but clear statement of
support for Christian communities in Turkey who should be able to
practice their faith freely."
"Religious liberty is a core value of our democracy and I believe we
should stand for the rights of people of faith around the world," said
Senator Brown. "I am proud to lead this effort to speak out for those
who are suffering discrimination in Turkey."
"This resolution sends an unequivocal message to the Government of
Turkey that it must respect the rights of its Chris-tian minority and
reaffirms America's commitment to religious freedom around the world,"
said a spokesperson for Senator Kirk.
"I join with Armenian Americans from across the Commonwealth in
sharing our gratitude with Senator Brown for his leadership, along
with Senator Feinstein, in championing religious liberty and the
return by Turkey of stolen Christian church properties," said George
Aghjayan, a Westminster, Massachusetts, resident who serves as
Chairman of the Ar-menian National Committee of America, Eastern
United States. "In introducing the Return of Churches resolution in
the Senate, they are building on the overwhelming bipartisan adoption
of this freedom of faith measure by the House, and increasing pressure
on the Administration to reaffirm--in both words and concrete
actions-our nation's fundamental commitment to the return of religious
sites to their rightful owners. We look forward to working with
Senator Brown and his colleagues in support of the timely adoption of
this resolution."
Specifically, the Return of the Churches Resolution calls on the U.S.
Secretary of State to emphasize in all official con-tacts that the
Government of Turkey should end all forms of religious discrimination,
return all Christian churches and other places of worship to their
rightful owners, and allow owners of Christian churches to preserve,
reconstruct, and repair churches and other places of worship as they
see fit.
According to the Congressional Research Service, between "1915 and the
establishment of the Turkish republic in 1923, the Ottoman Empire
adopted a policy during World War I... to deport most of its Armenian
population from Anatolia... The abandoned properties of the
Armenians--including those belonging to Armenian Orthodox, Catholic,
and Protes-tant churches--were largely confiscated by the state and
either retained or redistributed to its Muslim inhabitants."
Turkey remains on the 2011 "Watch List" of the United States
Commission on International Religious Freedom (US-CIRF). The USCIRF
stated in its 2011 report that "the Turkish government continues to
impose significant restrictions on [religious minorities'] rights to
own, maintain, and transfer both communal and individual property, and
to control internal governance, and to train religious clergy. These
kinds of restrictions have led to a critical shrinkage of these
communities, and in many cases, make it impossible for these religious
institutions to chart a sustainable and vibrant future for
themselves."
The Return of the Churches Resolution passed the House of
Representatives in late 2011 by voice vote and with broad bipartisan
support.
March 9, 2012 Friday 9:31 PM EST
Feinstein Calls for Religious Freedom in Turkey
The office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., issued the following
news release:
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) joined with Senators Scott Brown
(R-MA), and Mark Kirk (R-IL) to introduce the Return of the Churches
Resolution, which calls on the Government of Turkey to return all
churches and places of worship to their rightful owners and end all
forms of religious discrimination.
"Freedom of religion is one of our most cherished values," said
Senator Feinstein. "This resolution is a simple but clear statement of
support for Christian communities in Turkey who should be able to
practice their faith freely."
"Religious liberty is a core value of our democracy and I believe we
should stand for the rights of people of faith around the world," said
Senator Brown. "I am proud to lead this effort to speak out for those
who are suffering discrimination in Turkey."
"This resolution sends an unequivocal message to the Government of
Turkey that it must respect the rights of its Chris-tian minority and
reaffirms America's commitment to religious freedom around the world,"
said a spokesperson for Senator Kirk.
"I join with Armenian Americans from across the Commonwealth in
sharing our gratitude with Senator Brown for his leadership, along
with Senator Feinstein, in championing religious liberty and the
return by Turkey of stolen Christian church properties," said George
Aghjayan, a Westminster, Massachusetts, resident who serves as
Chairman of the Ar-menian National Committee of America, Eastern
United States. "In introducing the Return of Churches resolution in
the Senate, they are building on the overwhelming bipartisan adoption
of this freedom of faith measure by the House, and increasing pressure
on the Administration to reaffirm--in both words and concrete
actions-our nation's fundamental commitment to the return of religious
sites to their rightful owners. We look forward to working with
Senator Brown and his colleagues in support of the timely adoption of
this resolution."
Specifically, the Return of the Churches Resolution calls on the U.S.
Secretary of State to emphasize in all official con-tacts that the
Government of Turkey should end all forms of religious discrimination,
return all Christian churches and other places of worship to their
rightful owners, and allow owners of Christian churches to preserve,
reconstruct, and repair churches and other places of worship as they
see fit.
According to the Congressional Research Service, between "1915 and the
establishment of the Turkish republic in 1923, the Ottoman Empire
adopted a policy during World War I... to deport most of its Armenian
population from Anatolia... The abandoned properties of the
Armenians--including those belonging to Armenian Orthodox, Catholic,
and Protes-tant churches--were largely confiscated by the state and
either retained or redistributed to its Muslim inhabitants."
Turkey remains on the 2011 "Watch List" of the United States
Commission on International Religious Freedom (US-CIRF). The USCIRF
stated in its 2011 report that "the Turkish government continues to
impose significant restrictions on [religious minorities'] rights to
own, maintain, and transfer both communal and individual property, and
to control internal governance, and to train religious clergy. These
kinds of restrictions have led to a critical shrinkage of these
communities, and in many cases, make it impossible for these religious
institutions to chart a sustainable and vibrant future for
themselves."
The Return of the Churches Resolution passed the House of
Representatives in late 2011 by voice vote and with broad bipartisan
support.