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Today's Zaman, Turkey
May 21 2013
Religious freedom problems in Turkey in 2012 and forever
ORHAN KEMAL CENGÄ°Z
[email protected]
It is always quite interesting to look at your own problems through
the eyes of others. Even if you think you know the details about these
problems very well. I was just reading the `Turkey section' of the
annual International Religious Freedom Report for 2012 penned by the
US State Department. It stirred interesting feelings in me. Although,
there are improvements in freedom of religion in Turkey and this is
stated in the report, looking at the problematic areas brought me back
in time.
I have known about some of those problems for 20 years. They have
existed in Turkey for ages. Therefore, the report gave me the feeling
of timelessness.
I have been dealing with the question of freedom of religion in
Turkey, in particular with the problems of Non-Muslim communities and
the report gave me the feeling that for all those long years, we could
not take any simple step forward in some of the problematic areas. I
found my self murmuring, Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser's
infamous motto (`ideology has no history') in a slightly different
manner: the question of freedom of religion has no history in Turkey.
Anyway, let's put aside my take on the situation and look at the parts
that I highlighted in the report when I was reading it. They give
quite a good sense of the real problems:
`[T]he government provides favorable and prejudicial treatment to
Sunni Islamic groups. The Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet)
regulates the operation of more than 85,000 registered mosques and
employs more than 117,000 imams. ¦ The government donates land for the
construction of mosques and in many cases funds their construction
through the Diyanet or municipalities. Municipalities pay the utility
bills for mosques located within their boundaries.
The government interprets the 1923 Lausanne Treaty, which refers
broadly and nonspecifically to `non-Muslim minorities,' as granting
special legal minority status exclusively to three recognized groups:
Armenian Orthodox Christians, Jews, and Greek Orthodox Christians.
However, the government does not grant legal personality to the
leadership organs or administrative structures of these groups,
leaving them unable to buy or hold title to property or to press
claims in court.'
`Religious groups other than Sunni Muslims do not have schools to
train clerics inside the country.'
`Religious groups generally face administrative challenges when
seeking to employ foreign religious personnel because there is no visa
category for religious workers.'
`Because the government does not recognize the Syrian Orthodox
community as a protected minority under the Lausanne treaty, it is not
allowed to operate its own schools as are the Greek, Jewish, and
Armenian communities.'
`Despite a 2006 regulation allowing persons to leave the religious
identity section of their identity cards blank or change the religious
identity section by written application, the government restricts
applicants' choice of religion. ¦ A few religious groups, such as
Bahais, Alevis, and Yezidis, are unable to state their religious
identity on national identity cards because their groups are not
included among the available options
`However, many state buildings, including universities, maintained
mesjids (small mosques) in which Muslims could pray. The government
denied a request from an Alevi member of parliament to establish a
small Alevi place of worship in the parliament building, which had a
mesjid.
`Although a 2003 amendment to the law permits cultural associations as
well as foundations to establish legal places of worship, authorities
have approved only one new Christian church as a place of worship
since the founding of the republic in 1923.
`Many local officials continued to impose zoning standards on
churches, such as minimum space requirements, that they did not impose
on mosques. In numerous instances, local officials required Protestant
groups to purchase 27,000 square feet of land (approximately 0.6
acres) to construct churches, even for very small congregations.
Officials did not apply this requirement to Sunni Muslims, who were
permitted to build smaller mesjids in malls, airports, and other
spaces.'
Many prosecutors and police continued to regard religious speech and
religious activism with suspicion. ¦Many foreign Protestants, Mormons,
and religious workers from other minority religious groups reported
they were unable to obtain or renew residence permits.
The Armenian Orthodox and Ecumenical Greek Orthodox communities
continued to seek legal recognition of their patriarchates, which
operated as conglomerations of religious community foundations.'
As you see there are some problems in Turkey, which never change.
May 21 2013
Religious freedom problems in Turkey in 2012 and forever
ORHAN KEMAL CENGÄ°Z
[email protected]
It is always quite interesting to look at your own problems through
the eyes of others. Even if you think you know the details about these
problems very well. I was just reading the `Turkey section' of the
annual International Religious Freedom Report for 2012 penned by the
US State Department. It stirred interesting feelings in me. Although,
there are improvements in freedom of religion in Turkey and this is
stated in the report, looking at the problematic areas brought me back
in time.
I have known about some of those problems for 20 years. They have
existed in Turkey for ages. Therefore, the report gave me the feeling
of timelessness.
I have been dealing with the question of freedom of religion in
Turkey, in particular with the problems of Non-Muslim communities and
the report gave me the feeling that for all those long years, we could
not take any simple step forward in some of the problematic areas. I
found my self murmuring, Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser's
infamous motto (`ideology has no history') in a slightly different
manner: the question of freedom of religion has no history in Turkey.
Anyway, let's put aside my take on the situation and look at the parts
that I highlighted in the report when I was reading it. They give
quite a good sense of the real problems:
`[T]he government provides favorable and prejudicial treatment to
Sunni Islamic groups. The Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet)
regulates the operation of more than 85,000 registered mosques and
employs more than 117,000 imams. ¦ The government donates land for the
construction of mosques and in many cases funds their construction
through the Diyanet or municipalities. Municipalities pay the utility
bills for mosques located within their boundaries.
The government interprets the 1923 Lausanne Treaty, which refers
broadly and nonspecifically to `non-Muslim minorities,' as granting
special legal minority status exclusively to three recognized groups:
Armenian Orthodox Christians, Jews, and Greek Orthodox Christians.
However, the government does not grant legal personality to the
leadership organs or administrative structures of these groups,
leaving them unable to buy or hold title to property or to press
claims in court.'
`Religious groups other than Sunni Muslims do not have schools to
train clerics inside the country.'
`Religious groups generally face administrative challenges when
seeking to employ foreign religious personnel because there is no visa
category for religious workers.'
`Because the government does not recognize the Syrian Orthodox
community as a protected minority under the Lausanne treaty, it is not
allowed to operate its own schools as are the Greek, Jewish, and
Armenian communities.'
`Despite a 2006 regulation allowing persons to leave the religious
identity section of their identity cards blank or change the religious
identity section by written application, the government restricts
applicants' choice of religion. ¦ A few religious groups, such as
Bahais, Alevis, and Yezidis, are unable to state their religious
identity on national identity cards because their groups are not
included among the available options
`However, many state buildings, including universities, maintained
mesjids (small mosques) in which Muslims could pray. The government
denied a request from an Alevi member of parliament to establish a
small Alevi place of worship in the parliament building, which had a
mesjid.
`Although a 2003 amendment to the law permits cultural associations as
well as foundations to establish legal places of worship, authorities
have approved only one new Christian church as a place of worship
since the founding of the republic in 1923.
`Many local officials continued to impose zoning standards on
churches, such as minimum space requirements, that they did not impose
on mosques. In numerous instances, local officials required Protestant
groups to purchase 27,000 square feet of land (approximately 0.6
acres) to construct churches, even for very small congregations.
Officials did not apply this requirement to Sunni Muslims, who were
permitted to build smaller mesjids in malls, airports, and other
spaces.'
Many prosecutors and police continued to regard religious speech and
religious activism with suspicion. ¦Many foreign Protestants, Mormons,
and religious workers from other minority religious groups reported
they were unable to obtain or renew residence permits.
The Armenian Orthodox and Ecumenical Greek Orthodox communities
continued to seek legal recognition of their patriarchates, which
operated as conglomerations of religious community foundations.'
As you see there are some problems in Turkey, which never change.