Turkey State Minister Claims Missionary Activities Impose on Freedoms

According the 28th March edition of the Turkish Daily News, the State Minister overseeing Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate has openly accused the activities of foreign missionaries in the predominantly Muslim nation of stirring political turmoil, thus damaging social peace and unity.

Based on a parliamentary questionnaire concerning missionary activities in Turkey, the minister Mehmet Aydin said that missionaries have taken advantage of the ignorance of the Turkish and intervened in people’s freedom of belief.

"The goal of those activities is harming the cultural, religious, national and historical unity of the people of Turkey," Anatolia news agency quoted Aydin as saying. Not only the work of Christians is being interpreted by Aydin, but also many other humanitarian service or volunteers are considered threatening.

"These are not merely religious activities and they are not only carried out by Christian clerics. We have observed doctors, nurses, engineers, Red Cross officials, human rights defenders, peace activists and language tutors conducting missionary activities," Aydin said.

Aydin therefore urged the Religious Affairs Directorate to "enlighten the Turkish people, eradicate ignorance, and uphold the moral principles and beliefs of Islam" in order to counteract the widespread missionary propaganda that "have a historic background and are carried out in a well-planned manner with political motives".

The State Minister in fact did not provide any evidence of political involvement by missionaries. While admitting that it is impossible to calculate the actual number of people converted via missionary propaganda, Aydin stated that the official number is 368 with 33 synagogues and 240 churches officially recognised as non-Islamic houses of prayer and worship.

Turkey is officially a secular state. Despite it once being the geographical centre of Apostle Paul’s mission for the early Christian Church, the establishment of the Ottoman Empire has changed it into a powerful Islam country in the predominately Christian Europe. Nowadays, 99 percent of the 67 million-strong population are Muslim and most people have never heard of the gospel. In addition a small minority of Christians often faces persecution in the country.

Assist News Service quoted the response of Steve Hagerman, founder of Turkish World Outreach to the issue. Hagerman said that the negative charges against missionaries appear regularly in the Turkish media and he has related it to the controversy over the entry of Turkey to the European Union.

On 17th December 2004, it was agreed that the EU would hold entry talks with Turkey on 3rd October 2005. The decision came after more than 40 years since Turkey started its bid for membership in 1963. The major concern to allow entry is the nation’s restricted religious freedom and human rights record. Also, some critics have said that its strong Islamic background will make it stand out uniquely in the 25-member bloc.

In January, there was a sharp decrease in fighting and Turkey seemed to focus more on democracy and human rights as it sought to join the European Union. However, there is still a struggle between those who support Turkey joining the EU, and a group, mostly secular Muslims, who want to maintain the status quo. These secular Muslims therefore have often been criticised as stoking the fires in attempt to stop any reform movement that may hinder their influence in the country, predicted Hagerman.