"Turkey is 90 percent Muslim. But in parts of the large cities, there are pockets of people of different faiths. VOA's Miguel Rivera looks at three houses of worship that share adjacent parcels in Kuzguncuk, Istanbul."
"Kuzguncuk is an ancient part of Istanbul, the only city in the world that lies in two continents: Asia and Europe. For hundreds of years its been inhabited by Muslims, Jews, and Christians; Turks, Armenians and Greeks.
Kuzguncuk lies on the Asian side of the Bosporus Strait. There is a church, a mosque, and a synagogue, right beside each other. The priest of the Armenian Orthodox Church, using a key made in 1835, opens the doors to a Christian world within a Muslim one. The priest is one of a few who come from another part of Istanbul to serve the faithful. And when he says “faithful,” he is referring to Jews and Muslims, as well as Christians, who enter this holy place to pray."
"There is no difference between us,” says priest Mehmet Biraz. ”Muslims come in here to light a candle. Yes, Muslims come to pray here. They light the candle and they pray. There is no difference. There is only one God and different paths to that God."
VOA News - Turkey an Example of Religious Tolerance for 500 years
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