Article 301: Thou Shall Not Share Christ- CWNews

"For Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal, two best friends, enjoying a casual walk along the streets of Istanbul has taken on new meaning. In the next couple of months, the two converts from Islam to Christianity could face the prospect of pending up three years behind bars.

"But we are not afraid because we know that our love for Jesus Christ takes away all of our fears," Topal said. "Even if we die, we will be rewarded in heaven with eternal life."

On Nov. 23, a criminal court charged the men under Article 301 of the Turkish penal code for allegedly insulting "Turkishness" and inciting hate while "trying to convert other Turks to Christianity."
"We are not guilty but, yes, we do share our faith because the Bible tells us that we are free to talk about the love of Christ to anyone who asks for it," Tastan said.

Article 301 has been widely criticized by human rights groups for restricting freedom of speech. European officials have demanded that Turkey amend the article if it hopes to join the European Union. Tastan and Topal's case goes to trial in January."

Article 301: Thou Shall Not Share Christ- CWNews