TODAY'S ZAMAN
A report submitted by the Turkish Alliance of Protestant Churches to Parliament’s Human Rights Commission on the state of religious minorities in Turkey alleges that non-Muslim groups in Turkey have been made into targets for attacks. The report was submitted to the head of the Human Rights Commission, Professor Zafer Uskul, who has gone to Malatya to observe the ongoing trial over the brutal murder of three Christian missionaries last year. The report covers some of the human rights violations that have occurred recently against non-Muslims in Turkey, noting especially that many of the suspects involved in attacks against non-Muslims in this country have not been found or arrested.
Part of the report reads as follows: “Despite the fact that freedom of belief is protected by the Constitution, the last decade has witnessed the development of campaigns aimed at denouncing, slandering and provoking non-Muslim groups. Included in this campaign are physical attacks against these groups. This campaign has been contributed to both actively and passively by a concern for media ratings in the Turkish press. Disinformation regarding non-Muslim groups has helped make these groups a target, especially for more radical circles in the nation.”
The report said 2007 was a dark year for non-Muslim groups. It said that both before and after the murders in Malatya such groups faced attacks on religious prayer sites, threats and open discrimination. The events in Malatya showed how painful the results of campaigns of provocation can actually be, according to the report.
The report also said the Protestant community in Turkey faces threats both to their lives and to their belongings. It urged the government and other state institutions to take an urgent proactive stance against threats to non-Muslim groups. According to the report, there should be penalties for articles published in the popular media that could spark intolerance and discrimination.
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