Turkey's religious head calls for worship freedom for Muslims in Europe

Turkey's religious head calls for worship freedom for Muslims in Europe [ WORLD BULLETIN- TURKEY NEWS, WORLD NEWS ]

Ali Bardakoglu, head of the Directorate of Religious Affairs, said on Tuesday that members of different religions could worship according to the requirements of their beliefs.

"The churches should be open for worship and religious ceremonies. It is their natural right," Bardakoglu said in an exclusive interview with the A.A correspondent.

Bardakoglu said religious minorities in Turkey should not feel themselves as second class citizens and underlined importance of worship and religious education according to their religious rules and principles.

Bardakoglu said restriction of religious freedoms would lead to uneasiness, indicating that freedoms were the main elements of social peace.

Bardakoglu said religious minorities living on this territory had never faced second class treatment throughout the history. "Turkey should not be a country where members of different religions experience problems with religious freedoms. Actually, Turkey is not such a country."