The regrettable story of Article 301

Good summary article on Article 301, one of three charges against the 2 Turkish believers who will be on trial on Monday.

The regrettable story of Article 301 - Turkish Daily News Jan 25, 2007

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"You have not left your country my love"

"Hrant Dink's wife Rakel Dink made a farewell speech in front of
thousands of people and said: "I am here with great honor and with
great sorrow. You have left the ones you loved, you have left my arms
but you have not left your country, my love."



"Thousands marched after Dink's funeral car without shouting slogans or
protesting his timeless death. The crowd was surrounded by great
silence.

Rakel Dink's farewell speech filled everyone's eyes
in tears. Rakel Dink quoted the Bible and said: "There is no greater
virtue than sacrificing your life for others. I am sending off my love
today. We will walk without shouting slogans, without disturbing the
people around us. There is no other solution than to find the dark
hands which create villains out of babies."

SABAH Newspaper English Edition - National - "You have not left your country my love"

Crowds mass in Istanbul to bid farewell to Hrant Dink

"With thousands of people marching slowly behind the black hearse
carrying murdered journalist Hrant Dink's coffin through the streets of
Sisli, towards Istanbul's Taksim Square, Istanbul citizens came out in
masses today to honor the slain Agos newspaper general editor on his
final journey."

Hürriyet - Crowds mass in Istanbul to bid farewell to Hrant Dink

He believed his love for his country would save him

"Dink's murder has shamed Turkey, just as his prosecution under the
preposterous article 301 of the new penal code, which created the
offence of insulting Turkishness, shamed it."

"What rankled most with him to the end was that he had been held by the state to have insulted Turks. "I wish he could hear the thousands of people lining up all the way from Osmanbey to Harbiye shouting, 'We are all Hrant, we are all Armenian!'" a friend of his told me on the night of the killing.

Only those who know Turkey can possibly imagine the emotional charge released by those last four words. Just as they will have winced at what the boy who shot him in the back of the
head shouted as he ran away: "I have killed the gavur [the infidel, the foreigner]." Ogun Samast, the 16-year-old who has apparently now confessed to killing Dink, comes from Trabzon, where last spring, after the publication of the Muhammad cartoons, a boy of 15 walked into a church and shot an Italian priest in the back of the head."

Guardian Unlimited | Comment is free | He believed his love for his country would save him

Who Killed Hrant Dink?

Good post from Pikkert:

"Hrant Dink was a Turkish-Armenian journalist. He was murdered yesterday.

Like many liberal Turkish writers, including Nobel winner Orhan Pamuk, he’d been to court charged with breaking the infamous “regulation 301”. It forbids anyone from insulting “Turkishness”. Hrant believed that Turks must be reconciled with their own history before genuine reconciliation can take place between Turks and Armenians.

In the past such murders were ascribed to “shadowy figures in the deep state”. Not any more. The nationalists, reacting in part to Western, particularly American, cultural and political ambitions in the Middle East, have created a monster which freely roams the streets. It kills Christian priests, fires guns and lobs Molotov cocktails at Protestant churches, and makes a mockery of Turkey’s claims at being a cross-roads of diversity and multi-culturalism.

The monster is a deliberate creation of nationalist politicians, newspaper men (and women), and film producers, notably the creators of the violent series Kurtlar Vadisi (Valley of the Wolves). A like-minded group of lawyers led by the infamous Mr. Kemal Kerincsiz hauls those who think slightly differently to court on the least excuse. If they cannot see you behind bars, they’ll blacken your name. You might even be killed… Like Hrant Dink.

Hrant is not the first, and won’t be the monster’s last victim. It will continue to devour until the Turks, en masse, are sickened by it. Only then will the politicians, newpapermen and women, and film producers change their tunes; they, after all, are merely driven by the vote and the bottom line.

Who killed Hrant Dink? Every nationalist voter."

Turkey's Early Christian Roots

Point:

"In the ancient world, Turkey was a key crossroads between Europe, Asia and the Middle East -- and the site of many of the most crucial events in the history of Christianity. The Apostle Paul lived in the city of Ephesus for perhaps as long as three years, and used it as a stopping point during his missionary journeys. The area was also important for another early church leader, St. John, who according to biblical tradition, was said to have presided over the churches of Asia Minor and credited for bringing Mary, the mother of God, with him to spend her last days in a small house outside Ephesus. All seven Ecumenical Councils met in Turkey to formalize doctrine, among them, the influential Council of Nicea in 325, which established a creed still recited in churches around the world. And Constantinople became the new capital of the Holy Roman Empire until the Ottomans conquered the city in 1453, transferring the Middle East balance of power from Christianity to Islam.
Kim Lawton's visits several historic religious sites in Turkey for a look at the important role this land played in the development of early Christianity. "Christianity has some of its earliest beginnings in Turkey," observes Professor Allen Callahan, Society for Biblical Studies. "Pound for pound, as it were, we have more remnants of Christian antiquity in Turkey than anywhere else."

Counterpoint:

"The modern country of "Turkey" did not come into existence until the 20th century. Its existence is not even a century old. It was preceded in history by the Ottoman Empire in Asia Minor which lasted for about 5 centuries before the appearance of Turkey as a nation.

And when Turkey did come into existence it did everything it could to extirpate all Christian presence in the land. What was allowed to remain was taken over for Muslim use (Aghia Sophia Cathdral), copied (the Blue Mosque) or cynically used to attract tourists. The rest was systematically destroyed, including the Christian populations in Turkey. Among these were the Armenian Christians (genocide); the 1955 Pogrom of Greek Orthodox Christianity (a quarter of a million Greek Orthodox forced out), both of which are widely documented. For just one example, see Speros Vryonis' The Mechanism of Catastrophe."

"Turkey" played absolutely no role in the development of Christianity in that area. Rather, it has done everything possible to destroy every vestige of Christianity in that land, constrained only by International agreements.

You need to apologize to hundreds of thousands of modern Christian martyrs, Christian exiles, and to peoples and institutions whose properties have been exapropriated and whose Christian instutions (such as the Halki Theological School arbitrarily shut down decades ago) have been eliminated."
Hellenic News of America

Volunteers Attacked Outside of a Church

A local church in a modern neighborhood of Istanbul was doing a week-long outreach in their area and it had been going very well. About 18,000 calendars had been distributed with an invitation to attend events at the local church, with only a few minor incidents with people angry with them for what they were doing. This took a turn for the worse on Saturday when two of the volunteers who were in town to help with the event we're leaving the Church when they were attacked by some thugs.



The thugs had obviously seen the fliers and come to lay in wait for someone to come out of the Church. One of the volunteers received a cut on the nose and the other got bruises on his head, wrist and forearm. The police arrived quickly and protected the volunteers from further abuse while escorting them back to the Church. Because of this incident, one of the Church leaders asked the police to provide police protection, which they did at the next event. The volunteers chose not to press charges.



Pray for the fruit from this outreach and others that will be held in the future. It is obvious the enemy is not happy with the new ground being broken in his territory.



Click below to read more about the area this happened in:



Bakirkoy

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Turkish prime minister wants to limit migration, car ownership in Istanbul

Words of wisdom from our fearless leader:

"Turkey’s prime minister on Saturday proposed imposing limits on the number of people moving to Istanbul as well as restricting car ownership in the country’s most populous and congested city.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a former mayor of the city that counts more than 12 million residents, called for support from the media and non-governmental organizations for his proposal to limit cars and people in the nation’s commercial capital.
“We have to do this for Istanbul. If we love Istanbul, if we love Turkey, we have to do it,” Erdogan said in a speech at a Turkish Red Crescent conference addressing the city’s preparedness against earthquakes and other disasters."

"Erdogan said there were 2.5 million vehicles in Istanbul - more than the city’s poor road infrastructure can carry.
“This is too much. We have to reduce this to 2 million,” Erdogan said.

EUROPEAN COURT RULES ANKARA VIOLATED RIGHTS OF NON-MUSLIM FOUNDATION

"The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that Turkey violated the property rights of an Istanbul based non-Muslim foundation, a decision likely to set a precedent on how Europe views the treatment of non-Muslims in Turkey. The Fener Greek Higher Secondary School Foundation is a foundation under Turkish law whose role is to promote education in the Greek high school of Fener, in Istanbul. The foundation, in its complaint filed to the court in 1997, relied on Article 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights covering the "protection of property" and Article 14 covering the "prohibition of discrimination."



"The court ordered Turkey to return two title deeds of two properties -
which had been invalidated in 1996 by a decision made by a Turkish
court - to the foundation. If Turkey fails to reregister those two
properties under the name of the foundation, then it will have to pay
890,000 euros to the foundation instead.



Experts say the
decision means that Turkey needed to ensure domestic remedy in order
not to face a high cost that could arise from similar cases.




Rights of non-Muslim foundations are critcial issues in Turkey’s EU
membership bid. EU officials say that the issue is a vital indication
of whether Turkey has fully implemented EU-inspired reforms."

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New statistics on places to pray in Turkey

"According to newly released statistics from the Turkish Police
Headquarters, Turkey is rich in places for prayer. While there are
currently 77,777 mosques throughout the country, there are 373 official
houses of worship for non-Muslims living in Turkey as of the end of
2006. This number was lower, at 273, in 2005. Though counted by the
government as "cultural centers" rather than houses of worships, the
"cemevis" used by the non-Sunni Alevi portion of the Turkish population
were counted at 900.





Most of the 321 churches in Turkey today are Greek Orthodox.
Of the 90 active churches, 1 is on the island of Bozcaada, 8 are in
Gokceada, 6 are in Hatay, and 75 are in Istanbul. With the Greek
population estimated at under 2,000 currently in Turkey, this means
that there is one church for every 20 Greek-Turks. For the
Armenian-Turkish population, there are fewer churches, despite the fact
that there are more of this group; an estimated 45,000 Armenians make
their permanent home in Turkey. With 55 working churches, the
Armenians' houses of worship are mostly in Istanbul too, though there
are 7 Armenian churches in Hatay, and one each in Mardin, Diyarbakir,
and Kayseri. Other churches spread throughout Turkey include 60 Suryani
Orthodox churches, Bulgarian Orthodox churches, Georgian Catholic, Arab
Orthodox, and other Christian churches, including 52 Protestant
churches which have been at the center of controversy due to missionary
activity."

Hürriyet - New statistics on places to pray in Turkey

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The Signal: News for Santa Clarita Valley, California

"We tend to be politically correct in the West and it's impolite to point out that there is hardly a spot on the globe where Islam is not at war with not only its neighbors, but itself, as well."

"According to the Reuters news agency: "At least 1,413 people - referred to as 'amateur butchers' by the Turkish media - were treated at hospitals across the country, most suffering cuts to their hands and legs, the Anatolia news agency reported."

"You wonder if some South Seas villager or later-day Conan the Barbarian, hovering over a steaming carcass, was ever visited by introspection:

"Hmmm. I keep doing this, over and over - slitting the throats of Bossy the Cow or Vicky the Virgin. Has my life been demonstrably better?"

The number - 1,413. People with broken toes, cracked ribs from being squished by a bull, inflamed and swollen groin from being butted by a goat, self-inflicted stab wounds, heart attacks and concussions.

Well.

Less than 1,413, factoring in the dead folk.

They're probably sitting in the waiting room, asking one of two soul-searching questions:

"Am I praying funny?"

Or -

With a steely eyed gaze aimed at a distant horizon: "That didn't work. Next year, I'm going to need a bigger animal..."

The Signal: News for Santa Clarita Valley, California

Turkey makes a list of 'The Frontlines of Persecution'

Crosswalk.com - 2006's Top 10 Stories from 'The Frontlines of Persecution'

Turkey

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The Alevis of Turkey

Good article that tells more about the Alevi Muslims of Turkey:



"Here, there is no imam, minaret or call to prayer. But for an estimated 20 percent of Turkey's 71 million people, this is Islam.

The
worshippers are Alevis, followers of a tradition rooted in the beliefs
of the Shiite branch of Islam - but which diverges greatly from Shiite
majorities in neighboring Iran and Iraq. The Alevis incorporate
shamanistic rites such as singing, ritual chanting and dance, and shun
many customary Islamic practices, including the separation of men and
women in prayer and the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca."

Religion in the News - Forbes.com

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Over a thousand people injured in Turkey while sacrificing animals on Muslim holiday

"Over a thousand Turks spent the first day of the Muslim feast of Eid
al-Adha in emergency wards on Sunday after stabbing themselves or
suffering other injuries while sacrificing startled animals.

At least 1,413 people – referred to as “amateur butchers” by the
Turkish media – were treated at hospitals across the country, most
suffering cuts to their hands and legs, the Anatolia news agency
reported."

SignOnSanDiego.com News World -- Over a thousand people injured in Turkey while sacrificing animals on Muslim holiday

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Happy Hajj! You're Not Invited!

"Perhaps no better contrast between Judaism, Christianity and Islam
exists than the treatment of non-believers on the respective holy days
of each religion. I recall fondly the many times that I have
participated in the Passover seder at the invitation of Jewish friends
and have each time been awed at the profound meaning attached to every
element of the seder which is designed to illustrate the fascinating
historical narrative of the Jewish people over the millennia that is
the foundation of both the Christian and Islamic faiths.

I also remember the occasion several years ago when a Chinese friend
of mine who was finishing his PhD at Ohio State joined my family and me
for our Christmas Eve celebrations. After joining us for worship, he
told us with tears in his eyes how that was the first time that he had
ever heard the gospel message that Jesus Christ had come into the world
to save sinners -- a message that had been branded as
counter-revolutionary and been outlawed in his own country. Needless to
say, we were delighted when he joined us again the following year for
Christmas Eve, where he was anxious to tell anyone at church who would
listen how he had embraced the free offer of the gospel and become a
Christian the previous year. Having returned home to China, my friend
is now a leader in the underground Church there.

But if I wanted to join my Muslim friends next week on the Hajj, I
would have to bear in mind that my reception would not be as friendly.
I would be forbidden to bring my Bible or any Christian literature with
me on my trip to Saudi Arabia, and be required to remove anything
identifiably Christian from my person (crosses, etc.). There are no
Christian churches allowed in the "Land of the Two Mosques", so there
would be no opportunity for me to join with fellow Christians there in
our weekly celebration of the Lord's Day, and I would constantly be
under watch by the Wahhabi Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice
police to ensure that I didn't share my Christian faith with anyone
else.

Even having arrived in Saudi Arabia and complying with the absolute
ban of any expression of my faith, as I approached the holy city of
Mecca, I would be denied entry. Despite all of the supposed Quranic
endorsements of the "People of the Book" (i.e. Jews and Christians), as
a kafir, my presence is not welcome at the Hajj. We should remember
that the cardinal offense that prompted Osama bin Laden and his
al-Qaeda lackeys to declare war on the "Crusaders and Zionists" in 1996
was the presence of American troops in the Arabian Peninsula, though
nowhere near the sacred cities of Mecca or Medina.

For Muslims in the West, they have as much freedom as any other to
practice their faith openly and freely without any fear of being
molested. The number of mosques popping up all over America is a
testament to that freedom.

Such is not the case for Jews and Christians in Islamic lands,
however, where people of those faiths are subject to countless acts of
intimidation and violence on a daily basis. Even in their synagogues
and sanctuaries, believers are not immune from attack. In fact, many
are prevented from approaching their own holy sites. In the Holy Land,
Muslims occupy the Temple Mount -- the historic location of the ancient
Jewish Temple -- and Jewish worshippers are subject to regular assaults
by stone-throwing Muslim crowds at the nearby Wailing Wall and other
sacred sites. And it was the mere presence of a Jew -- Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon -- near the Temple Mount in September 2000 that
sparked the second intifada that has claimed the lives of hundreds of
Jews, Christians and Muslims in recent years. Jews have also been
forbidden from visiting the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron --
Judaism's second-most holy site -- since it was converted to a mosque
in 1266.

And earlier this month Turkish authorities feared that Pope Benedict
might take the opportunity while touring the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul
-- one of the greatest churches in the world that was seized by Muslims
after 1,000 years of constant use by Christians -- that he might
actually try to pray there.

It isn't just the Hagia Sophia that has suffered the inglorious fate
of being converted from its original use as a Christian church to be
taken over by invading Islamic forces and made into a mosque. In her
book, The Decline of Eastern Christianity under Islam. From Jihad to
Dhimmitude, Bat Ye'or chronicles how innumerable Christian and Jewish
holy sites, such as the Church of St. John in Damascus that was
demolished by the Islamic Caliph Abd al-Malik in 705 and had the
Umayyad Mosque built over it, were taken over for the exclusive use for
Islamic worship during the constant waves of Islamic conquest. It is
worth noting that even the Kabaa, the central location of worship in
Mecca, was seized by Mohammad from non-Muslims.

Getting back to my original point -- one of the constant complaints
of Muslim apologists is that Westerners just don't understand Islam.
Fair enough; but is that entirely the fault of non-Muslims who are shut
out of Islam's most important rituals? And might it be the case that
those of us, Christians and Jews alike, who are angered at the
treatment of our brethren in Islamic lands do so not because of our
alleged "Islamophobia", but rather on the basis of real grievances?"

Happy Hajj! You're Not Invited!

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