Report Shows Discrimination Against Protestant Christians in Turkey
A report from 2021 that examined the situation of Protestants in Turkey, revealed the severe levels of discrimination they face. It showed how decades of expulsions, social pressure, and government intolerance have led to a decline in Christian Protestants. It also exposes the challenges they are currently facing.
Protestant Christian communities do not have legal recognition and can therefore not set up places of worship, leading to other problems. They are also subject to discrimination from the press and Social Media, both of which portray the church in a bad light and often insult it. The report notes: "There has been a noticeable increase in hate speech filled with insults and profanity directed at official church accounts, church leaders, Christianity, Christian values and Christians in general, originating from the activity of social media groups that cultivate hatred against Christians and have targeted Christian websites and social media accounts..." It continues: "These types of activities [on social media] directed at all Christian denominations and minority groups creates concern in the Protestant community."
Church employees have also received messages that threaten to kill Christians by decapitation. The employee filed a complaint but received no information of what the authorities had done in response, aside from one person being arrested and then soon released.
The Protestant church is also unable to open schools or train more personnel to teach religion. Very few go to theological school abroad so they try to substitute this with seminars or apprenticeships.
People, who try to help the situation as teachers or otherwise, are often deported. Even some who have lived there for years, are given a 5 year entry ban for "posing a general security threat."
Ali Kalkandelen, the founding pastor of the Eurasia Protestant Communities Foundation and the president of Turkey’s Association of Protestant Churches said: "There is a general misperception in society against the Protestant Christians that see us as traitors, collaborators, sellout Turks, and enemies of religion, nation, and culture."
Sources: providencemag.com,www.protestankiliseler.org
Symbolic Image from: Stefan Kostoski on Unsplash