Month: November 2006

Zaman Online, Turkey
Nov 23 2006
Erdogan and Gul will not Meet Pope
By Suleyman Kurt, Ankara
Thursday, November 23, 2006
zaman.com
Details of the pontiff’s itinerary, from November 28 to December 1,
are being defined.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul will not be able to meet the Pope, so State Minister
Mehmet Ali Sahin will host him.
The Pope will be in Ankara on Oct. 28 and visit the mausoleum of
Kemal Ataturk.
He will then meet Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer at the
presidential residence.
Then State Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin will meet Pope at Camli Kosk.
Erdogan and Gul will be at a NATO summit in Riga on the same day.
Ankara inquired if the Pope’s visit could have taken place one or two
days later as Erdogan and Gul were previously scheduled for the NATO
summit.
This offer was not accepted by the Vatican but it assured Ankara that
this would not create a diplomatic problem.
Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, Namik Tan emphasized this and
added that Mehmet Ali Sahin would meet the Pope on behalf of Erdogan.
Abdullah Gul offered to organize a dinner in Istanbul on his return
from Riga; however, this offer was rejected by the Vatican. The Pope
explained that his Istanbul visit was special and preferred to keep
his activities purely spiritual.
The pontiff will meet the Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos I, Patriarch
of Turkish-Armenians Mesrob Mutafyan II, and Chief Rabbi Ishak Haleva
in Istanbul.
The Pope will also meet Turkish Director of Religious Affairs Ali
Bardakoglu in Ankara.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 23 2006
Akkan Suver: Azerbaijan proved that Nagorno Garabagh is not Armenian
territory
[ 23 Nov. 2006 16:56 ]
Azerbaijan has power to liberate Nagorno Garabagh with its power,
money and Armed Forces,’ Akkan Suver, the head of delegation of
Turkey Marmara Group Circle told the journalists in the briefing, APA
reports.
Saying that Azerbaijan proved the world Nagorno Garabagh is not
Armenian territory, Suver stated that official Baku’s facts are more
exact and concrete.
`Azerbaijan achieved to make its rights official. Elmar Mammadyarov
had talks with Oskanian in Slovenia two months ago. Oskanian had
nothing to say against the facts presented by Azerbaijani Minister,’
he said. /APA/

Fresno Bee, CA
Nov 23 2006
Helping hand
The ninth annual Armenia Funds telethon will be broadcast 8 a.m.-8
p.m. today on KJEO, Channel 32, and on Comcast cable’s Channel 14.
Proceeds from the telethon will benefit the regional development of
Hadrut, Nagorno Karabakh. New drinking water pipelines, health care
facilities and schools will be constructed.
Armenia Funds also will start an agricultural development program
that will serve 1,000 farmers in eight Hadrut villages.
The broadcast will feature live entertainment plus interviews with
celebrities and political leaders. It will originate from Glendale.
It also is possible to view the telethon at
From: Baghdasarian

RIA Novosti, Russia
Nov 23 2006
Armenia’s foreign minister calls for active CIS reforms
15:53 | 23/ 11/ 2006

YEREVAN, November 23 (RIA Novosti) – Armenia’s foreign minister said
Friday that the loose union of former Soviet republics known as the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) needs reform to become an
effective, integrated structure.
The Russia-led organization was formed following the collapse of the
Soviet Union in 1991 and comprises 12 former Soviet republics, but it
has been criticized recently by many of its members who complain it
is inefficient and lacking in direction.
“Today, the structure of the CIS lacks the dynamism and determination
to achieve concrete results,” Vardan Oskanyan said before a summit of
CIS leaders in the capital of Belarus, Minsk, scheduled for November
28.
“That is why, as a result of the 2005 CIS summit in Kazan, a decision
was made to perfect and reform CIS bodies. It is not an easy
process,” Oskanyan said.
The CIS is particularly unpopular with the Georgian leadership, which
would like to strengthen its ties with the West, join NATO and
withdraw from the organization.
As well as Georgia, which is caught up in an ongoing diplomatic row
with Russia, other CIS members, notably Ukraine, have criticized the
organization as being ineffectual, and a vehicle for promoting
Russia’s interests.
Moldova’s leader has questioned the organization’s future, and last
year Turkmenistan ceased to be a full member.
Oskanyan said the organization needs not only to reform its
structure, but its agenda as well, and that first of all it is
necessary to determine a definite direction that takes into account
the actual potential of its member states.
“Only in that case can we count on efficient reforms,” the foreign
minister said.
He added that Armenia has been actively involved in the process of
CIS reform, as it wants the organization to be a strong regional
structure.
“Armenia actively participates in the process of CIS reforms, and we
believe that, as a result, relations between member-states will rise
to a new qualitative level, the CIS will transform itself into an
effective, integrated structure, and that consequently the
international authority of the Commonwealth as an influential
regional organization will improve,” the minister said.

ITAR-TASS, Russia
Nov 23 2006
Train with property of Russia garrison in Tbilisi sent to Russia

TBILISI, November 23 (Itar-Tass) – The first train with property and
military hardware of the Tbilisi garrison of the Group of Russian
Troops in Transcaucasia was dispatched to Russia on Thursday.
According to the headquarters’ spokesman, the train pulled off from
Vaziani, a Tbilisi suburb, via Azerbaijan to Russia at 08.00. `The
part of military hardware and property of the garrison, which is
pulled out by the train to Russia, had been massed in Vaziani in good
time,’ he said. The train carries eight tonnes of property and 23
units of military hardware, including four infantry armoured
carriers, several tractors and motor vehicles.
On November 16, a train with hardware and property of the Tbilisi
garrison had been dispatched to Armenia, to the Russian military base
in Gyumri. The withdrawal of the Tbilisi garrison will be completed
by the year-end: one train with property and hardware will be
dispatched to Armenia, and another one to Russia. All in all, 100
units of military hardware and 350 tonnes of property and ammunition
as well as 387 servicemen will be withdrawn from the Tbilisi
garrison.
As for the Russian bases in Akhalkalaki and Batumi, in compliance
with the Russian-Georgian understandings, the Akhalkalaki base will
be closed by October 1, 2007 and in Batumi – by October 1, 2008.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 23 2006
Bernard Fernier: I do not favor adoption of parliament bill making
Armenian genocide denial punishable
[ 23 Nov. 2006 16:10 ]
`Being a senator I do not favor the adoption of French Parliament
bill making Armenian genocide denial punishable. The French respect
Turkish culture and history,’ French senator participating in BSECO
PA 28th plenary session in Baku Bernard Fernier told journalists, APA
reports.
He said that friendship relations of the Turkish and French will
continue for centuries.
`Of course there is some misunderstanding on the eve of Turkey’s
accession to EU. But it will not affect our relations,’ he said.
Bernard Fernier said that the bill making Armenian genocide denial
punishable has not presented to the Senate yet.
`We have close relations both with Armenia and Turkey. This law harms
France-Turkey relations,’ he said.
He said if Armenian genocide is recognized, the genocides in France,
Asia, Africa and America should be recognized.
Bernard Fernier rejected to express his position on the problem of
recognition Azerbaijani massacre committed by Armenians in Khojali in
1992. /APA/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
Armenia Solidarity Press Release
Armenia Solidarity
c/o the Temple of Peace
Cathays Park, Cardiff, Wales
07876561398 or 00447876561398(int.)
[email protected]
Br itish Foreign Secretary accepts evidence on the Genocide
The British Foreign Secretary, the Rt Hon. Margaret Beckett,
accepted a book of evidence on the Armenian Genocide today from an
Armenia Solidarity representative.
The book “Remember” was compiled by John Torosyan of the Armenian/Welsh
Friendship Society.( Part of it is on line at
). The presentation occurred in her Derbyshire
constituency by local Armenia Solidarity official Guy Dickenson. She
promised to read it and study the evidence carefully.
We sense a change of tone in the reactions of government officials
to the issue and we urge UK Armenians to make more frequent contacts
with their MPs to raise the Recognition question..
The above organisation, formerly Wales Armenia Solidarity, has
expanded its lobbying to most parts of the UK.

PRESS RELEASE
November 24, 2006
Paros Foundation
Contact: Peter J. Abajian
36 Demirjian Street
Yerevan, Armenia
01137493-99-80-99
[email protected]
www.p aros-foundation.org
US EMBASSY CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
FEATURING PAROS CHAMBER CHOIR
On November 21, the United States Embassy in Armenia held a gala
concert featuring the Paros Chamber Choir. The concert is dedicated to
the 2006 International Day of People with Disabilities, which is
December 3.
Since the adoption and implementation of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, the United States has led by example by addressing
such issues as equal rights, accessibility and equal employment
opportunities for people with disabilities. By organizing and
sponsoring this concert, our hope is that we can raise the awareness
of the plight of people with disabilities in Armenia and around the
world.
Since 1993, the Paros Chamber Choir has dazzled audiences throughout
Armenia, the Middle East and Europe with their repertoire of classic
chamber music and ethnic folk music by Armenian, Russian and Western
composers. The Paros Chamber Choir has blossomed into a beacon of hope
for people with disabilities in Armenia as most members of the choir
are individuals with spinal cord injuries.
“The United States is a leader in fighting for the rights of people
with disabilities,” said Peter Abajian, Executive Director of the
Paros Foundation, a California-based foundation, which supports the
Paros Chamber Choir. “It is an honor for us to perform at the US
Embassy on such an important occasion.”
Performing and rehearsing under the direction of Maestro Vachagan
Navasardyan, the Paros Chamber Choir takes its name from the Armenian
word for lighthouse. Indeed the choir is seen as a beacon of hope by
fans around the world. The choir entertains worldwide audiences,
participates in international competitions and encourages people with
disabilities to live full and active lives. Two of the goals of the
foundation are to promote and nurturing Armenia´s culture and to help
improve the quality of lives of people with disabilities in Armenia.
The Paros Chamber Choir is a bright star within Armenia and we hope to
help them deliver their message to the world.
Photos can be viewed at the US Embassy in Armenia’s Website at

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Father Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
BEIN G DIFFERENT IS GOD’S GIFT AND CALL
(Dialogue with the youth- Number 6)
It has been a consistent truth that when individuals and communities have
blindly affirmed their ‘difference’, they have generated religious, national
and cultural tensions. This exclusive behaviour has more times than not led
to alienation. We should avoid this sort of exclusive and alienating
behaviour. In fact, acknowledging diversity is an important aspect of
Christianity.
Diversity is manifest in God’s nature as Trinity and is an essential part
of His revelation and work. For Christians, therefore, diversity is a
profoundly important concept.
1) Diversity is God’s Gift. God created for us a world of diversity.
God-given diversity is sustained by coherence and interaction, wholeness and
integrity. Diversity, which is a dominant feature of the human race, has
produced identities and roots.
2) Diversity is God’s Call. God called people to be the steward of His
creation, to be His ‘co-worker’. What a distinct privilege, indeed. We are
called to witness the richness of diversity and preserve and enhance it for
the fulfilment of God’s design for humanity and creation.
Today we are living in multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious
societies. As Armenian Christians how should we respond to God’s call to
preserve and protect diversity? The direction we should take to deal
responsibly with pluralism in the context of our Christian
self-understanding and vocation is clear, we must:
a) Affirm our identity. Roots shape identity, ensure continuity, safeguard
integrity and give security. Because identity is not only a social necessity
but also a vital dimension of human existence and self-understanding, in
order to occupy a specific place in human society, we must remain faithful
to our identity. In order to give substance and meaning to our life, we must
attach ourselves firmly to those values, traditions and beliefs that
constitute our specific identity.
b) Respect the other’s identity. While we should remain faithful to our
identity, we must respect the other’s identity. Affirming our identity does
not mean becoming its prisoner. The other is not our enemy; he or she is our
neighbour, our fellow human being. Hence, we do not have the right, under
any circumstances, to impose our values and reject those of the other.
Mutual respect and mutual acceptance must determine the way we treat each
other.
c) Understand ourselves in relation to the other. The globalised and
interdependent world of today compels us to broaden our sense of identity. I
am because you are, and you are because I am; we are, indeed,
interconnected. Self-centred and self-contained identity breed intolerance.
When we recognize the values of the other, we gain strength and become
responsive to the challenges of our times.
d) Work towards deepening common values. Living together with others as a
community means that our values and perspectives, our traditions and beliefs
are in harmony with the other. Living together may produce harmonious
community in one place; yet, in other place, it may engender fragmentation.
Therefore, we must commit ourselves to a dialogue of values; we must also
deepen the core values rooted in our belief systems, in our cultures and our
common humanity.
e) Learn to live as a community of diversities. God not only created us to
be different, He also called us to live together peacefully with our
differences. This is precisely the Christian understanding of community
which implies diversity. When diversities creatively interact, then
community is built; when diversities collide, then community is destroyed.
Societies cannot progress without diversities. And the community is enriched
and strengthened by reconciled diversities.*
In our ‘global village’, we have become global citizens; we have become
interdependent. We are no longer strangers; we are neighbours. We share many
things with our fellow human beings. We have commonalities, but we also have
differences. Because God created us different, we must respect the other’s
right to be different. Rejecting the other as an expression of our
faithfulness to our values and identity will polarize us and lead to
violence. By rejecting the other, we deny his or her humanity. Rejection
creates exclusiveness and exclusiveness fragments the community. Our
differences must interact, not collide; they must lead us to dialogue, not
isolation. We must transform living together into a source of mutual
responsibility and accountability.
The Armenian people have a long and rich experience of living together
with others. Interaction with our environment has fostered our resolve to
preserve our identity. It has also helped us to broaden our perspectives,
enhance our knowledge and enrich our experience. Indeed, the very fact that
a church of apostolic origin, the Armenian Church, and an ancient people,
the Armenian people, have survived the upheavals and vicissitudes of history
is an eloquent testimony to the courage, openness and commitment to live as
community in the midst of diversities. The same vision should guide us
today. The youth have a pivotal role to play in this respect.
ARAM I
CATHOLICOS OF CILICIA
5 November 2006
Antelias-Lebanon
——————————– ——————————————–
* I have elaborated some of these thoughts in my new book, For a Church
beyond its walls, which is under publication.

FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway
The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief
========================================== ======
22 November 2006
BULGARIA: AHMADIS BARRED “BECAUSE IT IS AGAINST THE RELIGIONS THAT PEOPLE
FOLLOW HERE”
cle_id=874
Bulgaria’s small Ahmadi Muslim community is concerned by persistent
attempts by a local prosecutor and the national state Religious Affairs
Directorate to strip it of its legal status, Forum 18 News Service has
learnt. One of the grounds of official Bulgarian hostility is that other
countries – such as Pakistan – also attack the religious freedom of
Ahmadis, who are considered to be heretical by many Muslims. Public
Prosecutor Maria Zoteva told Forum 18 that the community must be closed
“because it is against the religions that people follow here,” but could
not provide any examples of laws broken by the Ahmadi community or its
members. Ivan Jelev, head of the state Religious Affairs Directorate, told
Forum 18 – wrongly – that the community had misrepresented itself and also
that his office had unspecified “documents” requiring it to view the
Ahmadis negatively. “All we want is to be free to meet, talk and pray
together,” Ahmadi leader Muhamad Ashraf told Forum 18.
21 November 2006
KAZAKHSTAN: STATE BULLDOZES HARE KRISHNA COMMUNE, BIDS TO CHAIR OSCE
=873
As Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev is in London seeking support for
his bid to chair the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE), state authorities began today (21 November) bulldozing the only
Hare Krishna commune in the region, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. The
costs of the demolition are being imposed by the authorities on the Hare
Krishna devotees and OPON riot police have sealed off the commune. “At
present a bulldozer is knocking down one house,” Hare Krishna devotee
Anastasia told Forum 18 from the site as she watched the destruction,
“while a further four are being knocked down by hand.” Officials carrying
out the destruction have refused to speak to Forum 18. The demolition
contradicts earlier Kazakh official assurances that all actions in the
authorities long-running attempt to take over the commune would be frozen.
Religious freedom and other human rights in Kazakhstan have been for some
years under increasing threat from President Nazarbayev’s government.
24 November 2006
KAZAKHSTAN: WILL REST OF HARE KRISHNA COMMUNE NOW BE DESTROYED?
cle_id=876
With almost a quarter of the Hare Krishna-owned homes in their Sri
Vrindavan Dham commune on the outskirts of Almaty already destroyed,
community members are afraid that the rest of the 66 homes – including
their temple – could be next. “The community is in shock, but they are
determined to defend their homes and place of worship,” community member
Govinda Swami told Forum 18 News Service. He says destruction of the
temple would be “devastating”. Neighbouring houses owned by non-Krishna
devotees have not been touched and sources have told Forum 18 that
President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s brother has designs on the property.
Local administration chief Bagdad Akhmetayev refused to say why the homes
were being destroyed when the court merely ordered the devotees’ eviction,
telling Forum 18 “I simply came to watch the demolition and I am not
prepared to make any comment. Please ask the court bailiffs directly.” The
bailiffs refused to talk to Forum 18. Police prevented OSCE officials from
reaching the village during the 21 November destruction.
22 November 2006
TURKEY: POPE BENEDICT XVI’S VISIT AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
_id=875
Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Turkey spotlights religious freedom, notes
Otmar Oehring of the German Catholic charity Missio
< lturen/themen/menschenrechte>.
Some are optimistic that the new Foundations Law will resolve property
problems for the organisations allowed to non-Muslim communities, but this
has yet to be seen. Astonishingly, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
Foreign Affairs Abdullah Gul may not meet Pope Benedict. Officials fear
that the Pope may discuss the problems facing Catholics and other
religious minorities, including Muslim minorities. In this personal
commentary for Forum 18 News Service <;, Dr Oehring maintains that - despite hopeful signs such as several Protestant churches gaining association status - there has been little overall progress this year in religious freedom. For example, minorities such as the Syrian Orthodox do not have the legal right to undertake activities essential for a functioning peaceful religious community. * See full article below. * 22 November 2006 TURKEY: POPE BENEDICT XVI'S VISIT AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM e_id=875 By Dr. Otmar Oehring, head of the human rights office of Missio <; Rarely can religious freedom in Turkey have been more in the spotlight than in the time surrounding the first visit to Turkey as pope by Benedict XVI. His visit - due from 28 November to 1 December - comes shortly after the latest European Union (EU) accession report, which again criticised Turkey for lack of progress on religious freedom, though in mild tones that surprised some commentators. Domestically, the papal visit comes just after President Ahmet Necdet Sezer's approval of a new Foundations Law, approved by parliament on 8 November. Some optimistically argue that the Foundations Law will resolve property problems for the organisations allowed to some non-Muslim ethnic/religious communities. Whether this will be the case has yet to be seen. The impending papal visit is complicated by Benedict's recent remarks on Islam during a speech in Germany in September, where he quoted harsh medieval criticism of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. As recently as 14 November, Professor Ali Bardakoglu, head of the government's Diyanet (Presidency of Religious Affairs), himself made hostile remarks about Pope Benedict and said how hurt Turks were by the pope's remarks in Germany. Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will be out of the country during the visit. But, astonishingly, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Abdullah Gul, is still considering whether or not to meet Pope Benedict. It appears that senior officials fear they would be forced to respond, if the Pope hands over a memorandum on the problems facing the Catholic Church and other religious minorities - including Muslim minorities - in Turkey (see F18News 26 July 2006 < e_id=817>).
The general mood – including among officials and the media – is that for
the Pope even to raise any problems would be wrong as, in their view,
Turkey’s religious minorities do not have problems. They claim that
minorities have the possibility to worship and that to complain over their
lack of recognised legal status does not reflect Turkish reality.
Therefore, they oppose any discussion at all of these issues.
At a meeting in Venice in mid-November, organised by the international
Catholic movement Pax Romana, the chief advisor to Prime Minister Erdogan
said openly that there is no point looking back to the past over the way
religious minorities have been treated, as mistakes lie on both sides.
Instead, he insisted, everyone should look to what Turkey will be like in
fifteen or twenty years. He claimed that the future will be bright, with
no problems for religious minorities. However, he did not identify which
problems still exist and how he thinks they will be overcome. There seemed
to be no wish on his part to discuss the current reality.
The controversial Article 301 of the Penal Code, which punishes
“anti-Turkish statements”, has been used against numerous writers and
journalists. But its recent use to prosecute members of religious
minorities marks a new turn. Compass Direct reported that two Protestants
were charged in October under this article in Silivri, near Istanbul,
after being accused of “illegal missionary activities”. Interpreting
non-Muslim missionary activity as “anti-Turkish” is alarming. Amid
worldwide criticism of Article 301, Prime Minister Erdogan has said that
by-laws would be produced to explain the aims of the article and what
“Turkishness” actually means. However, this appears to be merely an
attempt to avoid a real answer. Rumours circulate in Turkey that this
article will be abolished, but no-one knows if this will happen.
Even were Article 301 to be abolished, there are other articles in the
Penal Code which could be used by nationalist prosecutors and judges to
punish what they regard as “crimes against Turkishness”.
The one positive point in the new Foundations Law is that it will require
the return of properties confiscated from community foundations. Yet a
serious obstacle to this is that many of these properties have been sold
to third parties. Discussion of the Foundation Law has been going on for
many years (see F18News 13 December 2005
< e_id=704>), so it should have
been possible by now to resolve the problem of cases where return is
impossible.
Some religious communities with many such foundations, such as the
Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Armenian Patriarchate, have argued that
this law – if it gains Presidential approval – will allow them finally to
get back some of their properties. But they also point to the law’s
failure to resolve the issue of confiscated properties sold to third
parties.
Discussion on this aspect of the Foundations Law has focused on whether
religious communities unable to recover their properties should be
compensated financially, but the reaction to such suggestions has been
harsh. Earlier this year, parliamentary deputies argued in the parliament
that this would be a “waste of money”, complaining that “trillions and
trillions” of (old) Turkish lira would have to go to Christians and Jews
in compensation for property taken earlier. At the same time, Turkish
newspapers have worried that not paying compensation for property sold to
third parties would lead to hundreds of court cases, with many likely to
end up in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. So a solution
to this problem is at present blocked.
The new Law does not address a key complaint: the impossibility for
religious communities to run their own theological training
establishments. This featured in the European Commission’s Proposal for
the Accession Partnership 2005 (see F18News 13 December 2005
< e_id=704>). The Ecumenical
Patriarchate has long hoped for progress on reopening its seminary on the
island of Heybeliada (Halki in Greek) in the Sea of Marmara – closed down
in 1971 along with the Armenian seminary – but progress has been elusive.
In mid-October, parliament discussed a proposal to reform the law on
private schools. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) introduced
changes that would have enabled non-Muslim religious minorities that
currently cannot run their own schools – such as the Syrians and Chaldeans
– to introduce them on a par with existing Greek Orthodox and Armenian
schools. The main opposition party, the traditionally secularist
Republican People’s Party (CHP), fiercely attacked the proposal, arguing
that it would represent a sell-out of Turkey.
Crucially for the Alevi Muslims, the second largest religious community in
Turkey, neither the Foundations Law nor the possible new law on private
schools would benefit them. Neither the Alevis – nor the Protestants or
Catholics – have community foundations. Nor would the Foundations Law give
legal status to any religious community, whether Muslim or not (see F18News
12 October 2005 < 670>).
The EU report
< _documents/2006/Nov/tr_sec_1390_en.pdf>
– released on 8 November – was blunt that religious minorities still face
problems, but the section on religious freedom was far shorter than in
previous years and was not very precise over what these problems exactly
are. The short section devoted to religious freedom is not long enough to
explain the real problems. It is possible this was done deliberately:
perhaps EU officials did not want to make Turkey appear in too negative a
light. A reader of this section of the report would need an informed
knowledge of the situation to understand what the EU is saying in the
Turkish context. The informed reader would regard it as a fairly mild
summary of the many problems that exist, but the uninformed reader would
mistakenly conclude from the EU report that the situation was not too bad.
The response in Turkey to the EU report was that it was not as bad as many
had expected. Liberals and some journalists said they expected some
condemnation and pointed out that it had been fairly mildly presented.
Pro-government activists say that despite accusations in earlier reports,
this one was not so bad.
These reactions come against a backdrop of hostility to such normal
religious activity as the peaceful sharing of non-Islamic beliefs, which
may have been a factor in the February 2006 murder of Fr Andrea Santoro
(see F18News 9 February 2006
< e_id=724>). The complexity of
Turkish social attitudes to religious freedom is rarely understood and
addressed (see F18News 19 January 2006
< e_id=716>).
As for the impending papal visit, it is important to bear in mind that the
Turkish public will not be present in large numbers at any speaking event.
Any views they might have of the visit – and of the Pope’s addresses and
comments during it – will be formed by how the local media covers the
visit.
Pope Benedict’s visit may have no impact on religious freedom in Turkey,
though this may depend on what he says at his meeting with the diplomatic
corps in the Holy See’s Nunciature in Ankara. When he visits the state’s
Diyanet – which controls Islam in this proclaimed secular state – he will
most probably be almost alone and the Vatican is unlikely to release
details of the meeting.
As head of the Diyanet under an Islamist-leaning government, Professor
Bardakoglu has more influence than he could expect to have under a
secularist government. If the Pope complains about the way Christians and
other minority faiths are treated, Bardakoglu will probably deny that
Christians have any problems. At the same time, he is likely to argue
(correctly) that non-Islamic faiths are outside the remit of his office,
which is responsible only for Sunni state Islam.
The forthcoming visit has also seen a minor spat between the Ecumenical
Patriarchate and the government, with officials attacking the Patriarchate
for insisting that journalists covering the trip seek accreditation from it
as well. Officials declared bluntly that the patriarchate is a Turkish
institution and regarded its demands as “impertinence”. However, both
sides sought to close down the issue.
Despite the murder of Fr Santoro, some improvements have occurred in the
overall religious freedom situation. There is more freedom of speech and
openness about the old taboos – even over whether the mass killing of
Armenians in the late Ottoman period constituted genocide. This year, four
Protestant churches gained a substitute legal status as religious
associations – Derneks – but not as religious communities. (This was under
a legal provision that applicants for association status, which are not
rejected automatically, receive this status after a set period.) Only one
Protestant church gained association status in 2005.
A breakthrough occurred in September 2006, when the Altintepe Protestant
Church in Istanbul became the first church building since the founding of
the Turkish Republic in 1923 to be ratified as a new place of worship.
This followed a four year bureaucratic and legal battle. The church had
been functioning since 2003 under another legal identity, as a Vakif
(Foundation), but the law has since been changed closing the Vakif option
for others.
A total of five Turkish Protestant churches are now recognised as Derneks
or associations, as well as one international church in Antalya. But, as
Compass Direct has noted, due to restrictions in planning and local
authority laws more than 20 legal cases are in the Turkish courts
requesting recognition of Protestant places of worship. Several cases are
also being taken to the European Court of Human Rights.
Association or Dernek status appears to be a pragmatic solution – at least
for the Protestants – to the problem of their lack of any legal status at
all (see F18News 12 December 2005
< e_id=670>).
But religious communities such as the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the
Armenian Apostolic Church – whose existence in the land of Turkey
pre-dates the arrival of the Turks and Islam – are unlikely to want to
accept such a lowly legal status.
Lack of legal recognition of religious communities as religious
communities forces one to the conclusion that there has been little
overall progress this year in the religious freedom situation (see F18News
26 July 2006 < 817>).
Islam remains a branch of the state and no other religious community –
including Muslim minorities – has or can get legal status as a religious
community (see F18News 12 October 2005
< e_id=670>).This problem of
non-recognition means that religious communities do not have the legal
right to take the internal spiritual and financial decisions necessary for
the normal functioning of a peaceful religious community. Without legal
status as a religious community, religious communities cannot buy, use,
sell or remodel property. They remain unable to maintain educational
establishments to train religious personnel, including priests, ministers
or rabbis. Despite the impossibility of training their own personnel
within Turkey, they do not have the right to bring in personnel from
abroad. Personnel from outside Turkey have come in under ad hoc
arrangements, which could be revoked at any time.
De facto, religious communities can undertake some activities, but this is
not enshrined in any law. For example, the two main Syrian Orthodox
monasteries, in Turkey’s south-east, run monastic schools for boys, where
they are trained in the liturgical language, in catechism and in singing
for the liturgy. This is essential for the celebration of the Orthodox
liturgy. Some boys go on to become catechists and choir leaders.
Officially the schools are merely boarding houses, but the state knows
what they are doing although, technically, this is illegal.
However, the problem remains as to how Syrian Orthodox girls can be
educated, especially as the Syrian population in south-eastern Turkey
faces such pressure from local Muslim Kurds and Turks. Syrian Orthodox
girls in school are routinely threatened with rape or kidnap. The Syrians
remain at the mercy of attackers and it is unclear who they are.
There has been no change to the recording of religious affiliation on
identity cards – a major problem which lays religious minorities open to
social ostracism or hostility (see F18News 26 July 2006
< e_id=817>).
A recent poll by TESEV, an Istanbul-based think-tank, found that Turks did
not believe that Islam is gaining in influence. Although some question
whether this is true – and the growth in the number of women wearing
Islamic headscarves on the streets of Ankara and Istanbul might be an
indication that the influence of Islam could be growing – I believe that
nationalism, not Islamic sentiment or any resurgence of Islam lies behind
the restrictions on minority faiths. (END)
– Dr Otmar Oehring, head of the human rights office of Missio
< lturen/themen/menschenrechte>, a
Catholic charity based in Germany, contributed this comment to Forum 18
News Service. Commentaries are personal views and do not necessarily
represent the views of F18News or Forum 18.
For further overviews by Dr Oehring of religious freedom in Turkey, and of
the need for fundamental reform of the Constitution, see
< =68>.
For commentaries by the Anglican Chaplain in Istanbul on the roots of
Turkey’s attitude to religious freedom see
< _id=716>, and on Turkish
society’s reaction to the murder of Roman Catholic priest Fr Andrea
Santoro, see < 724>.
For a personal commentary on religious freedom under Islam, see
< _id=227>
A printer-friendly map of Turkey is available at
< s/atlas/index.html?Parent=mideast&Rootmap=turk ey>
Adobe Acrobat PDF and printer-friendly views of this article are available
at < 875>.
(END)
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress