Anadolu Agency, Turkey
March 2 2012
Deputy PM Says Turkey ensures rights of “non-Muslim religious minorities”
ANKARA (A.A) – March 2, 2012 – Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent
Arinc said that the government was determined to solve the rest of the
problems of religious minorities in Turkey.
We believe, this can be fulfilled by mutual trust and cooperation,
added Arinc who wrote an article to “Project Syndicate” web-site.
“After decades of official neglect and mistrust, Turkey has taken
several steps to ensure the rights of the country’s non-Muslim
religious minorities, and thus to guarantee that the rule of law is
applied equally for all Turkish citizens, regardless of individuals’
religion, ethnicity, or language,” said Arinc.
“Turkey’s religious minorities include Greek Orthodox, Armenian,
Assyrian, Kaldani, and other Christian denominations, as well as Jews,
all of whom are integral parts of Turkish society. As part of the
Turkish government’s new initiative to end any sort of discrimination
against these non-Muslim communities, President Abdullah Gul has
emphasized that message by receiving Bartholemew, the Greek-Orthodox
Patriarch of Istanbul, and by visiting a church and a synagogue in
Hatay – a first by a Turkish president,” he noted.
Arinc said, “in August 2009, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met
with leaders of religious minorities on Buyukada and listened to their
problems and concerns, a clear signal of his government’s intent to
buttress their sense of civil inclusion. As Deputy Prime Minister, I
met with representatives of religious minorities in March 2010, and
visited the Armenian and Greek Orthodox Patriarchies in 2010 and 2011.
Likewise, Turkey’s EU Minister Egemen Bagis, has met with these
communities’ leaders on several occasions.”
“Beyond establishing warm relations between the Turkish government and
the country’s religious minorities, official policy has been changing
as well. In May 2010, Prime Minister Erdogan issued an official
statement that warned public servants and citizens against any
discrimination against religious minorities, and that emphasized the
absolute equality of Turkey’s non-Muslim citizens,” he noted.
Arinc added, “but the groundwork for the initiative of recent years
was laid long before. In August 2003, the Erdogan-led government
introduced legal changes to resolve property-rights issues related to
religious minority associations. For the first time in the Republic’s
history, 365 landholding and buildings belonging to the minority
communities were legally registered under their name. In 2008, the
government, despite fierce opposition from other political parties,
changed the Law of Associations and allowed religious-minority
associations to purchase real estate (and to receive contributions,
regardless of size, from abroad).”
“Then, in August 2011, an important amendment to the Associations law
mandated the return of more than 350 properties to religious
minorities. As part of these changes, the Greek-Orthodox Girls School
in Beyoglu, Istanbul, and the Jewish Community Center in Izmir have
been granted legal status, ending a century-old dispute,” he said.
“Even before that, in November 2010, the Greek-Orthodox Orphanage was
returned to the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchy. In order to facilitate
their religious duties, the Orthodox metropolitans were granted
Turkish citizenship. Furthermore, the Associations Council, the
country’s highest authority on religious associations, now includes
for the first time a non-Muslim member representing minority faiths,”
said Arinc.
He noted, “moreover, the Directorate-General of Associations has been
charged with the task of renovating houses of worship used by
religious minorities, including the historic Aya Nikola Church in
Gokceada Canakkale, and the Assyrian Catholic Church and Greek
Catholic Church in Iskenderun. A number of other churches and
synagogues are also under renovation.”
“The authorities have taken many other historically and symbolically
important steps as well. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has
renovated the Sumela Monastery, a 1,600-year-old church in Trabzon on
the Black Sea coast. The first mass in decades was held in August
2010, led by Bartholomew and attended by hundreds of worshippers from
Greece, Russia, Georgia, Europe, the United States, and Turkey,” said
Arinc, adding “another milestone was the renovation and opening of the
1,100-year old Armenian Akdamar Church in March 2007. The first mass
in 95 years was held in the church, led by the Armenian Archbishop
Aram Atesyan and attended by thousands of worshippers.”
“These measures have been taken to address the long-standing problems
of Turkey’s non-Muslim religious minorities. Turkish Muslims have
lived with Jewish and Christian communities for centuries and treated
them with respect and compassion. We are determined to solve their
remaining problems, and we believe that we can do so through mutual
trust and cooperation. Turkey’s Jews and Christians are full citizens
with equal rights, and we will work to ensure that this reality is
recognized in all areas of the country’s life,” said Arinc.