Turkey’s Official Persecution of Christians

Turkey’s government has a secular constitution, but it has nevertheless opened mosques around the world including Europe, Asia, Africa, as well as North and South America. And, although Turkey is both a NATO member and an EU candidate, it refuses to officially recognize the Protestant Christian community. Moreover, Turkey refuses to allow them to operate their own churches and to freely share their faith with their fellow citizens. At the same time, Turkey has converted many historic churches and monasteries into mosques, stables, warehouses, mess halls, ammunition stores, or private houses, among others.
In July 2024, Turkey’s Regional Directorate of Foundations ordered the evacuation of the ‘French Church’ in Bursa before August 24. The Directorate claimed that the historical building was structurally unsafe, as the groundwater level was very high, and that a reinforcement project must be implemented. The news website Middle East Concern reported
“No alternative meeting places were proposed and the request for the church to erect a tent for meetings was refused – barring special religious holidays. Bursa used to have more than 100 functioning churches, but today, the French Church is the only church open for Christian worship there. Representatives of the church, in collaboration with a certified office of the Chamber of Geological Engineers, prepared a report, assessing the risks as considerably lower than claimed by the Directorate of Foundations, noting that during thorough structural examinations and restoration work from 2002 to 2004, no significant problems were revealed, and repairs had been made to any superficial cracks.”
Meanwhile, the Protestant community is targeted with entry bans, forcing several expatriate Christians to leave the country. All of this is happening in a historically Christian land. Modern day Turkey in Bible days was known as Anatolia. And as such it is often referred to as ‘the second Holy Land’ after Israel. It is the birthplace of many apostles and saints, such as Paul of Tarsus, Timothy and Nicholas of Myra. Of the 27 books in the New Testament, 13 are attributed to St. Paul. Six were written to churches or saints located in Anatolia. Antioch in Modern day Turkey, is where followers of Christ were called Christians for the first time. Anatolia is home to the Seven Churches of Asia, where the Revelations of John were sent.
Despite being a central place in the foundation of Christianity, today only 0.1% of Turkey’s population is Christian—mainly Greek, Armenian, or Assyrian Christian. The collapse of Turkey’s Christian communities is a result of a centuries-long persecution which includes genocides, expulsions, pogroms, forced conversions to Islam, official and civil discrimination, and other human rights abuses. There is, however, a growing Christian demographic through Turkish converts to Christianity, many of whom convert to a Protestant church. For years, the Protestant community has struggled with many problems, including a lack of official recognition by the Turkish government. Since 2010, Turkey’s Association of Protestant Churches has released an annual “Human Rights Violations Report” which details the state of religious freedom in the country. This report sheds light on the problems Protestant Christians face. Tactics include barring foreign Protestants from entering Turkey on the sole basis of their faith. The most recent report for the year of 2022, published in June 2023, is immensely valuable for understanding what Turkish converts are currently experiencing. A major difficulty faced by Protestant Christians in Turkey is the refusal of the government to recognize their community as a legal entity. This makes it difficult to establish and maintain places of worship. Because Turkish members of the Protestant community are mostly new Christians, they do not have historic religious buildings. They lack the same cultural and religious heritage of Turkeys’ other traditional Christian communities. And the usable number of historic church buildings is very limited, according to Turkey’s Association of Protestant Churches. Almost all foreign religious workers central to the Protestant community have been banned from entrance into Turkey, according to the 2022 report by Turkey’s Association of Protestant Churches.
So far, 185 people have received a ‘visa code’ which prevents them from entering Turkey. Many of these people and their families lived with residence status in Turkey for years. They committed no crimes, nor were they part of any investigation or criminal decision. Nearly all these individuals received an N-82 code (which requires a prior approval process for entry). Turkish authorities state that the N-82 restriction is not an entry ban but rather a requirement to obtain ‘prior approval’ for a visa. However, all those who were required to get ‘prior approval’ for their visas had their visa applications rejected. Although the N-82 is not an entry ban de jure, it is a de facto entry ban in Turkey. Some foreign Protestants also received the G-87 code which is meant for individuals thought to pose a general security threat. In other countries, this code is used for those who participate in armed activities, in terrorist organizations, or in political demonstrations.
Written By Hillary Panashe