Congregation’s
Activities Accused of ‘Offending Society’
ISTANBUL,
July 9 (Compass) -- Turkish security police ordered a Protestant Christian
congregation meeting for 40 years in the southeastern port city of Iskenderun
to close its doors in mid June, declaring the church had “no legal basis” and
that its activities were harmful to society.
Pastor
Yusuf Yasmin, 71, was served official notice by the security police of Hatay
province to close and stop all activities of the New Testament Church in
Iskenderun.
The
abrupt two-page order was dated and delivered on June 14 to Yasmin, who was
ordered to remove the church sign and list of worship services from the
building by 5:00 p.m. the same day.
According
to a copy of the directive obtained by Compass, the church was ordered to close
“because your activities will incite religious, sectarian and dervish-order
discrimination; will harm religious and national feelings; and will create
offense in the society.”
Signed
by District Security Director Salih Gokalp, the order declared that the
church’s location had not been approved in the municipal zoning plan and that
no religious or other private education of any kind could be allowed on the
premises without the express permission of the Ministry of Education.
The
church has met in its current location for the past seven years without
previous complaints from the Turkish authorities.
Yasmin
and the majority of his congregation, averaging 80 to 90 worshippers at Sunday
services, are Turkish citizens from a variety of ethnic Christian backgrounds.
The Protestant church has met for worship in the city since 1963, although
after its original place of worship was torn down in 1970, the congregation met
in the church facilities of the local Armenian Orthodox Church for 25 years.
In 1995,
the congregation purchased and moved into its own church facility in
Iskendurun’s Piri Reis district, notifying local authorities on June 26, 1995,
of the location and set times of worship, Bible studies and religious seminars.
In
compliance with local zoning regulations, Yasmin informed all the other owners
of residences and shops in the building that his church had purchased Flat C to
be used as a place of Christian worship. “None of them had any problem with
this, and all of them signed the notarized forms giving their consent,” Yasmin
said.
In an
indirect admission, the police order acknowledges that “there is no provision
in our laws concerning the construction and use of ‘places of worship.’” But it
goes on to insist that “it is not possible for places of worship to be built in
random places” under the country’s zoning laws.
“We are
not enemies of the state,” a bewildered Yasmin said today by telephone from
Iskenderun. “We love our nation. So why are they doing this to us?” After
pastoring and preaching for 43 years, Yasmin admitted he had found it very
difficult to be forbidden to worship with his congregation for the past month.
A lawyer
retained by the New Testament Church confirmed today that he is preparing to
file a case later this week before the administrative courts on behalf of the
Iskenderun Protestants to regain their constitutional rights to freedom of
worship and religious activities.
Iskenderun
is located just 25 miles from Antakya (ancient Antioch), where the New
Testament says Christ’s followers were first called Christians. With a population
of 160,000 population, Iskenderun still bears the name of its 4th
century B.C. founder, Alexander the Great.