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Turkey Feels The Pain Of Swiss Minaret Ban

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  • Turkey Feels The Pain Of Swiss Minaret Ban

    TURKEY FEELS THE PAIN OF SWISS MINARET BAN

    HULIQ
    Nov 30 2009
    SC

    The Swiss Minaret ban has drawn many critical voices from around the
    world. The majority of Muslims in Switzerland are from Turkey and some
    from the Balkans. Turkey feels the minaret decision pain as number of
    Christian churches (namely Armenian and Greek) in Turkey are either
    closed or turned to museums.

    Nearly 57 percent of the voters in Switzerland voted to ban the
    building of Minarets in this picturesque country opening a door for a
    Europe-wide debate on the issue of religious dialogue throughout the
    old continent and the Middle East. This was a nationwide referendum,
    which was supported by Switzerland's right-wing Swiss People's
    Party (SVP). The Swiss People's Party is widely associated with
    anti-immigration campaigns.

    Observers report that the Swiss Minaret vote indicates the rise and
    strength of far-right groups in Switzerland. However, others observe
    that this vote may the first indication of how the Europeans may feel
    about the limits that the Christians and Christian churches have to
    face in number of Muslim Countries. The development is indeed very
    worrying and calls for removing all the barriers around the world
    for the freedom of religious worship.

    Switzerland has nearly 7.5 million population. The Muslism comprise
    the small 5 percent of the population with 400,000. They are the
    second minority next to the Roman Catholic. The country has 150
    Mosques where the Muslims worship and only 4 of them have Minarets.

    Most of the Muslims are from Turkey.

    Turkey, on the other hand is one of those countries where the opposite
    problem exists. While most Muslim countries and many Christians
    strongly criticized the Swiss Minaret vote, no one in the Muslim world
    or even in Europe seem to really care about the situation situation
    of the Christian churches and seminaries for preparation of schools
    in Turkey.

    Churches Turned Into Museums in Turkey

    While many Christian churches operate in Turkey number of others
    are closed or turned into museums. Halki Seminary, the main school
    of theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church's Ecumenical Patriarchate
    of Constantinople, was closed in 1971 and not opened to this date.

    The most beautiful church of the Orthodox Christianity, the cathedral
    of Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque, and now a museum in
    Istanbul. Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum in 1935 by the
    Republic of Turkey. One begs the question, "Why not turn it back to
    a church and give it back to the rightful owner, which is the Greek
    Orthodox Patriarchate in Turkey." In fact, this church is so beautiful
    and owe inspiriting that it served as a model for many Muslim mosques,
    like Sultan Ahmed in Istanbul.

    Consider the St. Sophia Museum, which was built in covered Greek
    cross architecture during the reign of King Manuel I Kommenos in
    13th century. Today, St. Sophia church is converted into a museum
    and is located in 3 kilometers west of Trabzon. The "conversion"
    of this church into a museum took places in 1964.

    To the credit of the current Turkish government it should be noted
    that some churches, such as the Armenian church in Aghtamar Island
    in the Eastern Turkey are restored. However, they are not houses of
    worship yet.

    How different is the Swiss Minaret ban from Turkey's restoring the
    Armenian Church Aghtamar, turning it into a museum and not yet not
    allowing to put a cross on the top of the church building? Turkey
    completed the controversial restoration of Aghtamar Armenian Church
    in 2006. Armenian religious leaders invited to attend the opening
    ceremony opted to boycott the event, because the church was being
    reopened as a secular museum.

    Religious freedom and the freedom of worship is dear to every human
    being in the world. The Swiss Minaret issue is indeed worrying,
    but equally worrying is the condition of the Christian minorities in
    Turkey and in the Middle East.

    Now is the time for the secular and religious leaders of Europe and
    the Middle East to sit down and resolve the issues of the freedom of
    worship in the entire continent. Now is also the time for Turkey to
    reevaluate its museum policies ahead of the country's EU aspirations.

    If there had not been so much limitation on the Christian minorities
    and their properties in Turkey and the Middle East (in some Arab
    countries Christians have broad religious freedom) perhaps the voters
    in Switzerland would have thought differently about the Minarets.
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