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Line 67: − − ==Social conditions== − ===Persecution of Christians=== − Christians are viciously persecuted in Turkey.<ref>https://www.hudson.org/research/preview/16832-turkey-s-christians-face-increasingly-dangerous-persecution</ref> It is common for churches to be confiscated, shuttered, torn down or converted into mosques. In 2020, Turkish president Erdoğan, converted the [[Hagia Sophia]] back into a mosque and resumed Muslim prayers. According to numerous sources, Christian refugees from the Middle East living in Turkey have been treated with contempt and isolated in remote locations. − − ===Attacks on Christians and churches=== − In 2006, a Muslim killed a Catholic priest at the Saint Maria Catholic Church while he was praying.<ref>https://m.bianet.org/english/minorities/194935-attack-on-saint-maria-catholic-church-in-trabzon</ref> − − On April 18, 2007, a group of young Turkish Muslims, broke into a Bible publishing house in Malatya. Two Turkish Christian and a German Christian employees working there were bound, sadistically tortured for hours on end and beheaded.<ref>https://www.foxnews.com/story/turkish-officials-5-more-detained-after-attack-on-christian-publishing-house</ref><ref>[http://www.gofbw.com/print.asp?ID=7257 Group of young Muslims murders 3 Christians in Turkey] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103221900/http://www.gofbw.com/print.asp?ID=7257 |date=January 3, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://articles.latimes.com/2007/apr/19/world/fg-christians19 |title=3 men slain at Bible publishing firm in Turkey |last=King |first=Laura |date=April 19, 2007 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=May 20, 2009}}</ref><ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,478074,00.html Attack on Christians in Turkey - Three Killed at Bible Publishing Firm], [[Der Spiegel]], April 18, 2007</ref> The accused later said that, ''"We didn't do this for ourselves, but for our religion. Let this be a lesson to enemies of our religion."'' − − In 2012, an 85 year old Armenian woman living in Istanbul was stabbed to death in her apartment. Afterwards, the murderer carved a crucifix on her naked corpse.<ref>https://www.economist.com/charlemagne/2013/01/29/the-ghosts-of-1915</ref> − − In May 2019, an 86 year old Greek man was found murdered in his home, with his hands and feet tied. He was reportedly tortured.<ref>https://www.persecution.org/2019/05/16/possible-hate-murder-turkey/</ref> − − In late 2019, a 16 year old Turkish Muslim stabbed a Korean Christian evangelist to death.<ref>https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/cwn/2019/november/lsquo-they-came-to-kill-him-rsquo-evangelist-dies-after-being-stabbed-in-the-heart-on-streets-of-turkey</ref> − − On May 8, 2020, a Muslim tried to torch a church that had previously been vandalized with graffiti.<ref>https://en.armradio.am/2020/05/09/armenian-church-in-istanbul-attacked/</ref> − − ===Vandalism of Christian cemeteries=== − In October 2006, the Çakmak Spiritual Christian cemetery in Turkey was vandalized. The grave was found robbed and filled with trash.<ref>http://molokane.org/places/Turkey/Kars/2006_Cemetery.html</ref> − − On February 14, 2020, gravestones in the Ortaköy Christian cemetery in Ankara were destroyed.<ref>https://en.protothema.gr/attacks-on-christian-cemeteries-alarm-turkeys-christians/</ref> On the same day, vandals broke a cross of a deceased woman's grave. A few days earlier, a group of Muslims shouting "Allahu Akbar" tried to sabotage the burial service.<ref>https://haber.sat7turk.com/hate-attack-on-the-latin-catholic-cemetery-in-trabzon/</ref> − − In August 2020, graves in an Armenian cemetery were desecrated.<ref>https://www.turkishminute.com/2020/08/13/graves-in-armenian-cemetery-vandalized-amid-growing-hostility-against-minorities-in-turkey/</ref> − − In August 2021, Turkish Muslims bulldozed an Armenian cemetery and smashed the gravestones and bones.<ref>https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Van:-Armenian-cemetery-bulldozed,-tombstones-and-bones-smashed-53901.html</ref> − − On June 29, 2022, a Christian cemetery was found desecrated.<ref>https://www.persecution.org/2022/07/09/ancient-christian-cemetery-desecrated-turkey/</ref> − − ===Racism=== − It is common for Syrian Arabs to be attacked and beaten up by fascist gangs in Turkey.<ref>https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/north-africa-west-asia/race-and-racism-in-modern-turkey/</ref> On March 29, 2021, a Syrian refugee family had rocks thrown at their home.<ref>https://www.duvarenglish.com/syrian-refugee-family-target-of-racist-attack-in-southeast-turkey-news-56845</ref> A Turkish [[neo-Nazi]] group beat up an Afghan refugee.<ref>https://www.duvarenglish.com/turkish-neo-nazi-group-beats-afghan-refugee-shares-disturbing-video-news-60017</ref>
→Social conditions
After [[World War I]] Turkey continued the [[Western world|West]]-oriented [[modernization]] initiated by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] dynasty and statesmen. Many things in Turkey contain a mixture of the West and the East, the old and the new, the traditional and the modern. When you visit even the smallest city in Turkey no matter how little its population is, you will find that different cultural elements, traditions, beliefs, languages or dialects live.<ref>[https://www.studyinturkey.gov.tr/StudyinTurkey/ShowDetail?rID=ctfC0sgwTeQ=&&cId=PE4Nr0mMoY4= Culture - Study in Turkey]</ref> Most of the Turks are said to be cultural or nominal Muslims and continue to practice [[Shamanism|shamanistic]] traditions from pre-Islamic heritage. Even those who have not done anything related to [[Islam]] in their lives see being Muslim as a part of their identity. Although, [[atheism]] and [[deism]] are increasing in Turkey, there is a growing amount of [[Islamism]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/04/turkey-why-so-many-turks-are-losing-faith-in-islam.html|title=Why so many Turks are losing faith in Islam|last=Akyol|first=Mustafa|date=2018-04-16|work=Al-Monitor|access-date=2018-04-21|language=en-us}}</ref><ref>[https://www.dw.com/en/atheism-grows-in-turkey-as-recep-tayyip-erdogan-urges-islam/a-47018029 Atheism grows in Turkey as Recep Tayyip Erdogan urges Islam]</ref><ref>[http://asianews.it/news-en/The-number-of-atheists-increasing-in-Turkey-45956.html The number of atheists increasing in Turkey]</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43981745 The young Turks rejecting Islam]</ref><ref>https://www.thecairoreview.com/essays/turkeys-pan-islamist-foreign-policy/</ref> Therefore, they may have a negative attitude towards [[Christianity]] or other religions. Because of historical hostilities and bigotry, some Turks are virulently [[Anti-Christian sentiment|anti-Christian]].<ref>https://www.jihadwatch.org/2020/03/turkey-muslims-screaming-allahu-akbar-disrupt-christian-funeral-desecrate-christian-graves</ref> Some people incite against Christians and the other non-[[Sunni]] religious minorities due to radical nature of Islamic cultural background. The governing [[Justice and Development Party|AKP]] in Turkey depicts Christians as a "threat to the stability of the nation". Turkish Christian citizens have often been stereotyped as not "real Turks" but as "Western collaborators" by this bigoted and prejudiced point of view.<ref>[https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/israel-zionism/2020/12/how-yasir-arafat-drove-christians-from-bethlehem/ How Yasir Arafat Drove Christians from Bethlehem] D. Weinberg, Mosaic Mag., Dec. 28, 2020.</ref>
After [[World War I]] Turkey continued the [[Western world|West]]-oriented [[modernization]] initiated by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] dynasty and statesmen. Many things in Turkey contain a mixture of the West and the East, the old and the new, the traditional and the modern. When you visit even the smallest city in Turkey no matter how little its population is, you will find that different cultural elements, traditions, beliefs, languages or dialects live.<ref>[https://www.studyinturkey.gov.tr/StudyinTurkey/ShowDetail?rID=ctfC0sgwTeQ=&&cId=PE4Nr0mMoY4= Culture - Study in Turkey]</ref> Most of the Turks are said to be cultural or nominal Muslims and continue to practice [[Shamanism|shamanistic]] traditions from pre-Islamic heritage. Even those who have not done anything related to [[Islam]] in their lives see being Muslim as a part of their identity. Although, [[atheism]] and [[deism]] are increasing in Turkey, there is a growing amount of [[Islamism]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/04/turkey-why-so-many-turks-are-losing-faith-in-islam.html|title=Why so many Turks are losing faith in Islam|last=Akyol|first=Mustafa|date=2018-04-16|work=Al-Monitor|access-date=2018-04-21|language=en-us}}</ref><ref>[https://www.dw.com/en/atheism-grows-in-turkey-as-recep-tayyip-erdogan-urges-islam/a-47018029 Atheism grows in Turkey as Recep Tayyip Erdogan urges Islam]</ref><ref>[http://asianews.it/news-en/The-number-of-atheists-increasing-in-Turkey-45956.html The number of atheists increasing in Turkey]</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43981745 The young Turks rejecting Islam]</ref><ref>https://www.thecairoreview.com/essays/turkeys-pan-islamist-foreign-policy/</ref> Therefore, they may have a negative attitude towards [[Christianity]] or other religions. Because of historical hostilities and bigotry, some Turks are virulently [[Anti-Christian sentiment|anti-Christian]].<ref>https://www.jihadwatch.org/2020/03/turkey-muslims-screaming-allahu-akbar-disrupt-christian-funeral-desecrate-christian-graves</ref> Some people incite against Christians and the other non-[[Sunni]] religious minorities due to radical nature of Islamic cultural background. The governing [[Justice and Development Party|AKP]] in Turkey depicts Christians as a "threat to the stability of the nation". Turkish Christian citizens have often been stereotyped as not "real Turks" but as "Western collaborators" by this bigoted and prejudiced point of view.<ref>[https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/israel-zionism/2020/12/how-yasir-arafat-drove-christians-from-bethlehem/ How Yasir Arafat Drove Christians from Bethlehem] D. Weinberg, Mosaic Mag., Dec. 28, 2020.</ref>
==Government and political conditions==
==Government and political conditions==