Christian children singled out in Turkey

ICC Note:

In Turkey, it is Christian children who often face the brunt of discrimination and persecution.

7/5/2010 Turkey (MNN) ― There is a saying in Turkey: “To be Turkish is to be Muslim, and to be Muslim is to be Turkish.”

This mindset has deep roots in the history of Turkey and originated in 1923. Just years before, the Ottoman Empire had collapsed in World War I at the hands of the Allied forces. With the help of other military officers, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk led a successful resistance against the Allies and formed the Republic of Turkey.

Since then, depending on the regime in power, Islam has held a varying degree of importance, but nonetheless, it has always been the nation’s assumed religion.

Fast-forward to present day and a country where 99.8 percent of its inhabitants are Muslim, and the few Turks who do turn to Christ are misunderstood and ridiculed for their decision to leave Islam.

“There is kind of a mental conflict on how you can be a Christian and also a Turk, because that does not really compute with the thinking of most Turks. It’s a secular society, but never forget there is this strong tie to being a Muslim,” said Rody Rodeheaver of I.N. Network. With the current political party, “There has been more of a swing toward the idea of Islamic involvement in government and more of an Islamic role tied to the patriotism,” he said.

Among Christians, it is often the children who bear the brunt of this misunderstanding, as they are often isolated at school and labeled “different.”

Regulated by the government to attend public school, children are also required to take Islamic classes. Rodeheaver said, “It forces them to be singled out [and] be subjected to bullying by other students. They are embarrassed often by teachers who have a way of pointing out that these children do not believe in the Islamic faith.”