Watching Turkey
11/06/13 05:49
I have always loved traveling and there are far more places in this world that I would like to visit than there is time and money to make the trips. One of the countries that seems worthy of a visit is Turkey. I once thought that I might put together a trip to Turkey a decade or more ago when I was writing curricula for International Pilgrimages with Youth. The program started with two pilot destinations: China and Turkey and we recruited adult mentors to accompany the youth on their trips. I indicated a desire to be a part of the Turkey travel and then supported the group when it focused its limited financial resources on the single destination, China. The trips that we sponsored to China were deeply meaningful for the participants and created lifelong connections. But we never did expand the program. The timing was wrong. National and International ministries of the church were being cut back in the face of declining donations and loss of church members.
You often hear of people visiting holy sites in Israel. This is appropriate. Most of the places of Jesus life - Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee and Jerusalem - are in that country. I would love a trip to that country. But somehow, Turkey has a stronger attraction for me. Paul’s early missionary journeys were mostly to Turkey. Paul’s birthplace, Tarsus, The church at Ephesus, Antioch, Laodicea, Lystra, Pergamum, Philadelphia, Sardis, Smyrna, Thyatira and other cities named in biblical narratives are all located in Turkey. The seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation are in ‘Turkey. And there are a host of Old Testament places in Turkey as well. More than have of the places named in the Bible are located in Turkey.
The history and politics of Turkey are also very rich. During the 16th and 17th centuries the Ottoman Empire was one of the most powerful states in the world. It was multinationa, multilingual, multicultural, and even multireligious, though Islam was the largest religious group. Modern Turkey is a republic, formed in the 1920’s. Mustafa Kemai (Ataturk) was the first president of the modern republic. He is still revered in Turkey for his innovative and visionary leadership. Among the ideas that the Ataturk government promoted was that of secularism in government. Officially, the government did not espouse one religion over another. In contrast to other Midwestern countries where domination in government by one religion caused the faithful of other religions to leave, Turkey maintained strong Christian and Jewish communities in the midst of a population that was primarily Muslim. Our church has a long tradition of mission partnerships with the church in Turkey.
Turkey could hardly be called a democracy under Ataturk, however. The one-party system persisted until after the Second World War, when the Democratic Party was first elected. This gave rise to a multiple party state with no party long able to hold power. The sharing of power through multiple changes in government was unique in the Middle East. Turkey’s economy has not been strong since the breakup of the Ottoman Empire and there were major setbacks early in the 21st Century. In 2002, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) was elected. It is the only political party in the history of modern Turkey that has won three successive elections with increasing support in each election.
The minority in Turkey is clearly frustrated. The country has erupted in protests over the last 10 days. Protestors have been occupying Taksim Square in Istanbul. The Square is adjacent to Gezi Park which is also filled with protestors. The park has been threatened with demolition as a part of urban redevelopment. Today riot police stormed Taksim Square with rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas.
But Istanbul is not the only location of protests in Turkey. In Izmir, on the Agean coast, the town’s allegiances are clearly with the protestors. Izmir is of special interest to me because our church has a long standing partnership with a school in Izmir and I have known several missionaries who have served in that school. The Izmir protests have been noisy with drums and whistles, but so far have remained peaceful.
Around the world, people are struggling to deal with differences and disagreements. Turkey has no small number of conservative Muslims who would like to see Islam established as the official state religion and Sharia law imposed on everyone regardless of their faith traditions. It also has its share of fundamentalist Christians who believe that every Muslim and Jew should be converted to Christianity. The vast majority of Turkish citizens, however, resist the notion that religion and government should be united into a “winner take all” kind of government. They are intent on their commitment to majority rule with a strong voice for the minority.
Giving voice to minorities is a challenge in any body. It is an even greater challenge for a government. For years Turkey has been a good example of balance in government and a country with majority rule that took its minorities seriously. But with the dawn of the 21st century it is not as clear that Turkey will continue to honor its minorities. The government of Prime Minster Recep Tayyip Erdogan initially displayed patience with protestors, but has become increasingly authoritarian. It clearly has an agenda of imposing conservative Islamic values on the secular state. He has taken an increasingly harsh stance toward the protestors.
The plan had been for Mr. Erdogan to meet with the protestors tomorrow. It now appears that the plan might not come to fruition. More protests and more violence seem to ge in the future.
So now probably isn’t a good time for a visit to Turkey. But I am watching from a distance as the country struggles with its identity and the way for people of different faiths to live together in peace. I am praying for my Christian friends in Turkey. But more than that, I am praying for all of the people of Turkey. May they learn to live with their neighbors with mutual respect.
You often hear of people visiting holy sites in Israel. This is appropriate. Most of the places of Jesus life - Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee and Jerusalem - are in that country. I would love a trip to that country. But somehow, Turkey has a stronger attraction for me. Paul’s early missionary journeys were mostly to Turkey. Paul’s birthplace, Tarsus, The church at Ephesus, Antioch, Laodicea, Lystra, Pergamum, Philadelphia, Sardis, Smyrna, Thyatira and other cities named in biblical narratives are all located in Turkey. The seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation are in ‘Turkey. And there are a host of Old Testament places in Turkey as well. More than have of the places named in the Bible are located in Turkey.
The history and politics of Turkey are also very rich. During the 16th and 17th centuries the Ottoman Empire was one of the most powerful states in the world. It was multinationa, multilingual, multicultural, and even multireligious, though Islam was the largest religious group. Modern Turkey is a republic, formed in the 1920’s. Mustafa Kemai (Ataturk) was the first president of the modern republic. He is still revered in Turkey for his innovative and visionary leadership. Among the ideas that the Ataturk government promoted was that of secularism in government. Officially, the government did not espouse one religion over another. In contrast to other Midwestern countries where domination in government by one religion caused the faithful of other religions to leave, Turkey maintained strong Christian and Jewish communities in the midst of a population that was primarily Muslim. Our church has a long tradition of mission partnerships with the church in Turkey.
Turkey could hardly be called a democracy under Ataturk, however. The one-party system persisted until after the Second World War, when the Democratic Party was first elected. This gave rise to a multiple party state with no party long able to hold power. The sharing of power through multiple changes in government was unique in the Middle East. Turkey’s economy has not been strong since the breakup of the Ottoman Empire and there were major setbacks early in the 21st Century. In 2002, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) was elected. It is the only political party in the history of modern Turkey that has won three successive elections with increasing support in each election.
The minority in Turkey is clearly frustrated. The country has erupted in protests over the last 10 days. Protestors have been occupying Taksim Square in Istanbul. The Square is adjacent to Gezi Park which is also filled with protestors. The park has been threatened with demolition as a part of urban redevelopment. Today riot police stormed Taksim Square with rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas.
But Istanbul is not the only location of protests in Turkey. In Izmir, on the Agean coast, the town’s allegiances are clearly with the protestors. Izmir is of special interest to me because our church has a long standing partnership with a school in Izmir and I have known several missionaries who have served in that school. The Izmir protests have been noisy with drums and whistles, but so far have remained peaceful.
Around the world, people are struggling to deal with differences and disagreements. Turkey has no small number of conservative Muslims who would like to see Islam established as the official state religion and Sharia law imposed on everyone regardless of their faith traditions. It also has its share of fundamentalist Christians who believe that every Muslim and Jew should be converted to Christianity. The vast majority of Turkish citizens, however, resist the notion that religion and government should be united into a “winner take all” kind of government. They are intent on their commitment to majority rule with a strong voice for the minority.
Giving voice to minorities is a challenge in any body. It is an even greater challenge for a government. For years Turkey has been a good example of balance in government and a country with majority rule that took its minorities seriously. But with the dawn of the 21st century it is not as clear that Turkey will continue to honor its minorities. The government of Prime Minster Recep Tayyip Erdogan initially displayed patience with protestors, but has become increasingly authoritarian. It clearly has an agenda of imposing conservative Islamic values on the secular state. He has taken an increasingly harsh stance toward the protestors.
The plan had been for Mr. Erdogan to meet with the protestors tomorrow. It now appears that the plan might not come to fruition. More protests and more violence seem to ge in the future.
So now probably isn’t a good time for a visit to Turkey. But I am watching from a distance as the country struggles with its identity and the way for people of different faiths to live together in peace. I am praying for my Christian friends in Turkey. But more than that, I am praying for all of the people of Turkey. May they learn to live with their neighbors with mutual respect.