Christian Turks Fear Discrimination
Christians in Turkey are living under a shadow of fear and insecurity due to a violent backlash by nationalist hardliners. The minority group consists of around 120,000 practising Christians, and while they are legally free to practise their religion, many say they suffer discrimination and persecution. Orhan Picaklar, a Christian pastor, says he has faced the ire of the hardliners for his missionary preachings.
Towns like Samsun, in the Black Sea region, where Picalkar practises Christianity, have traditionally been conservative, nationalistic, religious and filled with a core of angry young men who have a deep-seated aversion to being told to change their ways.
Picaklar was kidnapped recently by members of a conservative youth body who told him they wanted him to stop his missionary teachings."Our church was stoned, they tried to kidnap my son, they did kidnap me, they put our pictures on YouTube, they spoke to all our friends, bosses and relatives of everyone who come to our church, so as to distance them from us," Picalkar said. "They say we have prostitutes in the church, they blame us for being subversive elements."
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