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Hold Turkey accountable for violating religious freedoms!
In its latest annual report, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) once again called on the State Department to place Turkey on its Special Watch List for engaging in systematic and ongoing severe violations of religious freedom.
It is also urging that any future US security assistance to Turkey includes stipulations to improve religious freedom.
It is critical that the State Department sends a clear message to Ankara that the continued deterioration of religious freedoms in Turkey is unacceptable. As Christians across the Middle East wonder if they have a future in their ancestral homelands, the United States must take a strong stance. Add your name to our petition, and we will deliver it to the State Department.
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In its latest annual report, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) once again called on the State Department to place Turkey on its Special Watch List for engaging in systematic and ongoing severe violations of religious freedom, a pattern consistent with previous years and going back decades.
Turkey continues to obstruct legal recognition for houses of worship, punishes dissenting religious expression, limits clerical activity, and even deports foreign Christian clergy under false pretenses. At the same time, Turkey continues to walk back promises to reopen Halki Theological Seminary, which is vital to the survival of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and its ability to train clergy.
In previous years Turkey has also shown a complete disregard for the protection of Christian heritage monuments within its borders and in the occupied northern part of Cyprus, with the conversion of the Hagia Sophia and Chora Church from museums into mosques serving as glaring examples.
We urge you to adopt USCIRF’s recommendations, including ensuring that any future US security assistance to Turkey includes stipulations to improve religious freedom. The deterioration of religious freedom in Turkey, a NATO member, over the past decade demands more pressure on Ankara to bring its laws, policies, and practices in line with international law.
Anything less risks sending a dangerous message to religious minorities both in Turkey and in the wider Middle East at a time when many members of these communities are asking if there is a future for them in their ancestral homelands.
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