Missionary Work and Minorities
by Ali Bulac

Zaman, Turkey
Feb 8 2005

The reason the West attaches great importance to the different groups
with religious or ethnic minority status in Turkey or in another
country, and its interference in the internal affairs of that country
by exploiting the conditions of the minorities, which to a great
extent need to be bettered, is its desire to use the minorities as
tools while deepening and expanding its fields of influence.
Throughout history, European countries have used minorities as the
Sword of Damocles.

In the 19th century, countries which supported missionary work the
most were the United States, Britain and France. The French acted in
very cruel and puristic manner against religion and the church after
the 1789 revolution; however, when it came to the missionary work,
the secular revolutionaries did not hesitate to boost funds allocated
for this activity generously.

The policies European countries have pursued regarding minorities
through missionaries, have been very tragic. In the last quarter of
the 19th century and in the first 15 years of the 20th century,
missionaries instigated the Armenians who had lived in peace for
years in the Ottoman Empire, and who were termed “Millet-i Sadika”
[loyal nation], encouraging them to revolt.

It is interesting to note that missionary schools are mostly opened
in cities where non-Muslim population is dense, it cannot be said
that missionaries show any interest in places where the non-Muslim
population is below 20 percent. During the years 1911-1913, 39
percent of Van’s population, 33 percent of Bitlis’ population, 30
percent of Izmit’s population and 24 percent Bursa’s population,
where missionary schools were highly effective, were non-Muslims.

The American missionary schools had great influence on the Armenians,
particularly on those who were Protestants. According to a research
conducted by Yusuf Akcuraoglu, “In 1913-1914, more than one third of
the students who went to foreign schools during the Ottoman Empire
attended American schools.” Those who graduated from these schools
participated in social life as a middle class people and the
intellectuals grew up with nationalistic ideas and indoctrinated
their coreligionists for the independence struggle.

Miralay Ismet Inonu who was the head of Erkan-i Harbiye [Staff
Officers’ School] in 1920, once spoke in the Turkish Grand National
Assembly (TBMM) as follows: “There are American schools and colleges
in the surroundings of Antep. Today, these American colleges are
Ussul-Hareke (action center) of the French. They are using these
American schools as the Ussul Hareke (action center) to inflict pain
on us and to kill our people. They attack and place howitzers there
and use them as warehouses. In brief, I think they were built not as
schools but as fortresses within our country.” In one of his
speeches, Mustafa Kemal talked about the rise of the spiritual Pontus
members at the Merzifon American school.

(TBMM Docs., Session 1, Article 1, V. 4, 2. Ed., 1942, p. 296;
Associate Prof. Ugur Kocabasoglu, Missionary Work in Turkey, Islamic
Research Journal, V. 4, Issue: 1, Ocak-1990)

After the second Constitutional Monarchy, Muslim circles started to
show interest in missionary schools as well. After the declaration of
the Republic, a remarkable increase was observed. One of the
important results of these was the number of the supporters of the
“American Mandate,” constituting an important percentage, during the
armistice years.

It is possible to see that missionaries were active in three main
regions during the Ottoman Empire:

Western Region: Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa, Izmit, Kayseri, Tokat,
Merzifon. Central Region: Tarsus, Adana, Antep, Adiyaman, Urfa.
Eastern Region: Erzurum, Van, Bitlis, Harput, Diyarbakir, Mardin.

Now it is the earthquake region, their main fields of action are the
coastal bands of the Mediterranean, Eastern and Southeast Anatolia.
There are studies being carried out in Hatay on the Nusayri
population. Studies in the Black Sea region, aimed at awakening a
pro-Pontus consciousness, are being monitored. It is obvious that
missionary work is not solely related to the spread of a religion or
proselytization, which starts and ends in the conscience of people.
Behind these activities, there are geopolitical, strategic, economic
and military benefits for the countries concerned. The missionary
institutions have a nearly 200-year experience in Turkey and a
historic reflex on Turks. I think these activities serve more than
one purpose. One of these aims is to form “a new minority” within the
country. Undoubtedly, they want to recruit this minority from the
country’s current population.