HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES IN TURKEY HIGHLIGHTED AS EU MEMBERSHIP TALKS APPROACH

Christian Post
Sept 27 2005

Ahead of the historical European Union accession talks with Turkey next
month, the human rights situation of the predominantly Muslim nation
has again been highlighted as a major obstacle. Most recently, the
President of Greece openly urged Turkey to respect religious freedom.

“If Turkey hopes to sincerely and substantially enter into the EU on
the basis of its principles and values, it should adopt the fundamental
principles of democracy,” the Greek President Carolos Papoulias said as
he greeted the visiting Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I on Thursday,
according to the Middle East Times.

Turkey’s membership in EU has provoked a vigorous debate. In the midst
of many different opinions, the most fundamental and common concern
regarding its entry to EU is the country’s poor human rights record.

In a statement issued by the EU last December, the bloc mentioned
that in Turkey, “religious freedom is subject to serious limitations
as compared with European standards.”

Religious freedom is often under threat in Turkey, the most populous
Muslim country in Europe with very small Christian communities.

According to the 2004 International Religious Freedom Report prepared
by the U.S. Department of State, 99 percent of the population in Turkey
consists of Muslims. The Turkish Government officially recognizes only
three communities of religious minorities – Greek Orthodox Christians,
Armenian Orthodox Christians, and Jews.

Under the law, religious services may take place only in designated
places of worship; only the Government can designate a place of
worship; and if a religion has no legal standing in the country,
it may not be eligible for a designated site. Police occasionally
raid unauthorized Christian gatherings meeting in private apartments.

Many churches in Europe had expressed vocal opposition to Turkey’s
bid for membership in the EU. The president of the Bishops’ Conference
of France Archbishop Jean-Pierre Ricard wrote a letter to the France
President Jacques Chirac last December, stressing his concern that
“some fundamental rights, in particular religious freedom, are not
totally respected in Turkey, despite the reforms undertaken.”

The archbishop also expressed his regret that “the opening of eventual
negotiations with Turkey was not subordinated to complete respect for
all fundamental rights, whether freedom of expression and association,
the status of women, or religious freedom, rights that constitute
the foundation of the European Union’s cohesion.”

CNN reported that before Pope Benedict XVI was elected as Pope,
he had made statement showing his dismay to Turkey’s EU membership.

“The roots that have formed Europe, that have permitted the
formation of this continent, are those of Christianity,” CNN quoted
the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as saying. “Turkey has always
represented another continent, in permanent contrast with Europe.”

“Turkey is founded upon Islam … Thus the entry of Turkey into the
EU would be anti-historical.”

According to a report from CNN, the foreign ministry of Turkey said
last Thursday it had invited Pope Benedict to make an official visit
to the country in 2006. It is believed to be an attempt to gain the
Pope’s support for the membership in EU.

On Sept. 23, an Istanbul court’s decision to block a conference on the
World War I massacre of Armenians embarrassed Turkey at a sensitive
moment and angered EU states less than two weeks before the planned
start of EU entry talks on Oct. 3, Reuters reported.

Turkey is alleged of carrying out a systematic genocide against
Armenians in 1915 in an attempt to eliminate them and create a
homogeneous Turkish state. Turkey has always denied the claim
of killing the Armenians and said they were victims of a partisan
conflict that also claimed thousands of Turkish lives.

The Armenian people had lived in the Turkey homeland for nearly 3000
years and were traditionally Christian.

“The absence of legal motivations and the (timing) of this decision
a day before the conference looks like yet another provocation,”
Krisztina Nagy, the EU executive’s spokeswoman for enlargement,
said to Reuters on Friday.

Meanwhile, those supporting Turkey’s EU membership believe that the
predominantly Muslim nation in the EU can become a bridge between
Europe and the Middle East, therefore spreading stability and security,
and promoting dialogue with the Islamic world.

Turkey has been waiting for the accession talk with the EU for 40 years
since Ankara first signed an association deal in 1963. Last December,
the 25-member bloc finally approved the talk, which is scheduled on
Oct. 3, 2005.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress