TURKEY FEELS THE PAIN OF SWISS MINARET BAN

HULIQ
Nov 30 2009
SC

The Swiss Minaret ban has drawn many critical voices from around the
world. The majority of Muslims in Switzerland are from Turkey and some
from the Balkans. Turkey feels the minaret decision pain as number of
Christian churches (namely Armenian and Greek) in Turkey are either
closed or turned to museums.

Nearly 57 percent of the voters in Switzerland voted to ban the
building of Minarets in this picturesque country opening a door for a
Europe-wide debate on the issue of religious dialogue throughout the
old continent and the Middle East. This was a nationwide referendum,
which was supported by Switzerland’s right-wing Swiss People’s
Party (SVP). The Swiss People’s Party is widely associated with
anti-immigration campaigns.

Observers report that the Swiss Minaret vote indicates the rise and
strength of far-right groups in Switzerland. However, others observe
that this vote may the first indication of how the Europeans may feel
about the limits that the Christians and Christian churches have to
face in number of Muslim Countries. The development is indeed very
worrying and calls for removing all the barriers around the world
for the freedom of religious worship.

Switzerland has nearly 7.5 million population. The Muslism comprise
the small 5 percent of the population with 400,000. They are the
second minority next to the Roman Catholic. The country has 150
Mosques where the Muslims worship and only 4 of them have Minarets.

Most of the Muslims are from Turkey.

Turkey, on the other hand is one of those countries where the opposite
problem exists. While most Muslim countries and many Christians
strongly criticized the Swiss Minaret vote, no one in the Muslim world
or even in Europe seem to really care about the situation situation
of the Christian churches and seminaries for preparation of schools
in Turkey.

Churches Turned Into Museums in Turkey

While many Christian churches operate in Turkey number of others
are closed or turned into museums. Halki Seminary, the main school
of theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church’s Ecumenical Patriarchate
of Constantinople, was closed in 1971 and not opened to this date.

The most beautiful church of the Orthodox Christianity, the cathedral
of Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque, and now a museum in
Istanbul. Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum in 1935 by the
Republic of Turkey. One begs the question, "Why not turn it back to
a church and give it back to the rightful owner, which is the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate in Turkey." In fact, this church is so beautiful
and owe inspiriting that it served as a model for many Muslim mosques,
like Sultan Ahmed in Istanbul.

Consider the St. Sophia Museum, which was built in covered Greek
cross architecture during the reign of King Manuel I Kommenos in
13th century. Today, St. Sophia church is converted into a museum
and is located in 3 kilometers west of Trabzon. The "conversion"
of this church into a museum took places in 1964.

To the credit of the current Turkish government it should be noted
that some churches, such as the Armenian church in Aghtamar Island
in the Eastern Turkey are restored. However, they are not houses of
worship yet.

How different is the Swiss Minaret ban from Turkey’s restoring the
Armenian Church Aghtamar, turning it into a museum and not yet not
allowing to put a cross on the top of the church building? Turkey
completed the controversial restoration of Aghtamar Armenian Church
in 2006. Armenian religious leaders invited to attend the opening
ceremony opted to boycott the event, because the church was being
reopened as a secular museum.

Religious freedom and the freedom of worship is dear to every human
being in the world. The Swiss Minaret issue is indeed worrying,
but equally worrying is the condition of the Christian minorities in
Turkey and in the Middle East.

Now is the time for the secular and religious leaders of Europe and
the Middle East to sit down and resolve the issues of the freedom of
worship in the entire continent. Now is also the time for Turkey to
reevaluate its museum policies ahead of the country’s EU aspirations.

If there had not been so much limitation on the Christian minorities
and their properties in Turkey and the Middle East (in some Arab
countries Christians have broad religious freedom) perhaps the voters
in Switzerland would have thought differently about the Minarets.