ISTANBUL, Turkey (Morning Star News) – Members of a Catholic church in Istanbul fear an attack after Muslims verbally assaulted and threatened them during a baptismal service and destroyed church property in the last two months. After two incidents at St. Stephanos Church, parishioners said they are waiting to see if hostilities will escalate into violence […]
Hostilities at Catholic Church in Istanbul, Turkey Leave Parishioners Fearing Worse
Congregation anxious after verbal assault, threats, and a lunge with a knife.
July 15, 2014 By - Leave a Comment
Church Website Blocked as ‘Porn’ in Turkish Parliament, Legislator Says
Lawmaker demands investigation.
May 31, 2014 By - Leave a Comment
ISTANBUL, Turkey (Morning Star News) – A Turkish legislator is demanding an investigation into why the website of at least one Turkish church was labeled pornography and blocked from computers at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). While doing research on Wednesday (May 28) for a trip to Diyarbakir, Aykan Erdemir, a legislator from Bursa […]
Malatya, Seven Years Later – Signs of Hope Amid Oppression in Turkey
New church, renewed faith accompany commemoration of martyrs.
April 29, 2014 By - 3 Comments
MALATYA, Turkey (Morning Star News) – On the stone base over the grave of Uğur Yüksel, three words are etched into the blood-red marble: “Killed like Jesus.” These few words indict the men who killed Yüksel for his faith, encourage Christians he left behind and call to Turks who suspect there might be a way to […]
Released Suspects in Malatya, Turkey Slayings Ordered to Wear Monitoring Devices
New law allows confessed killers of three Christians to be freed on bail.
March 17, 2014 By - Leave a Comment
ISTANBUL, Turkey (Morning Star News) – Christians in Turkey who were shocked to learn that the confessed killers of three Christians would be released on bail under a new law are more at ease as the suspects are effectively under house arrest, a Christian leader said. A reform law signed into effect on March 6 by […]
Hagia Sophia, Gezi Park Initiatives Reflect Bid to Put More Islamist Face on Turkey
Mosques multiply across country as government mulls turning iconic sites into Muslim symbols.
June 29, 2013 By - Leave a Comment
ISTANBUL (Morning Star News) – While protests in Turkey against the destruction of Istanbul’s Taksim Gezi Park have grabbed international headlines, the conflict is only a small part of a wider government campaign to transform public areas and non-Muslim holy sites into Islamic spaces – including what was once the world’s largest church building. This spring […]
Turkish Church’s Faith Shines after Foiled Assassination Plot
Pastor, congregation undaunted after harrowing reminder of religio-political realities in Turkey.
April 10, 2013 By - Leave a Comment
IZMIT, Turkey (Morning Star News) – Pastor Emre Karaali beams as he discusses the number of first-time visitors at his church’s Easter service – less than three months after a foiled plot to assassinate him that involved two visitors who pretended to be church members for a year. Police have released all but one of the […]
Plot to Assassinate Pastor in Turkey Thwarted
Two of 14 suspects became regulars at church.
January 18, 2013 By - Leave a Comment
ISTANBUL (Morning Star News) – Police in Turkey arrested 14 people for planning to assassinate a pastor in Izmit, 62 miles (100 kilometers) east of Istanbul, during an evangelistic event this week. Of the 14 suspects, two attended the church for a year claiming to be Christians, said the target of the plot, pastor Emre […]
Religious ‘Cleansing’ in the Middle East a Growing Threat
Christian communities under attack in the region.
January 1, 2013 By - 1 Comment
(Morning Star News) When Iran’s holocaust-denying President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proclaims, “Israel must be wiped off the map,” the United States rightly takes the threat of genocide seriously. President Obama, like his predecessor, is committed to preventing the eradication of the people of Israel. Conservative U.S. Christian leadership, as reflected by Christians United for Israel, has […]