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Turkey

• Pastor attacked over Easter weekend

  Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel and Tillman Geske were three men Semir had worked with before they were martyred. Photo: Compass Direct News

  Semir Serkek, a 58-year-old pastor in Instanbul, Turkey, says although he has experienced hostility from Muslims nearly all his life, an attack over the Easter weekend was the first time he had been physically assaulted.

  Semir was alone at Grace Church preparing for the next day's Easter celebration when he heard frantic pounding at the door. Four young men in their late teens claimed they had questions and demanded to enter. They then threatened to kill him if he didn't recite the Islamic testimony of faith, and after a period of verbally harassing the pastor, one of the men kicked Semir in the chest, knocking the pastor down a set of stairs. The men then ran away laughing.

  However, the attack did not deter Semir from attending a memorial service for three Christians murdered in Turkey five years ago. Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel and Tilmann Geske were brutally murdered by five young men in the southeastern city of Malatya in April 2007 (for more information, click here). Semir said he personally knew the three men because he worked with them at the same publishing company for many years.

  The United States Commission on International and Religious Freedom has recommended that Turkey be designated as a "Country of Particular Concern" this year due to Turkey's long-term and systematic limitations on non-Muslim communities. There are about 4,500 Christian converts in Turkey.

  Please pray that the men who attacked Semir will repent and be saved. Please pray that Semir's continued faith will bring God glory. Pray that the commitment of Semir and the three martyred Christians will serve to encourage other believers in Turkey that, although they are hard pressed on every side, they will not be crushed (2 Corinthians 4:8).

  Go to the Turkey Country Report for more on the persecuted Church in Turkey.

• Visa restrictions impede missionaries

  Missionaries will have to leave Turkey every three months and will be forced to remain outside the country for three months before returning, now that the Turkish government has tightened its visa regulations. The new policy, which came into effect on February 1, allows 180-day multiple-entry visas, but visitors can only spend 90 days in the country and then must wait another 90 days to re-enter the country. This will significantly hamper the work of foreign missionaries. Since early February, the Turkish government has expelled a number of missionaries who held resident permits, and other missionaries who have left the country and have tried to re-enter have been turned away at the border under the new visa regulations.

  Please pray that these new restrictions will only encourage missionaries rather than discourage them as they rest in the knowledge that no man can thwart God's purposes (Job 42:2). Pray that the gospel will continue to spread and grow in Turkey.

  To learn more about the struggles Christians face in Turkey, please visit the Turkey Country Report.

• Government overturns religious property seizures

  The Turkish government made an historic U-turn in state policy recently, issuing an official decree inviting Turkey's Christian and Jewish communities to reclaim their long-confiscated religious properties. The decree comes 75 years after the Turkish government seized hundreds of lands and buildings owned by its Greek, Armenian, Syriac and Jewish communities. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the surprise decision on August 28 in Istanbul, addressing a large gathering of Istanbul's non-Muslim religious leaders who represent 161 minority foundations.

  The landmark decree is a significant step toward eliminating decades of unfair practices imposed by the Turkish state against its non-Muslim citizens. Their former holdings include schools, churches, cemeteries, stores, hospitals, orphanages, houses, apartment buildings and factories that were seized by the Turkish state and re-registered as public or foundation properties. A number were later sold to third parties. The new decree states that owners of properties sold by the state to third parties will be reimbursed at market value. The return of these extensive properties to their rightful owners has been a key demand of the European Union, to which Turkey is applying for full membership.

  Thank the Lord for this development. Pray the transition will go smoothly and there will be no resistance or negative reaction in response. Pray this will provide great encouragement to Christians in Turkey. Pray that believers in Turkey will be a light for Christ in all their thoughts, words and deeds.

  To learn more about the struggles Christians face in Turkey, please visit the Turkey Country Report.

• Update: Court cases continue for several Christians

  Christian martyrs, Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel, Tilmann Geske Photo Courtesy Compass Direct News

  Turkish Christians are requesting prayer in response to three long-standing court cases involving injustice against Turkish believers.

  There continue to be complications in the ongoing trial of the five men charged with the vicious murder of three believers at a Bible-publishing house in Malatya in April 2007 (click here for more) as a result of efforts to identify those behind the five suspects. The trial has been underway since November 2007. On March 17, twenty people suspected of being involved in the slayings of the three Christian men, Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel and Tilmann Geske, were arrested. The arrests were seen as a victory for the victims' family members. In another recent development, however, a chairman of the judges' panel was taken off the case after being promoted to a higher court, and it is feared that the introduction of a new judge could cause further delays in the complex trial. The next hearing is scheduled for April 29.

  In another ongoing case, Hakan and Turan Topal, two Christians accused of insulting Turkey and its people by spreading Christianity, continue to wait after appealing a conviction and fine for supposedly collecting data illegally. The men were cleared of other serious charges in October 2010, but given a hefty fine of 4,500 lira (approximately $3,200 CAD) (click here for more). The current case relates to their work with a Bible research centre providing correspondence courses.

  Finally, a ruling has reportedly been given in a land ownership case, against the St. Gabriel Monastery in eastern Turkey, which began in 2009. In January, the Supreme Court ruled against the monastery, thereby assigning ownership of some land within its long-standing boundary wall to the Turkish Treasury. The ruling followed several postponements, and the case is but one of five on-going cases involving the monastery.

  Pray that family members and friends of the three men killed in Malatya will continue to know the peace of Jesus as the trial process continues. Pray that all those who aided or perpetrated the murders will have a deep conviction about what they have done, and understand the depths of Jesus' forgiveness. Pray that Hakan and Turan will be acquitted. Pray that the true ownership of land surrounding St. Gabriel Monastery will be accurately identified. Pray that Turkish Christians facing opposition will know the Spirit's enabling, equipping and assisting as they persevere in their efforts to share the gospel.

  Find out more on the trials facing Christians in Turkey at theTurkey Country Report.

• Update: Christians acquitted of 'insulting Turkishness'

  Turan Topal and Hakan Tastan Photo from Compass Direct

  After four years of legal battle in a Turkish court, a judge acquitted two Christians of insulting Turkey and its people by spreading Christianity, but not without slapping them with a hefty fine.

  Four years ago, officers produced false witnesses to accuse Turan Topal, 50, and Hakan Tastan, 41, of spreading their faith and allegedly "insulting Turkishness, the military and Islam" (for more information, click here). On October 14, Judge Hayrettin Sevim acquitted the defendants of the charges that they had insulted the Turkish state and its people by spreading Christianity. Judge Sevim cited lack of evidence. However, he found them guilty of collecting information on citizens without permission.

  Turan and Hakan were sentenced to seven months of imprisonment, but the court ruled that they could instead each pay a 4,500 lira (approximately $3,200 CAD) fine, said their lawyer, Haydar Polat. The charge was based on the fact that individuals interested in Christianity voluntarily provided their contact information to a research centre, where the two men had worked as volunteers. Their lawyer said Turan and Hakan will appeal the unjust conviction.

  Praise God for this answer to prayer! Pray the Lord will provide for Turan and Hakan and give them the grace and strength to overcome this ordeal. Pray for favour from those in authority regarding the appeal. Ask the Lord to use the testimony of these two men to strengthen the faith of other believers and draw many more to Christ.

  For more information on the challenges facing Christians in Turkey, visit theTurkey Country Report.

• Update: Hearings continue for believers accused of ''insulting Turkishness''

  Photo from Compass Direct

  On May 25, the 11th hearing took place in the case against Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal, two Turkish Christians accused of "insulting Turkishness" by allegedly trying to convert others to Christianity (click here for more details). The hearing lasted but a few minutes before it was closed down. Despite the lack of any tangible reason to continue the stalled case, the Silivri Criminal Court set another hearing for October 14. The prosecution has yet to provide any concrete evidence of the charges, which allegedly occurred while the men were evangelizing in the town of Silivri in 2006. Hakan and Turan would like to see the trial conclude by the end of the year. "From the beginning, the charges against us have been filled with contradictions," Turan said. "But we are entirely innocent of all these charges, so of course we expect a complete acquittal." (Source: Compass Direct)

  Thank the Lord for the boldness of faith of these two believers. Pray that their Heavenly Father will be their strength and guide. Pray that the charges against them will be dropped.

  For more information on the challenges facing Christians in Turkey, go to theTurkey Country Report.

• Update: Case resumes against Christians accused of ''insulting Turkishness''

  Photo from Compass Direct

  The case against two Turkish Christians accused of "insulting Turkishness" (click here for the details) is set to resume, according to a March 20 report from Compass Direct. In late June 2008, the criminal court in Silviri requested a judicial review of one of the charges after amendments were made to Article 301 of the Penal Code that changed the phrase "insulting Turkishness" to "insulting the nation of Turkey" and required permission from the Ministry of Justice to charge individuals under the article. On February 24, the court received approval from the Ministry, allowing the case to proceed against Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal.

  For more information on the opposition facing Christians in Turkey,click here.

• Christian bookshop vandalized

  A Christian bookshop in the southern city of Adana, Turkey was vandalized twice in recent weeks, according to a February 17 report from Compass Direct. On February 7, the front door of the Soz Kitapevi bookshop was smashed and the security camera destroyed. The damages were repaired, but the building was again attacked on February 12 by two unidentified youths who destroyed the glass door and windows and damaged the door frame. At last report, police were attempting to identify the culprits using the store's security camera. Although the shop is generally accepted by its Muslim neighbours, the employees have faced some threats in the past. Last November, a man accused the shop of working with the CIA to harm Muslims.

  Pray that the attacks on this bookshop will stop. Pray that the bookshop will continue to be a light for Muslims in this community.

  To find out more about the plight of Turkish Christians, go to theTurkey Country Report.

• Ninth Court Hearing Held for Christians Accused of ''Insulting Turkishness''

  Photo fromCompass Direct

  Two Turkish Christians, Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal, have been on trial for "insulting Turkishness and Islam" for twenty months (click here for more details). During a June 24 hearing, a criminal court in Silviri requested a judicial review of one of three charges against them, according to a June 27 report from Compass Direct. The judge ordered the review due to the Turkish Parliament's amendment of article 301 of the Penal Code, which changed the wording from "insulting Turkishness" to "insulting the Turkish nation" and required that permission be obtained from the Ministry of Justice for someone to be charged under the article. The court will continue, however, to prosecute the men on the other two charges against them -- reviling Islam and compiling information files on private citizens. Also during the hearing, both teenage witnesses for the prosecution testified that they had neither met nor seen Tastan or Topal prior to court, contradicting the prosecution's claim that they had been given literature and invited to church by the Christians.

  For more information on the persecution of Christians in Turkey, go to theTurkey Country Report.

• Pastor Facing Imprisonment on False Charges

  Pastor Orhan Picaklar Photo fromCompass Direct

  Pastor Orhan Picaklar is facing imprisonment on three false charges in Samsun, Turkey, according to a June 18 report from International Christian Concern. On June 15, Pastor Picaklar found a notice from the public prosecutor at his church informing him that he was a suspect in a court case and requiring him to come immediately to give testimony. He arrived at the prosecutor's office to find a handwritten document, which included a false identity number, accusing him of insulting the prophet Mohammed, insulting the police and performing a marriage ceremony in the church. He denies all three charges. Pastor Picaklar was previously targeted for his faith in January 2008, when he received telephone death threats from a local youth.

  Pray that the charges against Pastor Pickalar will be dropped and that he will be released. Ask God to thwart the attempts of those who seek to intimidate Christians in Turkey through violence, threats and false accusations.

  For more information on the persecution of Christians in Turkey, go to theTurkey Country Report.