Dhimmi Watch: Turkey: Converts to Christianity charged under speech law

November 2, 2006

Turkey: Converts to Christianity charged under speech law

Islamic Tolerance in modern, secular Turkey, the proof that Islam and democracy are fully compatible. Note that the law about "insulting Turkishness" was instituted in order to help Turkey get into the EU.

"Turkey: Converts Charged Under Speech Law," from Compass Direct, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:

October 31 (Compass Direct News) – A Turkish prosecutor slapped criminal charges against two converts to Christianity earlier this month, accusing them of “insulting Turkishness,” inciting hatred against Islam and secretly compiling data on private citizens for a local Bible correspondence course.
Hakan Tastan, 37, and Turan Topal, 46, joined the ranks of 97 other Turkish citizens hauled into court in the last 16 months over alleged violations of the country’s controversial Article 301 restricting freedom of speech.

Haydar Polat, attorney for the two Christians, said a state prosecutor in the Silivri Criminal Court filed a formal indictment against his clients on October 12. If convicted, the accused men could be sentenced from six months up to three years in prison....

Citing articles 301, 216 and 135 of the Turkish penal code, the indictment accused the defendants of approaching grade school children and high school students in Silivri and attempting to convert them to Christianity.

According to the written charges, the three plaintiffs, identified as 23-year-old Fatih Kose, 16-year-old Alper and Oguz, 17, claimed the two Christians had called Islam a “primitive and fabricated religion” and had described Turks as a “cursed people.”

They also accused the defendants of opposing the Turkish military, encouraging sexual misconduct and procuring funds from abroad to entice young people in Silivri to become Christians. Tastan and Topal deny all charges....

And on Article 301:

October 31 (Compass Direct News) – Last week the European Union (EU) reiterated its demands that Turkey either amend or scrap Article 301, which prohibits “insulting Turkishness.”
EU critics complain that the law fails to define “Turkishness,” allowing prosecutors to issue widely varying legal interpretations in a rash of cases against journalists, novelists, professors and other intellectuals. Turkey instituted Article 301 in June 2005 as part of the country’s package of reform laws to facilitate the overwhelmingly Muslim nation’s entry into the EU.

Posted by Robert at November 2, 2006 8:58 AM
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Of course this sort of thing is big deal in Turkey. They can't lose Muslims to conversion because it would be an undoing of all the fine work of the Ottoman era. Those Ottomans spent lots of time, money and effort to carry that "Muslim man's burden" throughout the region in bringing the "true" faith to infidels for many centuries. It's bad enough such a glorious empire is gone so the Turks MUST prevent any more conversions before Turkey itself becomes lost.

Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS

at November 2, 2006 9:12 AM

Turkey: Article 301 is a threat to freedom of expression and must be repealed now!

"Amnesty International believes that Article 301 poses a direct threat to freedom of expression, as enshrined in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and in Article 10 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR). Turkey is a State Party to both conventions and therefore the Turkish government has a legal obligation to uphold this freedom. Nevertheless Amnesty International receives a steady flow of cases opened against individuals under Article 301, for expressing a wide variety of opinions".

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGEUR440352005?open&of=ENG-2U5

Posted by: Malinois

at November 2, 2006 9:32 AM

Turkey, once known as Asia Minor, is a land that was once highly Christianized. The locations of the seven churches who received messages in Chapters 2-3 of Revelation all were located in this land. Today, it is over 99% Muslim--though I understand it is more secular than many of the Taliban type Muslim lands. We met some wonderfully "nice" Turks when we were on a cruise ship one time. With over 80 nationalities on board--the Turks had above average representation--and may I say--all were extremely kind.

I am aware that Christians are highly persecuted there--so none of this is really new as info in general. Yet I am glad that we are being reminded of this injustijce on Dhimmi-Watch as the EU was just debating inclusion of this country (I think I read that it got shot down--help me folks??). Should countires that relegate Christians and or Jews to second class status be major trading partners with us?

1-3 years in prison is pretty harsh for simply having a belief in Christ -- but compared to what we read about the young 14 year old martyr in Iraq who was Islammed by BEHEADING 2 weeks ago because of his Christian ID badge notation--I suppose this is mild by comparison.

ISLAM--coming soon to a location near you!

Posted by: BB

at November 2, 2006 10:29 AM

We Orthodox Christians refer to Constantinople...ther is no "istanbul"....and there is no candidate for the EU there until the bells of Hagis Sophia ring once again while the holy Eucharist is being served.

Posted by: ujaklija

at November 2, 2006 7:12 PM

And there is no hope. These guys have a fine game plan and a great ally in the mass media. Ok, maybe very little hope if the opinion celebrites can be made to crack a book and academics can be made to write honest books for them to crack and government bureaucrats can be made to effect the will of the people who in turn must be made to assert their will to put an end to this 1,396 yr old madness.

Like I said, somewhere between no hope and very little hope.

Posted by: Alarmed Pig Farmer

at November 2, 2006 9:52 PM

Dear Folks. All thanks to the imbecility of the western diplomats as well as the US government, the only secular muslim state in the world which ONCE had very good ties with the US and Israel,is now on the verge of being lost to "true" muslims whom you-in this forum- so plainly despise. When the turkish chief of staff made a comment on the dangerous advance of the islamic fundamentalism in Turkey, guess who was first to counterreply: US ambassador to Turkey by quoting the general's remarks as "cacaphony". So much about the foreign politics of the US.
No wonder US got kicked out of Vietnam in a jiffy and has been foiling all over the world in their attempts to bring peace and democracy.

Posted by: Icarus_Project

at November 3, 2006 5:07 AM

Muslim secular state? 99% of Turks are professing muslims. If they read even a bit of the Qur'an and hadiths how secular can you be? The Qur'an does not allow for that. I read it and ask Mr Spencer too, ask him if the Islamic faith allows for you to be "moderate" . The only way to be moderate is to not read the book. I have spoken to a few 'apostates' one of them my exmuslim Turkish friend and he told me flat out: "Listen once you step outside of Ankara and Istanbul you are in Islam land okay? Dont believe the bs I lived there for F---ks sake."

Posted by: THE ALLIES SHALL WIN

at November 3, 2006 4:57 PM

How cleverly secular law--based strictly on what is politically expedient--can be bent and folded to fit whatever you wish. Turkey regresses into the Dark Ages, thanks to statist, modern law.

Posted by: Kepha

at November 3, 2006 5:40 PM

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