Turkey: religious buildings
Forum 18 News (www.forum18.org)
It was noted at the end of September that the
use and ownership of Turkey’s many state-confiscated places of worship raises many
questions, including how to address past
injustices,
the present needs of religious
communities and historical preservation.
Opinions are divided as to whom Christian
churches, converted into mosques centuries
ago and then turned into museums, should be
returned. Many Alevi tekke
(dervish lodges)
were turned into mosques under the control of
the government’s Diyanet or assigned to the use of municipalities. The many current uses
of such buildings, and the legal status of their
potential or past owners, also affects Turkey’s
implementation of
its
international obligations to protect freedom of religion or belief.
With little or no consultation with religious or
belief communities and other interested parties, and no general guidelines, state decisions
on this delicate subject are bound to be taken
on an arbitrary basis.