Options for Turkey’s Religious and Cultural Minorities
In a recent policy briefing, Steven Howard and Sarah Bassil of In Defense of Christians (IDC) were joined by David Vergili, Ohannes Kılıçdağı, Tugba Erdemir, Aykan Erdemir, and Elizabeth Prodromou. This diverse panel of experts discussed the current political, cultural, and religious environment of Turkey, as well as potential policy options for a more democratic and religiously rich Turkey.
As of now, Christians make up 0.2 percent of Turkey’s population. In particular, Kılıçdağı, whose research focuses on the history of non-Muslims and the Ottoman Empire in Turkey, said Christian Armenians are “living in a familiar but hostile environment.” The country’s increasing nationalism and chauvinism have made the situation worse, so religious minorities feel less at home.
The recent anniversary of Sayfo on June 15 brought to light the tragedy of the Assyrian genocide, as the Syriac church takes steps to commemorate this day. Vergili shared that with over 25,000 Syriacs in Turkey—a majority of whom live in Istanbul—policies have brought them to near extinction.