EU criticizes Turkey for failing to protect Christian minorities

Published: 2007-11-13

WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- As the European Union prepares for a summit in December, its governing commission has criticized Turkey for failing to protect its Christian minorities. "Attacks against clergy and places of worship of non-Muslim communities have been reported. Missionaries have been portrayed in the media or by the authorities as a threat to the integrity of the country," said a commission report published in early November. "To date, use of language that might incite hatred against non-Muslim minorities has been left unpunished," it said, adding that non-Muslim religious communities continue to face a lack of legal norms "and restricted property rights." Most of Turkey's more than 70 million citizens are Sunni Muslims. Christians, who make up less than 1 percent of the Turkish population, often have complained of discrimination in Turkey.

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