Non-Muslim Communities in Turkey

Modern Turkey lies at the crossroads between eastern and western interests. The establishment of a modern Turkey based on Western political models was a watershed in Turkey’s history as an Islamic empire. The early republican elite distanced themselves from the cultural and ideological heritage of the Ottoman Empire and laid the foundational elements of modernization and westernization. However, modern Turkey continues to struggle with finding an appropriate balance between religion and secularism in a nation that is almost entirely Muslim. The establishment of modern Turkey opened a new chapter in history for all Turkish people, including non-Muslim minority communities. The Lausanne Treaty of July 24, 1923, which recognized the establishment of Turkey, had an important effect on the recognition, rights and liberty of religious minority communities in modern Turkey.

Non-Muslim Communities
Several non-Muslim religious groups exist in Turkey, most of which are concentrated in Istanbul and other large cities. Since census results do not contain any data pertaining to the religious affiliation of Turkish citizens, the exact membership figures are not available. However, Table 3 shows that there are more than one hundred thousand estimated non-Muslims in Turkey.

ESTIMATED NUMBER OF NON-MUSLIMS
Religious Affiliation Number
Armenian Orthodox Christians 50 000
Jews 25 000
Greek Orthodox Christians 3 000 – 5000
Syrian Orthodox (Syriac) Christians 15 000
Baha’is 10 000
Protestants 3 000

Armenian Orthodox Christians, Jews, and Greek Orthodox adherents are recognized by the Government as having special legal minority community status under the 1923 Lausanne Treaty. However, Baha’is, Syrian Orthodox (Syriac) Christians, Protestants, Bulgarian, Chaldean, Nestorian, Georgian, and Maronite Christians do not have the same status. Article 39 of the Treaty of Lausanne guarantees equality among Turkish citizens regardless of their religious conviction: “Turkish nationals belonging to non-Moslem minorities will enjoy the same civil and political rights as Moslems. All the inhabitants of Turkey, without distinction of religion, shall be equal before the law.”
In spite of these constitutional provisions, non-Muslim minorities in Turkey have faced property ownership restrictions. On January 3, 2003, the law pertaining to the property of community (non-Muslims minority) foundations was amended, lifting strict restrictions and enabling these foundations to have more freedom in keeping, maintaining, and purchasing new premises. According to the new law ratified by the parliament, community foundations will be able to purchase new property for religious, social, cultural, and educational functions, as well as for providing health services by the permission of The Office of Foundations under more flexible conditions.
Additionally, since the introduction of the Law on Unification of Instruction in 1924, education, including religious education, has been under the supervision of the state. In 1997, the state began requiring eight years of primary school education, which includes religious instruction. However, upon written verification of their non-Muslim background, minorities “recognized” by the government under the 1923 Lausanne Treaty (Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Jewish) are exempt from Muslim religious instruction. Other non-Muslim minorities, such as Catholics, Protestants, and Syriac Christians are not legally exempted; however, in practice, they may obtain exemptions.
One of the long running issues regarding organizational and educational religious liberty in Turkey for a non-Muslim community is the case of the Halki seminary on the island of Heybeliada in the Sea of Marmara. “The seminary has been closed since 1971, when the state nationalized all private institutions of higher learning. The Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul continues to seek to reopen the Halki seminary” to educate religious leaders and to train new clergy to serve the Greek Orthodox community. To meet the training needs for Greek Orthodox clergy, Faculty of Divinity at the University of Istanbul opened a Department of Christian Theology. Still today, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has not made any announcements or any arrangements regarding sending their clergy for training to this department. The Department of Christian Theology, on the other hand, remains defunct because it has not employed any experts or scholars in the field, nor has it made its curricula public. It seems that the issues surrounding the seminary will continue for the foreseeable future.
Starting from the Ottoman Empire, Turkey showed a welcoming attitude towards non-Muslims including Jews fleeing from in the 15th century and from Nazi persecution during WW2. Turkey’s democracy is open to progress and its entry to the European Union will contribute to the process of expanding the democratization process. There are already promising sings with regard to the changes in the law concerning religious liberty and non-Muslim communities in Turkey. Compared to other Muslim nation states, Turkey is an exemplary nation that shows Islam and modern democracy can peacefully coexist. Therefore, instead of pushing Turkey outside the European Union, for the future of democracy and religious liberty Turkey should be encouraged by and welcomed to the European Union.