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Let me rewind the clock.. Since Ecevit government and Marmara earthquake, issue of Western Christian missionaries in Turkey officially entered national security threat lists, from 1999 till 2008, countless TV programs/seminars/columns promoted wild theories of sinister agendas+
the same period saw assasination of Christian ministers, dozens of arrests on hillarious accusations of Christians luring Muslims into churches, dozens of attacks on Christians and all the way to Malatya massacre and Hrant Dink murder.. Things have improved or eased relatively +
but deep national paranoia over particularly Western missionaries aiming to destroy Turkey by converting Muslims has never diminished and conversion and actitivities to promote Christian faith is a deep taboo, not simply due to ridda in Islam but Turkish nationalism and history+
Shortly before Brunson arrest, there was a local newspaper in Izmir bringing back the same ludicrous accusations of pre 2008 years.. which had got many Christians detained and released before in Izmir.. The US handling of this case is utterly blind to history and deep social +
tensions behind why someone easily accused Brunson, why he was arrested, and how high level pressure and theatrics are evoking opposite effect.. A rule of all religiois freedom cases in Middle East; higher pressure minimises political desicions as public sensitivity ovverrides.
This is exactly why if you are cheering Us-Tr crisis for religious freedom reasons or Brunson, you are being utterly blind to long term impact on this to Christians in Turkey, already facing numerical decline..Those who think this is a slap on Erdogan, as usual you have no clue.
And finally; every Christian I know in Turkey knows it is a matter of time for Brunson to be released and leave Turkey.. But many now actively talk about whether a clampdown is on horizon for them, and whether all other Western Christian ministers will silently lose residency
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