Türkiye (MNN) — Although Christianity’s historic roots run deep in Türkiye, it’s a difficult place to live out your faith today.

“The Turkish Government wants to wipe out Christianity and its history,” Greg Musselman with The Voice of the Martyrs Canada says.

“They see Christianity and the spreading of the Gospel as a national security situation.”

The Turkish government drove nine foreign Christian leaders out of the country in recent years because they were sharing the Gospel.

“The Secret Service report in Turkiye said these leaders were violating the security of the country,” Musselman says.

Although believers took legal action to refute that decision, Türkiye’s highest court just ruled that the government’s expulsion does not violate religious freedom.

(Photo courtesy VOM-AU)

“One of the knocks against Turkey has been their violation of human rights. So, this is pretty interesting that they would do something this public because that pushes them away from being accepted in the EU,” Musselman says.

Six of the court’s 13 judges disagreed with the majority opinion. “Those six are thinking, ‘No, if we set this precedent, it will be very dangerous for our country,’” Musselman says.

Believers can now appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

“That will put Turkey on the defensive, so it’s, again, a situation that we’re watching very closely,” Musselman says. “It will be interesting to see how the international community responds to that.”

Pray for strength and endurance for believers in Türkiye. Connect with VOM Canada here to learn how you can help persecuted Christians.

 

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Spyros Papaspyropoulos/Flickr.