As Americans get ready to celebrate their nation's founding, with all its associated freedoms, Turkish Christians are facing increasing persecution at the hand of the nation's Islamist president.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confiscated another 50 Syriac churches, including the 1,600-year-old Mor Gabriel Monastery. Syriac is a dialect of Aramaic used during the first millennium across the Middle East and Asia.

Erdogan's most recent seizure, under the auspices of the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) took place in Mardin province, Word Press reported.

According to the report, the Mardin governorate was compelled to transfer its churches, monasteries, cemeteries and other of the Syriac community's assets to Turkey's national treasury, which then transferred ownership to the Diyanet.

Among the state's seizures is the historic Mor Gabriel Monastery, one of the world's oldest ancient religious centers, dating to the 4th century A.D.

An appeal to halt the transfer of some 30 title deed registries by the Mor Gabriel Monastery Foundation was turned down.

Erdogan's steady encroachment on the religious rights of all minorities in Turkey has intensified since a national referendum awarded him almost exclusive power over the country.

In 2016, Erdogan took control of six churches, home to Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox congregations, in Diyarbakir. One of the churches was said to be more than 1,700 years old.

"The government didn't take over these pieces of property in order to protect them," Ahmet Guvener, pastor of the Diyarbakir Protestant Church, said at the time. "They did so to acquire them."

Meanwhile, The New York Times reports on a protest march involving thousands led by Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of Turkey's main opposition party.

Kilicdaroglu, who understands that in today's Turkey, he and others could be hauled off to jail, said, "If we have to pay a price, we will pay it."


http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/israel/2017/july/turkeys-islamist-leader-seizes-50-more-churches


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehRL0SJoV3U


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQjThvciN3k


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb_Jfptpw5Q


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0OBoeIU_eM


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiXZ0dS4FHo

1600-year-old monastery at center of ongoing dispute

Headlines that began to appear toward the end of June suggested that Erdogan has “seized” about 50 church properties in Mardin, Province in southeastern Turkey, including churches and cemeteries. Christians both within the country and abroad vowed a fight.


REMEMBER TURKEY WAS A FULL CHRISTIAN COUNTRY BEFORE THE MUSLIMS TOOK OVER...do we hear the christians crying over it like the muslims cry over jerusalem...the city of medina was jewish settlement before mohammed killed the jews and took over..do the jews cry over it no..muslims are never satisfied.they want it all..we christians will stand up and fight.leave those churches alone.they want to wipe out christianity from where it beganthey are invading europe now through mass migration.well,it would be like the battle of vienna 12 September 1683





The 1,700-year-old Virgin Mary Syriac Orthodox Church in Diyarbakir was one of the churches

Islam does not understand tolerance.

Noted.