May 20, 2005

A Protestant pastor in the Turkish industrial city of Izmit woke up Wednesday, May 18, to find a huge red swastika painted on his apartment door, with a handwritten hate letter shoved underneath.

The writer threatened the safety of Pastor Wolfgang Hade and his family unless they left the country within a month. A German citizen, Hade is married to a Turkish national of Christian background. The hate letter questioned whether Hade was really serving Christianity or being "used" to attack Turkish values. Together with his wife and small daughter, Hade has lived in Izmit for more than three years where they minister to a small congregation of 15 to 20 Turkish Protestants.

This attack is not an isolated case. Over the past six months, vigilante groups in at least four other Turkish cities have also threatened Protestant church workers and attacked their places of worship. Simultaneously, the Turkish media has fanned intense criticism of Christian missionary activity.

Even government ministers have spoken out, claiming that foreign missionaries had political motives aimed at "damaging the social peace and unity of Turkey." A government-approved sermon read in Turkey's mosques at Friday prayers on March 11 specifically warned worshippers against Christian missionaries, accusing them of pursuing political agendas to "deceive and convert" people. (Compass)