The persecution of Christians in Turkey today is only the latest manifestation of a sadly recurring hatred. The conflict between the Azeris and Armenians puts the remaining Armenians in Turkey at a severe disadvantage because of their Christian identity. The Ottoman government at the beginning of the twentieth century pursued the systematic extermination of 1.5 million Armenians. Hundreds of thousands of people were forcibly converted to Islam. To this day, the Turkish government refuses to acknowledge this atrocity as a genocide, saying that it was simply a religious conflict between Christians and Muslims. Now Armenians in Turkey are being targeted anew.
This contempt for Christianity and Christians is also manifested in the ongoing denial of property rights and legal identity to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
For previous ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in Turkey, see here.
“Armenians Targeted in Turkey Over Azerbaijani Conflict,” International Christian Concern, July 31, 2020:
07/31/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Agos, an Armenian media outlet, has reported three recent incidents targeting Armenians living in Turkey as a result of the conflict involving Azerbaijan. Armed clashes between the country of Armenia and Azerbaijan on July 12th and the following days has led to an increase of hostilities that has gripped the nation of Turkey.
In one incident, a group of Azeris attacked three Armenians living in Istanbul. The fight did not cause serious damage, and the attackers fled before help arrived for the Armenians. There have been no legal developments on this and similar cases….
Following the Christian genocide nearly a century ago, the Armenian community living in Turkey was decimated. Many of the survivors would go on to live outside of Turkey, including in neighboring countries such as Armenia. Turkey continues in its failure to recognize the genocide and the authorities frequently make comments and establish policies which encourage hostilities to those Armenians who remain living in the country….
