Archon Religious Freedom Conference: Mustafa Akyol

"The View from the Turkish Side of the Bridge: Obstacles and Prospects" delivered by Mustafa, Akyol, Journalist and Political Commentator in Istanbul, Turkey.

==

The two-day meeting, entitled, "Religious Freedom: Turkey's Bridge to the European Union," was held at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, November 16-17, 2010. The symposium brought together over thirty renowned scholars, religious freedom and human rights advocates, journalists, diplomats, parliamentarians, religious leaders, representatives of the Government of Turkey, lawyers and members of minority communities. They presented complex, diverse and contrasting viewpoints and perspectives on the status of religious freedom in Turkey to nearly two-hundred participants from across the United States, Turkey and Europe.

The conference was sponsored by the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in America and the Pammakaristos Brotherhood of Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Europe, in cooperation with the Patriarchal Liaison Office of the Orthodox Church to the European Union.

(Greek Orthodox Telecommunications, Inc.)

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• religious freedom
• ecumenical patriarchate
• orthodoxy
• orthodox
• christian
• religious minority
• minorities
• turkey
• greece
• greek orthodox
• russian orthodox
• albanian orthodox
• serbian orthodox
• ukrainian orthodox
• saint andrew
• jesus christ
• european court of human rights
• brussels
• belgium
• international

[bellnoor]

“Protecting the rights of the people” leading system with minimal distraction to any individual’s existence in a society as a whole with society however, which peoples rights?! The majority (democracy) is on the left! And law seem to be managed my radical Islam and it’s ways (republic) this is why Turkiye is standing to change (Anarchy) for a batter way to do (System).The problem in Turkiye is that there can not be a Oligarchy of Islam in any form....

[DoomHippie]

@lakonian

The Turks, however, went a step too far. They took the idea of Secularism and applied State Force behind it, and now they have authoritarian laws prohibiting wearing religious garb in public. Unfortunately, in their quest for a secular nation, they have trampled freedom of religion.

[lakonian]

The Turks did it right, they got rid of the clerics and established a state free from religious influence. Thats why they are succesful today. The Greeks should wake up and do that today. I cannot believe that man is the spiritual leader of the Hellenes! Pericles, Aristotle and Alexander the Great must be very angry in Illysium. Hellenes wake up and embrace your true roots, do not follow the Abrahamists and their politics and civil wars.

Ζευς Σωτηρ και Νικη

[AegeanKing]

@musiciankara yes, unpopulated due to the invasions and massacres commited by the assyrians and Persians. The Greeks that settled on the coasts of Anatolia did not come with Armies. They came with the fishing boats and trading boats.

[musiciankara]

unpopulated... very good:) good luck

[AegeanKing]

@musiciankara it is our land because the other civilizations died off or were conquered by people like the assyrians or Persians. the unpopulated western coast of anatolia was settled by Greeks who by the supremacy of their culture, attracted all of the non-greek anatolian tribes like the Lydians and Carians who adopted the Greek language and culture and intermixed with the Greek city states. Greeks did not sweep down from Asia destroying everything in their path like the Turks.

[musiciankara]

@AegeanKing • so 2500 years ago in Anatolia...what happened there ?did your ancestors see a sign post saying ''welcome'' ?what makes a land ''your land''?

[AegeanKing]

@musiciankara since 2,500 years ago..... You haven't even lived in Anatolia or Istanbul for half the time that we have. You are still the new kids in the neighborhood. You are the bully who takes what doesn't belong to you.

[musiciankara]

@AegeanKing Anatolia is(was) your home land? since when?

[AegeanKing]

"Rebel, and try to create a homeland" - is that a joke? Nobody was trying to "create" a homeland because Anatolia IS our homeland and has been so long before Turks came from Asia.