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January 23, 2006
Turkey: Muslims Beat Christian Unconscious In Conversion Attempt
Once again the "Religion of Peace" displays a less peaceful side, and once again, physical violence is used in an attempt to persuade someone to join the faith. Compass Direct reports that in Adana, south-central Turkey, about 50 miles from both Cyprus and the Syrian border, a church leader was brutally attacked by five individuals who tried to make him renounce his faith and accept Islam.
The incident happened on Sunday, January 8, when Kamil Kiroglu, aged 29, was leaving his church around 5 pm. The assailants included four Turkish youths and an older man, their leader, who claimed to come from Turkmenistan.
They had arrived at the Adana Protestant church earlier, and the leader claimed he was a Christian who had "converted" the other four to Christianity, but did not know how to teach them.
There was a service that afternoon, and Kiroglu, who had formerly been a Muslim, invited them to ask questions at a meeting with tea for members of the congregation, after the service. The men insisted they wanted to talk alone, and remained after the other worshippers had left.
Kiroglu was intimidated by the group, whose leader claimed to have left a package "from al-Qaeda" in the church. Kiroglu fled, pursued by the group, one of whom was shouting "We don't want Christians in this country!"
The priest was knocked about, and kicked, losing consciousness at one stage. He got up and ran again, and was caught. The group were telling him to give up Christianity. One individual pressed a butcher's knife to his stomach, saying: "I'm asking you again, deny Jesus, or I will kill you now."
Then he received two more blows to the head and fell unconscious. The police were called. The "package" tuned out to be a large knife, wrapped and hidden beneath a bench.
Obviously the gang were not al-Qaeda, but the method of using violence to achieve conversions is all too common in various nations. Turkish police suggested local extremists are paying local youths to carry out such attacks, saying "maybe some people are giving these unruly youths money to do this."
There are only 3,500 Turkish Christians in the entire nation, spread about in 95 different church congregations.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at January 23, 2006 5:27 PM
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