Washington criticizes Turkey’s handling of the issue of religious minorities
Washington criticized Turkey’s handling of the issue of religious minorities, and the Foreign Ministry said: “The Turkish government is engaged in deliberate behavior and rhetoric that can lead to a political environment hostile to religious minorities”.
This was part of a 2012 State Department report, during which the United States Department of State evaluates the practice of States in the area of religious freedoms.
According to the annual report, the Turkish government has engaged in conduct, willful inaction and rhetoric that could create a political environment hostile to the religious minority, Zaman reported.
“Little has been done on key issues, such as the recognition of the role of Alawite worship, Cemevi, the granting of legal personality, elections to governing bodies for religious minorities, and the opening of theological schools”, the report said.
The report emphasized that the Turkish Government continued to tolerate hate speech and violence.
It was emphasized that the Human Rights Action Plan, which was announced in March, with the promise of a more democratic and free Turkey, was described as a “missed opportunity” by human rights organizations.
The report indicated that the Turkish government has become increasingly oppressive since the attempted coup in July 2016. It has been reported that 292,000 people linked to Fethullah Gülen have been arrested in the United States.
