The head of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs Ali Bardakoğlu said he did not believe that religious minorities living in Turkey faced any problems regarding their religious services and exercises or the training and appointment of their religious leaders.
“However, if there are any problems, they should be solved,” said Ali Bardakoğlu in an exclusive interview with the Anatolia news agency.
Bardakoğlu also said that the seminary issue should be solved within the context of freedom of religion.
Expressing his directorate’s support for freedom of religion, Bardakoğlu said, “If we only respect those who think and believe like us, we will turn the life on earth to hell.”
Bardakoğlu also said that everybody had the right to exercise the belief they wanted and added, “I think religious minorities in Turkey have always benefited from these freedoms and nobody was treated contemptuously because of his/her belief or religion.”
Bardakoğlu said that Christian and Jewish citizens living in Turkey had equal rights; they carried out their religious exercises and chose their own religious leaders.
Noting that Muslims also had the demand for freedom in the world, Bardakoğlu said Muslims could not benefit from freedom of religion in many regions such as the Balkans, West Trace and Georgia, adding that such problems should be solved.
Bardakoglu also said St. Paul Church, which serves as a museum in Tarsus province, was one of the oldest churches of Christianity and noted that, “we have expressed our view that it should be turned into church again.”
