Elections could be turning point for Turkey

Parliamentary elections are just a few weeks away in Turkey, and Christians are concerned. Secularists and fundamentalists are vying for hearts of the Turkish people.However, Voice of the Martyrs' Todd Nettleton, who just returned from Turkey, says these elections could be a turning point for the country. "There is a significant part of the Turkish population that would like to see them move toward a more fundamentalist Islamic state. There's also a significant portion of the population that wants to be sure that Turkey stays secular, that religion does not become the controlling influence in the country."
According to the Nettleton, it's too close to call which way Turkey will go. He doesn't expect to see Turkey become an Islamic state like Iran, but, "I think there is fear that it would take a step toward that in this election and could then start [Turkey] down that road."But millions are opposed to that.Either way, Nettleton says, Christians are caught in the middle. "If the Islamists gain power, obviously that will mean an increase in persecution. But the secularists are also opposed to the church. They want basically no religion. They want the people to be secular. But to be Turkish-in their culture-is to be Muslim.Persecution has already hit the Christian community. Three Christians were killed by young radical Muslims in April. Nettleton just returned from meeting with the survivors. He says, "There was no sense that God had let them down or that somehow this event happened while God wasn't looking. There was a very clear sense that this was God's plan."Immediately after the murders, two of the women went on national television and publicly forgave the murderers. Nettleton says that spoke volumes, according to a Muslim columnist. "By offering forgiveness, those two ladies had done more in that press conference than 1,000 missionaries could have done in 1,000 years."In the midst of this tragedy, Nettleton says people are showing an interest in Christianity. Pray that God will continue to work in the hearts of the Turkish people.
Source:MNN
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