Oct 15

WHEN:

Oct 15th 1:00pm - Oct 15th 2:00pm

 

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

Conversation with USCIRF: Religious Freedom in Turkey

Thursday, October 15, 2020
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Virtual Event

Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a virtual event about religious freedom conditions in Turkey. 

This special event will highlight recent and ongoing religious freedom concerns in Turkey, including the conversion of historic former churches such as the Hagia Sophia and Chora into mosques; governmental and societal targeting of religious minorities; and the ramifications of these developments and practices for religious minorities throughout the country.  The topics of this discussion will also serve to underscore USCIRF’s 2020 Annual Report recommendation to the U.S. Department of State to include Turkey in its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe religious freedom violations.  USCIRF Commissioners Nury Turkel and James W. Carr will hold a conversation with guest panelists Tuğba Tanyeri-Erdemir of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Nesi Altaras of Avlaremoz.  USCIRF Director of Outreach and Policy Dwight Bashir will moderate the conversation followed by questions and answers from attendees. 

 

Panelists

  • Nury Turkel - Commissioner, USCIRF
  • James W. Carr - Commissioner, USCIRF
  • Tuğba Tanyeri-Erdemir - Coordinator of ADL’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities and Research Associate at the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Anthropology
  • Nesi Altaras - Editor at Avlaremoz

Moderator

  • Dwight Bashir - Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF

 

This virtual event is open to the public and media. The video recording will be posted on the Commission website. For any additional questions, please contact [email protected].

 

 

Gayle Manchin, Chair · Tony Perkins, Vice Chair · Anurima Bhargava, Vice Chair
Gary Bauer · James W. Carr · Frederick A. Davie · Nadine Maenza · Johnnie Moore · Nury Turkel
Erin D. Singshinsuk, Executive Director

www.uscirf.gov

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on threats to religious freedom abroad.

 

Gender: Male

Perpetrator: Pakistan

Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Date of Detainment: September/18/2020

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment

Reason for Persecution: Blasphemy (General) Blasphemy (Other) Religious Association

Nature of Charges: Blasphemy Hate Speech

Maruf Gul

Extra Bio Info:

Maruf Gul is detained for alleged blasphemy.

In September 2020, authorities arrested Gul, a Sunni Muslim, after he discussed religious stories with his Shi'a landlord. A mob attacked his home after he was accused of associating with Shi'a members of the community. Authorities charged Gul with "intending to outrage religious feelings" (Sec. 295-A PPC), "insulting the Prophet Muhammad" (Sec. 295-C PPC), and "using derogatory remarks in respect of holy personages" (Sec. 298-A PPC).

Publicly Available Information:

Gender: Female

Perpetrator: Pakistan

Religion or Belief: Christian – Catholic

Date of Detainment: April//2020

Current Status: Released

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Forced Renunciation of Faith

Reason for Persecution: Children’s Rights Religious Activity Religious Belief

Maira Shahbaz

Extra Bio Info:

Maira Shahbaz was subjected to forced renunciation of faith.

In April 2020, three men abducted at gunpoint 14-year-old Maira Shahbaz, forced her to renounce her Christian faith, convert to Islam, and marry one of her captors. Her family subsequently filed suit challenging her abductor's marriage documents, which claimed Shahbaz was 19 years old. In July 2020, the Faisalabad District and Sessions Court ordered that Shahbaz be placed in a women's shelter until the Lahore High Court heard her case. 

In August 2020, the Lahore High Court ordered that Shahbaz be returned to her abductor's custody. 

Later in August 2020, Shahbaz escaped from her abductor and reunited with her family. She reported that her abductor had threatened to kill her family and release videos of her being sexually assaulted if she refused his demands. Shahbaz and her family went into hiding.

After years of hiding, Shahbaz was resettled.

Publicly Available Information:
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