Nationalism in Turkey Intensifies Challenges for Christian Minority, Report Finds

**Tags**: Turkey, Christian Persecution, Nationalism, Open Doors, World Watch List 2025, Religious Discrimination, Armenian Christians, Assyrian Christians, Religious Freedom, Islam to Christianity Conversion, Protestants, Refugees, Middle East **Excerpt**: A growing wave of nationalism in Turkey is increasingly marginalizing the country's Christian minority, according to the *World Watch List 2025*. The report highlights significant challenges faced by Christians, including societal discrimination, legal hurdles, and attacks on churches, particularly in regions with ethnic and religious tensions. Despite Christianity's historical presence, converts and Christian communities face persistent hostility and persecution, with many fleeing to escape violence and systemic discrimination.

A rising wave of nationalism in Turkey is creating significant challenges for the country’s Christian minority, subjecting them to increasing social and institutional pressures, according to a report from the Stockholm Center for Freedom, citing Open Doors’ World Watch List 2025.

The annual World Watch List ranks countries based on the level of persecution faced by Christians, considering factors like societal discrimination, government restrictions, and violence against Christian communities. In its 2025 edition, Turkey was listed among the 50 countries where Christians face the most difficulty in practising their faith. The report highlights a troubling combination of cultural, legal, and social obstacles that continue to marginalize Turkey’s Christian population.

Despite Christianity’s long-standing presence in the region, it is often viewed as a negative Western influence, a perception that persists even among moderate Muslims and secular Turks. Christian communities, including Greek and Armenian Orthodox believers, are frequently regarded as outsiders. Their churches routinely face bureaucratic and legal challenges aimed at restricting their religious practices.

The report also points to growing pressures on Armenian and Assyrian (Syriac) communities in southeastern Turkey, where ethnic and religious tensions intersect. Many Christians from these groups have fled their ancestral regions to escape hostilities linked to conflicts between the Turkish military and Kurdish resistance movements.

Although converting from Islam to Christianity is not illegal, those who do face intense pressure from their families and society, including threats of divorce, disinheritance, and being disowned.

The report also highlights widespread discrimination against Christians in Turkey’s everyday life. Religious affiliation is noted on Turkish ID cards, making it easier for employers and institutions to discriminate against Christian job applicants.

Protestant Christians, particularly those in Turkey’s western coastal cities like Istanbul, also encounter challenges. While these urban areas are generally more liberal and secular, pockets of social conservatism and Islamic influence still subject Christians to hostility. Rural and inland areas are described as even less tolerant.

The Protestant community remains a specific target of discrimination, with several expatriate Christians facing entry bans, forcing them to leave Turkey. Christian asylum seekers and refugees, many of whom are converts to Islam, also experience widespread abuse and discrimination. This group includes individuals from countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, and Syria, who sought refuge from persecution in their home countries, only to face additional challenges in Turkey.

The report also noted an increase in targeted attacks on church buildings over the past year, as well as two reported killings of Christians. Although societal attitudes toward Christians have remained largely unchanged, the persistently high levels of social and systemic discrimination continue to pose a serious concern.

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