US embassy cable - 05ANKARA1342

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 001342 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, TU 
SUBJECT: PROTESTANTS FACE HOSTILE ATMOSPHERE IN 
MHP-DOMINATED TARSUS 
 
REF: ANKARA 0814 
 
THIS CABLE IS FROM AMCONSUL ADANA. 
 
CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL COUNSELOR JOHN W. KUNSTADTER FOR 
REASONS 1.4 (B) & (D). 
 
1. (C) Summary:  Since December 2004, New Zealand native Erik 
Oosterbroek (strictly protect), the leader of one of Tarsus' 
Protestant communities, has been threatened first verbally 
(by no less than the town's MHP Mayor) and later physically, 
when a former Turkish pastor in town - who later reconverted 
to Islam - allegedly pulled a gun and threatened to kill him. 
 Several media outlets have broadcast inflammatory 
anti-Christian programs, referring to the Tarsus Protestant 
leader by name, in the wake of these threats.  Before these 
developments, the Protestant community had "merely" faced 
bureaucratic obstacles in finding places to worship and 
organize, and experienced occasional harassment by police, 
according to Oosterbroek.  Despite Oosterbroek's claims that 
the Tarsus Sub-governor and Prosecutor have expressed their 
support, EU reforms in favor of religious freedom have not 
yet permeated the historic town of Tarsus.   Oosterbroek and 
others in Adana's Protestant community have told consulate 
officers that their co-religionists are facing a similar 
problem in Malatya province.  End Summary. 
 
2. (C) Consulate Adana officers met with Eric Oosterbroek 
(strictly protect), the leader of a Protestant community 
based in Tarsus, the birthplace of St. Paul, to discuss 
reports that he and his community had experienced threats, 
harassment and intimidation during the past several months. 
(Note:  Poloff had originally planned to visit the New 
Zealand national in Tarsus on February 4, but at his request, 
cancelled the trip based on his assessment that it would 
bring unwanted attention.  Instead Oosterbroek chose to visit 
Consulate Adana on March 4 to discuss his community's 
difficulties.  End note.)  Oosterbroek has been in Turkey for 
more than six years, the last three-and-a-half of which he 
has spent in Tarsus.  Along with his wife and three 
daughters, Oosterbroek has a residency permit by virtue of 
his operating a small tourist center in town, focusing 
primarily on faith-based tours to Tarsus.  Approximately 170 
tour groups have come through since he opened, he said. 
 
3. (C) Clearly worried about whom he can trust, Oosterbroek 
spent some thirty minutes sipping tea with poloff before 
beginning to discuss the threats made against him, wondering 
why we were interested and what we do with information.  He 
underlined vigorously that in all instances where he had 
approached national government offices, he had been received 
by sympathetic officials - the Sub-governor and the 
Prosecutor in particular - who had been "supportive."  (Note: 
 Those supportive attitudes have rarely been turned into 
concrete solutions and actions, as we learned further into 
the conversation.  End note.)   The bulk of the Protestant 
community's problems have come from Tarsus' municipal leaders 
(the nationalist MHP dominates the town) and security 
directorate officials, he said.    To provide context for the 
most recent developments, Oosterbroek gave background about 
the issues his congregation has faced over the past few years. 
 
ISO a place to worship:  Restored Church Site Requires a Fee 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
4. (C) In 2002, local officials told Oosterbroek and his 
community that they would no longer be able to worship in 
various members' homes as they had been doing.  Without funds 
to purchase property, the group approached the Ministry of 
Culture about practicing in a restored church in town (one of 
seven churches in Turkey where this was allowed, said 
Oosterbroek).  The local Culture Directorate along with 
Tarsus' Sub-Governor approved the request, though admission 
(at a discounted rate) was charged per person for entry. 
(Note:  this fee is presumably comparable to those charged 
for visiting museums and other historical sites run by the 
Ministry of Culture.  End note.)  More than 15 undercover 
police routinely attended, however, and in 2003, worshipers 
reported that individuals dressed in civilian clothing had 
begun to visit their neighborhoods and question their 
associates.  By mid-2003, police had begun to bring cameras 
into the church and film worshipers.   Naturally, numbers 
interested in worshiping regularly with the group 
subsequently decreased dramatically, though for Christmas 
services approximately 120 worshipers attended.  When 
Oosterbroek visited the Security Directorate to complain, he 
was told that it was for his community's protection.  "If 
someone brings in a bomb, we need to know who was there," he 
was told. 
 
Community Center Worship:  Requires Permission 
--------------------------------------------- - 
5. (C) According to Oosterbroek, in April 2004, a new law 
reportedly required that the rental of any of the seven 
restored churches to groups net at least 500 YTL (note: 
approximately USD 385 at current ROE) per event.  Therefore, 
for small groups of worshipers, the per person entry fee 
became excessive, and the last time his group worshiped there 
was Easter 2004.  They began to worship in a community 
center, but this also required passing through an excessively 
bureaucratic process to obtain permission for their 
"meeting."  For example, a seven-person commission had to be 
formed each time permission was sought in order to "take 
responsibility" for the meeting. 
 
Concerts and Surveys:  Requires Permission 
------------------------------------------ 
 
6. (C) The group also sponsored concerts of visiting 
musicians, some of them "Christian musicians," in the same 
community center.  When the group scheduled a concert for 
November 10, 2004, the anniversary of Ataturk's death, things 
turned ugly.  Oosterbroek admitted that the timing was not 
great, but the music group had other engagements and only one 
day free.  They opened the concert with a memorial to 
Ataturk, but approximately 50 "ulkucu" (ultra-nationalists) 
stormed into the hall, assaulting one concert attendee as 
they entered.  (Note:  In this instance, the police in 
attendance came to the aid of the Protestants and restored 
order, for which Oosterbroek was very grateful.  End note). 
At concert events, Oosterbroek and colleagues often handed 
out "surveys," where attendees can give feedback, and also 
indicate if they wanted additional information about the 
worship group.  Filling out the survey is strictly voluntary, 
but Oosterbroek was told that he would have to apply for 
permission for this practice, too. 
 
Threats Escalate 
---------------- 
 
7. (C) While recent years were challenging, Oosterbrook had 
not been threatened outright until recently.   First, Tarsus' 
MHP Mayor reportedly called him to a meeting just around 
Christmas to tell him he was not welcome in Tarsus, and that 
he should leave.  Just days later, on December 29, a former 
colleague in the Protestant community who was to re-convert 
to Islam just a month later, pulled a gun on him in a 
confrontation in the man's home.  Oosterbroek explained that 
in addition to the group of 12-20 core worshipers that he 
leads, there had been another group of 15-30 worshipers that 
had been led by an American family, along with a Turkish 
pastor.  This last group fell into "disarray," after the 
American family departed last summer.  Oosterbroek originally 
tried to collaborate with the Turkish pastor, but later 
questioned his motives and authenticity, suspecting him of 
being motivated primarily by financial gain from his 
association with the American Protestants.  It was after this 
verbal confrontation that the Turkish "pastor" pulled a gun 
on Oosterbroek, showed him a silencer, and kicked him as he 
lay on the floor.  He later let him go free. 
 
The Pastor Returns to Islam 
--------------------------- 
 
8. (C) After the December 29 incident, Oosterbroek tried to 
reach the man on one occasion, hoping he would repent.  To 
the contrary the former pastor denied anything had happened, 
and began making appearances on national and local media 
programs, publicly reconverting to Islam and denouncing the 
Christian community in Tarsus.  According to Oosterbroek, the 
first program was a national one broadcast on January 29, and 
the former pastor wore a bag on his head as he accused local 
Protestants of encouraging a Kurd and Alevi uprising against 
the Turks, in a bid to gain land that armed Crusaders had not 
been successful in acquiring in past centuries.  In a 
three-hour local broadcast in early February, the former 
pastor repeatedly mentioned Oosterbroek's name in his rants 
against the Protestant community in Tarsus. 
 
9. (C) Despite these threats and the hostile media 
amplification of the anti-Christian message (note: which is 
happening in other parts of Turkey, per reftel), Oosterbroek 
has not left Tarsus.  He made a statement to the press in 
Tarsus on March 3, denouncing the level of hostility and the 
lack of tolerance that had appeared in recent months.  The 
Prosecutor and the Sub-governor have expressed an interest in 
his welfare, but no actions have been taken to date. 
Oosterbroek is consulting with an Izmir-based lawyer who 
works with the Protestant community nation-wide. 
 
10. (C) Comment:  Beyond the direct threats to Oosterbroek, 
the mood of intolerance and suspicion sustained by the media 
programming surrounding the Protestant community in Tarsus is 
among the worst consequences of this unfortunate, but 
unfortunately not uncommon, story.  Muchy of the information 
offered up in the broadcasts, such as claims that Oosterbroek 
was placing $100 in bibles that he offered to potential 
converts (when he could not even afford to rent out the 
restored church for the whole congregation), are blatantly 
untrue and provide further illustration - if any were needed 
- of the problems in parts of Turkey's media sector. 
Oosterbroek claims that national government officials have 
been supportive, but to date they have been ineffective in 
reining in local nationalists and implementing reforms that 
truly contribute to religious freedom.  Oosterbroek and 
others in Adana's Protestant community have told consulate 
officers that their co-religionists are facing a similar 
problem in Malatya province.   Late in 2004 an American 
missionary long resident in Gaziantep was beaten by MHP 
members and forced to depart permanently.  End comment. 
 
EDELMAN