July 07, 2015

Jews, Armenians, Greek Orthodox and Muslims break fast in Istanbul

editor:	Murat Suner

Yesterday, representatives of religious communities including Turkish Jews, Armenians and Greek Orthodox communities came together at a dinner on the occasion of the month of Ramadan, during which Muslims break their fast with an iftar dinner.

The event was organized to mark peaceful coexistence between all religious groups. It has not been reported whether members of the Alevi community, a religious group that is suffering discrimination in Turkey, took part.

The dinner was held in the courtyard of the memorable Or-Ahayim, a Jewish hospital in the historic Balat district of Istanbul. The hospital was built upon an order from Sultan Abdülhamid II. Here, Jewish doctors had worked for over a century. As a sign of solidarity, an imam, a Jewish cantor and an Armenian Orthodox priest recited prayers together after the dinner.

Religious communities such as the Armenian, Greek and Syriac Christians, Jews as well as other religious groups still do not enjoy equal rights as the majority of Sunni Muslims in Turkey. In the past, for instance, the Turkish state had confiscated various properties of minority communities. Some of these properties have been given back, but different communities are still struggling to regain their rights. This year, for example, Armenian activists had launched campaigns to handing back formerly owned property by the Armenian community.

According to the news paper Daily Sabah, known for being pro-government, Adnan Ertem, head of the General Directorate of Foundations, which oversees properties of religious communities, said at the event that although the return of all properties was not completed yet, it is safe to say that the state was exerting efforts.

Image: Anadolu Ajansi