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Turkish Moslems Debate With Turkish Christians About Religion
From Compass DirectA criminal court in northwestern Turkey will assess new medical reports next week on the condition of Turkish Christian Yakup Cindilli, still recovering from severe injuries inflicted by ultra-nationalists accusing him of âmissionary propaganda.â A former Muslim who converted to Christianity, Cindilli was subjected to a severe beating in October 2003 which left him hospitalized in a coma for six weeks. When he regained consciousness and was sent home to recover, he could not walk unassisted and sometimes failed to recognize his closest relatives. .... His three attackers were initially jailed on charges of battery and assault. They include the Orhangazi chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), released after a month, and two younger assailants released on bail after three months. According to local newspapers, Cindilliâs assailants had accused the Turkish Christian of passing out New Testaments and doing âmissionary propagandaâ in his hometown. Neither accusation is a criminal offense under Turkish civil law. .... When the injured Christian last appeared in the courtroom on March 25, 2004, his right arm was still partially paralyzed and he walked slowly with a shuffling limp. On the emotional level, he appeared in relative control of himself, although sometimes mentally confused. At that time, the young manâs religiously conservative Muslim family had flatly rejected all offers from his Christian friends to help provide legal counsel on his case or arrange for needed physical and psychological therapy. But since January of this year, Cindilliâs family has allowed members of the Bursa Protestant Church to take their son for a doctorâs complete medical examination and regular physical therapy. Coupled with regular weightlifting and walking exercises, the therapy has improved the range of movement and coordination in his right arm and considerably lessened his limp. .... Defense lawyers for the MHP attackers put several local individuals on the witness stand, attempting to establish evidence that Cindilli had provoked the incident himself by distributing New Testaments and talking about his Christian faith in the community. Cindilliâs family reportedly wants his court case to conclude at the July 8 hearing, without trying to obtain compensation from his attackers for his long-term disabilities. But that decision now remains with Cindilli, who has recovered sufficiently to speak for himself next week, when he appears before the court. .... Although he has done some janitorial work for the church in recent months, he is still not able to take a full-time job or live on his own, the pastor said. Despite pressures from his family to renounce his faith, âYakup is very committed to stay faithful to Jesus, in spite of what happened,â a member of the Bursa church noted. Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2005-07-14 |
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