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Highest Turkish Islamic Official In U.S.: “Turkey A Unique Country Where Different Religious Groups Coexist In Peace”
 Prof. Ali Bardakoglu, the Head of Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs [Diyanet] delivered a speech titled "Muslims, Christians, and Jews - Ottoman Experience of Peaceful Coexistence" at the Columbia University of NewYork. He said that Turkey was a unique country where different religious groups coexisted in peace and harmony in the past and the present. Bardakoglu said different ethnic and religious groups enjoyed religious freedoms in the five centuries following the conquest of Istanbul, "At a time when nobody even talked about human rights, religious groups lived in great religious freedoms, elected their own religious leaders, managed their own religious matters and opened their own schools". He said the same tradition of tolerance continued in modern Turkey and pointed out that under the secular structure of the Republic of Turkey, Muslim and non-Muslim citizens were equal before the law and enjoyed equal rights. Bardakoglu explained that the ministerial level Diyanet is an institution that provides people with accurate knowledge on Islam, and one that protects religious freedoms. He said that he supported Turkey's EU bid and Turkey's accession constituted a great opportunity in promoting true Islam. He added that this would save EU from a single religion and broaden its horizons. Over 99 percent of Turkey’s population of 72 million is Muslim. Source: Anatolia News Agency (AA), April 23, 2008
Posted at: 2008-04-23
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