Turkish Government Hesitates To Permit Reopening Of Seminary

The question of whether the government of Turkey will permit the reopening of a 162-year old Greek Orthodox seminary on the island of Halki will be an important measure of religious freedom in Turkey, according to today's Turkish Daily News. That in turn will impact the decision on admitting Turkey to the European Union. In 1971, Turkey closed all university level religious schools, including Muslim ones. As the only secular state in the Muslim world, Turkey argues that it cannot permit the Christian seminary to reopen without also permitting Islamic groups to open schools that could radicalize the Muslim population. The government also does not want to take steps that could lead to Istanbul becoming a kind of "Vatican" for Orthodox Christians.