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USCIRF Urges U.S. To Press Turkey On Monastery Dispute

By Howard M. Friedman

On Wednesday, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a release encouraging the U.S. government to raise with Turkey the importance of respecting property rights of religious minorities. Of particular concern to USCIRF is a case currently in Turkish courts involving land claimed by the Mor Gabriel Syriac Orthodox monastery. Today's Zaman on Thursday, reporting on the latest court hearing in the case, also describes details of the dispute:

The row began when Turkish government land officials redrew the boundaries around Mor Gabriel and the surrounding villages in 2008 to update the national land registry as part of a cadastre modernization project in compliance with EU instructions. The monks say the new boundaries turn over to the villages large plots of land the monastery has owned for centuries and designate monastery land as public forest.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on February 13, 2009 (boomark / email).