Day 27
Turkey
For many years Turkey has hosted more refugees than any other nation in the world. But this situation is not seen as sustainable for Turkey resulting in a government crackdown on refugees and foreigners in general. In 2022 more than 45,000 Afghan refugees were deported back to Afghanistan, and Syrian refugees are finding their options dwindling. Even international missionaries are finding that their visas are not being renewed as each region of Turkey has been asked to reduce the number of foreigners living there. Pray for a way through this current crisis that brings life for Turkey and the refugees and expatriates that live there (The Bible, Philippians 3:20).
Source: Why EU can’t count on Turkey to protect asylum seekers (EU Observer). and Christian workers in the region
Once the land of Paul’s missionary journeys, Turkey is now predominantly Muslim. Following a failed coup in 2016, President Erdogan embarked on an ongoing campaign to irradicate anyone deemed to oppose his regime, increasing the atmosphere of state control over the last 6 years. Dozens of long-term Christian missionaries have been deported or refused entrance. Predominantly Syrian refugees have overwhelmed Turkey, numbering about four million – the most in the world. Due to the deteriorating situation, the UN pulled out, and the Turkish government stopped registering refugees and closed camps forcing refugees to find work in the cities or risk being deported. As a result, anti-refugee attitudes have increased in the wider community. The COVID-19 impact has been significant across the nation, both on the healthcare system and the economy. Interest in the Gospel has also increased significantly in recent years.
