WASHINGTON D.C. - Religious Affairs Directorate Head Ali Bardakoglu, who is currently in the United State said on Thursday that religious freedoms were protected by the Constitution.
Bardakoglu who attended a conference on Islam in Utah University, later talked to journalists. He said that he met with officials from U.S. Department of State and U.S. National Security Council (NSC) in Washington D.C.
Bardakoglu said that western countries still had the difficulty in understanding the function of Religious Affairs office in Turkey, adding that he explained U.S. officials the importance of basing religion on sound information and the fact that Religious Affairs had never imposed ideas with the sermons delivered at the noon prayer on Fridays and on certain other occasions and that the sermons were prepared in a free way and they were based on sound information.
Bardakoglu stated that they discussed the model of moderate Islam and Turkey with NSC officials, adding that the Religious Affairs was ready to make cooperation. Noting that the U.S. was uneasy about the image shown as if religion extended support to terrorism, Bardakoglu stated that the U.S. regarded Turkey as an important example in that regard and it knew the share and role of the secular democracy in Turkey. Bardakoglu stressed that the traditional religious information of Turkey had never been a basis for terrorism.
Replying to a question about Turkey's EU membership, Bardakoglu said that accession into EU would be useful both for Turkey and also for the EU, which would be the model of interreligious peace by admitting Turkey as a member.
When asked his views about the criticisms of U.S. Department of State about Turkey in its 2003 year human rights report, Bardakoglu said that religious freedoms were protected in Turkey within the constitutional framework. Bardakoglu said that he didn't find right the criticisms of the report, adding that the claim saying that 'religious freedoms of minorities were not protected in Turkey' was not true.
''One person applies to us saying that he wants to set up a church in one of the floors of an apartment house. We certainly don't permit that. They should ask for permission to set up a church in a separate place. We've asked U.S. Department of State not to make comment by taking such kind of complaints as the basis,'' said Bardakoglu. ''We are also against those who build mosques in a place near another mosque, or on the basement of an apartment because these are not convenient,'' he added.
He said that they would also work on reviving the project of Turkish American Islamic Foundation (TAYIF) whose foundation was laid 10 years ago in an area in Washington D.C.
Ali Bardakoglu had also separate meetings with representatives of Islamic and Democracy Centre and Christian and Muslim Understanding Centre of Georgetown University in Washington D.C.
Bardakoglu who will go to New York, will meet with officials of Turkish associations and mosques and representatives of Union of Jewish Councils there.
(Öª-AÖ) 26.02.2004