The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom published an in-depth report this week examining threats to religious properties in Turkey, including places of worship, religious institutions, and cemeteries. This research looks at various threats and attacks over the last two decades and documents whether assailants were brought to justice. It also investigates the role of Turkish authorities in the protection of religious sites and the impact of government action, indifference, and negligence. Dr. Tuğba Tanyeri-Erdemir, the author of this report, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss the threats to religious sites in Turkey, and break down how they impact religious groups across the country.

Dr. Tuğba Tanyeri-Erdemir is the coordinator of AntiDefamation League’s Task Force on Middle East Minorities. She is also a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute and the co-chair of International Religious Freedom Roundtable’s Middle East Working Group. Dr. Tanyeri Erdemir’s research focuses on minority rights in the Middle East, heritage management of sacred sites, converted and contested religious buildings, and re-utilization and museumification of religious heritage.

The views expressed in this interview are the speaker’s own and do not reflect the views of USCIRF.

Read Dr. Tugba Tanyeri Erdemir’s report for USCIRF: Examination of Threats to Religious Sites in Turkey

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