Are Muslim extremists gaining ground in Turkey?
Reply: No. The Turkish government, which is secular and democratic, is highly sensitive to religious extremism and cracks down swiftly on those who use violence or advocate the overthrow of the state. The Turkish military sees itself as the guardian of Turkish secularism and has not hesitated to speak out or even take action if it thinks civilians are not doing enough to prevent religious extremism. Question: How are you treated as American Christians? Reply: Very well. We find most Turks treat us in a respectful and friendly way as individuals and not as a labeled category. We always have felt welcome. Other foreigners report the same thing. We are free to worship and to talk openly with our friends and neighbors about religious matters. But the “American” part of our identity often provokes brotherly/sisterly lectures to us about the errors of US foreign policy in the Middle East, and especially in Iraq. The enormous goodwill toward the USA immediately following 9/11 has unfortunatel
