A/55/280/Add.1 (b) The Protestant community 106. The non-Armenian Protestant Church in Turkey represents a community of recent origin (dating back about 30 years), consisting essentially of people of Turkish origin, and therefore frequently Muslims, who have converted to Christianity. 107. The active proselytizing of this community in its search for converts poses a problem both for the authorities, whose restrictive interpretation of secularism opposes religious influence in the public sphere and whose concept of nationalism draws a close association between Turkish ethnic identity and the Muslim religion (see sect. II), and for society at large, where this brand of nationalism is broadly accepted. It also tends to incite religious extremists, who for example committed bomb attacks in 1996 and in November 1999 against Protestants, and political extremists, who associate Protestantism with American imperialism. 108. The reaction of the authorities to Protestant religious activities led, on 12 September 1999, to the closure of a building that was rented and used as a place of worship by Protestants, and the arrest of some 40 people, officially because of complaints from neighbours. The public prosecutor finally decided not to pursue charges. The Protestant representatives maintained that the charges laid by the police were unfounded since, on one hand, no complaints had actually been received from neighbours (otherwise the public prosecutor would have had to act) and, on the other hand, because the rented hall was independent of the main building and had a separate entrance, which meant that they were not obliged to seek the prior agreement of neighbours, as the police insisted. Moreover, two weeks later, at Zeytinburnu, the police again moved to close a hall used as a place of worship, citing the law on public gatherings. 109. As the Protestants see it, these events constitute a development that is difficult to interpret in any categorical way, but that would seem to reflect the intervention of certain authorities on the basis of their own religious or secular views. 110. With respect to the refusal to recognize the Protestants as a religious minority, and the failure to grant them legal status, the Protestant representatives pointed out that they could not conduct their activities officially as a Protestant community, and hence it was impossible for them to acquire places of worship and other religious properties on that basis. The community was therefore obliged to rent premises, either through a community member acting in his private capacity, or through an association, without mention of any religious connection. Moreover, they said, while the police may tolerate Protestant activities within such premises, they are quick to prevent any public manifestations, and have for example forbidden any sign bearing the word “Protestant”. 111. When it comes to foreign religious figures invited by the Protestant Church, they must in effect apply for a tourist visa. 112. With respect to educational establishments, the Protestant representatives declared that their children were entitled to an exemption from religious and ethics courses, but that the compulsory nature of those courses constituted a form of pressure on families and children, since those who sought exemptions risked rejection and ostracism by the majority. They also reported that they had submitted a complaint to the Minister of Education concerning school textbooks that promoted, as they saw it, a message of intolerance again non-Muslims who, through references to the Crusades, were insidiously accused of hostility to Islam, and that portrayed as well a vision of Muslim Turks constantly triumphing over non-Muslims. Their demands for revisions to these textbooks have been met, to date, with silence on the part of the authorities. 113. Finally, the Protestants deplored the uncooperative attitude of the authorities, who have rejected all efforts to engage in dialogue, and they feared that their difficulties were likely to grow as their community expands. What they wanted was to be recognized as a religious community and to enjoy their rights to proclaim their religion freely. 2. Syriacs 114. It should be noted that the information gathered from Syriac representatives reflects as well the situation of the rest of the Assyro-Chaldean community, Catholic and Protestant alike. 115. The Syriacs are not recognized by the authorities as a minority covered by the Treaty of Lausanne, despite their historical presence in Turkey. They therefore enjoy none of the rights of a religious minority, although they should, in principle, be covered by the constitutional guarantees relating to freedom of religion and worship. The Syriac representatives said 21