Tilman and Necati had been slaughtered, practically decapitated with their necks slitfrom ear to ear. Ugur’s throat was likewise slit and he was barely alive.
Threeassailants in front of the policeman dropped their weapons.
Meanwhile Gokhan hearda sound of yelling in the street. Someone had fallen from their third story office. Running down, he found a man on the ground, whom he later recognized, named EmreGunaydin. He had massive head trauma and, strangely, was snarling. He had tried toclimb down the drainpipe to escape, and losing his balance had plummeted to the ground. It seems that he was the main leader of the attackers. Another assailant was foundhiding on a lower balcony.
To untangle the web we need to back up six years. InApril 2001, the National Security Council of Turkey (Milli Guvenlik Kurulu) began toconsider evangelical Christians as a threat to national security, on equal footing as AlQuaida and PKK terrorism. Statements made in the press by political leaders, columnistsand commentators have fueled a hatred against missionaries who they claim bribe youngpeople to change their religion.
After that decision in 2001, attacks and threatson churches, pastors and Christians began. Bombings, physical attacks, verbal andwritten abuse are only some of the ways Christians are being targetted. Most significantis the use of media propaganda.
From December 2005, after having a long meetingregarding the Christian threat, the wife of Former Prime Minister Ecevit, historian IlberOrtayli, Professor Hasan Unsal, Politician Ahmet Tan and writer/propogandist AytuncAltindal, each in their own profession began a campaign to bring the public’s attentionto the looming threat of Christians who sought to “buy their children’s souls”. Hiddencameras in churches have taken church service footage and used it sensationally topromote fear and antagonism toward Christianity.
In an official televisedresponse from Ankara, the Interior Minister of Turkey smirked as he spoke of the attackson our brothers. Amid public outrage and protests against the event and in favor offreedom of religion and freedom of thought, media and official comments ring with thesame message, “We hope you have learned your lesson. We do not want Christians here.”
It appears that this was an organized attack initiated by an unknown adulttarikat leader. As in the Hrant Dink murder in January 2007, and a Catholic priestAndrea Santoro in February 2006, minors are being used to commit religious murdersbecause public sympathy for youth is strong and they face lower penalties than an adultconvicted of the same crime. Even the parents of these children are in favor of theacts. The mother of the 16 year old boy who killed the Catholic priest Andrea Santorolooked at the cameras as her son was going to prison and said, “he will serve time forAllah.”
The young men involved in the killing are currently in custody. Todaynews reported that they would be tried as terrorists, so their age would not affect thestrict penalty. Assailant Emre Gunaydin is still in intensive care. The investigationcenters around him and his contacts and they say will fall apart if he does not recover.
The Church in Turkey responded in a way that honored God as hundreds ofbelievers and dozens of pastors flew in as fast as they could to stand by the smallchurch of Malatya and encourage the believers, take care of legal issues, and representChristians to the media.
When Susanne Tilman expressed her wish to bury herhusband in Malatya, the Governor tried to stop it, and when he realized he could not stopit, a rumor was spread that “it is a sin to dig a grave for a Christian.” In the end, inan undertaking that should be remembered in Christian history forever, the men from thechurch in Adana (near Tarsus), grabbed shovels and dug a grave for their slain brother inan un-tended hundred year old Armenian graveyard.
Ugur was buried by his family inan Alevi Muslim ceremony in his hometown of Elazig, his believing fiance watching fromthe shadows as his family and friends refused to accept in death the faith Ugur had solong professed and died for.
Necati’s funeral took place in his hometown ofIzmir, the city where he came to faith. The darkness does not understand the light. Though the churches expressed their forgiveness for the event, Christians were not to betrusted. Before they would load the coffin onto the plane from Malatya, it went throughtwo separate xray exams to make sure it was not loaded with explosives. This is not ausual procedure for Muslim coffins.
Necati’s funeral was a beautiful event. Likea glimpse of heaven, thousands of Turkish Christians and missionaries came to show theirlove for Christ, and their honor for this man chosen to die for Christ. Necati’s wifeShemsa told the world, “His death was full of meaning, because he died for Christ and helived for Christ… Necati was a gift from God. I feel honored that he was in my life, Ifeel crowned with honor. I want to be worthy of that honor.”
Boldly the believerstook their stand at Necati’s funeral, facing the risks of being seen publicly andlikewise becoming targets. As expected, the anti-terror police attended and videotapedeveryone attending the funeral for their future use. The service took place outside atBuca Baptist church, and he was buried in a small Christian graveyard in the outskirts ofIzmir.
Two assistant Governors of Izmir were there solemnly watching the eventfrom the front row. Dozens of news agencies were there documenting the events with livenews and photographs. Who knows the impact the funeral had on those watching? This isthe beginning of their story as well. Pray for them.
In an act that hit frontpages in the largest newspapers in Turkey, Susanne Tilman in a television interviewexpressed her forgiveness. She did not want revenge, she told reporters. “Oh God,forgive them for they know not what they do,” she said, wholeheartedly agreeing with thewords of Christ on Calvary (Luke 23:34).
In a country where blood-for-bloodrevenge is as normal as breathing, many many reports have come to the attention of thechurch of how this comment of Susanne Tilman has changed lives. One columnist wrote ofher comment, “She said in one sentence what 1000 missionaries in 1000 years could neverdo.”
The missionaries in Malatya will most likely move out, as their families andchildren have become publicly identified as targets to the hostile city. The remaining10 believers are in hiding. What will happen to this church, this light in thedarkness? Most likely it will go underground. Pray for wisdom, that Turkish brothersfrom other cities will go to lead the leaderless church. Should we not be concerned forthat great city of Malatya, a city that does not know what it is doing? (Jonah4:11)
When our Pastor Fikret Bocek went with a brother to give a statement to theSecurity Directorate on Monday they were ushered into the Anti-Terror Department. On thewall was a huge chart covering the whole wall listing all the terrorist cells in Izmir,categorized. In one prominent column were listed all the evangelical churches in Izmir. The darkness does not understand the light. “These that have turned the world upsidedown are come hither also.” (Acts 17:6)
Please pray for the Church in Turkey. “Don’t pray against persecution, pray for perseverence,” urges Pastor FikretBocek.
The Church is better having lost our brothers; the fruit in our lives, therenewed faith, the burning desire to spread the gospel to quench more darkness in Malatya…all these are not to be regretted. Pray that we stand strong against externalopposition and especially pray that we stand strong against internal struggles with sin,our true debilitating weakness.
This we know. Christ Jesus was there when ourbrothers were giving their lives for Him. He was there, like He was when Stephen wasbeing stoned in the sight of Saul of Tarsus.
Someday the video of the deaths ofour brothers may reveal more to us about the strength that we know Christ gave them toendure their last cross, about the peace the Spirit of God endowed them with to sufferfor their beloved Savior. But we know He did not leave their side. We know their mindswere full of Scripture strengthening them to endure, as darkness tried to subdue theunsubduable Light of the Gospel. We know, in whatever way they were able, with a look ora word, they encouraged one another to stand strong. We know they knew they would soonbe with Christ.
We don’t know the details. We don’t know the kind of justice thatwill or will not be served on this earth.
But we pray-- and urge you to pray--that someday at least one of those five boys will come to faith because of the testimonyin death of Tilman Geske, who gave his life as a missionary to his beloved Turks, and thetestimonies in death of Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel, the first martyrs for Christ out ofthe Turkish Church.
Reported by Darlene N. Bocek (24 April2007)
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Please please please pass this on to as many praying Christiansas you can, in as many countries as you can. Please always keep the heading as “Fromthe Protestant Church of Smyrna” with this contact information: izmirprotestan@gmail.com//
http://www.izmirprotestan.org
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