Mind your step…
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| n Ancient symbol of hope: a handwritten Armenian Bible from 1093 |
Its beautiful leather-bound wooden cover is worn smooth by nearly 10 centuries of use by generations of Christians who searched its pages for hope during the countless wars and bloody revolutions that have racked the area known today as Turkey.
Religious freedom
In a land central to the history of Christianity,
the BST promotes the Bible cause under difficult circumstances. Even
though Turkey enjoys religious freedom, its population is predominantly
Muslim, which makes it paramount for Christian organisations to tread
cautiously.
“We have a fundamental principle in our work,” explains Mr Bagdas. “When you sell a Bible to a Turkish book dealer, you must be prepared to sell the Koran in your shop in return. It is a sign of respect. We must show respect in order to be respected. Good personal relations are important: you must establish friendship first when you work in this part of the world. Only then it is possible to translate, print and provide Bibles for this land.
Good manners
“Many Western mission organisations
complain about the lack of freedom when working here but fundamentally,
it is all about good manners. You cannot throw Scripture tracts at people
and then disappear.”
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“We
saw a man standing in the rubble of his house weeping,” he recalls.
“Blood was seeping out onto the ground and the man said, ‘My wife
and my children are under the rubble and I cannot get them out.’”
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The Bible Society’s principle of respect for other faiths guided their response to what relief workers called “one of the worst earthquakes of modern times”. The earthquake devastated parts of western Turkey, including the city of Izmit, on August 16, 1999, killing more than 20,000 people and leaving tens of thousands more homeless.
Weeping
The BST moved into action instantly, joining a delegation of Christians who visited the worst-hit areas just days after the earthquake struck. The aim of the visit was to encourage the victims and assess how best to help them. The devastation and human suffering they encountered was unimaginable, according to Mr Bagdas.
“We saw a man standing in the rubble
of his house weeping,” he recalls. “Blood was seeping out
onto the ground and the man said, ‘My wife and my children are
under the rubble and I cannot get them out.’”
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“We
quickly sent doctors to the affected areas. Food to feed 4,000
people three times a day, 1,600 tents, mattresses and blankets
and clothes were also shipped off.”
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Mr Bagdas was asked by the churches to act as Interim Co-ordinator of the Christian Committee for Disaster Relief (CCDR) – a body formed by churches and para-church organisations. Their concern was for the areas where help was most needed: cities and towns, which were not receiving aid.
“First we decided to concentrate on helping the forgotten small villages,” explained Mr Bagdas. “We quickly sent doctors to the affected areas. Food to feed 4,000 people three times a day, 1,600 tents, mattresses and blankets and clothes were also shipped off. Many Christian volunteers joined the effort.”
Relief effort
Asked if it was difficult for non-Christians to receive aid from Christians, Mr Bagdas replied:
“On the contrary. In some areas the main relief effort suddenly stopped due to political reasons, and people came straight to us for help because of our reputation. Naturally we did whatever we could. Many people told us, ‘We wish others were like you – you ask about our needs and listen to us.’
“They even called me ‘Father Bagdas’,” the Executive Secretary said with an embarrassed smile.
The Christian relief effort was closely watched, not only by earthquake victims but also by outside observers.
Helping Muslims
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“The
judge listened to us and said, ‘You have been an example for all
of us to follow. You are honest and good people.’ He then threw
out the case and apologised to us on behalf of the police officers.”
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“A Muslim professor from Izmit University
saw our relief work and telephoned me,” Mr Bagdas said. “He
asked about the Bible Society and wanted to know why we were helping
Muslims. He also said that he wanted to buy some Bibles for the university.
He could afford to pay one US dollar per Bible so we shipped off 300
copies to Izmit University.”
But the Christian relief effort, while appreciated by earthquake victims and others, also drew criticism from other quarters, showing the delicate nature of Bible work in Turkey.
“When our permission to work among earthquake victims was over, the police were not pleased with our efforts, saying that we should have given the aid money we had collected to the government relief effort,” explained Mr Bagdas. “We tried to explain to them that the donors had wanted their money to go to specific projects but they opened a court case against the Christian aid effort, alleging that we had collected money for the earthquake victims.
Volunteers
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| n Ameniel Bagdas, BST Executive Secretary, holds a china clock given to the Bible Society as a gift of thanks from the Muslim community in Konya |
“In court, I told the judge that we had used the US$2 million of aid money to provide food, tents, doctors, clothing and many other things for the victims, and that all the work was done by Christian volunteers, none of whom were paid for their work.
“The judge listened to us and said, ‘You have been an example for all of us to follow. You are honest and good people.’ He then threw out the case and apologised to us on behalf of the police officers.”