"Turkey Encourages Assyrian Christians to Return under EU PressurePosted: Saturday, January 8 , 2005, 11:25 (GMT)
Last month, the European Union agreed to hold future entry talks with Turkey. As a predominately Muslim country, Turkey is being requested to reinforce religious freedom and human rights as a condition of entering the EU. According to the Associated Press, under the pressure of the EU, Turkey has invited the ancient Turkish Christian community to return to the country.
Dating back to the time of World War I, Assyrian civilians lived in their ancestral homeland in South-East Turkey. Geographically, the region is very close to the ancient 'Nineveh'. According to the Bible, Jonah was sent by God to this city to proclaim the message of God, later all the Ninevites immediately repented and turned to Him. Therefore, Assyrians began adopting Christianity in the first century AD, 600 years before the region was conquered by Arab Muslims."
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