Turkey Expels Hundreds of Christians on False "National Security" Claims

Michael Ringer

16 Oct 2025 — 2 min read

Constantinople calls Christians "terrorists"

Turkey - The Turkish government has expelled over 200 foreign Christian workers from the country since 2020, citing "national security" grounds, according to legal advocacy group ADF International. The expulsions have impacted approximately 350 people total, including families.

Between December 2024 and January 2025 alone, 35 new exclusion codes were issued against foreign Christians in just two months. Many of those expelled are ordained ministers, leaving Protestant congregations without spiritual leadership. The bans block individuals from re-entering the country.

ADF International is currently involved in more than 30 legal cases of Christians challenging their expulsion in both Turkish courts and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Lidia Rieder, Legal Officer for ADF International, stated, "Türkiye's labelling of peaceful Christian residents as 'security threats' is a clear misuse of law and an attack on freedom of religion or belief. When governments manipulate administrative or immigration systems to exclude people based solely on their faith, it undermines both the rule of law and the very principles of tolerance and peaceful coexistence."

One prominent case before the ECHR is Wiest v. Türkiye. The plaintiff, an American citizen, has lived in Turkey legally for over three decades. He claims to have been banned from re-entering the country despite no evidence of wrongdoing.

ADF International noted that Turkish authorities have implemented additional measures apparently aimed at suppressing Christianity. Christian theological training is severely restricted, with Protestant seminaries unable to obtain legal status and Bible education forbidden. Church congregations frequently face restrictions when attempting to use buildings for worship.

Turkey has historically experienced violent acts from left-wing groups and Kurdish nationalists. However, there is not a single recorded incident of terrorism involving either domestic or foreign Christians in the country.

THE CRUSADERS OPINION

Turkey labels peaceful Christians as "national security threats" while the evidence screams the opposite. Since 2001, there have been over 40,000 Islamic terrorist attacks worldwide.

Christian terror attacks? Zero. Not a single one.

Yet Turkey expels ministers who've lived there peacefully for decades while actual threats go unaddressed.

This is persecution dressed up as policy. Christians pose no security risk; they build hospitals, feed the poor, and preach peace. The real threat is to Islamic supremacy, which cannot tolerate the Gospel's light.

Turkey's actions expose the lie that Islam tolerates religious freedom.

These expulsions are religious cleansing, pure and simple.

The West must condemn this injustice loudly and impose consequences, or admit we've abandoned our Christian brothers to appease Islamic tyranny.