_WORLD WATCH______________________________
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Christian on trial
Offense alleged against Islam
Kemal Timur, a Turkish Christian, is facing trial for insulting Islam and Mohammed, according to a report by the Middle East Concern human rights group, which received a request for help from the Alliance of Protestant Churches in Turkey.
Timur, a member of a small Turkish Protestant church, has been charged under the Turkish Criminal Law on Propaganda against Religious Freedom, which stipulates punishment for insulting the books, prophets, or principles of a religion. His trial, originally scheduled for January 30, was postponed to March 27 when the complainants did not turn up in court for a hearing. However, Timur was able to present his defense to the court, stating that he never insulted Islam. When he distributes copies of the New Testament, he said, he never even discusses his Christian faith with people. If people want to talk about the faith, he merely agrees to meet them at another time, he said.
Early last year, Timur was questioned by the police several times, but since his actions were not deemed illegal, no charges were filed. On May 1, he was once again arrested and this time the police brought forward a complainant who made a charge that Timur had insulted Islam and Mohammed. In December, Timur learned that there were three complainants, two of whom he reported that he had never seen.
The charges against Timur are not unprecedented. Last year similar charges were brought against two other Christians, Ercan Sengul and Necati Aydin. Their cases ended with acquittal when the testimony of their accusers was shown to have been arranged in advance by local police officials. Sengul and Aydin are not pursuing their own charges against those police officers for abuse of authority.