Istanbul Pastor Serkek attacked on Easter day

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

As Turkey’s Christian community celebrated Easter over the weekend, a Presbyterian pastor from Istanbul’s Bahçelievler Church was attacked by unknown assailants.

Semir Serkek, the pastor, was said to have been attacked by a group of young men who were shouting an Islamic prayer, weekly Agos reported on April 7.

The head of the Protestant Churches Union, Umut Şahin, announced the incident on his Twitter account yesterday. “Four young men who were reciting Islamic verses apparently told the pastor to convert to Islam, saying that if he didn’t accept, he would die. Then they beat him; he was kicked in his chest,” Şahin wrote. “I condemn the mentality that has turned our ceremonial day into a disaster. Thank God, his health is fine.”

Şahin also wrote that two of the attackers’ faces were visible, which he hopes will make it easier to find the assailants. “We hope that [the police] will catch them soon.”