“The go-ahead given by the authorities to the opening of this Christian bookshop at Adana, a city of two million inhabitants in eastern Turkey, is almost a miracle”. So says Baptist pastor Kaya Essen, who has followed the saga of the initiative ever since 1993. Following the devastating effects of the 1999 earthquake on the economy almost half of businesses had to close and inflation reached its highest level the only solution open to the authorities to regain control of the country, and benefit from financial aid, was to join the European Union. According to Kaya Essen, “the Turkish application for membership depends a good deal on the question of religious freedom”. Hence the go-ahead to the Christian bookshop in Adana which is enjoying some moderate success: according to its managers, it was visitied by over 500 visitors in two months. The Turkish Bible Society is also officially present in Turkey; it runs three bookshops: in Instanbul, Izmir and Adana. M.C.B.
