Protesters have attacked churches in Istanbul, Turkey’s biggest city, to vent their anger at coronavirus and business lockdown-related job losses, with some blaming Christians and other minorities for the crisis. Satellite television broadcaster SAT-7 (www.sat7usa.org) is using its unique platform to call for calm and show that Christians are not a threat.

ISTANBUL, Turkey (WordNews.org) June 24, 2020 — SAT-7 TURK — the only Christian network broadcasting every day in the Turkish language — is urging local Christians to respond to attacks and persecution by “living out their faith with love and taking the path of peace.”

Christians have been under assault as some angry protesters attack churches and blame Christians for COVID-19.

The ministry said after a recent arson attempt on a church in Istanbul — Turkey’s largest city — the suspect told police that he wanted to burn down the church because, he said, Christians and other minorities “were responsible for COVID-19.”

At another church in the city, protesters tore down the cross — a sign of rising tensions and social unrest in a nation that’s become increasingly hostile to Christianity.

The latest attacks come amid varying reports that the US troop pullback in neighboring northeast Syria last fall created a “vacuum” that allowed Turkish-backed militants to persecute Christians and other minorities, causing thousands to flee from their homes.

“We know first-hand the climate of hatred and its devastating effects on Turkey and on the churches exposed to it,” Turkish presenter Senem Ekener said. “We aim to counter that with lives that reflect Christ.”

Hit with rising unemployment and coronavirus-related financial hardships, some Turks have been looking for a scapegoat to vent their anger — putting Christians and other minorities in the direct line of protests.

“The pandemic has created fear and frustration in Turkey, with Christians sometimes being blamed for the problem,” said Dr. Rex Rogers, president of SAT-7 USA, a Christian network that broadcasts 24/7 in local languages across the Middle East and North Africa, using local presenters.

“The current situation is so fragile… everything we trusted has been taken away,” said co-presenter Volkan Er, referring to mass job losses and uncertainty in the nation of 84 million where less than one percent of the population is Christian.

Even before the pandemic and related business lockdowns, Turkey’s unemployment rate hovered around 13 percent, with many families living on the edge. In recent weeks, reports of domestic violence have increased as desperation sets in.

During the health crisis, SAT-7 has seen interest in its social media channels skyrocket, as anxious Turks look for answers in the Christian faith and the lives of believers.

More viewers have contacted the television channel with questions about Christianity each day in the past few months than any day in the previous five years since Turkish-language broadcasts began. “When we turn to the Bible, we see how God removes all barriers, and we see his call for peace,” said Ekener.