Sunday, February 05, 2006

Cartoon fracas: Related?

Something that might happen in, oh, Indonesia, or Pakistan, but Turkey? This is the best story I've seen on this incident so far, it's still a developing story.

Roman Catholic priest shot dead in Turkey

ANKARA (AFP) - A Roman Catholic priest was shot dead in the courtyard of a church in Turkey, with fears the murder could be linked to the Muslim uproar over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed published in Europe.

Italian priest Andrea Santoro, 59, was shot twice in the entrance of the Santa Maria Catholic Church in the northern city of Trabzon after Sunday mass, with the Vatican ambassador to Turkey saying the gunman shouted "God is great" as he fired his pistol.

. . . Missionary activities are generally met with suspicion in Turkey, but attacks on religious personalities are virtually unheard of.

The Santa Maria Church in Trabzon, a port city on the Black Sea coast, was built in the second half of the 19th century on the orders of an Ottoman sultan to serve foreign visitors, according to the city's official website.

Turkish authorities are not amused. Hey, this ain't Syria, buddy.

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