Turkish Turmoil
Turkey’s largest protests in a decade are entering their seventh day.
Last Wednesday, popular Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and dozens of municipal officials were arrested on charges of corruption and supporting terrorism. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in Istanbul and elsewhere, accusing the government of using the courts to sideline political opponents of President Erdogan, who’s been in power 22 years.
Imamoglu denies the charges, calling them politically motivated. While he awaits trial in jail, the CHP (Turkey’s main opposition party) formally named him as their candidate for the 2028 presidential election.
Since last Wednesday, police have arrested over 1,100 people, dispersing crowds with water cannons and tear gas. The CHP called for protests to end yesterday, but younger generations are expected to continue the anti-corruption movement.
ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Christians live as strangers and exiles in our home countries, whether that temporary home is peaceful, disorderly, or somewhere in between. Seek the good of the land you’re passing through while eagerly anticipating the advent of your permanent home.
“This is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles I deported from Jerusalem to Babylon: ‘Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce.… Pursue the well-being of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive.’”
Jeremiah 29:4-7 (CSB) (read full passage)