Non-Muslims praise law to return properties, await its Implementation

YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN, İSTANBUL 4/9/2011 Non-Muslim groups in Turkey have praised highly the government’s recent move to return properties confiscated from religious minorities since 1936, and look forward to the announcement of regulations as to how the law will be implemented. According to a decree published in the Official Gazette last weekend, property seized from Christian and Jewish religious foundations will be returned to them, and in cases where property belonging to such organizations has been sold by the state to third parties, the religious foundation will be paid the market value of the property by the Ministry of Finance. The decision was announced before an iftar (fast-breaking dinner) on Aug.