[ April 23, 2024 ]
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American pastor Andrew Brunson, who’s been imprisoned in Turkey on terrorism charges that are obviously bogus, has turned to the White House for help and pleaded, in a letter from jail, for President Donald Trump to use his position of power to secure his freedom.
Brunson, from North Carolina, has been in jail in Turkey since October, when he and his wife were detained for immigration violations. The couple, who’ve lived in Turkey for the last 23 years, were working out of a Christian church in Izmir, on the west coast, when authorities contacted them over questions about their immigration status.
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Authorities let Brunson’s wife, Norine, go free, but put him in jail. And shortly after, Turkish authorities then added the charge of terrorism to his rap sheet.
As the Daily Caller (thanks to Jihad Watch) wrote:
“Brunson has no known ties to terrorist groups, and the Turkish government has not produced any evidence to show that he does. Prosecutors have suggested in court hearings that Brunson is being held on suspicion of being a follower of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric living in self-exile in Pennsylvania.
“Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has labeled Gulen a terrorist and believes he was behind a failed coup attempt in July.
“There has been some speculation that the Turkish government is holding Brunson as a bargaining chip in its effort to force the U.S. government to extradite Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric living in self-exile in Pennsylvania. The Erdogan regime has begged both the Obama and Trump administrations to deport Gulen back to Turkey to face trial.
“In his letter, which was given to U.S. embassy officials during a recent meeting with Brunson, the pastor calls himself a political prisoner and says that the Turkish government should face consequences for jailing him without cause.
“‘Will the Turkish government face no consequence for stubbornly continuing to hold an American citizen as a political prisoner?’ Brunson asks in the letter, which was published by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a non-profit group helping the pastor.
“Since being imprisoned on Oct. 7, the ‘Turkish government has produced no proof and has rebuffed numerous attempts by the American government to secure my return to the United States,’ says Brunson.
“‘In fact they are treating the US government with contempt and paying no price for it.’
“‘I plead with my government — with the Trump Administration — to fight for me. I ask the State Department to impose sanctions. I appeal to President Trump: please help me. Let the Turkish government know that you will not cooperate with them in any way until they release me. Please do not leave me here in prison.’
The American Center for Law and Justice jumped to Brunson’s defense, appealing for the U.S. government to step in and obtain his freedom.
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23 Comments
7 years ago
Pastor and other Left/Liberal Loons found out the hard way , Islam is not peaceful , not tolerant , nor fair. And now wants Trump to save their ass ?
why were they preaching in Islamic state ? Was it not clear Islamic fundamentalists were progressively taking over Turkey and they will be their targets ?
Ignorance is No bliss. These jihadis are so vicious they do not even spare Aid workers who help them http://tinyurl.com/p8rdp7w
And No, its not happening in pakistan/afganistan , its happening in America.
7 years ago
Reply to
Suresh
This Pastor and his wife have served in Turkey for 23 years. They had gone in for what they thought was a routine renewal of their visa. They were not expecting problems. Noreen was also detailed for a short while, but later freed. Both were willing to just be deported. It was time for them to come home. But Andrew Brunson was held, his eyeglasses and personal belongings taken, and he was thrown in an overcrowded prison cell. There is no evidence that he is a Leftist loon. There is no logical reason to think he would support Gulen, who is an Islamist himself. Andrew Brunson and his wife are just being used as political capital, and by a member of NATO. There are American missionaries all over the world serving Christ. Please don’t confuse legitimate missionary work with those faux Christian groups who, for instance, make a fortune resettling “refugees” at the expense of taxpayers.
7 years ago
Turkey is an ally to the U.S. only in name, and at times not even that.
7 years ago
Reply to
R. Arandas
When I was there (1972), there were two kinds of Turks, or Kruts as we called them…the really nice, welcoming european types and the POS muslims that were always pissed off, looking for a fight. Some wore the old muslim clothing and some looked like you would see downtown Los Angeles. Most all wore their shoes with the heels folded in and the heels of their feet exposed..because Ataturk was to come back as a cat and would bite the heel of the next holy ruler of Turkey. Kruts.
7 years ago
Reply to
Craig
Ataturk (spit) initiated the ethnic cleansing of Greeks from Turkey and he used violence to do so (including burning down Greek neighborhoods).
7 years ago
Reply to
R. Arandas
During the Korean War, the Turks slaughtered retreating ROK troops by “accident”. But the last laugh was on the Turks because the PRC and N. Koreans in turn annihilated them.
7 years ago
And now what? Trump supposes to change his immigration policy and general stance on jihad threat just to please Erdogan so he can (maybe!) release this pastor? Nice try, but I don’t think it will (or should) work.
7 years ago
This is shameful. And proof that the war on Christianity is alive and well in Europe and the middle east. Trump should already have a special forces team headed to Turkey to clean their clocks. No f*****g around with them.
7 years ago
Reply to
santashandler
Exactly. Deal harshly with them just like the koran tells them on how to treat Christians…
7 years ago
islam is all lies, to make up more is part of a muslims duty, try to humiliate any who are not muslim, with the assumption that everyone else will think that islam is always right. islam is always garbage.
7 years ago
Give them Gulen then Play war games on their towns…cause the pastor likely ain’t coming to this hometown….war is not if but when….real missionaries usually sign on for life or….. and put it all in Gods Hands…. Yup we should pray for them
7 years ago
The President needs to demonstrate swifter response to cases like this unlike his predecessor, who let pastors languish in Tehran for years.
7 years ago
Reply to
Mark Steiner
Do you get the feeling Trump’s advisors are not the stalwart Americans we hoped them to be?
7 years ago
Reply to
IzlamIsTyranny
I agree, I don’t know why US veterans continue to defend Mattis’ lying a$$.
7 years ago
So…once again, we see someone go to hostile territory (Turks have declared war on Christianity) and he gets arrested and acts like he is amazed the Kruts (what we called them..turk backwards) threw his butt in to jail. I guess stupidity has no borders or age limits.
7 years ago
He’s lucky, a South Korean Christian I knew told me about 8 years ago his pastor and his pastor’s son went to Turkey to preach the gospel and disappeared, never to be seen again. I could never find a news article about it, because the pastor and his son were Korean citizens, not American.
7 years ago
Stay the hell out of Turkey…Obviously he is a follower of Christ doing God’s work but yet living amongst wolves…The Turkish government is not playing fair and are using extortion to get what they want and a pastor is being used as a bargaining chip…what a lousy throw of the dice…This is proof in the pudding that when dealing with Muslims expect the worse always and always play hardball with them no exceptions…
7 years ago
Reply to
spfg
Any missionary knows the risks in going into a Muslim country or anyone else that isn’t Muslim and “just touring or visiting someone” who lives there. Will soon be this way in Europe as a Caliphate is being formed with shiria law being pushed.
7 years ago
Let me get this straight: The muslim government never lies, right? Yeah, right.
7 years ago
I have reservations about Christian pastors and Missionaries that disregard common sense and risk being imprisoned or even death at the hands of Muslims! Then proceed to lobby the U.S. Government to bail them out for their stupidity. My feelings are the same for “Do Gooder” Liberals that visit North Korea and are arrested for various fabricated crimes against that country. To coin a phrase, “stupid is as stupid does.” In fact, I’m for arresting these idiots, for aiding the enemy, because when the Feds step in and rescue, it takes money to get them released. On the other hand, that pastor should be excited that “fate” has given him the opportunity to “convert” the Muslims prisoners into Christians.
D
7 years ago
It is time for folks to stay out of those areas until “they” sort it out. Unfortunately, Europe is becoming one of “those” areas. Sadly, parts of America are headed that way. Too many leaders are “historically challenged”.
