How a multicultural Turkish city became Muslim

Gaziantep, a city in southeast Turkey, once boasted a diverse population including Jews, Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks, and Yazidis, but is now almost entirely Muslim. The Jewish community, present for over 2,700 years, was forced to leave by 1979 due to persecution and hostility, leading to the closure of the Gaziantep Synagogue. Ishak Ibrahimzadeh, leader of Turkey's Jewish community, stated that Jews faced "harassment and threats from the locals, as well as abductions." The city's transformation is part of a broader Turkish policy of ethnic and religious homogenization, with no formal recognition or reparations for atrocities against non-Muslim communities. The synagogue, restored in 2012, hosted a Chanukah celebration in 2019, bringing back former residents. Gaziantep has also been identified as a hub for Islamic fundamentalism, with its southeastern provinces serving as transit points for foreign terrorists joining ISIS between 2013 and 2015.