Turkey has a democratic government and a strong tradition of secularism . Nevertheless , the Turkish state 's interpretation of secularism has reportedly resulted in religious freedom violations for some of its non-Muslim citizens . The 2009 U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom report placed Turkey on its watchlist with countries such as Afghanistan , Cuba , the Russian Federation , and Venezuela . Nevertheless , according to this report , the situation for Jews in Turkey is better than in other majority Muslim countries . Jews report being able to worship freely and their places of worship having the protection of the government when required . Jews also operate their own schools , hospitals , two elderly homes , welfare institutions , as well as a newspaper . Despite this , concerns have arisen in recent years because of attacks by extremists on synagogues in 2003 , as well as growing anti-Semitism in some sectors of the Turkish media and society
attacks by extremists on synagogues in 2003
2003 Istanbul bombings
Religion in Turkey