Q- Are the riots about trees or something else? A- Protesters are venting pent-up resentment against the Prime Minister. Many secular Turks see him as an authoritarian figure forcing his conservative religious Islamic views on them. He has spoken out against Caesarean births; said women should have at least three children and backed laws to curb the sale of alcohol. Q- Why should other nations care about Turkey? A- Turkey is a largely Muslim nation straddling Europe and Asia, it’s a stable democracy, a key US ally and an important regional influence accommodating tens of thousands of Syrian refugees. Q- Will Turkey see an Arab Spring revolution? A- Turkey holds a presidential election next year in which the current PM will be backed by rural conservative voters (the silent majority) However the daughter of Canadian missionaries in Turkey reported that the 240,000 people protesting against the government are mostly young people looking for change. See http://blog.godreports.com/2013/06/protests-spread-in-turkey-christian-ministry-calls-for-prayer/

Pray: the current situation would bring about a peaceful end to the ‘soft Islamization’ of Turkish society. (Ps.72:14)

More: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/turkey-widespread-protests-19376657#.Ubg-Wpwptr8