A third might be an optimistic figure, but there are definitely crypto-Christians there. Actually one of the main reasons the Armenian community in Istanbul hasn't shrunk to nothing is because a lot of crypto-Christians move there from the countryside and just start practicing since it's a more open, cosmopolitan city (although still a repressive atmosphere, most don't go full Christian until they move to the West). Unfortunately there are also cases of Kurds saying they are persecuted Christians but becoming very much Muslim once they receive Western asylum.This seems to be the case in Turkey, as well. I've heard that as many as 1/3 of Turks are secretly Christians, but outwardly pretend to be non-practicing Muslims or just go through the motions. Only God knows for sure. I do know that Turks will often visit Orthodox Christian churches to seek healing or pray to the Saints for sick relatives.
Furthermore, the Turkish Hamshen (Armenians) are Muslim whereas their relatives, the Russian Hamshen, are Christian and basically just identify as Armenian although they maintain a distinct cultural identity. Interestingly, both minority groups tend to overcompensate to please the preeminent group or culture: the Turkish Hamshen tend to be very Turkish nationalist, and the Russian Hamshen tend to support Russian nationalist or pro-state causes. The editor-in-chief of Russia Today, Margarita Simonyan, is a Russian Hamshen.
When territories were changing hands between the Ottoman, Russian, and Persian empires, Armenians and other Christian ethnic groups would go from outwardly Muslim to Christian and vice versa practically overnight. Georgians especially (Laz, Ajarians, Fereydani Georgians in Iran never reverted to Christianity and remain Shia Muslim to this day), although they've self-styled themselves as very based indeed in Internet circles and don't like talking about it (and especially how the arrival of Russians offered them deliverance from Muslim misrule and the right to actually and properly practice the faith of their fathers).
Last edited: