Stormig

Basement vegetables.

Ever heard of Hitler and/or Gandhi, uneducated buffoon? But, of course, anyone with a gun in his hand after getting his vengeance "compares" with the rank of stars! You are just like an ordinary Turk - if someone says something that diverges from your "mores" you see the other as "defending an enemy," much in the same way they defamed and demonised Dink for his well-thought-out words, despite his well-thought-out words! Great job! You prove Dink's point with his reference to "contaminated blood" all too well!

Like it or not, Hitler was as human as Gandhi.

Peter Balakian on Dink's murder - do also read the others mid-page: http://www.opendemocracy.net/democracy-tur...nation_4291.jsp Hrant Dink’s assassination and genocide’s legacy Peter Balakian 29 - 1 - 2007 The killing in Istanbul of the Armenian-Turkish journalist highlights the need for Turkey to confront the 1915 genocide of the Armenians, says Peter Balakian. The assassination of Hrant Dink in front of his newspaper office in Istanbul on 19 January 2007 is an irreparable loss. One of a group of brave Turkish intellectuals, Dink gave his life for intellectual freedom and democracy in Turkey. He was the editor of the bilingual Armenian weekly Agos, and he spoke and wrote about human-rights issues and various taboo subjects in Turkey. He was a strong advocate of the abolition of Article 301 of Turkey's penal code, which made "insulting Turkishness" a crime punishable by imprisonment. In speaking openly about the Armenian genocide of 1915 he had been charged with a violation of this article. In the face of repression, Dink stood tall with courage and integrity. He lived with constant death threats, which he described as "psychological torture", yet he carried on his work with grace and fortitude. Everyone who knew Hrank Dink spoke of him as a warm, humane, gentle man whose goal was to bring peace and reconciliation between Armenian and Turkish societies (see his openDemocracy article "The water finds its crack: an Armenian in Turkey", 13 December 2005). Peter Balakian is the Donald M and Constance H Rebar Professor of the Humanities at Colgate University. His book The Burning Tigris: the Armenian Genocide and America's Response (Harper Collins, 2003) was awarded the Raphael Lemkin Prize in 2005 The flame and the candle Dink's murder resonates around the world and is an emblem of the struggle for freedom of speech and thought in the face of government-sanctioned violence and repression everywhere. But Dink's assassination also cuts to the heart of Turkey's struggle to meet the standards for European Union admission. At the centre of Turkey's problems remain its repressive treatment of minorities today and its refusal to acknowledge past crimes - most notably its state-sponsored denial of the Armenian genocide, something the international community has been urging Turkey to acknowledge. In the 1990s, according to PEN International and Human Rights Watch, Turkey had more writers and journalists in legal detention than any country in the world. Though the situation has improved slightly since then, in the past decade eighteen journalists have been killed in Turkey; in the past six years, 241 books have been banned, and in 2006 seventy-seven journalists had to face the courts. For Armenians and Turks, Dink's murder bears a particular significance. Turkey's modern history of violence against intellectuals began when 250 Armenian writers, journalists, clergy, and teachers were arrested in Istanbul (then Constantinople) on 24 April 1915 and transported to prisons in the interior, where almost all of them were murdered. Now that Hrant Dink has joined the legacy of those intellectuals of 1915, his own legacy has become profoundly important. Turkey's two faces However, in the aftermath of the assassination, two dramatically opposed voices are being heard in Turkey. The 120,000 people who crowded the streets outside of Dink's funeral expressing solidarity, chanting "We are all Hrant Dink", "We are all Armenian", represent an opposition to Turkey's violent nationalism that is associated with the deep state and its military infrastructure; they represent the hope for democracy, civil rights, and ethnic tolerance. On the other side are voices of extreme Turkish nationalism, including from within the state, which blame Dink's death on calls from the international community (for which they hold the Armenian diaspora responsible) for recognition of the Armenian genocide. The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet now reports that Ankara wants to "slug it out" on the issue of the Armenian genocide and will pursue legal means (whatever folly this may be) to deny the Armenian genocide in the international courts. The ultra-nationalist groups are making death threats at other "enemies of the state" like Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk; making violent statements to the Armenian community ("if you claim to have endured a genocide in 1915, then you don't know what a genocide is. A real genocide will begin now"); and threatening that they will blow up the building in which Agos is housed. This is doubly tragic. To claim that the Armenian genocide is the problem is tantamount to blaming the victims, but it also embodies the paranoia of nationalists who seek to find scapegoats outside their country rather than looking inward to see the need for reform. At the heart of the matter is Turkey's urgent need to repeal Article 301, a law that enables the ultra-nationalists and others to bring intellectuals and writers to trial; the law is also a powerful means of fomenting a culture of repression and race-hatred. Lip-service is not enough if Turkey is to show where it stands on minority rights and intellectual freedom. Turkey's prospects of joining the European Union are contingent upon a new age of intellectual freedom and democracy, and progressive forces in Turkey need to be allowed to evolve in an atmosphere of tolerance. It seems clear from Hrant Dink's murder, and the numerous trials brought forth by extremists, that ultra-nationalists in Turkey are working hard to undermine the government and Turkey's hope for the EU. But the tens of thousands of citizens protesting Dink's murder embody an affirmation of Dink's life's work, and it is up to prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government to embrace this legacy. That means bringing the perpetrators and their aides to justice properly, and showing the extremists that terrorism will not be allowed to undermine Turkey's movement toward democracy. The truth of the past As for the issue of the Armenian genocide, Ankara would be wise if it came to understand the work of Raphael Lemkin, the Polish-Jewish legal scholar and holocaust exile who invented the concept of genocide. Then the government could find a way to come to accept the historical record that has accrued over the past fifty years. In an open letter from the International Association of Genocide Scholars to Erdogan in June 2006, the world's major organisation of genocide scholars reminded the Turkish premier that the scholarly record on the Armenian genocide is unambiguous, and that Turkey's calls for an international body to examine the events that befell the Armenians is a political ploy aimed at trying to undermine the definitive historical record. Raphael Lemkin was the first person to use the word genocide in conjunction with what happened to the Armenians in 1915. The many books on genocide in the English language - every one of which has a segment on the Armenian genocide - might also be the place for Ankara to begin educating itself. Blaming the victims with a variety of stock clichés supported by a few denialist scholars will have no more success than Nazi holocaust-denial with its small cadre of denialist scholars. The German Bundestag in June 2005, with its own country's history deeply in mind, urged Turkey to come to terms with the Armenian genocide: "facing one's own history fairly and squarely is necessary and constitutes an important basis for reconciliation." Turkey can only go forward to its longed-for future in the European Union by allowing mechanisms for critical self-evaluation to become part of its cultural life. That way, the Armenian genocide will no longer be taboo, and Turkey's best and brightest - like Hrant Dink - will not become victims of repression and race-hatred. Moreover, as much as anything, it is crucial for Agos, that small, bilingual Armenian newspaper in Istanbul, to be kept alive by the good forces in Turkish society; for Agos embodies Turkey's hope for a new age, and it is a living symbol of the need for openness and dialogue between Armenians and Turks at this historic juncture.

Killing this ***** or that is an act of vengeance - not an "act of justice"! Same for Tehlirian killing Talaat. They might have been excused at the time, just as the mass-murderers were allowed to walk about as they liked in Europe - and in fact there is a cause and result reasoning there - but this sort of thing is not acceptable today, any more than someone should kill Hitler (took his own life), Pinochet, Saddam, Bizimungu, Milosevic (already dead), Sharon (also dead), or Bush, or capture them and subject them to inhumane treatment such as torture so that to supposedly "make them pay" and get away with it. This does not mean that when left without solution I wouldn't turn to seeking resolution and closure - NOT "JUSTICE" - with my own hands - but all murder, whether in the name of the state or justice, is deplorable. And, yes, in the above scenario I would be well aware of what I was doing. And, yes, deep down inside I do feel "good" that Talaat, the master-mind of all this, got an "inkling" of what it was like. However, it is not something I can freely condone or glorify, ever. Do not confuse your ebbing feelings with "justice"... The moment you let sentiments in the scene, you are making "justice" susceptible to such dumb twists as the Article 301 which is behind the murder of Dink. The moment you let individuals act "justice," well... Otherwise Dink was also judged by "justice"... It was, after all, written in the law. Raze me all you like - I stand and will stand by what I say. Journalist or mass-murderer, all murder is equal. It might not be the same, but it is equal.

Sounds like the sort of reaction you'd get from Turkish authorities who'd shoot any Greek Cypriot for trying to take a flag off a pole on the Green Line... What's next? Criminalisation of possession of maps showing present-day Republic of Armenia as part of the Persian Empire or USSR or claiming that the Bagratounis were Georgian (or was it Jewish?)...? "No such thing..." Turkey even has a law about the flag.

Must be the latest form of the Nigerian letter scam. I don't like to promote generalisations, but a Ghanaian friend of mine said that Nigerians were known to be notorious, pathological liars. I don't know what Nigerians say about Ghanaians, though. I'm sorry, I couldn't read it after I read the last paragraph.

I think you make the issue too contrasted, too black-or-white with respect to the topic of Armenian genocide recognition. There are many Turks/Turkish citizens who for one reasoning or the other do not want the issue handled the way it is. Some believe the Armenian genocide is a lie - and this for a number of reasons - others, a minority, believe it is wrong for other bodies to handle the topic when it should be resolved in-house. Dink was of the latter camp, whether he believed it for real or thought it to be the most practical, realistic, what have you, route, though I don't think you'd find him protesting either the French parliament or Time on the streets. Still, nothing undoes the other.

Since when is considering or glorifying any murder as an act of justice not reserved to the demented, especially at an age when groups purport the abolition of the hatchet job because it is murder in the name of the state and in the name of justice? For practical purposes, you belong with the same "nation" as Ogun Samast, Arshavir Shiragian, and any charlatan and politician, be he Turkish or Armenian or whatever the hell, who continues to kill Hrant Dink again and again and yet again. Dink must be turning around in his grave, having his name picked up by the likes of you! Phooey!

This is like 10 days old. It is currently under official investigation. Why the lag in news carriage? And buck up - I don't think all Americans keep Iraqis to abuse.

Two weeks to the day... The Tuesday that the funeral ceremony was, I watched the whole thing live. The ceremony in front of the Agos premises, in the church, and the burial... It was heart-wrenching to hear his wife Rakel give her speech. Even Mutafyan at one point had a hard time containing himself as he started the prayer part of his speech. I don't believe in miracles, or marvels, but I was amazed with how one of the pigeons they had freed while the crowds waited for the clock to strike 11:00 ended up landing on the funerary carriage - and it stayed there for minutes on end despite the pressing presence of so many people. Cameras looked at it, turned elsewhere, came back to the pigeon, noted, "It's still there" and made some comments about how he had spoken of himself as a pigeon... Then at one point it had flown away, was gone. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was so meaningful, for loss of a better description, so touching, and I still haven't lost that feeling. Strange how no write-up has commented on it, how no photos are available. It was impossible not to notice. It just stayed there and looked "ahead," aligned with the vehicle's direction of advance. I hadn't been as moved before with a ceremony of a public figure.

One has to be pretty daft to think that saying "We are Armenians" at a funeral equates to saying "Dirty State, recognise the genocide!" or even "I wanna be an Armenian!"... Some might acknowledge the genocide, others not. I see no contradiction in the situation. Whatever the case, bear in mind that there can be as many opinions as people - even in Israel.

Oh yes, her too...

http://hyeforum.com/index.php?s=&showt...st&p=185915

http://www.thenewanatolian.com/tna-22082.html Political scientist Oran: We already see 301's effects in atmosphere praising violence The New Anatolian / Ankara 30 January 2007 Font Size: default medium large A controversial academic, apparently out of favor with state institutions since he advocated further rights for non-Muslim minorities in a state-ordered report, yesterday said no good can come from Turkish Penal Code (TCK) Article 301. "The article should be completely annulled because the problem isn't the article itself but its implementation," said Ankara University political scientist Baskin Oran, using the words of those defending the article, but reaching an opposite conclusion. Apart from several politicians arguing that the article sets up a wall against insults aimed at the Turkish state and its institutions, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek laid the blame on the judiciary, saying that judges should adopt new insights into the article's interpretation and implementation. Cicek on Sunday also responded to accusations that the government lacks the will to change the article, but is mentioning it to satisfy the European Union, which has been pushing Turkey to annul or at least change the article to achieve a fair and transparent penal code. Cicek said that the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party government has made changes to the article twice and added that if another change is necessary the government will not shrink from its responsibility. He also reiterated his view that several EU member countries also have similar articles. "Society has split in three over the article," said Cicek, adding, "One group says the article should be annulled altogether, one says it should be kept with a couple of changes, and the other even goes as far as saying that the penalties should be increased." He said he received 12 advisory offers for change so far, adding that the government has no bias on the change. However Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at a press conference prior to his departure for Sudan on Sunday, said that there is no way that the article can be annulled, but that the government is open to any suggestions for change. "I call upon the academics who want to see the article annulled to reconsider their views, their suggestions are not viable. There are several countries with articles similar to our 301," said Erdogan. He also criticized civil groups for the current wide disagreements between them. "I personally held meetings with several civil groups over the article but I saw that they even cannot come to terms with each other," the premier said. Baskin applies to prosecutor over threats Oran, after applying to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding a threatening letter, said that he has been receiving such letters since his report about minority groups' rights, which sparked tense debates. "There's no need to wait to see the implementation of the article under such an atmosphere praising violence. We are experiencing its practices on a daily basis," Oran added. He also stood trial on charges of spreading discriminatory propaganda and provoking hatred along with another academic, but the charges were dropped. Oran, accompanied by officials and members of several human rights groups, told reporters that he applied to the prosecutor's office late in 2004 over two threats but his complaint was dropped. He also handed out copies of letters he was sent. He said that he asked Public Prosecutor Hasan Dursun to prosecute the senders of the letters and emails but added that the prosecutor had asked if he could reach a compromise with those threatening him. Oran is the third public figure to apply to the prosecutor over threats or make public threatening messages after Armenian-origin Turkish journalist Hrant Dink was killed. Dink was gunned down by a teenager who reportedly wanted to punish the journalist for his views. Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel Prize-winning Turkish author, said he has also been receiving threats. He was given state protection after Dink's murder. Both stood trial under Article 301 on charges of "insulting Turkishness."

In addition to Aishwarya Rai, Kate Natua... And not necessarily the hard-body acts in Transporter II.

That is the daftest thing I've read in a while.

I have likewise asked similar questions at times. It had also struck me odd how demonstrators were burning huge banners of Elif Safak as she left the court-house. You can see they're the types that can't afford underwear, yet they were burning banners of good quality print.

Those few not so outspoken but with potential will only grow bolder, for it is evident that Dink touched hearts and it is not an altogether lost cause.

Translation of above: Dear mournful congregation and dear friends, Today under the historical roof of the Sourp Asdvadzadzin Church of the Patriarchate we gather to bid a beloved son of our community, editor-in-chief of Agos, the late Hrant Dink, victim of a damned assassination, farewell. Today ends the life the deceased came to in Malatya. Through the difficulties and trials he lived through, Hrant Dink became a character of courage, tender heart, and boldness. Thus, he became a fighter and standard-bearer for justice, conscience, and human rights. No matter what the costs, he spoke up for what he believed in and thought, and he did what he thought had to be done. Hrant was as tied to his country as he was to his ethnic background. He was able to love his place of birth, his country, and the people of the country without rejecting the values of his roots. His bold moves were a reflection of his Anatolian character of honesty and love that discriminated against neither religious background, race, nor ethnicity. Hrant thus followed God’s commandment: “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). At the same time he also followed the Lord’s commandment: “Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:21). Hrant took advantage of both relations to do away with the prejudices instilled in people. He was an ardent defender of democracy and saw it as a precondition for an ideal society. During the visit I paid his spouse to offer my condolences I was pleased to learn that Hrant had accepted the Christ Jesus as Saviour and Lord. For us Christians, this is the road to salvation. “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Dear believers, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Moreover Jesus Christ also said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). However few people get to live this full life, because mankind distances itself from God because of their many sins. St. Paul the Apostle says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). He also says, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Dear congregation, God has shown his love for us through Jesus Christ, because the Lord Jesus Christ died for us when we were yet engulfed in our sins. “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). Our Lord Jesus Christ once said to the St. Thomas the Apostle, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). For this reason we Christians believe that we have to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. We must accept Christ, because “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13). We can accept Christ only through faith. In the epistle to the Ephesians, it is said, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Lord Jesus Christ stands at the door to our hearts and calls, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). At the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). All condolences received on occasion of his death revolved around the same idea: that he worked for love of justice and hoped with all his heart to taste the fruits of justice, for “Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:18). Most people who have known Hrant only as a journalist are not aware of what he did for orphans and those works of his which were a token of his philanthropic character. Hrant as a child was deprived of the happiness that most children have. He sought solace later in serving children. He loved them. He cared for them as he did for his own children. He shared their joys and thus the pains of his childhood were comforted. Hrant was an Armenian of Turkish citizenship and throughout his life worked as such. As such I wish to address you this question: how acceptable is it from the point of view of universal ethics to engage in politics over the coffin of the slain after such murders? The pain belongs to us all. So does the loss. Condolence means sharing the pain, taking it away. Thus, when condemning the assassination, certain uncalled-for proclamations against our country only open new wounds. These types of behaviour run contrary to the late Hrant’s approach. We avail ourselves of this opportunity to thank President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and all high officials, all offices, and our well-intented compatriots for the support and concerns they have shown the deceased’s family and community on this mournful day. The sensitivity displayed and the fact that the perpetrator has been caught so soon are pleasing. However they are by no means enough. It is of paramount importance that the real agitators be identified to maintain peace in our country. As a Christian cleric and a human I once again curse those who assault the holiest of rights, that is, the right to life. As people who respect and cherish freedom of expression, we cannot accept the judgement and punishment, much less the slaughter, of anyone for their ideas. We maintain our belief that that our state and the Turkish people must accept Armenians as Turkish citizens whose roots on this land go back thousands of years and that we are not foreigners or potential enemies and that we must begin from school books and schools to change the implementations, approaches, and mentality that causes us to be perceived as enemies to eradicate with speed the enmity toward Armenians. Among the issues Hrant struggled for, the development of a Turkish-Armenian dialogue took the lead. He struggled hard for this and bore the reactions against his struggle with courage. How mystical it is, indeed, that his funeral ceremony has become a means through which to bring together officials of Turkey and Armenia. We know that were this to bring forth a real dialogue, we all would be much happier. Thus we pray: may God preserve the well-being of our country, strengthen the feelings of brotherhood between our citizens, bestow peace upon earth, and spread the seeds of love among human beings. May evil recede, hopelessness disappear, and God’s holy will prevail. May the Holy Spirit of God Almighty remove the hearts of stone among those of us and give us a heart of flesh. Thus we will move to follow his decrees and be careful to keep his laws (Ezekiel 36:26-27). The deceased was remembered in Armenian churches the world over following Sourp Badarak last Sunday. This occasion became an opportunity for us to thank the representatives of the Republics of Turkey and of Armenia and the representatives of the forthcoming countries, as well as Archbishop of the Armenian Church of America Khajag Barsamian as representative of His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II, and Father Shahe Panossian as representative of the Catholicos of Cilicia, His Holiness Aram I. We also extend our gratitude to Archbishop Dirayr Mardikian, Primate of the Armenian Dioceses of Romania and Bulgaria, and Archbishop Karekin Bekchian Karekin Bekdjian, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Germany. May the merciful and forgiving God accept Hrant’s soul. May the Day of Judgement show mercy on him, forgive his sins, and deem him worthy of a heavenly crown. May he rest in peace. Once again I offer my condolences to his beloved wife Rakel, his children, all members of the community, all members of the press, and all citizens and wish for the consolation of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Mutafyan's speech in Turkish, same source: Sevgili ve Yaslı cemaatim, Sevgili Dostlarımız, Bugün Surp Asdvadzadzin (Meryem Ana) Patriklik Merkez Kilisesinin tarihi çatısı altında melun bir suikaste kurban giden cemaatimizin değerli bir evladını, Agos Gazetesi genel yayın yönetmeni müteveffa Hrant Dink’i ebediyete uğurlamak üzere toplanmış bulunuyoruz. Merhumun Malatya’da başlayan yaşam çizgisi bugün son noktasına ulaşıyor. Zorluk ve mücadelelerle geçen yaşamı, Hrant Dink’te cesur, duygusal ve gözüpek bir karakter yarattı. Böylece o, adalet, vicdan özgürlüğü ve insan hakları savunucusu ve sancaktarı oldu. Bedeli ne olursa olsun inandığını, düşündüğünü söyler, bir şeyi yapması gerektiğini düşünüyorsa, yapardı. Hrant, etnik kökenine olduğu kadar, vatanına da bağlıydı. Doğduğu yeri, büyüdüğü ülkeyi, yaşadığı ülkenin insanlarını kendi ait olduğu köklerin değerlerini reddetmeden sevebildi. Cesur çıkışları, onun din, ırk, köken farkı gözetmeyen insan sevgisiyle dolu, dürüst Anadolu insanı karakterinin dışavurumuydu. Hrant, bu duruşuyla Allah’ın emrini uygulamaktaydı: “Öç almayacaksın. Halkından birine kin beslemeyeceksin. Komşunu kendin gibi seveceksin.” (Levililer 19:18). Aynı zamanda Resulün emrini de yerine getiriyordu: “Allah’ı seven kardeşini de sevsin” (I. Yuhanna 4:21). Hrant, her iki aidiyetini de insanlar arasında sürmekte olan olumsuz önyargıları kaldırmak için kullandı. Demokrasinin ateşli bir savunucusu oldu ve onu ideal toplumun önşartı olarak kabul etti. Merhumun eşine yaptığım taziye ziyareti esnasında Hrant’ın, Mesih İsa Efendimiz’i Kurtarıcısı ve Rabb’i olarak kabul ettiğini memnuniyetle öğrendim. Biz Hıristiyanlar için kurtuluş işte budur. “İsa'nın Rab olduğunu ağzınla açıkça söyler ve Allah’ın O'nu ölümden dirilttiğine yürekten iman edersen, kurtulacaksın.“ (Romalılar 10:9). Sevgili inananlar, “Allah dünyayı o kadar çok sevdi ki, biricik Oğlu'nu verdi. Öyle ki, O'na iman edenlerin hiçbiri mahvolmasın, hepsi sonsuz yaşama kavuşsun.” (Yuhanna 3:16). Ayrıca İsa Mesih Efendimiz şöyle diyordu: “İnsanlar yaşama, bol yaşama sahip olsunlar diye geldim.” (Yuhanna 10:10). Ancak maalesef bir çok insan bu “bol yaşama” kavuşamıyorlar, çünkü insanlık, günahlarının çokluğundan dolayı Allah’tan uzak kalıyor. Aziz Havari Pavlus şöyle yazıyor: “Çünkü herkes günah işledi ve Allah’ın yüceliğinden yoksun kaldı.” (Romalılar 3:23). Ayrıca “günahın ücreti ölüm“dür der (Romalılar 6:23). Sevgili Cemaatim, Allah bize sevgisini İsa Mesih Efendimiz aracılığıyla gösterdi. Çünkü biz daha günahlarımız içindeyken Rab İsa Mesih bizler için öldü. “Kutsal Yazılar uyarınca Mesih günahlarımıza karşılık öldü, gömüldü ve Kutsal Yazılar uyarınca üçüncü gün ölümden dirildi. Daha sonra Petrus’a, sonra Oniki Havariler’e göründü. Daha sonra da beş yüzden çok kardeşe aynı anda göründü.” (I. Korintoslular 15: 3-6). İsa Mesih Efendimiz bir keresinde Aziz Havari Tovmas’a şöyle demişti: “Yol, gerçek ve yaşam Ben'im. Benim aracılığım olmadan Göklerdeki Peder’e kimse gelemez.” (Yuhanna 14:6). Bu nedenle biz Hıristiyanlar İsa Mesih’i şahsen Rabbimiz ve Kurtarıcımız olarak kabul etmek gerektiğine inanıyoruz. Mesih’i kabul etmemiz gerekiyor, çünkü “kendisini kabul edip adına iman edenlerin hepsine Allah’ın çocukları olma hakkını verdi. Onlar ne kandan, ne beden ne de insan isteğinden doğdular; tersine, Allah’tan doğdular.” (Yuhanna 1:12-13). Mesih’i ancak imanla kabul edebiliriz. Efeslilere yazılan mektupta ise şöyle denilmektedir: “İman yoluyla, lütufla kurtuldunuz. Bu sizin başarınız değil, Allah’ın armağanıdır. Kimsenin övünmemesi için iyi işlerin ödülü değildir.” (Efesliler 2: 8-9). Rab İsa Mesih yüreklerimizin kapısında duruyor ve sesleniyor “İşte kapıda durmuş, kapıyı çalıyorum. Biri sesimi işitir ve kapıyı açarsa, onun yanına gireceğim; ben onunla, o da benimle, birlikte yemek yiyeceğiz.” (Esinlenme 3:20). İsa Mesih dağdaki vaazında “Ne mutlu doğruluğa acıkıp susayanlara! Çünkü onlar doyurulacaklar” dedi (Matta 5:6). Merhum Hrant’ın vefatı vesilesiyle gelen tüm taziyeler hep aynı fikir etrafında şekilleniyordu; o adalet aşkıyla çalıştı ve tüm yüreğiyle adaletin meyvelerini tatmayı diledi. Çünkü “Barış içinde eken barış yapıcıları doğruluk ürününü biçerler.” (Yakup 3:18). Hrant’ı sadece gazeteci olarak tanıyanların büyük bir çoğunluğu kimsesiz çocuklar için yaptığı ve onun insansever kişiliğinin bir belirtisi olan çalışmalardan habersizdirler. Hrant, çocukluğunda bir çok çocuğun sahip olduğu mutluluktan mahrum kaldı. Teselliyi ise daha sonra çocuklara hizmet etmekte buldu. Çocukları sevdi. Kendi çocukları gibi onlara özen gösterdi. Çocukların sevincine ortak oldu ve çocukluğundaki acı anılara böylelikle teselli buldu. Hrant, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti vatandaşı bir Ermeni’ydi ve tüm yaşamı boyunca böyle çalıştı. Bu vesileyle şu soruyu sormak istiyorum; bu gibi suikastlerden sonra maktulün kefeni üzerinden siyaset yapmak evrensel ahlak kurallarına ne kadar sığar? Acı hepimizindir. Kayıp hepimizindir. Taziye acıyı paylaşmak, acıyı hafifletmek demektir. Bu nedenle olayı kınarken ülkemiz aleyhine yapılan olumsuz açıklamalar yüreklerde yeni yaralar açmaktadır. Bu tür davranışlar merhum Hrant’ın yaklaşımına tamamen aykırı düşmektedir. Bu vesileyle Cumhurbaşkanı Sayın Ahmet Necdet Sezer başkanlığındaki tüm devlet erkanına, tüm resmi kurum ve kuruluşlara ve iyi niyetli tüm yurttaşlarımıza bu acılı günlerde merhumun ailesine ve cemaatimize gösterdikleri destekten ve yakın ilgiden dolayı teşekkür ediyoruz. Olağanüstü duyarlılık sergilenmesi, ve en kısa zamanda failin yakalanması ise memnuniyet vericidir. Ancak kesinlikle yeterli değerlidir. Gerçek azmettiricilerin belirlenmesi ülkemizin barış ve huzur ortamı açısından zorunludur. Bir Hristiyan din görevlisi ve bir insan olarak her zaman ve her şartta en kutsal hak olan yaşama hakkına saldıranları bir kez daha lanetliyorum. Fikir ve düşünce özgürlüğüne saygılı ve değer veren insanlar olarak, bazı insanlarımızın fikirlerini paylaşmasak bile, hiç kimsenin fikirlerinden dolayı bırakın katledilmesini, yargılanmasını ve ceza almasını bile kabul etmemeliyiz. Devletimizin ve Türk halkının, Ermenilerin, binlerce yıldır bu topraklarda yaşayan T.C. vatandaşları olduğuna, yabancı ve potansiyel düşman olmadığımızı kabul edeceklerine, bizlerin düşman olarak algılanmamıza neden olan uygulama, tutum ve zihniyeti değiştirmek için okul kitaplarından ve okullarımızdan başlayarak toplumdaki bu Ermeni düşmanlığını yok etmeye yönelik çalışmaların ivedilikle ele alınacağına dair inancımızı hala koruyoruz. Hrant’ın mücadele ettiği konuların başında Türk - Ermeni diyaloğunun gelişmesi vardı. Bu konuda önemli mücadeleler verdi ve bu mücadelesi karşısında oluşan tepkileri cesurca göğüsledi. Ne mistik bir olgudur ki, kendi cenaze merasimi, Türkiye ve Ermenistan yetkililerinin bir araya gelmesi için bir vesile oldu. Biliyoruz ki bu vesilenin gerçek bir diyaloğa dönüşmesi hepimiz gibi onu da mutlu ederdi. Duamız şudur; Allah ülkemizin esenliğini korusun, vatandaşlarımızın kardeşlik sevgisini güçlendirsin, dünyaya barış bahşetsin ve insanların yüreğine sevgi tohumları eksin. Kötülük uzaklaşsın, ümitsizlik yok olsun ve Allah’ın kutsal iradesi her yerde hakim olsun. Her şeye Kadir Allah’ın Kutsal Ruh’u içimizdeki taştan yürekleri çıkarsın, bize etten bir yürek versin. Böylece O’nun iradesini izlememiz, buyruklarına uyup onları uygulamamız mümkün olabilecektir (Hezekiel 36:26-27). Merhum Geçen Pazar tüm dünyadaki Ermeni kiliselerinde Surp Badarak ayininden sonra yapılan özel dualarla anıldı. Bu vesileyle, Türkiye ve Ermenistan Cumhuriyetlerinin temsilcilerine, dost ülkelerin temsilcilerine, ayrıca, Başepiskopos Khajag Barsamyan tarafından temsil edilen Tüm Ermeniler Katolikosu 2. Karekin Hazretlerine, Başrahip Şahe Panosyan tarafından temsil edilen Kilikya Katolikosu 1. Aram Hazretlerine biraderane teşekkürlerimizi sunarız. Merhumun cenazesine katılmak için aramızda bulunan Romanya ve Bulgaristan Ermenileri Ruhani Önderi Başepiskopos Dirayr Mardikyan’a, Almanya Ermenileri Ruhani Önderi Başepiskopos Karekin Bekçiyan’a da teşekkürlerimizi sunuyoruz. Merhametli ve bağışlayıcı Allahımız, Hrant’ın ruhunu kabul etsin. Yargı günü ona merhamet etsin, taksiratını affetsin ve semavi solmayan taçlarına layık etsin. Huzur içinde yatsın. Bir kez daha merhumun eşi sevgili Rakel’e, evlatlarına, cemaatin tüm üyelerine, tüm basın mensuplarına ve tüm yurttaşlarımıza taziyelerimi sunar Kutsal Ruh’un tesellisini dilerim. Amin.

I'd like to make a few adjustments but can't find the edit button??? Hey, I can get an edit button for this post but not the above. Is there a time-limitation or something?

Translation of the above: To become my Chutak*’s companion was my lot. Today I am here, struck with great grief and yet honoured. I, my children, my family, and you – we are all in grief. This silent love gives us strength, however little, and a sorrowful joy. The Bible says, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Dear friends, today we bid farewell to my other half, my beloved, the father of my children, and your brother. We observe a silent procession of respect without disturbing those to the right, the left, front, and back, without disrespect, without slogans, and without placards. Through today’s silence we shall raise a great voice. Today is the beginning when inner depths rise to light. No matter how old he is, be he 17 or 27, no matter who he is, I know that once he was a baby. Nothing can be accomplished, brothers, without questioning the darkness that turns a baby into an assassin. My brothers, His love for truth, openness, and his friend is what brought him here. His love which defied fear deemed him great. It is said, “He was a great man.” I ask of you, “Was he born great?” No. He was born as we were. He wasn’t from the heavens. He, too, was of the earth. His was a corruptible (decomposable) body just like ours, but his lively spirit, his works, his approach, and the love in his eyes and heart deemed him great. Man is not great by himself. It is his works that make him great. Yes, great he did become, because he thought and spoke as a great person. Today by coming here you have thought and have silently spoken as great people. You, too, are great. Do not make do with today, do not make do with this much. He initiates a beginning in Turkey today. You have been his seal. With him, headlines, speeches, and restrictions have changed. For him, there were no taboos. As it is said in the Word, his heart overflowed. He paid a heavy price. The futures for which prices are paid are possible by loving and believing in the likes of Hrant, and not by hate, insult, and holding one blood above the other. This rise is possible by seeing the other as yourself. Through Jesus he has departed from his house-paradise. He has opened wings to the heavenly and eternal paradise. He has opened his wings to the heavens before his eyes were tired, his body grew old, his health waned, and before he had his fill of his family. We will follow, my beloved. We, too, will go to heaven. Love, and only love, enters heaven. Love, and only love, which is above the languages of the angels, above the prophets, above holding all secrets, above faith strong enough to move the mountains, above giving away all your possessions as charity, and above giving away your body for cremation, shall enter heaven. There we shall live forever with love. Love which envies none, kills none, and despises none, love which holds his brother above himself, gives up his rights, and looks out for his brother’s rights, the love found in Christ, and the love showered upon us. Who can forget what you have done, what you have said, my beloved? Which darkness can obscure you, my beloved? Who can make us forget what has happened and is happening? Can fear do that, my beloved? Life, cruelty, or the ways of this world, my beloved? No, no obscuration can cloud you, my beloved. Here I write you my love letter, my sweetheart. The price was heavy for me, too, my beloved. I owe the ability to write these to Jesus, my beloved. Let us give His right to Him, my beloved. Let us give everyone his own right, my beloved. You left those you loved, your children, your grandchildren, those who see you away here, and my bosom. However you haven’t left your country, my beloved! * Chutak: violin.

Rakel Dink's speech at her husband's funeral: http://lraper.org/main.aspx?Action=Display...803&Lang=TR Çutağıma (kemanıma) eş olmak bana verildi. Bugün çok acılı ve onurlu olarak buradayım. Ben, çocuklarım, ailem ve sizler çok acılıyız. Bu sessiz sevgi biraz olsun bize güç katıyor, kederli bir sevinç yaşatıyor. İncil’den Yuhanna 15:13’te “Hiç kimsede, insanın dostları uğruna canını vermesinden daha büyük bir sevgi yoktur” der. Sevgili dostlar, bugün bedenimin yarısını, sevgilimi, çocuklarımın babasını, sizin kardeşinizi uğurluyoruz. Sağdakine, soldakine, öndekine, arkadakine rahatsızlık, saygısızlık vermeden, sloganlar atmadan, pankartlar açmadan, sessiz bir saygı yürüyüşü gerçekleştiriyoruz. Bugün sessizlik ile büyük bir ses yükselteceğiz. Bugün derinliklerin ışığa yükseldiği günün başlangıcıdır. Yaşı kaç olursa olsun 17 veya 27. Katil kim olursa olsun, bir zamanlar bebek olduğunu biliyorum. Bir bebekten bir katil yaratan karanlığı sorgulamadan hiçbir şey yapılamaz kardeşlerim. Kardeşlerim, Onun doğruluğa olan sevgisi, şeffaflığa olan sevgisi, dostuna olan sevgisi onu buraya getirdi. Korkuya meydan okuyan sevgisi onu büyüttü. "O büyük bir adamdı'' deniliyor. Size sorarım, “o büyük mü doğdu?” Hayır. O da bizim gibi doğdu. O gökten değildi. O da topraktandı. Bizim gibi çürüyen bir beden, fakat yaşayan ruhu, yaptığı iş, kullandığı üslup, gözlerindeki, yüreğindeki sevgi onu büyük yaptı. İnsan kendiliğinden büyük olamaz. İnsanı yaptıkları büyük yapar. Evet, o büyük oldu. Çünkü büyük düşündü, büyük söyledi. Bugün buraya gelerek hepiniz büyük düşündünüz, sessizce büyük konuştunuz. Siz de büyüksünüz. Bugünle kalmayın, bu kadarla yetinmeyin. O bugün Türkiye'de milat yaptı. Sizler de mührü oldunuz. Onunla manşetler, onunla konuşmalar, onunla yasaklar değişti. Onun için dokunulmazlar veya tabular yoktu. Kelam’da denildiği gibi, yüreğinden taştı. Büyük bir bedel ödedi. Bedellerin ödendiği gelecekler Hrantlar'ı severek, Hrantlar'a inanarak olur. Nefretle, hakaretle, kanı kandan üstün tutarak olmaz. Bu yükseliş karşısındakini kendin gibi görerek, kendin gibi sayarak olur. Hisus’un yardımıyla yarattığı ev cennetinden ayırdılar. Göksel ve ebedi cennete kanat açtırdılar. Gözleri daha yorulmadan, bedeni daha yaşlanmadan, daha hasta olmadan, sevdiklerine doymadan kanat açtırdılar göksel cennete. Biz de geleceğiz sevgilim. Biz de geleceğiz o eşsiz cennete. Oraya yalnız ve yalnız sevgi girer. İnsanların ve meleklerin dillerinden üstün olan, peygamberlikten üstün olan, bütün sırları bilmekten üstün olan, dağları yerinden oynatacak imandan üstün olan, varını yoğunu sadaka vermekten üstün olan, bedenini yakılmaya teslim etmekten daha üstün olan yalnız ve yalnız sevgi girecek o cennete. Orada gerçek sevgi ile bir arada ebedince yaşayacağız. Kimseyi kıskanmayan sevgi, kimsenin malında gözü olmayan sevgi, kimseyi öldürmeyen sevgi, kimseyi aşağılamayan sevgi, kardeşini kendinden üstün tutan sevgi, kendi hakkından vaz geçen sevgi, kardeşinin hakkını arayan sevgi, Mesih’te bulunan sevgi. Ve bize dökülmüş olan sevgi. Yaptıklarını, konuştuklarını kim unutabilir sevgilim? Hangi karanlık unutturabilir sevgilim? Olmuşları, olanları kim unutturabilir? Korku unutturabilir mi sevgilim? Yaşam mı, zulüm mü, dünyanın zevkü sefası mı sevgilim? Yoksa ölüm mü unutturacak sevgilim? Hayır, hiçbir karanlık unutturamaz sevgilim. Ben de sana yazdım aşk mektubunu sevgilim. Bana da ağır oldu bedeli sevgilim. Bunları yazabilmeyi, Hisus’a borçluyum sevgilim. O’nun da hakkını O’na verelim sevgilim. Herkesin hakkını herkese geri verelim sevgilim. Sevdiklerinden ayrıldın, çocuklarından, torunlarından ayrıldın, burada seni uğurlayanlardan ayrıldın, kucağımdan ayrıldın, ülkenden ayrılmadın, Sevgilim!

To summarise the effects of what has happened as "hopes for reconciliation" undermines the real process. Dink strove for freedom of expression so that people like him could express their experiences and the experiences of their families without fear. Reconciliation will come after that, if it can. To expect reconciliation to start at this point and bear fruit is precocious and works against itself. The above shows examples of deviation. Do not be fooled!