TURKS HOLY OR WHAT?

[hyecory]

TURKS HOLY OR WHAT?

 

Turkish sociologist, reporter and human rights activist Taner Akcam wrote an article where he referred to the denialist attitudes of the Hurriyet’s editor-in-chief Ertugrul Ozkok.

 

Akcam was surprised at the sudden change of position of the Hurriyet’s editor-in-chief towards the Turkish-Armenian relations, for Ozkok was among those few Turks who approached the Turkish-Armenian relations with sound logic. Nevertheless in one of his last articles he manifested a clear Turkish ideology, representing Turks as the most humble and kind people in the world.

 

In his article Ozkok explains why nothing of the alleged ‘tragedies’ (menaing Armenian Genocide) could happen in 1915. He says that although the members of ASALA (Armenian Secret Army for Liberation of Armenia) were continually killing Turkish diplomats all over the world and the radicals of PKK (Workers Party of Kurdistan) were disturbing the peace of Turkish residents for 15 years, Turks ‘never distinguished a house of an Armenian or a Kurd in the country or pointed at them with a finger, or treated them as enemies’. This was said for showing that there is no chauvinism in Turkey. Moreover, Ozkok goes on saying that if mankind ‘looks back to the history of Turkey it will see no manifestation of chauvinism in it. Then how can the allegations about horrible crimes of 1900’s be true? Simply some fanatics try to ascribe all the inhuman things to Turks’. It seems that Ozkok wants Armenians and Kurds to thank the Turkish nation for not massacring them once again for ASALA’s and PKK’s activity (although separate individuals and groups were persecuted and assassinated by Turkish authorities). Moreover he hints that if the activity of above mentioned ‘terrorist’ organizations didn’t cause the hatred and anger of Turks, then no incidents could urge the Turks to commit the 1915 ‘alleged’ genocide.

 

Ozkok’s article would make one think that Turks are saint and follow the Christian commandments saying don’t pay back when someone slaps you on the face. So, are Turks holy or what?

 

 

© Copyright AZG

[aurguplu]

hyecory,

 

ozkok's articles are written by a turk for the turkish public in a commercial daily. the function of the press is to form the public opinion rather than to accurately inform him. that second task is that of the researcher.

 

official and semi-official attitudes toward the genocide and other skeletons in turkey's cupboard proceed like the mehter band, as we say (two steps forward, one step backward), not necessarily because the government is trying to gain time while busy preparing for a new trick, but for the very simple reason that the intelligentsia and much of the ruling classes (including the military) are much more liberal and progressivist in their attitude toward such sensitive issues than the populace at large. the problem is that they are heading a nation that is not - yet or rather, anymore - capable of handling the truth. the reason why we are not is that we have been deliberately forced to unlearn what we knew of the past, and we were also forced to unlearn logic, common sense, and reasoning. people thought and learned and judged and decided for us, instead of us, and about us for a good seven decades. and now, the top is trying to introduce a degree of liberalism into a population that was artificially rendered paranoid by three generations of state propaganda. it is not easy, nor is it without bumps and hiccups. but it is going in the right direction, and the main indication of this is that there is far more talk about the armenian "question" than there was ever before in the history of the republic.

 

i remain confident that this decade will see the official recognition by the turkish government of those events as a genocide.

 

regards,

 

[ February 26, 2002: Message edited by: aurguplu ]

[Kazza]

Both sides of the sory, both sides of the story. We are all people, we come in the world the same way, and leave the same way. I'm sure armenians are not always the "Victims" they paint themselves to be, or how some political causes paint them, and good people that recognise the genocide and denialist attitudes of govenment that happens to be turkish. Just my opinion in short and sweet!