confused

[Guest]

Last year I asked an Armenian from Europe who was visiting Istanbul to ask about some Armenains who had migrated to Istanbul from NE Turkey in the 1950s. Nobody he talked to knew anything - it was a surprising thing for a community that is so small to be so ignorant about itself. He also said that they never travelled outside Istanbul - a journey to the likes of Konya or Sivas was considered to be like going to the moon.

 

I met a group of 40 or 50 or so Armenians at the Armenian church in Kayseri last year. They seemed dumber that even the most packaged group of package tourists - they had complete disinterest in exploring the city to see what was left of its Armenian heritage. The Patriarch came by helecopter and later did one of his "how wonderful it is to be in Turkey" speeches for several Turkish TV cameras.

 

Steve

 

Hey, levonyeshilian, perhaps you might know about those Armenians I was wanting info on? They came from near Hevek / Yaylalar village on the southern slopes of the Kackar mountains.

[Guest]

Dear Levon,

 

I've met many Armenians from Turkey. Some of them are very patriotic and some of them are indeed very indifferent about their national identity.

I've come to a conclusion that those indifferent Armenians , consider themselves more Christian minority Turkish citizens , than anything else! Please correct me if I am wrong ( I would be thrilled if you prove me wrong).

Of course , one cannot deny the psychological factors , which might have lead the Armenian population to supress their feelings towards their national identity! They had to survive through rough times , in the 'mouth' of the enemy and with very heavy historical realities on their shoulders.

 

The one thing , however, which I cannot understand and cannot accept is the attitude of the Armenian Patriarchate towards Armenian matters and interests. The current Patriarch seems to have forgotten the history and the reponsibilities of the Throne on which he was entrusted to sit.

If he cannot appraise and cheer the triumphs of the Armenians all over the world, he might as well choose to refuse to comment and talk!

I believe that the leaders of the Armenians in Turkey are in very difficut position to defend the actions of their fellow brothers elsewhere, but they should refrain from condeming and playing the cards of the Turkish regime! They should refuse to comment or talk in this respect , rather than bring the shame on all of us.

 

Bedros Tourian, Izabel Yesayian, Hagop Baronian, Krikor Zohrab would indeed be very angry and sad on their graves , hearing all these!

 

I am glad at least that Levon is present in this Forum and tries to bring some fresh news and developments from the Armenian community of Turkey. Thank you Levon !

[Guest]

Hi,

I dont know how to ask the question but I am sure you will understand me..As I know most of the diaspora existing all over the

world is originally from an ex-Ottoman land

basically from Anatolia now called Turkey.

What do you think about the today's Armenians of Turkey?Is it a part of the diaspora?We may have a free country today but as my father says he knows all his grandfather's names for about 500 years in family tree and all them lived in the same town.And he refused to leave here saying-not meaning this country-'this land is my homeland'.Though he was a communist he didn't even want to go to Soviet Armenia.

So what do you think?

[Guest]

Fascinating story... Imagine how many such Armenians are hidden in Turkey...

 

God bless you and keep you, Levon!

 

On the subject of the Patriarchate, I think it is not hard to imagine that this behavior of the Church has been typical throughout the pre-Genocide era.

[Guest]

Hello,

Except the Patriarchate i dont want to criticize any Armenians in Turkey because of their asimilated brains,i may get angry but i dont think i have a right to judge them.

First i want to speak for the Armenians here, for the rest of Istanbul.Those who remained outside of Istanbul are the real grandsons of genocide victims and they had a chance to survive.The example is my family.This name is my name in the family not the name on my passport and it's written that i am a muslim on my ID with a Turkish name.And my mother was telling me not to tell my friends who i really i am,i was always feeling as a freak when my mother was telling so.I felt as an alien...In the city we were living except only one family of relatives we didn't know any Armenians and most of the population was fascist...Hiding and living isolated was our only chance to have the standarts of Turks.Please don't tell me 'why your family didn't leave there at least to Istanbul.'The only reason is my father didn't ever think of leaving the place he and his grandfathers were born and by the hope of someday here will be a such a good place that he,who,are gone will come back.We were isolated in our family,we didn't have friends to speak armenian,we didn't have a church....Isolation and assimilation was the problem STEVE.This may be an answer for your question.

I remember my mother telling me'If you get educated and rich,you may shout at the streets that you are Armenian,nobody can say you anything'Now i see it's true...Such true that-like those in Istanbul-you may feel more Turkish than Turks...This is the reason for the behaviour of the Armenians in Istanbul.Because most of them are rich,comfortable and has no problem with the system.So comfortable that anything may harm Turkey as the recognition of genocide may harm them,they dont want any headache because many of them has forgotten their grandparents.This may be an answer for you RAFFIA.

[Guest]

Steve,

I was born in Elazig(ex-Harput region),it's now the castle of fascist MHP(nationalist movement party).But it's not the only fascist party of Turkey.For example DSP(democratical party of left)'s leader Ecevit is as fascist as MHP's leader.Only the name of the parties are different,basically their philosophy is the same.They see all the neighbors of Turkey as a thread on Turkey's future and they are allways paranoid,believing'All the foreign countries plan to divide Turkey'.

I'm so sorry,but as i've told before we lived apart from an Armenian community,and -i've as my mom too-we dont know nobody from Erzurum'the Kackar'area....

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply, Levon.

 

Is it OK to ask where in Turkey are you from? By the word "fascist" do you mean MHP voters?

 

Steve

 

PS

I did not make it clear in my previous post that those Armenians visiting Kayseri were from Istanbul.