Turks
should admit to genocide
When I say, “Why my best friends hate me,”
I am not asking a rhetorical question but
making a definite statement, the answer
to which I already know. You see, I am Turkish
(born and raised there), and some of my
best friends are Greek, Kurdish and Armenian.
My situation, by itself poses contradiction
because, according to common sense, we are
supposed to dislike each other, let alone
be best friends.
My best friends, obviously, don’t hate me
(in fact, they love me!), but they resent
the “official” label that signifies my national
and ethnic identity. I know this because
every time we start talking about Turkey’s
relations with Greeks, Kurds or Armenians,
the nerves tense up and a dead-cold mood
takes over. Most often, we have to calm
down the edgy atmosphere by changing the
subject to something else, like beautiful
girls or fast cars (you know, we are no-nonsense
people who take life seriously.)
Simply ignoring the problem is the easy
way out and doesn’t permanently solve anything.
That is why I am writing this column today;
my objective is to become one of the very
few Turks who is willing to suck up his
long-honored pride and, as is required by
history, confess the atrocities committed
against Greeks, Kurds and Armenians.
First of all, Turkey, when trying to justify
its past actions against Greece, forget
that its people had suffered for approximately
400 years under the rule of the Ottoman
Empire, ancestors of Turks. Ottomans, despite
the status quo in Turkey, gave unquestionable
efforts to eliminate the self-identity of
Greeks, in hopes of integrating them into
the “philosophy of the same.” This oppression
is the main reason why Greece, to this day,
has felt uneasy toward Turkey. The separation
of Cyprus in 1974, once again, demonstrated
the decadence of prevalent nationalism,
and the island’s unification still remains
a dream — in spite of conscious attempts
in current years.
How about Turkey’s treatment of its own
citizens, the Kurdish people? Ever since
the arrival of Ottomans to the region, Kurds
have been oppressed, killed and deprived
of their freedom. Most recent massacres
against Kurdish people occurred during the
1920s, after the foundation of the Republic
of Turkey, because nationalists feared they
might become a threat to the nation’s future
well-being. Until a couple of years ago,
they were not even permitted to officially
speak their mother tongue, Kurdish — a completely
different language than Turkish. Kurds have
been oppressed, just like the Greeks, for
the purpose of upholding the “philosophy
of the same.”
From 1915 to 1923, the Ottoman Empire massacred
around 1.5 million Armenian people because
of their religious affiliation to Christianity,
which made them the only non-Islamic country
within the region. Ottomans oppressed Armenians
to reinforce the indoctrination of the “philosophy
of the same.” Every year, on April 24, Armenian
people commemorate the Armenian genocide
in remembrance of their murdered ancestors.
Thirty-one states in America, including
California, have either passed resolutions
or signed proclamations in order to recognize
this hateful act. Yet, Turkey still denies
it ever happened 88 years ago.
The dialectics of oppression affirms that
aggression will lead to resistance. If not
resolved, resistance will breed more aggression.
And this cycle will repeat itself, continually,
until confronted with sincerity. Of course,
I don’t imply that Turkish people are responsible
for their history; it is something over
which they had no control in the making.
At the same time, to end this vicious cycle
— and restore harmony in the region — the
burden falls onto the shoulders of the Turkish
government.
If Turkey publicly declares, in front of
the entire world, the mass-murders committed
against Kurds, Greeks and Armenians, this
would engender a new era of positive interactions.
Such a move would mean brilliant public
relations for the Turkish government, generating
positive vibes around the world about its
good deed. Most importantly, it would relieve
Greek, Kurdish and Armenian people of their
deepest psychological sufferings.
My country, in the end, can make history
or be a victim of its own history, but its
situation is just one example of the larger
picture. History has proven to humanity
that the “philosophy of the same” is a failed
endeavor, and what really matters is to
have respect for the “philosophy of diversity.”
Therefore, now is the time for all citizens
of the world to acknowledge the historical
roots of conflict, inherent in human nature,
with the intention of engendering new seeds
of reconciliation.
Barlas F. Esin is a journalism major and
a philosophy minor at Cal State Long Beach.
He can be reached at besin@csulb.edu.
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