The Most Distinguish Characteristic of Modern Turkish Nationalism:

Denial of Reality, Xenophobia, Racism, and Anti-Semitism

By: Amed Demirhan

Mar 7, 2005

The people in Turkey from elementary school and on are indoctrinated with denial of historical realities and socio-ethnographical and cultural diversity in their country. All form of mass media daily reinforces this abnormality, and any one that questions this, will become subject of the witch-hunt. When, one listens to mainstream Turkish politician and “educated class” one wonders if they are from the plant of Earth or somewhere else? The recent debate in Turkey is a typical example of this abnormalities: the government foreign policy; the mass medias which hunts against writer Orhan Pamuk statement in regards to Armenian genocide and crime against Kurds, and the Ministry of environment and forest changing name of wild animals just to exclude words Kurdistan and Armenian, and the increase in Anti-Semitism are typical characteristics of modern Turkish nationalism. This type of nationalism as evidenced in many historical examples is harmful to every one including the nation it advocate for, therefore, standing against current Turkish nationalism is as important as standing against Nazism, Stalinism, Saddams’ Regime and Bathism. It is in the best interest of Turkish people to be liberated from this illness.

The government of Turkey still refuses to call Bath’sist (Sunni-Hanafi) and Islamic Fascist in central Iraq terrorist. In the past many time Turkey had strongly protested United States lead freedom forces victory in the city of Falluga and Tell Afar, in Iraq, but until now it never protested terrorist attacks against civilian in Iraq. At the same time it had characterized Israel’s shelve defense acts against terrorist Islam-I Jihad organization as state terrorism. Recently a Turkish news portal “Haber X (3/2/050) reported that about 400 Turks are fighting against the USA lead freedom forces in Iraq with terrorist leader Al-Zarkavi. It noted that these fighters are veterans from Bosnian war against Serbia. This indicates that Turkish government knows who are these “Turkish – Islamic” fighters because almost all of those fighters that went to Bosnia, Chechnya, and in the past to Afghanistan went via Turkish intelligence services. In addition, in March first of this year 200 Turkish “intellectuals”: journalists, professors, writers, and some “civic” organization representative visited Syria to show their solidarity with Syrian dictatorship against Western pressure and the United Nation request for Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon. Most of these 200 people are closely related to the state (its hard to call them civilian). March 1, is significant, it is the day Turkish Parliament under Turkish military pressure refused to let the USA lead forces go through Turkey and open a second front against Saddams regime. This indicate that Turkish regime is the most anti-Westernization and democratization of the Middle East because it sees freedom as a treat to its regime.

One may expect a Turkey that had received a negotiation date from European Union (EU) may act little better internally but looking in a recent debate it is doubtful and domestic policy like its foreign policy is anti-democratic. Last week one of the most famous Turkish writers Orhan Pamuk in an interview stated, that One million Armenian and 30,000 Kurds had been victim of the state (Turkish state). About 90% of media commentators started a lynching company against the author and political organization like infamous “Gray Wolfe” movement send death treat to the author. In fact Mr. Pamuk’s statement could have been subject of a serious debate and his statement is very questionable because more than one million Armenian and Assurian/Keldan have been killed and the number of Kurds have been killed since foundation of the Turkish republic is very high and millions were deported from their homes. This shows how much free debate is possible in Turkey that prepares to join to EU?

The republic of Turkey prohibited every thing that wasn’t Turkish in historic multinational and cultural diverse geography and named them in Turkish from beginning. Apparently they have forgotten few wild animals name like: “‘Vulpes Vulpes Kürdistanicum” (A fox in Kurdistan area) and “Ovis Armeniana” (wild sheep in old Armenia) in their scientific classification. The ministry of environment and forest acted right away on this discovery and changed their name to Turkish. (http://www.haberx.com 3/5/05). I wonder if any one knows or heard this kind of xenophobia, racism and hatred anywhere? Even Sheep and Foxes cannot be Armenian or Kurdistani? The modern Turkish nationalism is founded of the denial of reality and has been indoctrinating its population in this denial and hatred on any thing that is not Turkish. This is fundamental problem for every one who has to deal with Turkish regime. Despite every thing the official doctrine is totally bankrupted and regime is very weak. Change of regime is unavoidable in Turkey and its necessary.

Amed Demirhan

e-mail: ameddemirhan@hotmail.com

Florida, USA