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Conference on the Armenian Question and Ilber Hoca(-lar)

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  • Conference on the Armenian Question and Ilber Hoca(-lar)

    ZORYAN INSTITUTE OF CANADA, INC.
    255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310
    Toronto, ON, Canada M3B 3H9
    Tel: 416-250-9807 Fax: 416-512-1736 E-mail: [email protected]
    www.zoryaninstitute.org


    PRESS RELEASE
    CONTACT: George Shirinian
    DATE: May 27, 2005 Tel: 416-250-9807


    Conference on the Armenian Question and Ilber Hoca(-lar)
    By Baskin Oran

    Agos and Birgun

    May 27, 2005

    Translated by the Zoryan Institute

    By postponing this conference, Turkey once again shot itself in the foot.
    It lost one more opportunity to pretend to be democratic. Without the
    conference going ahead, there will be more consequences than if the
    conference had gone ahead. Turkey's enemies are now rejoicing.

    SHAME on those that caused this mess. SHAME on those who kept quiet for 80
    years when listening to the one-sided official position and who now say,
    "This conference is one-sided," when alternative positions were to be
    discussed. I want to dedicate the following article which I wrote on
    Tuesday, May 24, to our shameless "nationalists", without any changes. On
    this day, May 27, the exact anniversary of the day the DEPORTATION LAW was
    legislated 90 years ago.

    *****
    My dear brother, Ilber Ortayli, who graduated one year after me from
    university, is perhaps the most important historian of the generation after
    Prof. Halil Inalcik's era. He is one of the very few persons from Turkey
    who are respected internationally. In addition, he is not the type who just
    sits in an ivory tower, but he is a broadly intellectual, pleasant historian.

    For the past eighty years, nothing was said about the Armenian subject,
    other than the official government position. For the past eighty years,
    anyone who dared to think a bit differently was branded a traitor. For
    years, from TV stations to universities to primary schools, the position
    was, in chronological order: 1) "The Armenian problem? What is that?" 2)
    "They killed us, we didn't kill them, or diseases killed them;" 3)
    "Massacres were mutual, on both sides;" or 4) "Let the historians decide,"
    as the current position says.

    A scientific person does not know all the aspects of his science. It is
    important not to talk about a subject not studied. Master Ilber showed
    exceptional determination not to express unnecessary opinions. He kept
    quiet for years. He did not get involved in this subject.

    *******

    Taboo is a subject about which no one dares to talk for fear of being
    branded a "traitor." But now there is a discussion on the Armenian Problem
    on TV every single day. Let the "Last Taboo" rest in peace.

    That's how it is; everything comes to an end. No one will remember the ones
    who branded the Bosphorus Dean, Prof. Ayse Soysal, as a "traitor" for
    permitting the joint conference organized by Bosphorus-Bilgi-Sabanci
    Universities regarding "Ottoman Armenians During the Decline of the
    Empire" for May 25-27. She will be remembered with respect. Do you remember
    Socrates, or the ones who murdered him? One day we will say: "We used to
    have a last taboo. What was it?"

    ********

    Master Ilber entered the Armenian Problem discussions at this point. He
    said: "The invited names are all from the same team. This will not be a
    healthy discussion" (Hurriyet, May 23, 2005). In fact, it never occurred to
    him to raise the same objection when invited to all the official symposiums
    for the past twenty five years.

    His entry into the discussions was even more interesting when he said: "I
    guess the legal issues will be best presented by English philologist Murat
    Belge." The person whom he called the philologist is Murat Belge, the
    author of more than twenty books on political science and sociology.

    This is not important for me as much as for Murat; however, what's
    important is the statement by a historian who determines that a philologist
    cannot discuss legal issues. Let me give an example about people with
    opinions about everything. A friend of mine stated during university exams
    that: "The Treaty of Lausanne recognized only the Armenians, Greeks and
    Jews as minorities." After the
    exam, I told him that he was wrong. All of us make mistakes, including me.
    But we do not repeat the mistakes when reminded. This friend repeated the
    same mistake again later. So, I had to patiently explain and document for
    him that Lausanne Treaty recognized all non-Moslems as minorities. But he
    kept on making the same mistake during the dinner reception at the Belgian
    Embassy on December 2, 2004. As people were discussing the EU-triggered
    reforms, he said it again, and I had to intervene quite explicitly, so that
    the guest foreign minister would not form the wrong impression about Turkey.

    *******

    Ilber is right when he says that the May 25-27 conference involved people
    of a different team. But it was not right for historian Ilber, who seems to
    have been transferred to the official "Government Team" to comment on this
    different team, which has been gaining tremendous momentum in the last few
    years.

    I repeat: Ilber Ortayli is perhaps one of our most important historians. I
    would have expected him to look at this event not from the official
    position, but from a historical perspective and say: "These people are all
    from the same team. Just like the previous ones. In this conference
    opposing opinions will be discussed and one-sided games will not be played.
    Finally we will see a real match." If he had said this, then everybody
    would have deleted the word "perhaps" when talking about Ilber.

    Let's wait and see what the events will tell.






    Ermeni Sorunu konferansi ve Ilber Hoca(-lar)
    Baskin Oran
    Agos and Birgun
    May 27, 2005

    Konferansi iptal ettirmekle, Türkiye, bir kez daha kendi ayagina kursun
    sikti. Gözüktügünden çok daha demokratik oldugu izlenimini verme firsatini
    kaçirdi. Simdi; yapilamamasi, yapilmasindan daha büyük gürültü kopartacak.
    Türkiye düsmanlari bayram ediyor.
    Sebep olanlar UTANSIN. 80 yildir tek tarafli dinlerken susup, alternatif
    görüs çikinca "Tek tarafli ele aliniyor" diyenler UTANSIN. Üniversite
    özerkligini rezil edenler UTANSIN. 24 Sali sabahi yazdigim asagidaki
    yaziyi, hiç degistirmeden, tam da Tehcir "Kanun-i Muvakkat"inin çiktigi bu
    27 Mayis günü, bu utanmasi gereken "milliyetçilerimiz"e ithaf ediyorum.
    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
    Benden bir yil sonra mezun Mülkiyeli kardesim Prof. Ilber Ortayli, Prof.
    Halil Inalcik-sonrasi kusaginin belki de en önemli tarihçisidir.
    Uluslararasi planda saygi gören nadir Türkiyelilerdendir. Üstelik, fildisi
    kulesinde kazik gibi oturup kalan cinsinden degil; sözü-sohbeti çok hos
    cinsinden, genis kültürlü bir tarihçidir.
    Seksen yildir bu ülkede Ermeni konusunda resmî görüsten baska birsey
    duyulmadi. Seksen yildir, biraz farkli düsüneyim diyen "hain" oldu.
    Yillardir, TV'lerden üniversitelere ve ilkokullara kadar kronolojik
    sirayla: 1) "Ermeni meselesi mi, o da neymis?"; 2) "Onlar bizi öldürdü, biz
    onlari öldürmedik, ölenler de salginlardan öldü"; 3) "Katliam olduysa bile,
    karsilikli oldu"; 4) "Bu konuyu tarihçilere birakalim" dendi. Hl bile
    deniyor.
    Bilimadami, kendi alaninin her konusunu bilemez. Önemli olan, çalismadigi
    alanda konusmamaktir. Ilber Hoca, konusmayi çok sevdigi halde, bu nadir
    görülen basireti gösterdi. Hep sustu. Bu konuya karismadi.
    ***
    Tabu; agzini açan "hain" ilan edildigi için, kimsenin konusamadigi konudur.
    Simdi TV'lerde her Allahin günü bir Ermeni tartismasi var. "Son Tabu" da
    sizlere ömür.
    Bu isler böyledir iste. Gider gider, bitiverir. Bogaziçi-Bilgi-Sabanci
    üniversitelerinin 25-27 Mayis'ta ortaklasa düzenledigi "Imparatorlugun
    Çöküs Döneminde Osmanli Ermenileri" konferansina yerleskesinde izin verdi
    diye Bogaziçi Rektörü Prof. Ayse Soysal'a hain diyenleri kimse
    hatirlamayacak, Hoca saygiyla hatirlanacak. Siz Sokrates'i mi
    hatirliyorsunuz, onu idam edenleri mi?
    Birgün söyle diyecegiz: "Yahu, bizim bir zamanlar bir son tabumuz vardi;
    neydi ooo?".
    ***
    Ilber Hoca bu noktada Ermeni konusuna birdenbire girdi. "Davet edilenler
    hep belli bir takimin isimleri. Meseleler böyle çok saglikli tartisilmaz"
    dedi (Hürriyet, 23.05.2005). Oysa, yirmi bes yildir sadece resmî görüs
    sempozyumlari yapilirken, bunu söylemek hiç aklina gelmemisti.
    Üstelik bu giris, bir tür, cami duvarina hamle etmeyle karisik oldu:
    "Hukuksal problemleri herhalde Ingiliz filologu Murat Belge tartisacak"
    dedi. Filolog dedigi, sunca yildir siyaset bilimi ve sosyoloji üzerine
    hepsi de özgün 20 kadar kitap yayinlamis Prof. Murat Belge idi.
    Bu çok önemli degil ve üstelik beni degil Murat'i ilgilendirir; o da
    ilgilendi zaten. Önemli olan su ki, hukuk sorunlarinin filolog tarafindan
    tartisilamayacagini söyleyen bir tarihçinin hukuk konusunda fazla iddiali
    konusmayan bir kisi olmasi gerekirdi.
    "Herbokolog"" birinden canli örnek vereyim. Bu arkadas Mülkiye'de bir
    yeterlik sinavi jürisinde "Lozan'da sadece Ermeniler, Rumlar, Museviler
    azinlik sayilmistir" diye bir fikir serdetti. Sinavdan sonra, bunun yanlis
    oldugunu kendisine söyledim.
    Olabilir; basta ben, hepimiz ne yanlislar yapiyoruz. Ama, düzelttikleri
    zaman tekrarlamiyoruz. Bu arkadas ayni yanlisi baska bir jüride daha
    yineledi. Bunun üzerine, kendisini usulca bir kenara çekip Lozan'da bütün
    gayrimüslimlerin azinlik sayildigini tekrar söyledim. Yazdiklarimin
    künyesini de verdim.
    Ne hikmetse, ayni seyi bir de Belçika büyükelçiliginde 2 Aralik 2004 gecesi
    verilen yemekte yapti. Herkes AB reformlari konusunda fikrini söylüyordu;
    sira kendisine gelince ayni fahis hukuk hatasini tekrarlayinca, hiç
    istemezdim ama, konuk disisleri bakaninin Türkiye hakkinda yanlis bilgi
    edinmemesi için isin dogrusunu dobra dobra belirtmek gibi tatsiz bir
    zorunluluk karsisinda kaldim.
    ***
    25-27 Mayis konferansinin belli bir takimin toplantisi oldugu hususunda
    Ilber hakli. Ama, son birkaç yildir gittikçe hizlanan bir biçimde karsi
    takima, "devlet takimi"na transfer olan tarihçi Ilber Ortayli'nin
    söyleyecegi birsey degildi bu.
    Tekrar ediyorum: Ilber Ortayli, Halil Inalcik-sonrasi kusaginin belki de
    en önemli tarihçisi. Böyle birisinden, olaya devlet açisindan degil tarih
    açisindan bakmasi ve söyle demesi beklenirdi:
    "Bunlarin hepsi ayni takimdan. Su na kadarkiler gibi. Bu konferansta
    karsit fikir ortaya konacagi için artik tek kale bitecek. Nihayet maç
    görebilecegiz".
    Iste o zaman, büyük olasilikla, herkes Ilber'den bahsederken "belki de"
    demeksizin bahsedecekti. Dur bakalim, tarih nasilsa gösterecek.

    The Zoryan Institute is the first non-profit, international center devoted
    to the research and documentation of contemporary issues related to
    Armenian social, political and cultural life. To this end, the Institute
    conducts multidisciplinary research, publication, and educational programs
    dealing with Armenia, the Armenian Genocide, and Diaspora, within a
    universal context.
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