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Glendale News Press, CA
Jan 24 2009
FROM THE MARGINS:
On the inside, are we Hrant Dink?
By PATRICK AZADIAN
Published: Last Updated Friday, January 23, 2009 10:08 PM PST Monday
marked the anniversary of the murder of Hrant Dink, the
Turkish-Armenian author who championed freedom of speech and
tolerance.
On the occasion, some chose the slogan `I am Hrant Dink' to express
their support. On many of Internet's social utility sites supporters
swapped their personal images with that of Dink. One week in a red
bikini in Vegas, the next, the photo of the journalist who risked his
life for truth and identity.
The `I am Hrant Dink' slogan was unique, as it engaged Turks as well
as Armenians.
Yet, the meaning of the campaign eluded me for many reasons. I am not
trying to be cynical or anticlimactic. And although we all have the
right to say what we want, I have some genuine issues with such
symbolic gestures.
It would be different if journalists who live under oppressive
conditions came together and began a similar campaign. The absolute
truth is that I am not Hrant Dink.
I asked a Turkish friend to describe her impressions of Dink to me.
Dicle Cetin is a university student from Ankara. She traces her roots
to an Armenian grandmother from a village named Habab.
Cetin wrote: `You could imagine the impossibility of giving his whole
message in a few words and I can't dare to do it actually but first of
all, I think he was more human than most of us, he was a `human' in
the real sense of the word. He had respect for everyone and for all
kinds of the opinions, he was able to communicate with everyone
through his big heart and the most important thing is, he was
defending what he really believed at the cost of being excluded from
not only the Turkish society, but also the diaspora and the Armenian
patriarchate. He was beyond the ordinary, he was not a man of
`sides.''
Are we Hrant Dink?
People like Dink do not come along very often. Indeed, he was not a
man of `sides.' He wanted the Armenians to set themselves free of the
`poison' they carry in their veins because of the act of genocide. He
did not allow the act of genocide to be the main determinant of his
identity.
At any cost, her believed in freedom of expression. Before a law
passed in France that made the denial of the Armenian Genocide
illegal, Dink declared: `I will go to France and publicly declare that
there was no Armenian genocide ' even though I fervently believe the
opposite.' He risked alienation from Armenians.
Am I Hrant Dink?
Make no mistake, Dink did not forget the past. When referring to the
genocide he once said: `Call it what you want. I know what happened to
my people.'
His self-assured approach suggested that he cared intensely for the
present and the future, not just the past. He exuded confidence
reserved for individuals free of victim mentality.
And he did this in a hostile environment. Not from Glendale or
Montreal. Not from Washington, D.C. or Paris.
Referring to his environment Dink said: `To be honest, I feel haunted
day in, day out. Ever seen a pigeon? Seen how it keeps turning its
head? It shudders at the slightest noise, ready to fly away any
instant. Can you call that life? The difference is that I can't fly
away like a pigeon.'
Are you Hrant Dink?
To limit Dink's identity to just a Turkish journalist fighting for
liberty would be denying him of his complete self. Dink was
unmistakably Armenian and was persecuted because of it. Dink believed
that the state had no right to strip him of his identity.
Dink criticized the patriotic verse Armenian school children are
forced to memorize. He said that the lines `I am a Turk, I am honest,
I am hardworking' were objectionable because `even though [he] was
honest and hardworking, [he was not a Turk, [he] was an Armenian.'
Are we really Hrant Dink?
Dink is still not fully understood in Turkey nor the Diaspora. So
forgive me for feeling that the slogan `We are all Hrant Dink' can
ring hollow at times.
I leave you with a few simple thoughts:
To my Armenian brothers and sisters: `Are we willing to free ourselves
of our genocide-centric identity? How long will we allow an outside
entity to dictate our actions?'
To my Turkish cousins: `Is your collective conscience clear? Are you
proud of what your ancestors did to mine?'
We are not Hrant Dink.
. PATRICK AZADIAN is a writer and the creative director of a local
marketing and graphic design studio living in Glendale. He may be
reached at [email protected].
http://www.glendalene wspress.com/articles/2009/01/24/columns/gnp-margin s24.txt
Jan 24 2009
FROM THE MARGINS:
On the inside, are we Hrant Dink?
By PATRICK AZADIAN
Published: Last Updated Friday, January 23, 2009 10:08 PM PST Monday
marked the anniversary of the murder of Hrant Dink, the
Turkish-Armenian author who championed freedom of speech and
tolerance.
On the occasion, some chose the slogan `I am Hrant Dink' to express
their support. On many of Internet's social utility sites supporters
swapped their personal images with that of Dink. One week in a red
bikini in Vegas, the next, the photo of the journalist who risked his
life for truth and identity.
The `I am Hrant Dink' slogan was unique, as it engaged Turks as well
as Armenians.
Yet, the meaning of the campaign eluded me for many reasons. I am not
trying to be cynical or anticlimactic. And although we all have the
right to say what we want, I have some genuine issues with such
symbolic gestures.
It would be different if journalists who live under oppressive
conditions came together and began a similar campaign. The absolute
truth is that I am not Hrant Dink.
I asked a Turkish friend to describe her impressions of Dink to me.
Dicle Cetin is a university student from Ankara. She traces her roots
to an Armenian grandmother from a village named Habab.
Cetin wrote: `You could imagine the impossibility of giving his whole
message in a few words and I can't dare to do it actually but first of
all, I think he was more human than most of us, he was a `human' in
the real sense of the word. He had respect for everyone and for all
kinds of the opinions, he was able to communicate with everyone
through his big heart and the most important thing is, he was
defending what he really believed at the cost of being excluded from
not only the Turkish society, but also the diaspora and the Armenian
patriarchate. He was beyond the ordinary, he was not a man of
`sides.''
Are we Hrant Dink?
People like Dink do not come along very often. Indeed, he was not a
man of `sides.' He wanted the Armenians to set themselves free of the
`poison' they carry in their veins because of the act of genocide. He
did not allow the act of genocide to be the main determinant of his
identity.
At any cost, her believed in freedom of expression. Before a law
passed in France that made the denial of the Armenian Genocide
illegal, Dink declared: `I will go to France and publicly declare that
there was no Armenian genocide ' even though I fervently believe the
opposite.' He risked alienation from Armenians.
Am I Hrant Dink?
Make no mistake, Dink did not forget the past. When referring to the
genocide he once said: `Call it what you want. I know what happened to
my people.'
His self-assured approach suggested that he cared intensely for the
present and the future, not just the past. He exuded confidence
reserved for individuals free of victim mentality.
And he did this in a hostile environment. Not from Glendale or
Montreal. Not from Washington, D.C. or Paris.
Referring to his environment Dink said: `To be honest, I feel haunted
day in, day out. Ever seen a pigeon? Seen how it keeps turning its
head? It shudders at the slightest noise, ready to fly away any
instant. Can you call that life? The difference is that I can't fly
away like a pigeon.'
Are you Hrant Dink?
To limit Dink's identity to just a Turkish journalist fighting for
liberty would be denying him of his complete self. Dink was
unmistakably Armenian and was persecuted because of it. Dink believed
that the state had no right to strip him of his identity.
Dink criticized the patriotic verse Armenian school children are
forced to memorize. He said that the lines `I am a Turk, I am honest,
I am hardworking' were objectionable because `even though [he] was
honest and hardworking, [he was not a Turk, [he] was an Armenian.'
Are we really Hrant Dink?
Dink is still not fully understood in Turkey nor the Diaspora. So
forgive me for feeling that the slogan `We are all Hrant Dink' can
ring hollow at times.
I leave you with a few simple thoughts:
To my Armenian brothers and sisters: `Are we willing to free ourselves
of our genocide-centric identity? How long will we allow an outside
entity to dictate our actions?'
To my Turkish cousins: `Is your collective conscience clear? Are you
proud of what your ancestors did to mine?'
We are not Hrant Dink.
. PATRICK AZADIAN is a writer and the creative director of a local
marketing and graphic design studio living in Glendale. He may be
reached at [email protected].
http://www.glendalene wspress.com/articles/2009/01/24/columns/gnp-margin s24.txt