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Collective Namaz In Ani: Betray Kemal Ataturk

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  • Collective Namaz In Ani: Betray Kemal Ataturk

    COLLECTIVE NAMAZ IN ANI: BETRAY KEMAL ATATURK
    Mkhitar Nazaryan

    Panorama.am
    30/09/2010

    After a century-long silence, the holy liturgy served in the Armenian
    Sourb Khach (St. Cross) Church of Akhtamar on September 19 has
    extremely enraged Turkey's nationalist forces trying to prevent the
    gathering of Armenians in the ancient Christian sanctuary at any cost.

    Nevertheless, the religious ceremony was conducted and the Armenians
    from different parts of the world got together in Akhtamar Island of
    Van to send their prayer to God. The fury of Turkish nationalists got
    even deeper. Chairman of Turkey's opposition "National Movement" Party
    (MHP) Devlet Bahceli made an appeal to take immediate response actions.

    By the way, the party is a political branch of the "Bozkurt"
    right-wing extreme grouping. The organization has about 80 branches
    worldwide. Its activists have been charged with different terrorist
    actions, including the assassination attempt against the Pope Jonh
    Paul II in 1981, attempted by Turkish Mehmet Ali Agca.

    Following the liturgy in St Cross Church, D. Bahceli turned officially
    to Kars governor stating his intention to hold collective namaz
    with his party members at the Ani ruins October 1. Bahceli said the
    collective namaz will be carried in the temple which was turned to
    a mosque in 1064 under the ruling of Turkish conqueror Arpaslan.

    "On the first day of the Mejlis sitting, October 1, I will go to Kars
    to hold Friday prayer in Fetihe mosque at the Ani ruins," Bahceli
    said. According to Turkish sources, Bahceli's statement was even
    applauded by Kars governor.

    So, Bahceli is planning to travel to Ani with over 40 members of his
    party for collective Friday namaz...

    Let's note that Bahceli -led initiative is not a counter blow to
    Armenians having served holy liturgy, neither it is a response action
    against Turkish leadership having permitted the liturgy, but rather
    it is a blow to:

    1. Turkey's constitution 2. Namaz ritual 3. Turkish people 4. The
    founder of the Republic of Turkey - Kemal Ataturk

    To be more concise:

    1. Nationalist leader's action of collective namaz first of all
    contradicts to country's basic law, Constitution. Even Turkish Minister
    of Culture and Tourism Ertugrul Gunay has declared it lately.

    Responding to Bahceli's unprecedented statement Gunay told reporters:
    "In essence, such collective namaz is anti-constitutional. Turkey's
    Constitution and law On Parties ban speculation on religion by
    political parties."

    It means Bahceli illegally speculates on religious factor. One may also
    suppose that this demonstrative religious fervor is indeed merely a
    propaganda instrument. Parliamentary elections are due in Turkey in
    2011, and Bahceli needs to win over into his electorate Islamists
    who mostly used to support Erdogan's Justice and Development party
    (JDP-AKP) in the elections.

    2. It is generally known that many Christian sacred places - cathedrals
    and churches in Turkey's administrative territory have been turned
    into dumps and stables. Sacred places in Ani Ruins are also in a sad
    condition, dirty and deserted. And Bahceli and his supporters want
    to offer namaz in that dirty place, while Islam requires offering
    namaz in a clean place. That is why Turkish Minister of Culture and
    Tourism recommended Bahceli instead of violating the constitution and
    religious rites to find a clean place to personally offer namaz there.

    3. Bahceli publicly voiced an intention to pray in the former
    cathedral turned into a mosque under Alparslan. Thus he seems to
    have unintentionally confirmed the historical fact that the Turkish
    population is not native in that region, Turkish nomadic tribes
    invading from Middle Asia to Asia Minor seized the lands of the
    local peoples.

    4. By offering collective namaz at the Ani Ruins Turkish nationalists,
    in essence, betray their ideological leader, founder of the Republic
    of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Devlet Bahceli and his co-partisans,
    in fact, openly deviate from Kemal Ataturk's provisions, particularly,
    principle of secularity. The very Ataturk founded secular republic in
    Turkey in 1923. Ataturk carried out a series of anti-Islamic reforms -
    women's emancipation, transformation of state Islamic institutions to
    secular organizations, introduction of Western laws, clothes, calendar,
    alphabet, etc. Obviously, Nationalist Movement Party's initiative to
    offer collective namaz at the Ani Ruins delivers a blow to Kemalism. We
    can once again confirm that a new subtrend, Eurasian Kemalism has
    appeared, and it is an abrupt turn from Western values to Eastern.

    Thus, if Devlet Bahceli and his co-partisans offer collective namaz
    at the Ani Ruins on October 1, its means violation of Turkey's
    Constitution, violation of namaz rituals, and betrayal of Ataturk's
    principle of secularism.




    From: A. Papazian
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