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Today's Zaman, Turkey
Oct 2 2011
To whom does this hatred belong?
by MARKAR ESAYAN
On Nov. 6, 1991, Diyarbakır deputy Leyla Zana took the stage at the
parliamentary oath-taking ceremony when it was the Diyarbakır
deputies' turn to be sworn in, and made a statement in the Kurdish
language, saying, `I am taking this oath for the brotherhood of the
Turkish and Kurdish peoples.' This statement enraged Parliament. And
what happened?
Zana's status as a deputy was cancelled because she allegedly
disseminated propaganda supporting terrorism as a Democracy Party
(DEP) deputy; she stood trial in Diyarbakır's 5th High Criminal Court
to answer for nine speeches given at different times in which she
allegedly propagandized on behalf of a terrorist organization and
committed crimes on behalf of a terrorist organization while not
belonging to that organization. The court sentenced her to 11 years in
prison and barred her from holding elected office and the enjoyment of
other political rights. It was a total lynching.
It was similar to the eviction of Virtue Party (FP) deputy Merve
Kavakçı from Parliament on May 2, 1999. On stage, Bülent Ecevit was
screaming, `Teach this lady her limits.' I can still remember the
image of the frightened Kavakçı, who was sitting next to Nazlı Ilıcak.
We are a country that hanged its prime minister, remember. I remember
that my blood ran cold seeing this scene; I remember that I was
humiliated and that I felt ashamed to live in this country.
But they did not put Kavakçı into jail. İsmail Cem announced that she
was an American citizen, thus initiating the process to revoke her
Turkish citizenship. They sent State Security Court (DGM) prosecutor
Nuh Mete Yüksel after Kavakçı. Her home was raided and searched. She
lost the lawsuit she filed with the Council of State. The legal system
was a dagger under the control of the guardianship. A lot of injustice
has been done in this country, to the Kurds, Armenians, Muslims,
Alevis. We have looked for equality in this country in the injustices
the state has done to us. We have compared our pains to discover
whether we were equal.
Two days ago, Leyla Zana again took the stage to take her oath, and
she ended her oath by saying, `I solemnly take this oath on my honor
before the nation of Turkey,' rather than `I solemnly take this oath
on my honor before the Turkish nation.' This was a slip of tongue, but
if this humane reflex had taken place a decade ago, Leyla Zana could
have faced lengthy jail time for her honest mistake. Turkey has been
changing: We need to recognize this, and should not resist this
reality.
In my last column, I wrote that that portion of the Kurdish movement
which supports the PKK is dragging behind today's Turkey, and clinging
to the perspective of the 1980s. This is why they are suffering under
a state of mind that we can only discuss as a moral problem, and doing
things like killing civilians for no reason. When their anachronistic
strategy is combined with moral weakness, the current picture emerges.
However, despite all the recent provocation, the BDP deputies'
decision to return to Parliament is welcomed in this country. Even
those who do not like them believe that this is a good thing, even in
the midst of ongoing bloodshed. If this isn't change, what is?
What is there that cannot be resolved through negotiations? What
government mistake or reluctance or lack of sincerity on the part of
the administration could justify this madness that is so out of
control as to justify the killing of unborn children? Let us say that
the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and Prime Minster Recep
Tayyip ErdoÄ?an really insincere, their negotiations are not frank, and
a theater play is being staged at İmralı. What is more serious about
this than about the events of 1991 and 1999? What causes this
immeasurable hatred and desire to spill more blood? At this point, I
think it is no longer meaningful to reserve special roles to either
the Kurds or the Turks. We have all become sick during the lengthy
periods of madness. And they shamelessly use this sickness: the
juntas, coup lovers, and organizations like Ergenekon and the
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
This problem belongs to all of us. It was a huge step for us to
realize how sick we are; now we can begin getting better. We are
mature and honest enough not to let the warlords and abusers of
conscience exploit our pain and rage by making us their victims. It is
not possible anymore to argue that we did not know. As it says in the
Bible, `If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, `We
see'; therefore your sin remaineth.' This war should have no language;
this war should be tongue-less, fuel-less and powerless. This is not a
duty that either the Turk or the Kurd should assume all alone. The
fuel of this disgraceful war is our children: Ceylan and Å?erap, UÄ?ur
and Sultan. Let us take our children out of their hands.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Oct 2 2011
To whom does this hatred belong?
by MARKAR ESAYAN
On Nov. 6, 1991, Diyarbakır deputy Leyla Zana took the stage at the
parliamentary oath-taking ceremony when it was the Diyarbakır
deputies' turn to be sworn in, and made a statement in the Kurdish
language, saying, `I am taking this oath for the brotherhood of the
Turkish and Kurdish peoples.' This statement enraged Parliament. And
what happened?
Zana's status as a deputy was cancelled because she allegedly
disseminated propaganda supporting terrorism as a Democracy Party
(DEP) deputy; she stood trial in Diyarbakır's 5th High Criminal Court
to answer for nine speeches given at different times in which she
allegedly propagandized on behalf of a terrorist organization and
committed crimes on behalf of a terrorist organization while not
belonging to that organization. The court sentenced her to 11 years in
prison and barred her from holding elected office and the enjoyment of
other political rights. It was a total lynching.
It was similar to the eviction of Virtue Party (FP) deputy Merve
Kavakçı from Parliament on May 2, 1999. On stage, Bülent Ecevit was
screaming, `Teach this lady her limits.' I can still remember the
image of the frightened Kavakçı, who was sitting next to Nazlı Ilıcak.
We are a country that hanged its prime minister, remember. I remember
that my blood ran cold seeing this scene; I remember that I was
humiliated and that I felt ashamed to live in this country.
But they did not put Kavakçı into jail. İsmail Cem announced that she
was an American citizen, thus initiating the process to revoke her
Turkish citizenship. They sent State Security Court (DGM) prosecutor
Nuh Mete Yüksel after Kavakçı. Her home was raided and searched. She
lost the lawsuit she filed with the Council of State. The legal system
was a dagger under the control of the guardianship. A lot of injustice
has been done in this country, to the Kurds, Armenians, Muslims,
Alevis. We have looked for equality in this country in the injustices
the state has done to us. We have compared our pains to discover
whether we were equal.
Two days ago, Leyla Zana again took the stage to take her oath, and
she ended her oath by saying, `I solemnly take this oath on my honor
before the nation of Turkey,' rather than `I solemnly take this oath
on my honor before the Turkish nation.' This was a slip of tongue, but
if this humane reflex had taken place a decade ago, Leyla Zana could
have faced lengthy jail time for her honest mistake. Turkey has been
changing: We need to recognize this, and should not resist this
reality.
In my last column, I wrote that that portion of the Kurdish movement
which supports the PKK is dragging behind today's Turkey, and clinging
to the perspective of the 1980s. This is why they are suffering under
a state of mind that we can only discuss as a moral problem, and doing
things like killing civilians for no reason. When their anachronistic
strategy is combined with moral weakness, the current picture emerges.
However, despite all the recent provocation, the BDP deputies'
decision to return to Parliament is welcomed in this country. Even
those who do not like them believe that this is a good thing, even in
the midst of ongoing bloodshed. If this isn't change, what is?
What is there that cannot be resolved through negotiations? What
government mistake or reluctance or lack of sincerity on the part of
the administration could justify this madness that is so out of
control as to justify the killing of unborn children? Let us say that
the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and Prime Minster Recep
Tayyip ErdoÄ?an really insincere, their negotiations are not frank, and
a theater play is being staged at İmralı. What is more serious about
this than about the events of 1991 and 1999? What causes this
immeasurable hatred and desire to spill more blood? At this point, I
think it is no longer meaningful to reserve special roles to either
the Kurds or the Turks. We have all become sick during the lengthy
periods of madness. And they shamelessly use this sickness: the
juntas, coup lovers, and organizations like Ergenekon and the
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
This problem belongs to all of us. It was a huge step for us to
realize how sick we are; now we can begin getting better. We are
mature and honest enough not to let the warlords and abusers of
conscience exploit our pain and rage by making us their victims. It is
not possible anymore to argue that we did not know. As it says in the
Bible, `If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, `We
see'; therefore your sin remaineth.' This war should have no language;
this war should be tongue-less, fuel-less and powerless. This is not a
duty that either the Turk or the Kurd should assume all alone. The
fuel of this disgraceful war is our children: Ceylan and Å?erap, UÄ?ur
and Sultan. Let us take our children out of their hands.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress