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BIGOTRY EMBEDDED INSIDE US AND THE DEMOLITION IN MALATYA
Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 6 2012
Turkey
I talked to Malatya Mayor Ahmet Şakır and European Union Minister
Egemen Bağış after the sudden overnight demolition of the annexes of
the Armenian cemetery in this eastern province on Friday.
Egemen Bağış was sad. He got my "I could not reach you" note. He said
he had even sent a message, "I called you back; I could not reach
you." When I reviewed my missed calls, I saw it, he was right. He
had called.
"There was a mistake that I guess was not ill-intentioned. They will
correct it. I will personally monitor the process," Bağış explained.
He also admitted that he was anxious when he first heard of the
incident, thinking, "How are we going to explain it?"
I talked to the Malatya mayor in the evening. "The demolition team went
there just to knock down the guard's cabin. They demolished all the
annexes because of a communication failure. We, as the metropolitan
municipality, will build the demolished prayer place and the cabin
for washing the dead as soon as possible."
Old reflexes
It was five years ago that the Zirve Publishing House massacre
happened. (Three Christians were brutally murdered in 2007.) The
"potential" in the city was recognized by the "Ergenekonists."
Actually, we can talk about a build-up going way back to old dates.
(In the 1970s, the city was turned upside down after its mayor, Hamid
Fendoğlu, died after a bomb package exploded; an Alevi-Sunni conflict
was provoked and one of the stones on the road leading to the Sept.
12, 1980, coup was paved in Malatya.)
We can say there is a thin line between conservatism and religious
bigotry. This line is always open to political abuse; to masses
being diverted into social conflicts. At the end of the 1970s, the
Kahramanmaraş, Sivas, Corum, Elazığ, Malatya and other incidents are
bitter examples of this phenomenon.
In any case, both the general public and the religious segment
of society have drawn some conclusions and lessons from what was
experienced, and they continue to do so. Those circles that had to
endure the pain of coups have started questioning how much the coup
organizers and those who wanted to drive Turkey into internal chaos
were given credit in the past. The more they question it, the better
they can evaluate the incidents from a wider and unprejudiced angle.
On the other hand, it is obvious that it is not easy for anyone to
get rid of old reflexes. We can say this about the latest demolition
incident in Malatya: We are facing a serious situation that cannot be
circumvented with the word "mistake." Unless we fully acknowledge this
fact, it will not be quite possible for us to overcome "mistakes." In
one way, the presence of an Armenian cemetery in Malatya and Armenians,
though only a handful, struggling to exist are sources of hope. We
can say that the number of those who share this stance is gradually
increasing.
Indeed, "old reflexes" and "political-benefit hunters" are right in
front of us as "the other side of the truth." When I visited Malatya
three weeks ago, I had heard that this new building built at the
Armenian cemetery had sent some segments into action.
Some were collecting signatures and were trying to hit the Justice
and Development Party (AK Parti) municipality in its soft underbelly
by saying, "They are building a church here." These circles who
are masters at calculating the thin line between conservatism and
"religious bigotry" had the intention of making life difficult for the
municipality by saying "they are cooperating with the infidel." We can
say these circles, in a sense, have accomplished their goals. I don't
think the demolition was a coincidence. I am guessing that there was
also a "build-up" behind those who had arrived at the venue for the
demolition. We know and we see that the backward mentality against
"the other" still has significant marks in our society.
We continue to come face to face with examples of all kinds of
bigotry in Anatolia, in Istanbul, in daily life. It is another
dramatic dimension of the picture that "religious conservatism" and
"racist-nationalist bigotry" (these two streams that look as if they
are far apart from each other) provoke each other. The "missionary
activities" paranoia that the Ergenekonists resort to intensively is
not only limited to them; it is a significant fact of my land.
This demolition is not a coincidence; it is not a surprise. This
will probably be the main starting point of those who feel the
need to analyze what is going on. The fact that the municipality
has regretted the demolition and promised to make "compensations,"
despite everything, can be seen as a consolation.
[email protected]
Oral Calışlar is a columnist for daily Radikal in which this piece
appeared on Feb 5. It was translated into English by the Daily
News staff.
From: Baghdasarian
Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 6 2012
Turkey
I talked to Malatya Mayor Ahmet Şakır and European Union Minister
Egemen Bağış after the sudden overnight demolition of the annexes of
the Armenian cemetery in this eastern province on Friday.
Egemen Bağış was sad. He got my "I could not reach you" note. He said
he had even sent a message, "I called you back; I could not reach
you." When I reviewed my missed calls, I saw it, he was right. He
had called.
"There was a mistake that I guess was not ill-intentioned. They will
correct it. I will personally monitor the process," Bağış explained.
He also admitted that he was anxious when he first heard of the
incident, thinking, "How are we going to explain it?"
I talked to the Malatya mayor in the evening. "The demolition team went
there just to knock down the guard's cabin. They demolished all the
annexes because of a communication failure. We, as the metropolitan
municipality, will build the demolished prayer place and the cabin
for washing the dead as soon as possible."
Old reflexes
It was five years ago that the Zirve Publishing House massacre
happened. (Three Christians were brutally murdered in 2007.) The
"potential" in the city was recognized by the "Ergenekonists."
Actually, we can talk about a build-up going way back to old dates.
(In the 1970s, the city was turned upside down after its mayor, Hamid
Fendoğlu, died after a bomb package exploded; an Alevi-Sunni conflict
was provoked and one of the stones on the road leading to the Sept.
12, 1980, coup was paved in Malatya.)
We can say there is a thin line between conservatism and religious
bigotry. This line is always open to political abuse; to masses
being diverted into social conflicts. At the end of the 1970s, the
Kahramanmaraş, Sivas, Corum, Elazığ, Malatya and other incidents are
bitter examples of this phenomenon.
In any case, both the general public and the religious segment
of society have drawn some conclusions and lessons from what was
experienced, and they continue to do so. Those circles that had to
endure the pain of coups have started questioning how much the coup
organizers and those who wanted to drive Turkey into internal chaos
were given credit in the past. The more they question it, the better
they can evaluate the incidents from a wider and unprejudiced angle.
On the other hand, it is obvious that it is not easy for anyone to
get rid of old reflexes. We can say this about the latest demolition
incident in Malatya: We are facing a serious situation that cannot be
circumvented with the word "mistake." Unless we fully acknowledge this
fact, it will not be quite possible for us to overcome "mistakes." In
one way, the presence of an Armenian cemetery in Malatya and Armenians,
though only a handful, struggling to exist are sources of hope. We
can say that the number of those who share this stance is gradually
increasing.
Indeed, "old reflexes" and "political-benefit hunters" are right in
front of us as "the other side of the truth." When I visited Malatya
three weeks ago, I had heard that this new building built at the
Armenian cemetery had sent some segments into action.
Some were collecting signatures and were trying to hit the Justice
and Development Party (AK Parti) municipality in its soft underbelly
by saying, "They are building a church here." These circles who
are masters at calculating the thin line between conservatism and
"religious bigotry" had the intention of making life difficult for the
municipality by saying "they are cooperating with the infidel." We can
say these circles, in a sense, have accomplished their goals. I don't
think the demolition was a coincidence. I am guessing that there was
also a "build-up" behind those who had arrived at the venue for the
demolition. We know and we see that the backward mentality against
"the other" still has significant marks in our society.
We continue to come face to face with examples of all kinds of
bigotry in Anatolia, in Istanbul, in daily life. It is another
dramatic dimension of the picture that "religious conservatism" and
"racist-nationalist bigotry" (these two streams that look as if they
are far apart from each other) provoke each other. The "missionary
activities" paranoia that the Ergenekonists resort to intensively is
not only limited to them; it is a significant fact of my land.
This demolition is not a coincidence; it is not a surprise. This
will probably be the main starting point of those who feel the
need to analyze what is going on. The fact that the municipality
has regretted the demolition and promised to make "compensations,"
despite everything, can be seen as a consolation.
[email protected]
Oral Calışlar is a columnist for daily Radikal in which this piece
appeared on Feb 5. It was translated into English by the Daily
News staff.
From: Baghdasarian