Tweet
CAN A TURKISH, ARMENIAN AND KURDISH PICTURE BE TAKEN TOGETHER?
11:27, June 20, 2013
By Solin Hacador
(The following appeared in the June 18 edition of The Kurdistan
Tribune)
Today, I have seen a picture of three women from different ethnicities
- Kurdish, Armenian and Turkish - taken in the Ottoman times of
Turkey. I wonder whether the same kind of photo could be taken in
the current Turkish society.
Unfortunately, people's understanding of friendship between different
ethnicities in Turkish society is very thin. Moreover, it is at its
racist-provocative stage.
Non-Turkish people cannot openly state their ethnicity, and they
often hide their origin from each other. This unpleasant situation is
worrying. Through this picture we can see that different ethnicities
could set up friendship easily in the past but now it is quite hard to
bring these people together. This situation did not happen overnight;
it happened as a result of Turkish long-term racist educational
system and massacres, genocide against Armenians and massacres against
Kurdish people.
Kids from an early age are being taught Ataturk's theories. They
are taught how to be proud of being Turk. Children from different
ethnicities are being kept under the same educational system.
This issue is supported by Turkish media. The media usually follows a
biased approach towards other ethnicities and independent journalists
are mostly scared to criticize any governmental mistakes.
If we go back to the Ottoman Empire, in the sixteen century it was
the most powerful state but, by the nineteenth century, its power was
reduced and it had lost most of its land in Africa and Europe. This
created economic and political losses too and the Empire started to
pressurise internal ethnicities enormously. Armenian people within the
government were treated suspiciously. Non-Muslim people were put under
immense pressure. A series of massacres against Armenians took place
during Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876-1909)'s administration. The same
Sultan also used some Kurdish people by setting up the Hamidiye corps
(literally meaning "belonging to Hamid", with the full official name
of Hamidiye Hafif Suvari alayları, Hamidiye Light Cavalry Regiments)
in 1890.
These were well armed, irregular Sunni Kurdish, Turkish, Turkmen,
Yöruk and also Arab cavalry formations that operated in the eastern
provinces of the Ottoman Empire. The intention of Sultan Abdul Hamid
II was to use this corps against Russia. However, the Hamidiye were
more often used by the Ottoman authorities to harass and assault
Armenians living in Western Armenia.
We Kurds need to accept what has happened in history and the fact
that some Kurds under the Hamidiye Alaylari took part in massacring
Armenian. This shameful crime against Armenians was ordered as
explained above. However, we should not generalise this crime and must
not blame all Kurds for it. We all know that this is a tactic of the
Ottoman-Turkish state, and so the state from time to time applies an
armed group against Kurdish armed revolutionists. We know that the
village guard (Kurdish armed group) was set up by the Turkish state
in order to fight against the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) but they
were usually used against innocent civilians.
Finally, the Armenian Genocide (1915) hugely damaged Turkish, Armenian
and Kurdish friendship.
Some people become alarmed because they are not very aware of their
friend's customs, likes and dislikes. They may unwittingly say or do
something that is offensive, without ever knowing the reason. Having
this awareness does not mean that you have ever been a person who has
harboured prejudice or racist thoughts about people from other ethnic,
national or cultural backgrounds.
Many contemporary writers in the west tend to present friendship as
private, voluntary, and happening between autonomous individuals.
According to this view, 'friendship becomes a special relationship
between two equal individuals involved in a uniquely constituted
dyad' (Bell and Coleman 1999). This contrasts in key respects with
the classical view. Furthermore, as Graham Allan (1989) has argued,
relationships that are often presented as voluntary, informal and
personal, still operate within the constraints of class, gender,
age, ethnicity and geography and this places a considerable question
against the idea that friendship is a matter of choice.
Aristotle provides us with one of the great discussions of friendship.
He distinguishes between what he believes to be genuine friendships
and two other forms: one based on mutual usefulness, the other on
pleasure. These two forms only last for as long as there is utility
and pleasure involved, whereas genuine friendship does not dissolve.
I personally believe that we need to work on this and do our bit to
get rid of any errors or unpleasant issues from our society in order
to set up Turkish, Armenian and Kurdish friendship. This issue is very
important for the peace process which we need to start from scratch.
The Turkish state should also get rid of its racist educational
system and bring its citizens together through social, economic and
cultural reforms and respect for the rights of individuals. I assume
a new picture of three ethnicities can be taken by then.
http://hetq.am/eng/opinion/27521/can-a-turkish-armenian-and-kurdish-picture-be-taken-together?.html
11:27, June 20, 2013
By Solin Hacador
(The following appeared in the June 18 edition of The Kurdistan
Tribune)
Today, I have seen a picture of three women from different ethnicities
- Kurdish, Armenian and Turkish - taken in the Ottoman times of
Turkey. I wonder whether the same kind of photo could be taken in
the current Turkish society.
Unfortunately, people's understanding of friendship between different
ethnicities in Turkish society is very thin. Moreover, it is at its
racist-provocative stage.
Non-Turkish people cannot openly state their ethnicity, and they
often hide their origin from each other. This unpleasant situation is
worrying. Through this picture we can see that different ethnicities
could set up friendship easily in the past but now it is quite hard to
bring these people together. This situation did not happen overnight;
it happened as a result of Turkish long-term racist educational
system and massacres, genocide against Armenians and massacres against
Kurdish people.
Kids from an early age are being taught Ataturk's theories. They
are taught how to be proud of being Turk. Children from different
ethnicities are being kept under the same educational system.
This issue is supported by Turkish media. The media usually follows a
biased approach towards other ethnicities and independent journalists
are mostly scared to criticize any governmental mistakes.
If we go back to the Ottoman Empire, in the sixteen century it was
the most powerful state but, by the nineteenth century, its power was
reduced and it had lost most of its land in Africa and Europe. This
created economic and political losses too and the Empire started to
pressurise internal ethnicities enormously. Armenian people within the
government were treated suspiciously. Non-Muslim people were put under
immense pressure. A series of massacres against Armenians took place
during Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876-1909)'s administration. The same
Sultan also used some Kurdish people by setting up the Hamidiye corps
(literally meaning "belonging to Hamid", with the full official name
of Hamidiye Hafif Suvari alayları, Hamidiye Light Cavalry Regiments)
in 1890.
These were well armed, irregular Sunni Kurdish, Turkish, Turkmen,
Yöruk and also Arab cavalry formations that operated in the eastern
provinces of the Ottoman Empire. The intention of Sultan Abdul Hamid
II was to use this corps against Russia. However, the Hamidiye were
more often used by the Ottoman authorities to harass and assault
Armenians living in Western Armenia.
We Kurds need to accept what has happened in history and the fact
that some Kurds under the Hamidiye Alaylari took part in massacring
Armenian. This shameful crime against Armenians was ordered as
explained above. However, we should not generalise this crime and must
not blame all Kurds for it. We all know that this is a tactic of the
Ottoman-Turkish state, and so the state from time to time applies an
armed group against Kurdish armed revolutionists. We know that the
village guard (Kurdish armed group) was set up by the Turkish state
in order to fight against the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) but they
were usually used against innocent civilians.
Finally, the Armenian Genocide (1915) hugely damaged Turkish, Armenian
and Kurdish friendship.
Some people become alarmed because they are not very aware of their
friend's customs, likes and dislikes. They may unwittingly say or do
something that is offensive, without ever knowing the reason. Having
this awareness does not mean that you have ever been a person who has
harboured prejudice or racist thoughts about people from other ethnic,
national or cultural backgrounds.
Many contemporary writers in the west tend to present friendship as
private, voluntary, and happening between autonomous individuals.
According to this view, 'friendship becomes a special relationship
between two equal individuals involved in a uniquely constituted
dyad' (Bell and Coleman 1999). This contrasts in key respects with
the classical view. Furthermore, as Graham Allan (1989) has argued,
relationships that are often presented as voluntary, informal and
personal, still operate within the constraints of class, gender,
age, ethnicity and geography and this places a considerable question
against the idea that friendship is a matter of choice.
Aristotle provides us with one of the great discussions of friendship.
He distinguishes between what he believes to be genuine friendships
and two other forms: one based on mutual usefulness, the other on
pleasure. These two forms only last for as long as there is utility
and pleasure involved, whereas genuine friendship does not dissolve.
I personally believe that we need to work on this and do our bit to
get rid of any errors or unpleasant issues from our society in order
to set up Turkish, Armenian and Kurdish friendship. This issue is very
important for the peace process which we need to start from scratch.
The Turkish state should also get rid of its racist educational
system and bring its citizens together through social, economic and
cultural reforms and respect for the rights of individuals. I assume
a new picture of three ethnicities can be taken by then.
http://hetq.am/eng/opinion/27521/can-a-turkish-armenian-and-kurdish-picture-be-taken-together?.html