Tweet
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Jan 26 2014
Hrant Dink paved way for peace between Armenians and Turks
26 January 2014 /LAMÄ°YA ADÄ°LGIZI, Ä°STANBUL
The murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink precipitated a
revolution in the long-standing Armenian issue of Turkey, as the seven
years since his assassination has brought about fundamental changes in
both public awareness of the Armenian problem and the Turkish state's
policy towards it.
Seven years have passed since Dink, known as a leading representative
of Turkey's Armenian community, was shot by an ultranationalist
teenager, Ogün Samast, in broad daylight near the office of Agos, the
Turkish-Armenian newspaper he was heading at that time.
Samast was convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to 23 years
in prison. However, many believe that other powers had planned the
murder of this man of Armenian origin, who openly rejected Turkey's
denial of the 1915 events Armenians call the Armenian Genocide. That
was the main reason why Dink was not liked by many Turkish
nationalists. His description of the mass killings of Armenians during
World War I as "genocide" enraged most Turkish people.
What some call the Armenian Genocide is a sensitive issue for both
Armenians and Turks, as the sides' claims are considerably different
and contradict each other. According to Armenians, the 1915
deportation of Armenians by the Ottomans was a genocide in which 1.5
million Armenians were killed and say the incident was an act of
ethnic cleansing, wanting it to be internationally recognized as
genocide. Turkey, which sees the allegations of genocide as a threat
to its national honor, meanwhile, says the killings were not
intentionally perpetrated to eradicate a particular ethnicity but were
the result of wartime conditions during World War I. Turkey also notes
that both Muslims and non-Muslims died during the events.
Because of these theories, which were not accepted and criticized by
both sides, Dink devoted himself to raising public awareness of the
Armenian issue in Turkey. It occurred in a period when the issue was
rarely addressed and was largely left untouched and unstudied.
According to Dink, there was a lack of information between the two
sides, as neither side recognized the other side and instead both
sides consistently acted with prejudice towards each other.
`He was trying to eliminate prejudices, to help both Armenians and
Turks get to know each other and to bring a human factor rather than
politics to the forefront in order to bring peace and reconciliation
between the two nations,' said Etyen Mahçupyan, a Turkish-Armenian
journalist who became editor-in-chief of Agos after Dink's
assassination, adding that Dink was a true activist who attempted to
raise public awareness about the Armenian issue in Turkish society and
also about Turks in Armenia and among the diaspora.
As such a figure, who was neither close to the Armenian diaspora nor
to the state in Turkey, he was becoming distinct and well known to
all, according to Mahçupyan, who says that the murder of Dink has
definitely had a positive impact on the Armenian issue in Turkey, as
people have become more interested in studying the issue, as a result
of which awareness has increased, a move that has led to the growth of
sympathy in the two nations towards each other.
`People in Turkey even started to study whether their families'
heritage includes some Armenian origin. Turkey has in fact started to
witness a rise in tolerance in the country,' Mahçupyan said in an
interview with Sunday's Zaman.
Dink's murder definitely strained relations between Armenians and
Turks; however, the developments, especially the funeral of Dink that
came after the assassination, greatly eased that tension.
Thousands of mourners from various ethnic and religious backgrounds
gathered to bid a final farewell to Dink in Ä°stanbul in late January
2007. People chanting and carrying banners that read "We are all
Armenian" and "We are all Hrant" were considered by many to be
solidarity against the nationalist ideas that killed Dink seven years
ago in the center of the city.
`That funeral had a huge impact on the easing of ties. If there had
not been that kind of funeral, if the incident had been left with that
crime only, it could have truly hardened the ties [between Armenians
and Turks]. And also the speeches made by Dink on different
international platforms before his death should not be dismissed,
which have been widely studied after his death and become one of the
most important contributions to the softening of the ties,' Mahçupyan
said.
Being a part and in fact a spokesperson of the Armenian community in
Turkey, Dink addressed the problems, prejudices, unfairness and
discrimination the Armenian minority has faced in its interaction with
Turkish society. While speaking about these problems, Dink also
considered himself part of a single Turkey.
`I think the fundamental problems in Turkey exist for the majority as
well. Therefore ... I will speak for the majority, including myself in
it, and dwell on where, we, as Turkey, are headed,' Dink reportedly
said in a seminar held in Antalya on May 19, 2006.
Echoing Mahçupyan, Erdal DoÄ?an, Dink's lawyer, said in an interview
with Sunday's Zaman that Dink's speech made before his death had paved
the way for peace and reconciliation between the two nations.
`Those speeches revealed that Dink was beyond the Armenian issue, but
at the same time he emerged as a figure sitting in the heart of the
Armenian issue.Appealing to our consciences, he brought about a
consciousness of the Armenian issue, as he became understood after his
death. I wish he had been understood in his life,' DoÄ?an said.
According to DoÄ?an, the death of Dink still remains a torment, a huge
grief that has caused the voice of conscience to rise not only in the
world of Armenians but also among liberal and democrat Muslim circles.
At the same time, a new community has been set up as a result of this
grief, a community that has started to get to know the Armenian issue
via Dink, he says.
"In this respect, Dink, who was not known in his life, became well
known through his thoughts and conscience after his death, and this
caused an earthquake of mindfulness for the solution to Turkey's
Armenian issue," DoÄ?an concluded.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-337473-hrant-dink-paved-way-for-peace-between-armenians-and-turks.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Jan 26 2014
Hrant Dink paved way for peace between Armenians and Turks
26 January 2014 /LAMÄ°YA ADÄ°LGIZI, Ä°STANBUL
The murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink precipitated a
revolution in the long-standing Armenian issue of Turkey, as the seven
years since his assassination has brought about fundamental changes in
both public awareness of the Armenian problem and the Turkish state's
policy towards it.
Seven years have passed since Dink, known as a leading representative
of Turkey's Armenian community, was shot by an ultranationalist
teenager, Ogün Samast, in broad daylight near the office of Agos, the
Turkish-Armenian newspaper he was heading at that time.
Samast was convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to 23 years
in prison. However, many believe that other powers had planned the
murder of this man of Armenian origin, who openly rejected Turkey's
denial of the 1915 events Armenians call the Armenian Genocide. That
was the main reason why Dink was not liked by many Turkish
nationalists. His description of the mass killings of Armenians during
World War I as "genocide" enraged most Turkish people.
What some call the Armenian Genocide is a sensitive issue for both
Armenians and Turks, as the sides' claims are considerably different
and contradict each other. According to Armenians, the 1915
deportation of Armenians by the Ottomans was a genocide in which 1.5
million Armenians were killed and say the incident was an act of
ethnic cleansing, wanting it to be internationally recognized as
genocide. Turkey, which sees the allegations of genocide as a threat
to its national honor, meanwhile, says the killings were not
intentionally perpetrated to eradicate a particular ethnicity but were
the result of wartime conditions during World War I. Turkey also notes
that both Muslims and non-Muslims died during the events.
Because of these theories, which were not accepted and criticized by
both sides, Dink devoted himself to raising public awareness of the
Armenian issue in Turkey. It occurred in a period when the issue was
rarely addressed and was largely left untouched and unstudied.
According to Dink, there was a lack of information between the two
sides, as neither side recognized the other side and instead both
sides consistently acted with prejudice towards each other.
`He was trying to eliminate prejudices, to help both Armenians and
Turks get to know each other and to bring a human factor rather than
politics to the forefront in order to bring peace and reconciliation
between the two nations,' said Etyen Mahçupyan, a Turkish-Armenian
journalist who became editor-in-chief of Agos after Dink's
assassination, adding that Dink was a true activist who attempted to
raise public awareness about the Armenian issue in Turkish society and
also about Turks in Armenia and among the diaspora.
As such a figure, who was neither close to the Armenian diaspora nor
to the state in Turkey, he was becoming distinct and well known to
all, according to Mahçupyan, who says that the murder of Dink has
definitely had a positive impact on the Armenian issue in Turkey, as
people have become more interested in studying the issue, as a result
of which awareness has increased, a move that has led to the growth of
sympathy in the two nations towards each other.
`People in Turkey even started to study whether their families'
heritage includes some Armenian origin. Turkey has in fact started to
witness a rise in tolerance in the country,' Mahçupyan said in an
interview with Sunday's Zaman.
Dink's murder definitely strained relations between Armenians and
Turks; however, the developments, especially the funeral of Dink that
came after the assassination, greatly eased that tension.
Thousands of mourners from various ethnic and religious backgrounds
gathered to bid a final farewell to Dink in Ä°stanbul in late January
2007. People chanting and carrying banners that read "We are all
Armenian" and "We are all Hrant" were considered by many to be
solidarity against the nationalist ideas that killed Dink seven years
ago in the center of the city.
`That funeral had a huge impact on the easing of ties. If there had
not been that kind of funeral, if the incident had been left with that
crime only, it could have truly hardened the ties [between Armenians
and Turks]. And also the speeches made by Dink on different
international platforms before his death should not be dismissed,
which have been widely studied after his death and become one of the
most important contributions to the softening of the ties,' Mahçupyan
said.
Being a part and in fact a spokesperson of the Armenian community in
Turkey, Dink addressed the problems, prejudices, unfairness and
discrimination the Armenian minority has faced in its interaction with
Turkish society. While speaking about these problems, Dink also
considered himself part of a single Turkey.
`I think the fundamental problems in Turkey exist for the majority as
well. Therefore ... I will speak for the majority, including myself in
it, and dwell on where, we, as Turkey, are headed,' Dink reportedly
said in a seminar held in Antalya on May 19, 2006.
Echoing Mahçupyan, Erdal DoÄ?an, Dink's lawyer, said in an interview
with Sunday's Zaman that Dink's speech made before his death had paved
the way for peace and reconciliation between the two nations.
`Those speeches revealed that Dink was beyond the Armenian issue, but
at the same time he emerged as a figure sitting in the heart of the
Armenian issue.Appealing to our consciences, he brought about a
consciousness of the Armenian issue, as he became understood after his
death. I wish he had been understood in his life,' DoÄ?an said.
According to DoÄ?an, the death of Dink still remains a torment, a huge
grief that has caused the voice of conscience to rise not only in the
world of Armenians but also among liberal and democrat Muslim circles.
At the same time, a new community has been set up as a result of this
grief, a community that has started to get to know the Armenian issue
via Dink, he says.
"In this respect, Dink, who was not known in his life, became well
known through his thoughts and conscience after his death, and this
caused an earthquake of mindfulness for the solution to Turkey's
Armenian issue," DoÄ?an concluded.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-337473-hrant-dink-paved-way-for-peace-between-armenians-and-turks.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress