Syriac group urges for bishops’ release
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
A Brussels-based Syriac group, the European Syriac Union (ESU), has urged the “unconditional” release of two bishops who were kidnapped last week in Syria and organized rallies in Belgium and Sweden.
“The terror attacks reached the tipping point against Syriac people in Syria on April 22. The bishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Aleppo, Yohanna Ibrahim, and the bishop of the Greek Orthodox Church, Boulos Yaziji, were kidnapped by unknown persons around Aleppo,” the statement said, urging the immediate release of the two bishops. They were kidnapped on April 22 by armed men en route from the Turkish border. The group has also called for the immediate release of Syriac and Christian hostages and prisoners held by both sides.
The ESU has also organized two rallies, one in Belgium and the other Sweden, for the release of the two bishops. Tuna Çelik, the ESU’s Turkey representative, told the Hürriyet Daily News that a serious disinformation period started following the kidnappings.
Release news ‘not true’
“There is still no news regarding the bishops. From the first day, several press institutions spread news saying they had been released or they would be released. Those are not true. We have not received any information about the bishops’ situation. Actually we think that this disinformation is being done deliberately.”
Meanwhile, Greek Orthodox Patriarch in Beirut John X. met April 26 with Turkey’s Ambassador to Lebanon İnan Özyıldız. The situation of the bishops was on the patriarch’s agenda, while Özyıldız said Turkey was resuming its efforts regarding the matter.
April/30/2013
29 Nisan 2013 Pazartesi
Exhibition reflects dark period of Anatolian history
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
The photograph archive of the Dildilian brothers, who documented the social life of Anatolia during the 19th century with their cameras, was brought from the US to Turkey thanks to the efforts of their grandchildren Armen Tsolag Marsoobian and Tsolag Dildilian.
In their archive, the grandchildren have preserved over 800 pieces by the Dildilian brothers, who made many contributions to various outstanding archives of the world. Armen Marsoobian is planning to open a museum with the archive photos in the Black Sea province of Amasya’s Merzifon district. The exhibition, entitled “Bearing Witness to the Lost History of an Armenian Family: Through the Lens of the Dildilian Brothers,” will be displayed at the Tütün Deposu (Tobacco Depot) in Istanbul’s Tophane district until June 8.
Moving to Merzifon
The exhibition will also be presented in Merzifon. Armen Marsoobian, a professor of philosophy at Columbia University and Southern Connecticut State University, said the photos reflected Anatolian history, adding that their family came originally from the central Anatolian province of Sivas.
“Our great grandfather used to have a shoe factory in Sivas. Our uncles encouraged our grandfather when they discovered his ability in photography. The Dildilian brothers opened photo studios in Samsun, Konya, Merzifon and Adana along with Sivas. They photographed the social life of that period in addition to studio photography,” Marsoobian said.
Marsoobian said the life of his family in Anatolia was interrupted in 1922, adding that he first came to Turkey a few years ago and visited the home belonging to his family in Merzifon. “On my first visit, I felt rather uneasy. I also headed to Merzifon and visited a house where my family once lived. I stayed there for an hour,” he said.
Stating that he felt at home in Anatolia, Marsoobian said he was planning to open a museum in Merzifon with the photos in his archive. “There is a historic house [in Merzifon]. I want to restore it and want to bring the photos back to the county where they were originated. I actually wanted to do such a project in Sivas; but it seems not to be possible for now,” Marsoobian said.
Forgotten History of Anatolia
When asked the reason why they wanted to display their archives in Turkey, Marsoobian said, “A century ago, there was a rich cultural past in these territories. We wanted to shed light on the forgotten history of the 19th century with these photos. If we had not been forced to leave this territory, Anatolia would be much richer today,” Marsoobian said.
Marsoobian said various Armenian and Greek photographers of that period, such as the Dildilian brothers and Abdullah brothers, captured the 19th century Ottoman lifestyle with their cameras. Marsoobian said his archive in the US covers more than 800 photos shot in different Anatolian cities, adding that he spent a major part of his time on sorting out the pieces in the archive over the last five years.
April/29/2013
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
The photograph archive of the Dildilian brothers, who documented the social life of Anatolia during the 19th century with their cameras, was brought from the US to Turkey thanks to the efforts of their grandchildren Armen Tsolag Marsoobian and Tsolag Dildilian.
In their archive, the grandchildren have preserved over 800 pieces by the Dildilian brothers, who made many contributions to various outstanding archives of the world. Armen Marsoobian is planning to open a museum with the archive photos in the Black Sea province of Amasya’s Merzifon district. The exhibition, entitled “Bearing Witness to the Lost History of an Armenian Family: Through the Lens of the Dildilian Brothers,” will be displayed at the Tütün Deposu (Tobacco Depot) in Istanbul’s Tophane district until June 8.
Moving to Merzifon
The exhibition will also be presented in Merzifon. Armen Marsoobian, a professor of philosophy at Columbia University and Southern Connecticut State University, said the photos reflected Anatolian history, adding that their family came originally from the central Anatolian province of Sivas.
“Our great grandfather used to have a shoe factory in Sivas. Our uncles encouraged our grandfather when they discovered his ability in photography. The Dildilian brothers opened photo studios in Samsun, Konya, Merzifon and Adana along with Sivas. They photographed the social life of that period in addition to studio photography,” Marsoobian said.
Marsoobian said the life of his family in Anatolia was interrupted in 1922, adding that he first came to Turkey a few years ago and visited the home belonging to his family in Merzifon. “On my first visit, I felt rather uneasy. I also headed to Merzifon and visited a house where my family once lived. I stayed there for an hour,” he said.
Stating that he felt at home in Anatolia, Marsoobian said he was planning to open a museum in Merzifon with the photos in his archive. “There is a historic house [in Merzifon]. I want to restore it and want to bring the photos back to the county where they were originated. I actually wanted to do such a project in Sivas; but it seems not to be possible for now,” Marsoobian said.
Forgotten History of Anatolia
When asked the reason why they wanted to display their archives in Turkey, Marsoobian said, “A century ago, there was a rich cultural past in these territories. We wanted to shed light on the forgotten history of the 19th century with these photos. If we had not been forced to leave this territory, Anatolia would be much richer today,” Marsoobian said.
Marsoobian said various Armenian and Greek photographers of that period, such as the Dildilian brothers and Abdullah brothers, captured the 19th century Ottoman lifestyle with their cameras. Marsoobian said his archive in the US covers more than 800 photos shot in different Anatolian cities, adding that he spent a major part of his time on sorting out the pieces in the archive over the last five years.
April/29/2013
EXHIBITIONS > Ancient epic tales to go on display in Istanbul
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
The oldest copy of the Dede Korkut myths, a series of epic tales narrating the life of ancient nomadic Turks and their pre-Islamic beliefs, will be showcased in Istanbul between Dec. 15 and March 15, 2014.
The 1,500-year old copy, which belongs to Vatican archives, originated as a series of epics orally told and was transferred into written form over the generations. Another ancient copy of the tales is currently located in Germany.
Historian and researcher Dr. Rinaldo Marmara, the press secretary of the Vatican who led the work of displaying the copy in Turkey, gave the Hürriyet Daily News further information about the transfer process. “For the first time, Turkey is to host an exhibition presenting a piece from the Vatican archives. Last year, in cooperation with Bahçeşehir University and on the initiative of the University’s Board of Trustees Chair Enver Yücel, we established a department entitled ‘Turkey-Vatican Diplomatic Relations.’
Thanks to the contributions of this department, we are able to bring this work to Turkey,” Marmara said.
“Also, within Bahçeşehir University, we will organize courses titled ‘Turkey-Vatican Diplomatic Relations,’ and ‘Vatican’s Confidential Archive Documents.’ Students who become successful in them will go to the Vatican for research. This unit is the first one in Turkey,” Marmara said.
Marmara said annually only 12 exhibitions could be held all over the world with documents from Vatican archives. “It should be kept in mind that bringing such a precious piece to Turkey is a demanding process, there are certain procedures for that such as issuing the safety of the work and examining the exhibition hall,” Marmara said.
Turkish history in Vatican archives
“I revised all the documents about Turkey in the archives. There are various kinds of documents among them, including private letters of Ottoman Emperors, and some texts representing their relations with the Vatican,” Marmara added.
When asked whether the content of these documents could change the official history of the Turkish Republic, Marmara said, “History is history. We are talking about the documents on Turkish history that are neither interpreted nor processed.”
With regard to the possible future projects regarding Turkey, he said, “There are some foreign-sourced handwritings narrating Turkey. Next time we could exhibit them in Turkey.”
Marmara said each Pope opened a different period of the archives to research.
April/26/2013
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
The oldest copy of the Dede Korkut myths, a series of epic tales narrating the life of ancient nomadic Turks and their pre-Islamic beliefs, will be showcased in Istanbul between Dec. 15 and March 15, 2014.
The 1,500-year old copy, which belongs to Vatican archives, originated as a series of epics orally told and was transferred into written form over the generations. Another ancient copy of the tales is currently located in Germany.
Historian and researcher Dr. Rinaldo Marmara, the press secretary of the Vatican who led the work of displaying the copy in Turkey, gave the Hürriyet Daily News further information about the transfer process. “For the first time, Turkey is to host an exhibition presenting a piece from the Vatican archives. Last year, in cooperation with Bahçeşehir University and on the initiative of the University’s Board of Trustees Chair Enver Yücel, we established a department entitled ‘Turkey-Vatican Diplomatic Relations.’
Thanks to the contributions of this department, we are able to bring this work to Turkey,” Marmara said.
“Also, within Bahçeşehir University, we will organize courses titled ‘Turkey-Vatican Diplomatic Relations,’ and ‘Vatican’s Confidential Archive Documents.’ Students who become successful in them will go to the Vatican for research. This unit is the first one in Turkey,” Marmara said.
Marmara said annually only 12 exhibitions could be held all over the world with documents from Vatican archives. “It should be kept in mind that bringing such a precious piece to Turkey is a demanding process, there are certain procedures for that such as issuing the safety of the work and examining the exhibition hall,” Marmara said.
Turkish history in Vatican archives
“I revised all the documents about Turkey in the archives. There are various kinds of documents among them, including private letters of Ottoman Emperors, and some texts representing their relations with the Vatican,” Marmara added.
When asked whether the content of these documents could change the official history of the Turkish Republic, Marmara said, “History is history. We are talking about the documents on Turkish history that are neither interpreted nor processed.”
With regard to the possible future projects regarding Turkey, he said, “There are some foreign-sourced handwritings narrating Turkey. Next time we could exhibit them in Turkey.”
Marmara said each Pope opened a different period of the archives to research.
April/26/2013
Kidnappings of bishops raise fears among Syrian Christians
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
The kidnapping of two Syrian bishops has raised fears among Christians as they become increasingly vulnerable to attack and abductions in the war-ravaged Arab republic.
Aleppo’s Greek Orthodox Bishop Boulos Yaziji and Syriac Orthodox Bishop Yohanna Ibrahim were kidnapped on April 22 by armed men en route from the Turkish border. Engin Türker, head of the Syriac Associations Federation, voiced his concern. “Until now no Christian bishops were kidnapped and this is a big mistake. We hope they will be released soon,” he said. “If the bishops were killed, it would trigger a mass exodus.”
Because Yaziji has not been able to conduct services in his country due to the fighting, he had spent the last number of months in the southern Turkish province of Hatay, conducting services there.
‘Yaziji would become ‘metropolitan bishop’
Yaziji planned to turn to Aleppo to attend ceremonies on May 4-5 for Orthodox Easter but was subsequently set to return to Turkey. Laki Vingas, head of the Association for the Support of Greek Community Foundations (RUMVADER), spoke with Yaziji hours before the kidnapping.
“Yaziji could not carry out his services due to violence and he often came to Hatay. If he hadn’t been kidnapped, he would have become the metropolitan bishop of Hatay,” Vingas said.
Fadi Hurigil, head of the Antakya Orthodox Church Foundation, said Yaziji seemed nervous when he was leaving the church.
“He couldn’t go to Aleppo because of the violence. The Greek Orthodox patriarch in Damascus has also gone to Beirut. Fifteen days ago, a metropolitan center was bombed in Aleppo and a mortar landed on a church,” he said.
Hurigil also said they were seeking support from Turkey in securing the release of the bishops, underlining that the incident would increase worries among Christians in Syria.
April/26/2013
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
The kidnapping of two Syrian bishops has raised fears among Christians as they become increasingly vulnerable to attack and abductions in the war-ravaged Arab republic.
Aleppo’s Greek Orthodox Bishop Boulos Yaziji and Syriac Orthodox Bishop Yohanna Ibrahim were kidnapped on April 22 by armed men en route from the Turkish border. Engin Türker, head of the Syriac Associations Federation, voiced his concern. “Until now no Christian bishops were kidnapped and this is a big mistake. We hope they will be released soon,” he said. “If the bishops were killed, it would trigger a mass exodus.”
Because Yaziji has not been able to conduct services in his country due to the fighting, he had spent the last number of months in the southern Turkish province of Hatay, conducting services there.
‘Yaziji would become ‘metropolitan bishop’
Yaziji planned to turn to Aleppo to attend ceremonies on May 4-5 for Orthodox Easter but was subsequently set to return to Turkey. Laki Vingas, head of the Association for the Support of Greek Community Foundations (RUMVADER), spoke with Yaziji hours before the kidnapping.
“Yaziji could not carry out his services due to violence and he often came to Hatay. If he hadn’t been kidnapped, he would have become the metropolitan bishop of Hatay,” Vingas said.
Fadi Hurigil, head of the Antakya Orthodox Church Foundation, said Yaziji seemed nervous when he was leaving the church.
“He couldn’t go to Aleppo because of the violence. The Greek Orthodox patriarch in Damascus has also gone to Beirut. Fifteen days ago, a metropolitan center was bombed in Aleppo and a mortar landed on a church,” he said.
Hurigil also said they were seeking support from Turkey in securing the release of the bishops, underlining that the incident would increase worries among Christians in Syria.
April/26/2013
25 Nisan 2013 Perşembe
Armenian organizations mark 1915 at ceremonies in Istanbul
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
A series of activities were held in Istanbul yesterday to mark the 98th anniversary of the mass killings of Armenians during World War I.
Along with a delegation composed of 25 people from diaspora organizations, various non-governmental organizations from Europe attended the events held by Stop Nationalism and Racism Platform and Human Rights Association (İHD).
“Armenian organizations’ participation in the commemoration activities is of a great importance. We are here to support NGOs’ struggle for the recognition of the [Armenian] genocide,” The European Grassroots Antiracist Movement (EGAM) president Benjamin Abtan told the Daily News.
The day was marked by commemorations worldwide, with the U.S. President Barack Obama releasing a statement which avoided the term “genocide.”
“Today we commemorate the Meds Yeghern and honor those who perished in one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century,” the statement read.
In Yerevan, a crowd flocked to a hilltop memorial to mark the 98th anniversary of the killings, as many headed to the memorial that commemorates the massacres to lay flowers at the eternal flame, Agence France-Presse reported.
Visit to Turkish governor
In Istanbul, the participants of the events firstly headed to Zincirlikuyu Muslim Cemetery and visited the grave of Faik Bey Ozansoy, the Ottoman Empire’s Kütahya governor who helped Armenians during the 1915 incidents. A commemoration ceremony was held in front of the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, which served as a prison in which many Armenian intellectuals were jailed during that period.
Federation of Armenian Organizations in The Netherlands and the Abovian Armenian Cultural Association President Mato Hakhverdyan was also in Turkey to participate in the commemoration ceremonies. Hakhverdyan said it was his first time in Turkey and that he was happy to be in the first delegation that came to Turkey to participate in the commemoration activities. “Only with dialogue will we be able to overcome issues. There is an awakening in Turkey; no doubt nongovernmental organizations play a huge role in this,” hne said. Seta Papazian, a representative of the France-based association Collectif Van, said: “If they had told me a few years ago that I would come here and participate in the commemorations, I would not have believed it,” she said.
Within the framework of activities, the grave of Sevag Şahin Balıkçı was also visited in the afternoon. Sevag Şahin Balıkçı was killed while doing his military service two years ago on April 24 in the eastern province of Batman, by a bullet fired from his army mate’s weapon.
April/25/2013
EXHIBITIONS > Exhibition displays Syriacs’ experiences of 1915
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
The Syriac community in Turkey is represented in a new exhibition titled “The Life of Ottoman Syriacs before 1915,” which represents their past experiences in Anatolia regarding the 1915 incidents.
Photographs collected from various personal archives in Europe are being showcased at the exhibition, which opened yesterday. The exhibition will be on display at the Human Rights Association (IHD) in Istanbul’s Taksim district, opening on May 1 as part of commemorations of the tragic events of 1915.
Syriac intellectual Şabo Boyacı, who headed the organization of the event, said the IHD was the first to come up with the offer.
“At the beginning of this century, the ancient peoples of Anatolia, including Syriacs, experienced many bloody tragedies. Syriacs named the tragedies they faced ‘Seyfo’ [meaning ‘sword’],” Boyacı said.
“They felt such great fears that they could not even express the misfortunes they experienced. With this exhibition, the disaster that Syriacs experienced will be reflected for the public,” he said.
“We particularly tried to choose the photos displaying the places where Syriacs were densely populated, which reflected their social life in the relevant years. We included pictures of intellectuals, schools and churches,” Boyacı said.
According to Boyacı, the exhibition will also cover a number of texts depicting “communal subversions” within the Syriac community. The Syriac community has so far preferred to remain in the background and has not brought their problems onto the agenda. When asked why they were now trying to make the “Seyfo” public, Boyacı said the time was right.
“It is a community that experienced bitter traumas. So we can’t expect them to easily express themselves. The point we have reached so far shows that we have partly overcome this trauma. Thanks to the works conducted by Syriacs who migrated abroad, we are managing to overcome our traumas,” he said.
‘Impossible a decade ago’
The current Syriac population in Turkey is said to be around 15,000, most of whom live in Istanbul. A large number of Syriacs migrated to Europe during the 1990s.
“The Syriacs in the diaspora are closely following the latest developments in Turkey. They have been able to see the changes that have taken place. Even if they are far away, their hearts belong to their homeland, where they were born. It is not easy to end this affection. They wish for the well-being of the country, while demanding respect for the tragedies experienced by their ancestors,” Boyacı said.
“We could not have opened such an exhibition only a decade ago. The improvement of democratic culture is still a little slow, but still we regard the point we have reached as progress,” he added.
April/25/2013
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
The Syriac community in Turkey is represented in a new exhibition titled “The Life of Ottoman Syriacs before 1915,” which represents their past experiences in Anatolia regarding the 1915 incidents.
Photographs collected from various personal archives in Europe are being showcased at the exhibition, which opened yesterday. The exhibition will be on display at the Human Rights Association (IHD) in Istanbul’s Taksim district, opening on May 1 as part of commemorations of the tragic events of 1915.
Syriac intellectual Şabo Boyacı, who headed the organization of the event, said the IHD was the first to come up with the offer.
“At the beginning of this century, the ancient peoples of Anatolia, including Syriacs, experienced many bloody tragedies. Syriacs named the tragedies they faced ‘Seyfo’ [meaning ‘sword’],” Boyacı said.
“They felt such great fears that they could not even express the misfortunes they experienced. With this exhibition, the disaster that Syriacs experienced will be reflected for the public,” he said.
“We particularly tried to choose the photos displaying the places where Syriacs were densely populated, which reflected their social life in the relevant years. We included pictures of intellectuals, schools and churches,” Boyacı said.
According to Boyacı, the exhibition will also cover a number of texts depicting “communal subversions” within the Syriac community. The Syriac community has so far preferred to remain in the background and has not brought their problems onto the agenda. When asked why they were now trying to make the “Seyfo” public, Boyacı said the time was right.
“It is a community that experienced bitter traumas. So we can’t expect them to easily express themselves. The point we have reached so far shows that we have partly overcome this trauma. Thanks to the works conducted by Syriacs who migrated abroad, we are managing to overcome our traumas,” he said.
‘Impossible a decade ago’
The current Syriac population in Turkey is said to be around 15,000, most of whom live in Istanbul. A large number of Syriacs migrated to Europe during the 1990s.
“The Syriacs in the diaspora are closely following the latest developments in Turkey. They have been able to see the changes that have taken place. Even if they are far away, their hearts belong to their homeland, where they were born. It is not easy to end this affection. They wish for the well-being of the country, while demanding respect for the tragedies experienced by their ancestors,” Boyacı said.
“We could not have opened such an exhibition only a decade ago. The improvement of democratic culture is still a little slow, but still we regard the point we have reached as progress,” he added.
April/25/2013
22 Nisan 2013 Pazartesi
Religious Affairs Directorate to meet lighting costs of churches and synagogues
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs has kicked off a plan to meet the lighting costs of churches and synagogues in 16 districts around Istanbul.
Istanbul Provincial Deputy Mufti Abdurrahman Binbir confirmed the plans to the Hürriyet Daily News but did not elaborate further on the matter.
Mesrop II, the patriarch of Armenians in Turkey, struggled for years to have the state cover the water and lighting costs of the country’s churches.
An Armenian church foundation’s chair in Istanbul, who did not want to be named, said the directorate had begun to pay the lighting costs of churches in some districts, but not in other districts.
“They tell the districts whose costs were not met that they did not pay their previous debts and that they are required to do so beforehand. As such, the process has remained suspended,” the foundation chair said.
Meanwhile, Fener Greek Patriarchate press secretary Father Dositheos Anagnostopulos told the Hürriyet Daily News that they did not have any problem with regard to lighting costs since the has already been meeting them for many years.
But cemevis, the houses of worship for Alevis, were not included in the new work. “Unfortunately, the opening process regarding Alevis has been left unfinished,” Alevi Association Federation founder Metin Tarhan told the Daily News.
“Our demands are being postponed. I don’t know how the government authorities will explain that, but there are still some prejudices against us,” Tarhan said.
“If religious services are to be provided by the state, it must be done equally. It is necessary to guarantee the rights of Alevis and other faith groups,” he said.
April/22/2013
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs has kicked off a plan to meet the lighting costs of churches and synagogues in 16 districts around Istanbul.
Istanbul Provincial Deputy Mufti Abdurrahman Binbir confirmed the plans to the Hürriyet Daily News but did not elaborate further on the matter.
Mesrop II, the patriarch of Armenians in Turkey, struggled for years to have the state cover the water and lighting costs of the country’s churches.
An Armenian church foundation’s chair in Istanbul, who did not want to be named, said the directorate had begun to pay the lighting costs of churches in some districts, but not in other districts.
“They tell the districts whose costs were not met that they did not pay their previous debts and that they are required to do so beforehand. As such, the process has remained suspended,” the foundation chair said.
Meanwhile, Fener Greek Patriarchate press secretary Father Dositheos Anagnostopulos told the Hürriyet Daily News that they did not have any problem with regard to lighting costs since the has already been meeting them for many years.
But cemevis, the houses of worship for Alevis, were not included in the new work. “Unfortunately, the opening process regarding Alevis has been left unfinished,” Alevi Association Federation founder Metin Tarhan told the Daily News.
“Our demands are being postponed. I don’t know how the government authorities will explain that, but there are still some prejudices against us,” Tarhan said.
“If religious services are to be provided by the state, it must be done equally. It is necessary to guarantee the rights of Alevis and other faith groups,” he said.
April/22/2013
21 Nisan 2013 Pazar
School reopening to move Greek-Turks to Gökçeada
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Anatolian Greeks that abandoned their lives in Gökçeada to head overseas nearly 50 years ago could return after the Education Ministry responded positively to a demand to reopen a local Greek minority school, according to the Aegean island’s residents.
Stelyo Berber, the chairman of the Protection, Solidarity, Improvement and Development Association of Gökçeada, said the school would begin to operate in September, possibly enticing Greeks outside of Turkey to return to the country.
According to Berber, there are about 15,000 Greeks of Gökçeada origin in the entire world.
“Some groups speculate when representing the subject to the public. It is said that 15,000 people of Gökçeada origin will head to the island; it is not true. Also, it should be kept in mind that most of those who return are already the people of this territory; and many of them are still citizens of the Turkish Republic,” Berber said.
Berber said there were a total of eight schools and 698 students on the island until 1964. “After 1964, migration started for many reasons, including the policies of that period, unsolved murders and discrimination. The Anatolian Greek language was also forbidden. For over 50 years, not a single Greek child was born on the island. Today, there are 300 Greeks on the island, all of whom are old,” Berber said.
According to Berber, most of those expected to return still have some property on the island, and those whose lands or houses were confiscated by the state are pursuing legal cases. Berber said some cases had even been brought to the European Court of Human Rights due to the plaintiffs’ lack of success in Turkish courts.
“After the migration, the lands were transferred to the Treasury. For example, 90 percent of Tepeköy is recognized as public land now,” Berber said.
The greatest obstacle to the school’s reopening is Law No. 1151, which has been in force since 1927. According to this law, Greek is regarded as an extracurricular foreign language.
“The Greek language is recognized as an extracurricular course, and this law is still in force. It is said that a problem will not arise; but still, this must be legally guaranteed with a new law,” Berber said. The school, which was opened in 1951, was shut down in 1964 following a decree issued by Turkey’s second president and prime minister at the time, İsmet İnönü, on the pretext of the growing tensions in Cyprus that led to an exodus of Anatolian Greeks. The school in Gökçeada was shut down shortly thereafter.
Gökçeada (Imbros in Greek) is an island in the Aegean Sea and also the largest island in Turkey. It is located to the north of the entrance to the Dardanelles Strait.
April/20/2013
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Anatolian Greeks that abandoned their lives in Gökçeada to head overseas nearly 50 years ago could return after the Education Ministry responded positively to a demand to reopen a local Greek minority school, according to the Aegean island’s residents.
Stelyo Berber, the chairman of the Protection, Solidarity, Improvement and Development Association of Gökçeada, said the school would begin to operate in September, possibly enticing Greeks outside of Turkey to return to the country.
According to Berber, there are about 15,000 Greeks of Gökçeada origin in the entire world.
“Some groups speculate when representing the subject to the public. It is said that 15,000 people of Gökçeada origin will head to the island; it is not true. Also, it should be kept in mind that most of those who return are already the people of this territory; and many of them are still citizens of the Turkish Republic,” Berber said.
Berber said there were a total of eight schools and 698 students on the island until 1964. “After 1964, migration started for many reasons, including the policies of that period, unsolved murders and discrimination. The Anatolian Greek language was also forbidden. For over 50 years, not a single Greek child was born on the island. Today, there are 300 Greeks on the island, all of whom are old,” Berber said.
According to Berber, most of those expected to return still have some property on the island, and those whose lands or houses were confiscated by the state are pursuing legal cases. Berber said some cases had even been brought to the European Court of Human Rights due to the plaintiffs’ lack of success in Turkish courts.
“After the migration, the lands were transferred to the Treasury. For example, 90 percent of Tepeköy is recognized as public land now,” Berber said.
The greatest obstacle to the school’s reopening is Law No. 1151, which has been in force since 1927. According to this law, Greek is regarded as an extracurricular foreign language.
“The Greek language is recognized as an extracurricular course, and this law is still in force. It is said that a problem will not arise; but still, this must be legally guaranteed with a new law,” Berber said. The school, which was opened in 1951, was shut down in 1964 following a decree issued by Turkey’s second president and prime minister at the time, İsmet İnönü, on the pretext of the growing tensions in Cyprus that led to an exodus of Anatolian Greeks. The school in Gökçeada was shut down shortly thereafter.
Gökçeada (Imbros in Greek) is an island in the Aegean Sea and also the largest island in Turkey. It is located to the north of the entrance to the Dardanelles Strait.
April/20/2013
17 Nisan 2013 Çarşamba
RIGHTS > Motion may change minority school law
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
The abolition of the law preventing minority schools from selecting their own teachers has come onto the agenda, with a motion submitted by the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Van deputy Nazmi Gür.
Gür submitted a motion to the Parliament Speaker’s Office on April 10 for the abolition of the Law no. 6581 about “Turkish and Turkish Culture Teachers at Minority Schools,” which is regarded as one of the most critical problems faced by minority schools. Due to this law, which entered into force on May 20, 1955, teachers who were appointed to minority schools for five years experienced problems with the schools’ administrations, and also had many difficulties with regard to school enrollments. Gür’s motion has raised hopes for a new law that would guarantee the rights of minority schools.
Speaking to the Daily News, Minority Schools Coordinator Karekin Barsamyan said that even the introduction of such a motion represented a historic step. “If we had heard that such an improvement would occur just 10 years ago, we wouldn’t have believed it. The current law shackles us in terms of assigning teachers. We want to choose our teachers by ourselves, otherwise we could experience serious problems,” Barsamyan said.
Stating that the current law did not meet the needs of today, he added that a new law guaranteeing the rights of minority schools could be brought to the agenda if the motion is accepted.
Barsamyan said the motion had stimulated great excitement among the minority school administrations. “In order for us to raise qualified individuals who respect human rights and have a broad insight of democracy, we need a new law which is more up-to-date,” he said.
Barsamyan also said the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government had taken the most important steps so far in the history of the Turkish Republic. “Various difficulties were created for parents by saying that their documents were insufficient. Parents therefore even stepped back from sending their children to our schools,” he said.
April/17/2013
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
The abolition of the law preventing minority schools from selecting their own teachers has come onto the agenda, with a motion submitted by the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Van deputy Nazmi Gür.
Gür submitted a motion to the Parliament Speaker’s Office on April 10 for the abolition of the Law no. 6581 about “Turkish and Turkish Culture Teachers at Minority Schools,” which is regarded as one of the most critical problems faced by minority schools. Due to this law, which entered into force on May 20, 1955, teachers who were appointed to minority schools for five years experienced problems with the schools’ administrations, and also had many difficulties with regard to school enrollments. Gür’s motion has raised hopes for a new law that would guarantee the rights of minority schools.
Speaking to the Daily News, Minority Schools Coordinator Karekin Barsamyan said that even the introduction of such a motion represented a historic step. “If we had heard that such an improvement would occur just 10 years ago, we wouldn’t have believed it. The current law shackles us in terms of assigning teachers. We want to choose our teachers by ourselves, otherwise we could experience serious problems,” Barsamyan said.
Stating that the current law did not meet the needs of today, he added that a new law guaranteeing the rights of minority schools could be brought to the agenda if the motion is accepted.
Barsamyan said the motion had stimulated great excitement among the minority school administrations. “In order for us to raise qualified individuals who respect human rights and have a broad insight of democracy, we need a new law which is more up-to-date,” he said.
Barsamyan also said the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government had taken the most important steps so far in the history of the Turkish Republic. “Various difficulties were created for parents by saying that their documents were insufficient. Parents therefore even stepped back from sending their children to our schools,” he said.
April/17/2013
BOOKS > Debate over Azerbaijani writer's novel inflamed by translation into Armenian
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Send to friend » Share on linkedin ‘I have never engaged in treason and will never do so,’ under-fire Azerbaijani novelist Akram Aylisli says/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Controversy over renowned Azerbaijani novelist Akram Aylisli, who became the target of attacks from both the state and the public after the February release of his latest novel, “Stone Dreams,” has been reignited following the recent announcement by the Azerbaijan Press Agency (APA) that the book had been translated into Armenian.
Upon the news, New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) deputy Mübariz Qurbanlı said during an interview for Trent Media that the novel would be manipulated by Armenians as part of a “smear campaign against Azerbaijan,” adding that Aylisli had caused great harm to Azerbaijani society with the book.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News, Aylisli said he did not find it worth getting involved in such a discussion.
“The things I have done so far are the greatest evidence of how I love my county. I have never engaged in treason, and will never do so. I don’t want to live under another sky that is far from here,” he said when asked whether or not he was considering leaving Azerbaijan.
Aylisli also emphasized his opinion that the language of arts and literature was quite different from the language politics. “I only want the end of hostility and the introduction of peace,” he said.
Awarded writer
After the release of “Stone Dreams” in Azerbaijan, an angry group of people gathered in front of the 76-year-old writer’s house, painting a cross on photos of him and burning them, and shouting slogans such as, “Traitor, shame on you!” A symbolic DNA test was also made on Feb. 8 in Baku to prove whether or not Aylisli was actually Armenian.
Aylisli is the recipient of numerous national and international awards. He was also declared “Azerbaijani National Writer” in 1987, but President İlham Aliyev stripped him of all national honors on Feb. 7, a first in the country’s history.
“Stone Dreams” begins with a group of young Azerbaijanis exiled from Armenia arriving in Baku, where they encounter an old Armenian man, take off his clothes, beat him, and throw him into a pool. A famous Azerbaijani artist sees the incident and tries to help the old man, but the group also starts to beat him up. The incidents after the event take place in the inner world of the artist.
April/16/2013
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Send to friend » Share on linkedin ‘I have never engaged in treason and will never do so,’ under-fire Azerbaijani novelist Akram Aylisli says/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Controversy over renowned Azerbaijani novelist Akram Aylisli, who became the target of attacks from both the state and the public after the February release of his latest novel, “Stone Dreams,” has been reignited following the recent announcement by the Azerbaijan Press Agency (APA) that the book had been translated into Armenian.
Upon the news, New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) deputy Mübariz Qurbanlı said during an interview for Trent Media that the novel would be manipulated by Armenians as part of a “smear campaign against Azerbaijan,” adding that Aylisli had caused great harm to Azerbaijani society with the book.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News, Aylisli said he did not find it worth getting involved in such a discussion.
“The things I have done so far are the greatest evidence of how I love my county. I have never engaged in treason, and will never do so. I don’t want to live under another sky that is far from here,” he said when asked whether or not he was considering leaving Azerbaijan.
Aylisli also emphasized his opinion that the language of arts and literature was quite different from the language politics. “I only want the end of hostility and the introduction of peace,” he said.
Awarded writer
After the release of “Stone Dreams” in Azerbaijan, an angry group of people gathered in front of the 76-year-old writer’s house, painting a cross on photos of him and burning them, and shouting slogans such as, “Traitor, shame on you!” A symbolic DNA test was also made on Feb. 8 in Baku to prove whether or not Aylisli was actually Armenian.
Aylisli is the recipient of numerous national and international awards. He was also declared “Azerbaijani National Writer” in 1987, but President İlham Aliyev stripped him of all national honors on Feb. 7, a first in the country’s history.
“Stone Dreams” begins with a group of young Azerbaijanis exiled from Armenia arriving in Baku, where they encounter an old Armenian man, take off his clothes, beat him, and throw him into a pool. A famous Azerbaijani artist sees the incident and tries to help the old man, but the group also starts to beat him up. The incidents after the event take place in the inner world of the artist.
April/16/2013
15 Nisan 2013 Pazartesi
Minorities seen as threat by students
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
According to a survey conducted by Turkey’s Education and Science Employees Union (Eğitim-Sen), more than half of the students and teachers in Turkey believe that minorities constitute a threat to the country.
One of Eğitim-Sen’s branches in the southern province of Adana surveyed a total of 1,066 students and 800 teachers in several provinces about the course books, especially asking their views on gender discrimination, cultural-ethnic discrimination, militarist factors, human rights, and nationalism.
According to the results, 22.3 percent of participants agreed the statement that, “Some of the Greeks, Armenians, Kurds, Alevis, and Jews could attempt to harm our country if they had the chance,” while 46.7 percent said they partially agreed with it, and only 29.8 percent disagreed with the statement.
However, with regard to the sentence, “The common culture, built by various communities including Turks, Greeks, Armenians, and Kurds who are living in Anatolia together for centuries, is our greatest fortune,” 56.8 percent felt it to be true, while 29.4 felt it was partially true. Also, the survey revealed that 48.9 percent found the expression, “Turks have no friends other than Turks,” completely wrong.
Among the students, 47.8 percent agreed that freedom of thought and expression must be limited in the cases where national unity and solidarity was under threat. Moreover, 52 percent said it was true that those thinking differently from them could be right as well, and 63.7 percent found the expression “a good education is especially essential for men rather than women” to be wrong.
Violence in textbooks
Eğitim-Sen Adana Branch’s Course Books and Curriculum Investigation Commission head Güven Boğa said it took six months to collect the data. Boğa thought that the results were not satisfactory though they could be regarded as positive.
“The picture of nationalism does not present different results when compared with previous years.
There are still polarizations. The non-Muslims and different ethnic groups are still regarded as ‘others.’ And the books still include hostile expressions,” Boğa said.
“We observe that firearms, pictures of battlefields, photos of the dead soldiers, and national symbols are represented as the most efficient means to protect rights. ... Above all, the course books underline that wars are inevitable due to the presence of ‘hostile others,’” Boğa said.
April/13/2013
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
According to a survey conducted by Turkey’s Education and Science Employees Union (Eğitim-Sen), more than half of the students and teachers in Turkey believe that minorities constitute a threat to the country.
One of Eğitim-Sen’s branches in the southern province of Adana surveyed a total of 1,066 students and 800 teachers in several provinces about the course books, especially asking their views on gender discrimination, cultural-ethnic discrimination, militarist factors, human rights, and nationalism.
According to the results, 22.3 percent of participants agreed the statement that, “Some of the Greeks, Armenians, Kurds, Alevis, and Jews could attempt to harm our country if they had the chance,” while 46.7 percent said they partially agreed with it, and only 29.8 percent disagreed with the statement.
However, with regard to the sentence, “The common culture, built by various communities including Turks, Greeks, Armenians, and Kurds who are living in Anatolia together for centuries, is our greatest fortune,” 56.8 percent felt it to be true, while 29.4 felt it was partially true. Also, the survey revealed that 48.9 percent found the expression, “Turks have no friends other than Turks,” completely wrong.
Among the students, 47.8 percent agreed that freedom of thought and expression must be limited in the cases where national unity and solidarity was under threat. Moreover, 52 percent said it was true that those thinking differently from them could be right as well, and 63.7 percent found the expression “a good education is especially essential for men rather than women” to be wrong.
Violence in textbooks
Eğitim-Sen Adana Branch’s Course Books and Curriculum Investigation Commission head Güven Boğa said it took six months to collect the data. Boğa thought that the results were not satisfactory though they could be regarded as positive.
“The picture of nationalism does not present different results when compared with previous years.
There are still polarizations. The non-Muslims and different ethnic groups are still regarded as ‘others.’ And the books still include hostile expressions,” Boğa said.
“We observe that firearms, pictures of battlefields, photos of the dead soldiers, and national symbols are represented as the most efficient means to protect rights. ... Above all, the course books underline that wars are inevitable due to the presence of ‘hostile others,’” Boğa said.
April/13/2013
Minorities seen as threat by students
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
According to a survey conducted by Turkey’s Education and Science Employees Union (Eğitim-Sen), more than half of the students and teachers in Turkey believe that minorities constitute a threat to the country.
One of Eğitim-Sen’s branches in the southern province of Adana surveyed a total of 1,066 students and 800 teachers in several provinces about the course books, especially asking their views on gender discrimination, cultural-ethnic discrimination, militarist factors, human rights, and nationalism.
According to the results, 22.3 percent of participants agreed the statement that, “Some of the Greeks, Armenians, Kurds, Alevis, and Jews could attempt to harm our country if they had the chance,” while 46.7 percent said they partially agreed with it, and only 29.8 percent disagreed with the statement.
However, with regard to the sentence, “The common culture, built by various communities including Turks, Greeks, Armenians, and Kurds who are living in Anatolia together for centuries, is our greatest fortune,” 56.8 percent felt it to be true, while 29.4 felt it was partially true. Also, the survey revealed that 48.9 percent found the expression, “Turks have no friends other than Turks,” completely wrong.
Among the students, 47.8 percent agreed that freedom of thought and expression must be limited in the cases where national unity and solidarity was under threat. Moreover, 52 percent said it was true that those thinking differently from them could be right as well, and 63.7 percent found the expression “a good education is especially essential for men rather than women” to be wrong.
Violence in textbooks
Eğitim-Sen Adana Branch’s Course Books and Curriculum Investigation Commission head Güven Boğa said it took six months to collect the data. Boğa thought that the results were not satisfactory though they could be regarded as positive.
“The picture of nationalism does not present different results when compared with previous years.
There are still polarizations. The non-Muslims and different ethnic groups are still regarded as ‘others.’ And the books still include hostile expressions,” Boğa said.
“We observe that firearms, pictures of battlefields, photos of the dead soldiers, and national symbols are represented as the most efficient means to protect rights. ... Above all, the course books underline that wars are inevitable due to the presence of ‘hostile others,’” Boğa said.
April/13/2013
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
According to a survey conducted by Turkey’s Education and Science Employees Union (Eğitim-Sen), more than half of the students and teachers in Turkey believe that minorities constitute a threat to the country.
One of Eğitim-Sen’s branches in the southern province of Adana surveyed a total of 1,066 students and 800 teachers in several provinces about the course books, especially asking their views on gender discrimination, cultural-ethnic discrimination, militarist factors, human rights, and nationalism.
According to the results, 22.3 percent of participants agreed the statement that, “Some of the Greeks, Armenians, Kurds, Alevis, and Jews could attempt to harm our country if they had the chance,” while 46.7 percent said they partially agreed with it, and only 29.8 percent disagreed with the statement.
However, with regard to the sentence, “The common culture, built by various communities including Turks, Greeks, Armenians, and Kurds who are living in Anatolia together for centuries, is our greatest fortune,” 56.8 percent felt it to be true, while 29.4 felt it was partially true. Also, the survey revealed that 48.9 percent found the expression, “Turks have no friends other than Turks,” completely wrong.
Among the students, 47.8 percent agreed that freedom of thought and expression must be limited in the cases where national unity and solidarity was under threat. Moreover, 52 percent said it was true that those thinking differently from them could be right as well, and 63.7 percent found the expression “a good education is especially essential for men rather than women” to be wrong.
Violence in textbooks
Eğitim-Sen Adana Branch’s Course Books and Curriculum Investigation Commission head Güven Boğa said it took six months to collect the data. Boğa thought that the results were not satisfactory though they could be regarded as positive.
“The picture of nationalism does not present different results when compared with previous years.
There are still polarizations. The non-Muslims and different ethnic groups are still regarded as ‘others.’ And the books still include hostile expressions,” Boğa said.
“We observe that firearms, pictures of battlefields, photos of the dead soldiers, and national symbols are represented as the most efficient means to protect rights. ... Above all, the course books underline that wars are inevitable due to the presence of ‘hostile others,’” Boğa said.
April/13/2013
10 Nisan 2013 Çarşamba
Space allocated for Christians, atheists in Muslim cemetery
ISTANBUL-HURRIYET DAILY NEWS/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
A section in a Muslim cemetery in Istanbul’s Kilyos district has been allocated for Christians and atheists with no relatives, stirring debate since the section is a neglected and disorderly area.
Authorities from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s Cemeteries Directorate affirmed that they had allocated the space, but they did not give any further information apart from saying that the necessary work would be conducted as soon as possible.
A lawyer from the Protestant community, who requested to be referred to by the initials A.E., said one of his Protestant acquaintances had been buried recently in this cemetery due to financial constraints.
“I find the burial conditions of orphaned Christians and atheists unrespectable. It is second-class treatment,” A.E. said.
“Article No. 10 of the [Turkish] Constitution states that all individuals are equal without any discrimination before the law, irrespective of language, race, color, sex, political opinion, or any such considerations. Those who will be buried here [in this section] are the citizens of this country as well. They pay their taxes, and they must have equal rights.”
A.E. said the section was in very poor condition when compared to the Muslim part. A.E. added that they had appealed to the Cemeteries Directorate and the district’s municipality for the improvement of that section.
“Due to financial constraints, people bury their relatives in manure. Cows are grazing around [the graves], and the land is covered in mud. I am sure burying someone under these conditions would prick the consciences of both Muslims and Christians.”
A.E. also said in this area, only small numbers are attached to the non-Muslims’ graves. “If you know exact place of your relative, you could be regarded as lucky because many numbers fall or
ISTANBUL-HURRIYET DAILY NEWS/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
A section in a Muslim cemetery in Istanbul’s Kilyos district has been allocated for Christians and atheists with no relatives, stirring debate since the section is a neglected and disorderly area.
Authorities from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s Cemeteries Directorate affirmed that they had allocated the space, but they did not give any further information apart from saying that the necessary work would be conducted as soon as possible.
A lawyer from the Protestant community, who requested to be referred to by the initials A.E., said one of his Protestant acquaintances had been buried recently in this cemetery due to financial constraints.
“I find the burial conditions of orphaned Christians and atheists unrespectable. It is second-class treatment,” A.E. said.
“Article No. 10 of the [Turkish] Constitution states that all individuals are equal without any discrimination before the law, irrespective of language, race, color, sex, political opinion, or any such considerations. Those who will be buried here [in this section] are the citizens of this country as well. They pay their taxes, and they must have equal rights.”
A.E. said the section was in very poor condition when compared to the Muslim part. A.E. added that they had appealed to the Cemeteries Directorate and the district’s municipality for the improvement of that section.
“Due to financial constraints, people bury their relatives in manure. Cows are grazing around [the graves], and the land is covered in mud. I am sure burying someone under these conditions would prick the consciences of both Muslims and Christians.”
A.E. also said in this area, only small numbers are attached to the non-Muslims’ graves. “If you know exact place of your relative, you could be regarded as lucky because many numbers fall or
Turkey starts to build tent city for Syriacs
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Turkey has started constructing a private camp for Syrian Syriacs in the southeastern province of Mardin’s Midyat district in response to a request made to Turkey by the community.
Officials from the Prime Ministry’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) have confirmed the construction, adding that it is being carried out in coordination with the Foreign Ministry.
Syrian Syriacs who fled their country for Turkey had asked Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu to establish a private camp. The camp, which will house 10,000 people, will be established near Mor Abraham Syriac Monastry in Midyat. According to AFAD, it will not only belong to Syrian Syriacs, but to all Christians who take shelter in Turkey. Muslims and Christian will be settled in different parts of the camp. The Mor Gabriel Foundation’s head, Kuryakos Ergün indicated that they have welcomed the initiative with a bittersweet joy, adding that he will renegotiate the issue with Ankara.
“We wanted a private camp but acknowledged that Muslims will also be settled near Christians. According to information given to us, there will be space for 4,000 Christians and 6,000 Muslims. Our people could have settled in the existing camps but they cannot due to security reasons. A common camp would cause problems,” Ergün told Hürriyet Daily News. He also criticized the capacity of the camp. AFAD officials, however, said that they had not yet decided whether a tent or container city would be constructed.
April/10/2013
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Turkey has started constructing a private camp for Syrian Syriacs in the southeastern province of Mardin’s Midyat district in response to a request made to Turkey by the community.
Officials from the Prime Ministry’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) have confirmed the construction, adding that it is being carried out in coordination with the Foreign Ministry.
Syrian Syriacs who fled their country for Turkey had asked Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu to establish a private camp. The camp, which will house 10,000 people, will be established near Mor Abraham Syriac Monastry in Midyat. According to AFAD, it will not only belong to Syrian Syriacs, but to all Christians who take shelter in Turkey. Muslims and Christian will be settled in different parts of the camp. The Mor Gabriel Foundation’s head, Kuryakos Ergün indicated that they have welcomed the initiative with a bittersweet joy, adding that he will renegotiate the issue with Ankara.
“We wanted a private camp but acknowledged that Muslims will also be settled near Christians. According to information given to us, there will be space for 4,000 Christians and 6,000 Muslims. Our people could have settled in the existing camps but they cannot due to security reasons. A common camp would cause problems,” Ergün told Hürriyet Daily News. He also criticized the capacity of the camp. AFAD officials, however, said that they had not yet decided whether a tent or container city would be constructed.
April/10/2013
CAUCASUS > Armenian opposition head defies president
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan was sworn in yesterday in the capital shadowed by an ‘alternative inauguration’ ceremony and street protest by his rival and opponents.
Raffi Hovannisian, who claims to have been the real winner of the Feb. 18 presidential election, held his “inauguration,” which he called the “inauguration of a new Armenia,” simultaneously with Sargsyan’s swearing-in ceremony for a second term as president.
Sargsyan won February’s election with nearly 59 percent of the vote, but Hovannisian, the leader of the Heritage Party and winner of 37 percent of the vote, said the election had been rigged, went on hunger strike and led protests calling for Sargsyan to step down.
Thousands of Armenians gathered in Yerevan’s Liberty Square to support Hovannisian. “April 10 will be the awakening of Armenia,” Hovannisian told the crowd as he called the process “barevolution” – barev is Armenian for hello. “I’m breaking my connection with the unlawful government on behalf of Armenia and the Armenian people. I don’t recognize ‘liar’ political power and I won’t obey their laws. I am under the protection of the Constitution of Armenia, and I’m not afraid,” he said.
Days before Hovannisian’s inauguration, Armenian police warned that they would use force against the opposition leader and his supporters if the latter marched toward the presidential palace in Yerevan during Sargsyan’s ceremony.
Sargsyan told Armenians that he would consider economic growth, the rule of law and strengthening of democracy the number-one priority for the upcoming five years at his swearing-in ceremony. “I swear to fulfill unreservedly the requirements of the Constitution to respect human and civil rights and freedoms, to safeguard the independence of the republic, its territorial integrity and security for the glory of Armenia and for the benefit of its people.” Sargsyan did not invite Hovannisian to the ceremony.
Touching on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, President Sargsyan said a peaceful settlement was and would remain their priority for as long as necessary to arrive at a final solution.
Veiled reference to Turkey
“We have never terrorized our own people with war. Moreover, we have never used this issue as an excuse to gag the opposition. However we deemed it our duty to earnestly and realistically state that such a threat does exist,” he said.
The president said they don’t want war but, at the same time, they were ready to withstand any challenge, adding that the country had offered its neighbors dignified peace, anchored to universal human values. “But the experience of recent years has demonstrated that they are not ready to accept the offer,” he said, apparently referring to Turkey.
April/10/2013
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan was sworn in yesterday in the capital shadowed by an ‘alternative inauguration’ ceremony and street protest by his rival and opponents.
Raffi Hovannisian, who claims to have been the real winner of the Feb. 18 presidential election, held his “inauguration,” which he called the “inauguration of a new Armenia,” simultaneously with Sargsyan’s swearing-in ceremony for a second term as president.
Sargsyan won February’s election with nearly 59 percent of the vote, but Hovannisian, the leader of the Heritage Party and winner of 37 percent of the vote, said the election had been rigged, went on hunger strike and led protests calling for Sargsyan to step down.
Thousands of Armenians gathered in Yerevan’s Liberty Square to support Hovannisian. “April 10 will be the awakening of Armenia,” Hovannisian told the crowd as he called the process “barevolution” – barev is Armenian for hello. “I’m breaking my connection with the unlawful government on behalf of Armenia and the Armenian people. I don’t recognize ‘liar’ political power and I won’t obey their laws. I am under the protection of the Constitution of Armenia, and I’m not afraid,” he said.
Days before Hovannisian’s inauguration, Armenian police warned that they would use force against the opposition leader and his supporters if the latter marched toward the presidential palace in Yerevan during Sargsyan’s ceremony.
Sargsyan told Armenians that he would consider economic growth, the rule of law and strengthening of democracy the number-one priority for the upcoming five years at his swearing-in ceremony. “I swear to fulfill unreservedly the requirements of the Constitution to respect human and civil rights and freedoms, to safeguard the independence of the republic, its territorial integrity and security for the glory of Armenia and for the benefit of its people.” Sargsyan did not invite Hovannisian to the ceremony.
Touching on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, President Sargsyan said a peaceful settlement was and would remain their priority for as long as necessary to arrive at a final solution.
Veiled reference to Turkey
“We have never terrorized our own people with war. Moreover, we have never used this issue as an excuse to gag the opposition. However we deemed it our duty to earnestly and realistically state that such a threat does exist,” he said.
The president said they don’t want war but, at the same time, they were ready to withstand any challenge, adding that the country had offered its neighbors dignified peace, anchored to universal human values. “But the experience of recent years has demonstrated that they are not ready to accept the offer,” he said, apparently referring to Turkey.
April/10/2013
9 Nisan 2013 Salı
Police probe suspicious house fire on Kınalıada
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
The Kınalıada Police Department has launched an investigation into a house that burnt down last week allegedly caused by arson.
A house on Istanbul’s Kınalıada island, which is mostly populated by Armenians, was set on fire by an unidentified person or persons on March 30. Also, the personal property of the homeowner, Vrej Israilyan, was found scattered in quarries on the island. The police said the possibility of arson was high but that more information could not be provided yet for the safety of the investigation.
Israilyan said they had learned the news a few days after the fire, since they only used the house in summer. Israilyan, who has been an inhabitant of the island for 56 years, said it was the first time such an incident happened on Kınalıada. “I haven’t done anything wrong to anyone. I don’t have any enemies or a debt issue, either. I cannot understand why this happened to me.”
Israilyan said the house had suffered about 20,000 Turkish Liras of material damage in the fire, adding that they had felt great sorrow and anxiety after the incident.
Israilyan also said one of their neighbors had witnessed the incident.
“He says he witnessed the event, but he informed neither the fire department nor us during the incident. Maybe he was afraid, we don’t know,” Israilyan said.
April/09/2013
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
The Kınalıada Police Department has launched an investigation into a house that burnt down last week allegedly caused by arson.
A house on Istanbul’s Kınalıada island, which is mostly populated by Armenians, was set on fire by an unidentified person or persons on March 30. Also, the personal property of the homeowner, Vrej Israilyan, was found scattered in quarries on the island. The police said the possibility of arson was high but that more information could not be provided yet for the safety of the investigation.
Israilyan said they had learned the news a few days after the fire, since they only used the house in summer. Israilyan, who has been an inhabitant of the island for 56 years, said it was the first time such an incident happened on Kınalıada. “I haven’t done anything wrong to anyone. I don’t have any enemies or a debt issue, either. I cannot understand why this happened to me.”
Israilyan said the house had suffered about 20,000 Turkish Liras of material damage in the fire, adding that they had felt great sorrow and anxiety after the incident.
Israilyan also said one of their neighbors had witnessed the incident.
“He says he witnessed the event, but he informed neither the fire department nor us during the incident. Maybe he was afraid, we don’t know,” Israilyan said.
April/09/2013
7 Nisan 2013 Pazar
Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya’s widow still at odds with Turkey
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Iconic Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya’s widow rejects the recent apologies for the harsh protests when Kaya has said he would sing in Kurdish in 1999
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Iconic Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya’s widow, Gülten Kaya, said she had not accepted the apologies made to her 13 years after his death.
Ahmet Kaya had been subjected to heavy criticism and protests when he said he would record a Kurdish song and make a music video for it at an award ceremony in 1999. After the incident, he moved to Paris and eventually died in 2000 at the age of 43. His body was buried in Paris. While public figures who criticized him in 1999 recently apologized to the deceased singer with the introduction of the recent peace process, Kaya said she did not accept these apologies.
“In 1999, my school-age daughters were isolated since they were regarded as ‘the daughters of a traitor.’ What apology could pay for the traumas my children had? Our experiences are too bitter to express in words,” Kaya said.
“Ahmet Kaya had a unique ability of perception and foresight that is peculiar to an artist. He wanted to change the bare truths in the country. He did not want to live with a history that is lying. Exile is a truth here since this country does not love its intellectuals,” Kaya said.
Solution could come with social consesus: Kaya
Asked in which ways Ahmet Kaya would contribute to the peace process if he were alive, Kaya said, “If all the values we lost so far were with us now, we would doubtlessly be stronger in the face of the dilemmas we experience. We will always need the healing power of art and music. There is no use in crying after breaking the wings of a bird.”
Kaya said the 30-year issue between Turkey and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) could be resolved with a social consensus.
“As the country, we are trying to progress under a heavy burden. Every government would face difficulties in solving dozens of problems accumulated throughout history. Social consensus is required for that. True diagnosis and recognition are also necessary,” Kaya said.
“We are still far from the truth, since no one could say, ‘We have lied for a century,’ when society is preparing to hear the facts,” she said, adding that it would be very optimistic to hope for a healthy solution to the Kurdish issue.
“If you define the party you would like to make peace with as a ‘terrorist organization,’ this language creates problems. Also, if you call the families of the organization members “my Kurdish brothers,” the paradox will grow even further.
Attention and sensibility are compulsory in this long and mined terrain. When you are facing a regional fire, you cannot build self-confidence through the language of politics alone,” Kaya said about the peace process.
In recent years negotiations to bring Ahmet Kaya’s remains to Turkey have been conducted. However Gülten Kaya does not favor the transfer because she believes that his personal history should not be changed or deleted to confront the consequences of exiles.
April/06/2013
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Iconic Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya’s widow rejects the recent apologies for the harsh protests when Kaya has said he would sing in Kurdish in 1999
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Iconic Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya’s widow, Gülten Kaya, said she had not accepted the apologies made to her 13 years after his death.
Ahmet Kaya had been subjected to heavy criticism and protests when he said he would record a Kurdish song and make a music video for it at an award ceremony in 1999. After the incident, he moved to Paris and eventually died in 2000 at the age of 43. His body was buried in Paris. While public figures who criticized him in 1999 recently apologized to the deceased singer with the introduction of the recent peace process, Kaya said she did not accept these apologies.
“In 1999, my school-age daughters were isolated since they were regarded as ‘the daughters of a traitor.’ What apology could pay for the traumas my children had? Our experiences are too bitter to express in words,” Kaya said.
“Ahmet Kaya had a unique ability of perception and foresight that is peculiar to an artist. He wanted to change the bare truths in the country. He did not want to live with a history that is lying. Exile is a truth here since this country does not love its intellectuals,” Kaya said.
Solution could come with social consesus: Kaya
Asked in which ways Ahmet Kaya would contribute to the peace process if he were alive, Kaya said, “If all the values we lost so far were with us now, we would doubtlessly be stronger in the face of the dilemmas we experience. We will always need the healing power of art and music. There is no use in crying after breaking the wings of a bird.”
Kaya said the 30-year issue between Turkey and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) could be resolved with a social consensus.
“As the country, we are trying to progress under a heavy burden. Every government would face difficulties in solving dozens of problems accumulated throughout history. Social consensus is required for that. True diagnosis and recognition are also necessary,” Kaya said.
“We are still far from the truth, since no one could say, ‘We have lied for a century,’ when society is preparing to hear the facts,” she said, adding that it would be very optimistic to hope for a healthy solution to the Kurdish issue.
“If you define the party you would like to make peace with as a ‘terrorist organization,’ this language creates problems. Also, if you call the families of the organization members “my Kurdish brothers,” the paradox will grow even further.
Attention and sensibility are compulsory in this long and mined terrain. When you are facing a regional fire, you cannot build self-confidence through the language of politics alone,” Kaya said about the peace process.
In recent years negotiations to bring Ahmet Kaya’s remains to Turkey have been conducted. However Gülten Kaya does not favor the transfer because she believes that his personal history should not be changed or deleted to confront the consequences of exiles.
April/06/2013
2 Nisan 2013 Salı
Minority school on Aegean island set to reopen after 50 years
Announcing his ministry’s decision to grant permission for the reopening of the Private Gökçeada Greek Primary School, Education Minister Nabi Avcı told Anatolia news agency on March 28 that the decision was valid as of the date of the announcement.
Laki Vingas, who is in charge of minority foundations in Turkey’s Foundations Directorate General, told the Daily News by phone today that he was very happy about the decision, which came after a long period of struggle.
The school was among many others that were closed some 50 years ago, Vingas noted.
“For half a century we have been working on creating a future starting from point zero.”
Vingas said he was thankful for the government and the bureaucrats who lent support to the reopening of the school, which will be operational by the next school year starting in September.
Commenting on a question about whether this was a clue that Heybeliada Halki Seminary would also be reopened, Vingas said the two issues were different but related. “First of all, it makes us very happy to see that the government has a will to solve the problems,” he said.
The school, which was opened in 1951, had been shut down in 1964 following a decree issued by Turkey’s second president and prime minister at the time, İsmet İnönü, on the pretext of the growing tensions in Cyprus that led to an exodus of Anatolian Greeks. The school in Gökçeada was shut down shortly after.
Only Turkish citizens are allowed to receive education in minority schools, in accordance with the Lausanne Treaty of 1923. According to Anatolia news agency, since 2011, three Greek minority primary schools and one Greek minority high school were closed down by the Education Ministry upon demands by the founders of the schools.
The ministry is heeding applications for either the opening or closing of minority schools, Anatolia news agency added.
Gökçeada (Imbros in Greek) is an island in the Aegean Sea and the largest island of Turkey. It is located to the north of the entrance to the Dardanelles Strait.
Vercihan Ziflioğlu from Istanbul contributed to this article.
March/28/2013
Announcing his ministry’s decision to grant permission for the reopening of the Private Gökçeada Greek Primary School, Education Minister Nabi Avcı told Anatolia news agency on March 28 that the decision was valid as of the date of the announcement.
Laki Vingas, who is in charge of minority foundations in Turkey’s Foundations Directorate General, told the Daily News by phone today that he was very happy about the decision, which came after a long period of struggle.
The school was among many others that were closed some 50 years ago, Vingas noted.
“For half a century we have been working on creating a future starting from point zero.”
Vingas said he was thankful for the government and the bureaucrats who lent support to the reopening of the school, which will be operational by the next school year starting in September.
Commenting on a question about whether this was a clue that Heybeliada Halki Seminary would also be reopened, Vingas said the two issues were different but related. “First of all, it makes us very happy to see that the government has a will to solve the problems,” he said.
The school, which was opened in 1951, had been shut down in 1964 following a decree issued by Turkey’s second president and prime minister at the time, İsmet İnönü, on the pretext of the growing tensions in Cyprus that led to an exodus of Anatolian Greeks. The school in Gökçeada was shut down shortly after.
Only Turkish citizens are allowed to receive education in minority schools, in accordance with the Lausanne Treaty of 1923. According to Anatolia news agency, since 2011, three Greek minority primary schools and one Greek minority high school were closed down by the Education Ministry upon demands by the founders of the schools.
The ministry is heeding applications for either the opening or closing of minority schools, Anatolia news agency added.
Gökçeada (Imbros in Greek) is an island in the Aegean Sea and the largest island of Turkey. It is located to the north of the entrance to the Dardanelles Strait.
Vercihan Ziflioğlu from Istanbul contributed to this article.
March/28/2013
RIGHTS > European Syriacs propose new commission for their return to Turkey
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
Following Culture and Tourism Minister Ömer Çelik’s call for the return of Syriacs to Turkey, the Syriac Democratic Union (SDU), a Sweden-based organization, has sent a letter to Çelik, requesting the establishment of a commission to work on the practicalities of a possible return.
The letter emphasizes that Syriacs are ready to return as long as the Turkish government guaranteed that it would take the necessary steps.
During his recent visit to Russia, Çelik had suggested that those who had migrated from Turkey in the past could return to their ancestral homes. “Due to faults in the past, some Christians and Jews left our country. We want to tell them that they can return to their country,” he said.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News about the letter and the proposal to establish a commission, SDU Deputy Chair Fikri Aygur said Syriacs had strong bonds of affection with Anatolia and they still hoped to return. “As we stated in the letter we sent to Mr. Çelik, in 2001, [Former Prime Minister Bülent] Ecevit’s government made a similar call. It said Syriacs could return under a state guarantee. As European Syriacs, we took that call seriously; there were those who returned, but necessary guarantees could not be provided to them. Our people returned to the European countries they lived in with great disappointment,” Aygur said.
‘Why not the prime minister?’
“We would expect such a call to come from the prime minister or the interior minister, but it still bears importance. All in all, it is important that a minister issued such a call. If the state is sincere, we will respond positively,” he said.
“As the Syriacs who migrated to Europe, we have been living in different countries, away from the country we were born in, for about 30 years. Though the minister made a call, we still do not know whether a basis for it is ready or not … We want to gather, discuss on our problems, and convey our demands in a joint commission that could be formed,” Aygur also said.
“First of all, the things that lead to Syriacs migrating from their hometowns should be resolved. If the government is willing to take serious steps regarding us, we are ready to contribute to [the process] as the SDU. If the required regulations are made, many will want to return,” he added.
March/30/2013
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
Following Culture and Tourism Minister Ömer Çelik’s call for the return of Syriacs to Turkey, the Syriac Democratic Union (SDU), a Sweden-based organization, has sent a letter to Çelik, requesting the establishment of a commission to work on the practicalities of a possible return.
The letter emphasizes that Syriacs are ready to return as long as the Turkish government guaranteed that it would take the necessary steps.
During his recent visit to Russia, Çelik had suggested that those who had migrated from Turkey in the past could return to their ancestral homes. “Due to faults in the past, some Christians and Jews left our country. We want to tell them that they can return to their country,” he said.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News about the letter and the proposal to establish a commission, SDU Deputy Chair Fikri Aygur said Syriacs had strong bonds of affection with Anatolia and they still hoped to return. “As we stated in the letter we sent to Mr. Çelik, in 2001, [Former Prime Minister Bülent] Ecevit’s government made a similar call. It said Syriacs could return under a state guarantee. As European Syriacs, we took that call seriously; there were those who returned, but necessary guarantees could not be provided to them. Our people returned to the European countries they lived in with great disappointment,” Aygur said.
‘Why not the prime minister?’
“We would expect such a call to come from the prime minister or the interior minister, but it still bears importance. All in all, it is important that a minister issued such a call. If the state is sincere, we will respond positively,” he said.
“As the Syriacs who migrated to Europe, we have been living in different countries, away from the country we were born in, for about 30 years. Though the minister made a call, we still do not know whether a basis for it is ready or not … We want to gather, discuss on our problems, and convey our demands in a joint commission that could be formed,” Aygur also said.
“First of all, the things that lead to Syriacs migrating from their hometowns should be resolved. If the government is willing to take serious steps regarding us, we are ready to contribute to [the process] as the SDU. If the required regulations are made, many will want to return,” he added.
March/30/2013
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