Ezan, chazzan and church bells on Istanbul's Princes' Islands
Friday, December 10, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hurriyet Daily News
The deputy mayor of Istanbul’s Princes' Islands, Armenian-origin Raffi Hermon’s job regularly brings him into contact with Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Hermon says the islands could ultimately be a key to restoring Istanbul’s cosmopolitanism. ‘To return Istanbul to its original cultural identity, we need to start on the Princes’ Islands,’ he says
Raffi Hermon attends prayers at the mosque, wears a kippah when entering the synagogue and takes the holy Eucharist at church. Going to services of the three major monotheistic faiths is part of the job description for Hermon, deputy mayor for Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands, one of the most religiously diverse municipalities in Turkey.
An Istanbul Armenian originally from the islands, Hermon also has the added distinction of being among the first members of the Armenian community to hold public office in Turkey.
Hermon lived his adult life in France for 25 years before returning to Istanbul a few years ago. He became deputy mayor after winning a municipal seat with the Republican Peoples’ Party, or CHP.
The deputy mayor told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that he has been criticized for following Muslim rites as part of his official duties, but he rebuked such views.
“Just because I do this, it does not mean I have given up on my own religion,” he said. “If I can plant a positive understanding in the people watching me, I would be the happiest man.”
Hermon said he attended the Kurban Bayram holiday prayers at the mosque during last month’s Muslim holiday and added that he also performed the ritual animal slaughter. “I distributed the meat together with rice and ayran to all people living on the Islands.”
As well there is no problem listening to a chazzan, which is a Jewish cantor, a musician, trained in the vocal arts who helps lead a congregation in melodious prayer.
Full circle to Istanbul
Hermon said he had Princes’ Islands origins and that he was Italian on his mother’s side and Armenian on his father’s side. “Just like my whole family, I was born on Büyükada [the largest of the Princes’ Islands], and spent my childhood here.”
Later, he moved to France, eventually gaining dual French-Turkish citizenship. Supported by the then-President Jacques Chirac, he established an Armenian diaspora studies center together with Jean Claude Kebapçiyan in 1994 in France. Hermon also worked hard to promote tentative diplomatic contacts between Turkey and Armenia during the 1990s.
After returning to Turkey and becoming involved in the CHP, however, Hermon said he experienced a lot of opposition, especially from Armenians.
According to him, the reactions actually stemmed from CHP deputy Canan Arıtman’s fierce opposition to the “We Apologize” campaign, which was launched in 2008 by Turkish intellectuals to apologize to Armenians for the events of 1915.
Turkish President Abdullah Gül later announced that he also supported the campaign, after which Arıtman declared him to be an Armenian on his mother’s side and that this supposedly secret family background was the reason he lent his weight to the campaign.
Her remarks met with harsh criticism from both Armenian and Turkish circles.
Addressing the concerns that many still had with his participation in the CHP, Hermon said involvement with the party on a local level was much different than involvement on a countrywide level.
“I am capable of acknowledging the difference between national and local elections. In local elections, there is not as much room for ideology, as is the case at the national level,” Hermon said.
Princes’ Islands the key
For Hermon, the Princes’ Islands are a crucial place that could be a prototype for a new Istanbul.
“When I returned after 25 years, I noticed that the islands had lost all their cosmopolitan texture, which broke my heart. To return Istanbul to its original cultural identity, we need to start on the Princes’ Islands,” he said.
Hermon also said the local municipality would soon embark upon a sister-city project with a town in Armenia.
"We are going to announce Sevan Lake Municipality in Armenia and Adalar Municipality as sister cities. Out talks concerning the project are ongoing at the moment. We aim to support the establishment of close relations between Turks and Armenians in our own way,” he said.
11 Aralık 2010 Cumartesi
8 Aralık 2010 Çarşamba
Founder of new Turkish party eyes building bridges with Armenians
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Numan Kurtulmuş, founder of the People’s Voice Party, or HSP, visited Tuesday the Armenian Yedikule Surp Pirgiç Hospital Foundation in Istanbul in a symbolic move to enhance dialogue with members of Turkey’s minorities.
“Throughout the history of the Republic, many [social] ruptures have occurred,” Kurtulmuş said. “Because of these, minorities living in these lands felt as though they were aliens. It is time to break [this cycle].”
Kurtulmuş told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that his visit was specifically designed to enhance relations with the Armenian community.
The significance of the hospital-foundation, which is widely regarded as one of the most important institutions of the city’s Armenian community, has been growing in recent years as many prominent politicians, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, have paid visits to highlight the community’s importance.
Kurtulmuş met Bedros Şirinoğlu, the president of the foundation and a prominent businessman, visited the hospital’s museum and spoke with the elderly residents of the attached nursing home.
“[Turkey] wants to know more about the communities it calls minorities,” Şirinoğlu told the Daily News, adding that the country also wanted to take steps to close the gap between the majority and its minorities.
The HSP leader, a veteran Istanbul politician, also said both the events of 1915 and the Sept. 6-7, 1955, pogroms were “extremely painful events” and “provocations.”
“With Armenians, with Greeks and with all our ethnic backgrounds, we are a garden of roses,” he told the Daily News. “All these provocations were aimed at destroying this garden.”
The Sept. 6-7 1955 pogroms targeted Istanbul’s Greek minority and involved nationalist riots triggered by false rumor that the Turkish consulate in Thessaloniki, Greece – the house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in 1881 – had been bombed by the Greeks. The rioters, however, also targeted Armenians and Jews. In the aftermath of the provocation, thousands of minorities left Istanbul and Turkey in fear.
No more ‘gavur’
Kurtulmuş said his party was working to draft a constitutional reform package.
“When we come to power, we will take steps to make sure all our citizens are constitutionally equal,” he said, promising that the derogatory term “gavur” (infidel), which is used for non-Muslims, would be banned under an HSP government.
Şirinoğlu said the visit was “extremely important” for the Armenian community. “But what is really important is the policy that will be implemented in power,” he said. “I hope [a possible HSP government] will have the tolerance and vision that the AKP [Justice and Development Party] government has toward minorities.”
Kurtulmuş and his supporters recently split from the Saadet (Felicity) Party and the “National View” line led by veteran Islamist politician Necmettin Erbakan. The HSP is regarded by some circles as a “Muslim left” organization, though the party denies the label.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Numan Kurtulmuş, founder of the People’s Voice Party, or HSP, visited Tuesday the Armenian Yedikule Surp Pirgiç Hospital Foundation in Istanbul in a symbolic move to enhance dialogue with members of Turkey’s minorities.
“Throughout the history of the Republic, many [social] ruptures have occurred,” Kurtulmuş said. “Because of these, minorities living in these lands felt as though they were aliens. It is time to break [this cycle].”
Kurtulmuş told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that his visit was specifically designed to enhance relations with the Armenian community.
The significance of the hospital-foundation, which is widely regarded as one of the most important institutions of the city’s Armenian community, has been growing in recent years as many prominent politicians, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, have paid visits to highlight the community’s importance.
Kurtulmuş met Bedros Şirinoğlu, the president of the foundation and a prominent businessman, visited the hospital’s museum and spoke with the elderly residents of the attached nursing home.
“[Turkey] wants to know more about the communities it calls minorities,” Şirinoğlu told the Daily News, adding that the country also wanted to take steps to close the gap between the majority and its minorities.
The HSP leader, a veteran Istanbul politician, also said both the events of 1915 and the Sept. 6-7, 1955, pogroms were “extremely painful events” and “provocations.”
“With Armenians, with Greeks and with all our ethnic backgrounds, we are a garden of roses,” he told the Daily News. “All these provocations were aimed at destroying this garden.”
The Sept. 6-7 1955 pogroms targeted Istanbul’s Greek minority and involved nationalist riots triggered by false rumor that the Turkish consulate in Thessaloniki, Greece – the house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born in 1881 – had been bombed by the Greeks. The rioters, however, also targeted Armenians and Jews. In the aftermath of the provocation, thousands of minorities left Istanbul and Turkey in fear.
No more ‘gavur’
Kurtulmuş said his party was working to draft a constitutional reform package.
“When we come to power, we will take steps to make sure all our citizens are constitutionally equal,” he said, promising that the derogatory term “gavur” (infidel), which is used for non-Muslims, would be banned under an HSP government.
Şirinoğlu said the visit was “extremely important” for the Armenian community. “But what is really important is the policy that will be implemented in power,” he said. “I hope [a possible HSP government] will have the tolerance and vision that the AKP [Justice and Development Party] government has toward minorities.”
Kurtulmuş and his supporters recently split from the Saadet (Felicity) Party and the “National View” line led by veteran Islamist politician Necmettin Erbakan. The HSP is regarded by some circles as a “Muslim left” organization, though the party denies the label.
German writer comes to Istanbul to support Akhanlı in murder case
German writer comes to Istanbul to support Akhanlı in murder case
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The real reason behind Turkish writer Doğan Akhanlı’s arrest in Istanbul is his work on Armenian genocide claims, German intellectual Günter Wallraff said Wednesday.
Wallraff was in Istanbul to attend the first hearing of Akhanlı, who was arrested last August while returning from self-imposed exile in Germany.
Akhanlı, who fled Turkey after serving sentences for his political activities following the 1980 military coup and settled in Germany as an author, translator and human rights activist, attended the first hearing of a murder case on Wednesday. Prosecutors accuse Akhanlı of being the member and leader of a terrorist organization and of killing jewelry store owner İbrahim Yaşar Tutum during an attempted robbery in 1989. Prosecutors have demanded a life sentence for Akhanlı.
The first hearing was continuing as the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review went to press late Wednesday.
German writer Wallraff told the Daily News that his government was not lending support to Akhanlı, who is also a German citizen.
Wallraff said he believed Akhanlı’s 2003 work “Talat Paşa Minutes,” about the Ottoman political figure seen as responsible for the death of Armenians in the 1915 events, is the real reason behind his arrest.
He said Germany did not want to be involved since it shared responsibility for the Armenian tragedy equally with Turkey.
“Akhanlı is a real intellectual,” said Wallraff, criticizing the fact that despite democratic reforms in Turkey, authors and writers were still being victimized by judicial processes.
“We want to see Turkey in the European Union. But there needs to be improvement in human rights, freedom of expression and democracy,” he said, adding that he does not believe Akhanlı, a long-time friend, committed the murder of which he is accused.
Akhanlı came to Turkey this summer to visit his sick 90-year-old father, but was unable to see to the latter before he died because of his arrest at Atatürk Airport.
“The innocence of Akhanlı will be proven one day or another. But how will one compensate for this humanitarian tragedy?” Wallraff asked.
Anderej Hunko from the German parliament was also present at the trial and said what was happening to Akhanlı was unacceptable.
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The real reason behind Turkish writer Doğan Akhanlı’s arrest in Istanbul is his work on Armenian genocide claims, German intellectual Günter Wallraff said Wednesday.
Wallraff was in Istanbul to attend the first hearing of Akhanlı, who was arrested last August while returning from self-imposed exile in Germany.
Akhanlı, who fled Turkey after serving sentences for his political activities following the 1980 military coup and settled in Germany as an author, translator and human rights activist, attended the first hearing of a murder case on Wednesday. Prosecutors accuse Akhanlı of being the member and leader of a terrorist organization and of killing jewelry store owner İbrahim Yaşar Tutum during an attempted robbery in 1989. Prosecutors have demanded a life sentence for Akhanlı.
The first hearing was continuing as the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review went to press late Wednesday.
German writer Wallraff told the Daily News that his government was not lending support to Akhanlı, who is also a German citizen.
Wallraff said he believed Akhanlı’s 2003 work “Talat Paşa Minutes,” about the Ottoman political figure seen as responsible for the death of Armenians in the 1915 events, is the real reason behind his arrest.
He said Germany did not want to be involved since it shared responsibility for the Armenian tragedy equally with Turkey.
“Akhanlı is a real intellectual,” said Wallraff, criticizing the fact that despite democratic reforms in Turkey, authors and writers were still being victimized by judicial processes.
“We want to see Turkey in the European Union. But there needs to be improvement in human rights, freedom of expression and democracy,” he said, adding that he does not believe Akhanlı, a long-time friend, committed the murder of which he is accused.
Akhanlı came to Turkey this summer to visit his sick 90-year-old father, but was unable to see to the latter before he died because of his arrest at Atatürk Airport.
“The innocence of Akhanlı will be proven one day or another. But how will one compensate for this humanitarian tragedy?” Wallraff asked.
Anderej Hunko from the German parliament was also present at the trial and said what was happening to Akhanlı was unacceptable.
6 Aralık 2010 Pazartesi
Armenian parliament to discuss Karabakh independence
Monday, December 6, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Armenia’s parliament will discuss Thursday the possibility of recognizing breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh’s dependence, yet many admit that international considerations effectively preclude Yerevan from making any such acknowledgement.
"Armenia cannot make this decision at the moment, no matter how much they want it, because they attach the utmost importance to mediators’ diplomatic efforts for a solution to the [Nagorno-Karabakh problem],” Manvel Sargsyan, a Karabakh political figure, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The issue has been brought to the agenda by the country’s strongest opposition party, Jarankutyun. Although the party raised the same issue in 2007, it failed, said Sargsyan.
According to political scientists, although the Serge Sarkisian government, like other previous administrations, wants to recognize Karabakh’s independence, the issue’s delicate nature makes it difficult to make such a move. In order not to disrupt the work of the international mediators who are trying to solve the issue in peaceful terms, the government has refused to recognize the territory.
Still, the desire is shared by all Armenians, Güner Özkan, deputy chairman of the International Strategic Research Foundation’s Eurasia desk, told the Daily News.
"Former President Robert Kocharyan was from Karabakh; so is the present president, Sarkisian. Despite that, they are timid in recognizing independence,” he said.
"Armenia needs Russia’s consent to be able to recognize Karabakh’s independence. It is not possible otherwise. Of course we should not forget the role of the European Union and United States in the process,” Özkan said.
There are two different opinions about the Nagorno-Karabakh problem in Armenia, said Hayk Khanumyan, a political scientist and chairman of the European Movement NGO in Karabakh.
On one hand, one side thinks that if Armenia recognized Karabakh’s independence, it would be detrimental to the solution of issues in a peaceful manner, while more radical sections support an Armenian-Karabakh union, said Khanumyan. “My opinion is both Armenia and the other countries should recognize the independence.”
Although Armenia has yet to recognize the region’s independence, Nagorno-Karabakh is of vital importance, Sargsyan said, adding that the consensus in Armenia between the government and the opposition was that the region could on no accounts remain a part of Azerbaijan.
‘Party funded by the US’
Ultimately, Jarankutyun is after its own political ends, Özkan said.
"Jarankutyun is a party funded by the U.S., everybody knows that,” said Khanumyan. “The Armenian Center for National and International Studies, owned by the party, has long received financial support from the country. If we bear that in mind, we could as well say that Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence is approved by the U.S.”
‘Football diplomacy’
Touching on the “football diplomacy” that started in 2008 between Turkey and Armenia, Sargsyan said, “Football diplomacy not only ended without any results, it also deepened the deadlock between Azerbaijan and Armenia and of course negatively affected the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, too.”
The apparent detente started when Turkish President Abdullah Gül made a historic visit to Armenia in 2008 to watch a World Cup qualifier football match between the two countries’ national football teams. Sarkisian visited Turkey to watch the return match in 2009.
Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols for the development of relations and opening their sealed mutual border in 2009 but have been unable to complete the ratification process.
Monday, December 6, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Armenia’s parliament will discuss Thursday the possibility of recognizing breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh’s dependence, yet many admit that international considerations effectively preclude Yerevan from making any such acknowledgement.
"Armenia cannot make this decision at the moment, no matter how much they want it, because they attach the utmost importance to mediators’ diplomatic efforts for a solution to the [Nagorno-Karabakh problem],” Manvel Sargsyan, a Karabakh political figure, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The issue has been brought to the agenda by the country’s strongest opposition party, Jarankutyun. Although the party raised the same issue in 2007, it failed, said Sargsyan.
According to political scientists, although the Serge Sarkisian government, like other previous administrations, wants to recognize Karabakh’s independence, the issue’s delicate nature makes it difficult to make such a move. In order not to disrupt the work of the international mediators who are trying to solve the issue in peaceful terms, the government has refused to recognize the territory.
Still, the desire is shared by all Armenians, Güner Özkan, deputy chairman of the International Strategic Research Foundation’s Eurasia desk, told the Daily News.
"Former President Robert Kocharyan was from Karabakh; so is the present president, Sarkisian. Despite that, they are timid in recognizing independence,” he said.
"Armenia needs Russia’s consent to be able to recognize Karabakh’s independence. It is not possible otherwise. Of course we should not forget the role of the European Union and United States in the process,” Özkan said.
There are two different opinions about the Nagorno-Karabakh problem in Armenia, said Hayk Khanumyan, a political scientist and chairman of the European Movement NGO in Karabakh.
On one hand, one side thinks that if Armenia recognized Karabakh’s independence, it would be detrimental to the solution of issues in a peaceful manner, while more radical sections support an Armenian-Karabakh union, said Khanumyan. “My opinion is both Armenia and the other countries should recognize the independence.”
Although Armenia has yet to recognize the region’s independence, Nagorno-Karabakh is of vital importance, Sargsyan said, adding that the consensus in Armenia between the government and the opposition was that the region could on no accounts remain a part of Azerbaijan.
‘Party funded by the US’
Ultimately, Jarankutyun is after its own political ends, Özkan said.
"Jarankutyun is a party funded by the U.S., everybody knows that,” said Khanumyan. “The Armenian Center for National and International Studies, owned by the party, has long received financial support from the country. If we bear that in mind, we could as well say that Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence is approved by the U.S.”
‘Football diplomacy’
Touching on the “football diplomacy” that started in 2008 between Turkey and Armenia, Sargsyan said, “Football diplomacy not only ended without any results, it also deepened the deadlock between Azerbaijan and Armenia and of course negatively affected the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, too.”
The apparent detente started when Turkish President Abdullah Gül made a historic visit to Armenia in 2008 to watch a World Cup qualifier football match between the two countries’ national football teams. Sarkisian visited Turkey to watch the return match in 2009.
Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols for the development of relations and opening their sealed mutual border in 2009 but have been unable to complete the ratification process.
4 Aralık 2010 Cumartesi
Patriarch Mesrop II, left alone between life and death
Friday, December 3, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
Has the Armenian community in Istanbul descended into chaos by itself or has it been pushed into it while trying to select a patriarch? Where is the ballot box? In fact, there are many answers to these questions. But nobody is paying attention to the health of Patriarch Mesrop II Mutafyan, which is worsening gradually, because everyone is talking all at once.
Mesrop II, behind the closed doors of the Patriarchate, tries to stay alive with the tremendous help of his old mother. He is surviving but standing on a thin line separating life from death.
As he faces death the community he leads is looking for a ballot box outside. Spiritual leaders inside the premise make more chaos rather than control the situation. The Armenian community, therefore, is approaching a solution on one hand, but is falling apart on the other, as everyone wants to see his/her own candidate in the seat. The selfishness of the spiritual leaders and the community is now being taken to court. In the history of the patriarchate, the state of Turkey, for the first time ever, has had the urge to interfere closely in the election process.
Suspicious disease, painful process
How did the Armenian community get into this cycle? Clues can be found, actually, on Jan. 19, 2007 or a little before. The country was going through a painful political turmoil. Exercising his spiritual leadership, Mesrop II was also making a statement to reflect the problems of the Armenian community. He started to be threatened so much that he even decided to resign due to the pressures, but was not allowed to according to the rules of the church. Mesrop II was thus left to his fate. The patriarch’s duty was valued above his life. Amid such painful experiences, the Hrant Dink murder hit a blow to the community. Although Mesrop II had a conflict with Dink just before his death, the patriarch was deeply saddened by the incident. As everyone was talking about the killing of Dink, Mesrop II fell ill. Nobody wanted to believe this, because he was a young, healthy man. But the rumors didn’t seem to end. The patriarchate had to make an announcement and state that Mesrop II had frontal tempora dementia and that the disease was incurable. His illness was found suspicious by some. The Spiritual Council worried about the elections and the Executive Committee didn’t back Mesrop II. Nobody talked, everybody preferred to remain silent. A passionate, assertive, intellectual man suddenly goes senile; or rather fights with death … No one questioned this. Without a doubt, Turkish Armenians’ Patriarchate and the Armenian community in Istanbul went through a painful process. Perhaps this history will give the real answers to today’s questions in the future.
As Mesrop II was elected
Let’s have a glimpse back at how Mesrop II was elected. Following the death of the 83rd patriarch, Karekin II, the Armenian community faced a new election. Mesrop Mutafyan, as an archbishop, was the strongest candidate. Mutafyan was very active both in the community and in the patriarchate during Karekin’s tenure, so his candidacy was not a surprise. However, the Armenian community in Istanbul, which prefers to have a conservative and introverted lifestyle, opposed Mutafyan because of his relative youth. They wanted a candidate more mature in life. But the real reason was that everyone wanted to see his or her own candidate in the seat. As a matter of fact, the difference between the situations today and yesterday was that Karekin was dead. The community had not discussed such issues publicly in the past, but rather solved them internally. Times have changed, however. I was on duty during the 1998 elections, which ended with the victory of Mesrop II. We worked hard around the clock, counted votes and checked the lists. In the elections of October 1998, Mesrop Mutafyan became the 84th patriarch of the Armenian community in Turkey. The process was criticized, with claims that there had been fraud. However, Mesrop II stood strong and gave a different portrait. While acting as the spiritual leader of the community, Mesrop II played a critical role in carrying the community’s problems to the agenda of the country. Yes, he was a spiritual leader and had to remain so, but it was such a process the community was going under that he found himself at the center of politics. Mesrop II was worn out. In short, what is left from an idealist 56-year-old man is a community that still cannot find its way out to the ballot box and an ill man who is fighting for his life.
Friday, December 3, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
Has the Armenian community in Istanbul descended into chaos by itself or has it been pushed into it while trying to select a patriarch? Where is the ballot box? In fact, there are many answers to these questions. But nobody is paying attention to the health of Patriarch Mesrop II Mutafyan, which is worsening gradually, because everyone is talking all at once.
Mesrop II, behind the closed doors of the Patriarchate, tries to stay alive with the tremendous help of his old mother. He is surviving but standing on a thin line separating life from death.
As he faces death the community he leads is looking for a ballot box outside. Spiritual leaders inside the premise make more chaos rather than control the situation. The Armenian community, therefore, is approaching a solution on one hand, but is falling apart on the other, as everyone wants to see his/her own candidate in the seat. The selfishness of the spiritual leaders and the community is now being taken to court. In the history of the patriarchate, the state of Turkey, for the first time ever, has had the urge to interfere closely in the election process.
Suspicious disease, painful process
How did the Armenian community get into this cycle? Clues can be found, actually, on Jan. 19, 2007 or a little before. The country was going through a painful political turmoil. Exercising his spiritual leadership, Mesrop II was also making a statement to reflect the problems of the Armenian community. He started to be threatened so much that he even decided to resign due to the pressures, but was not allowed to according to the rules of the church. Mesrop II was thus left to his fate. The patriarch’s duty was valued above his life. Amid such painful experiences, the Hrant Dink murder hit a blow to the community. Although Mesrop II had a conflict with Dink just before his death, the patriarch was deeply saddened by the incident. As everyone was talking about the killing of Dink, Mesrop II fell ill. Nobody wanted to believe this, because he was a young, healthy man. But the rumors didn’t seem to end. The patriarchate had to make an announcement and state that Mesrop II had frontal tempora dementia and that the disease was incurable. His illness was found suspicious by some. The Spiritual Council worried about the elections and the Executive Committee didn’t back Mesrop II. Nobody talked, everybody preferred to remain silent. A passionate, assertive, intellectual man suddenly goes senile; or rather fights with death … No one questioned this. Without a doubt, Turkish Armenians’ Patriarchate and the Armenian community in Istanbul went through a painful process. Perhaps this history will give the real answers to today’s questions in the future.
As Mesrop II was elected
Let’s have a glimpse back at how Mesrop II was elected. Following the death of the 83rd patriarch, Karekin II, the Armenian community faced a new election. Mesrop Mutafyan, as an archbishop, was the strongest candidate. Mutafyan was very active both in the community and in the patriarchate during Karekin’s tenure, so his candidacy was not a surprise. However, the Armenian community in Istanbul, which prefers to have a conservative and introverted lifestyle, opposed Mutafyan because of his relative youth. They wanted a candidate more mature in life. But the real reason was that everyone wanted to see his or her own candidate in the seat. As a matter of fact, the difference between the situations today and yesterday was that Karekin was dead. The community had not discussed such issues publicly in the past, but rather solved them internally. Times have changed, however. I was on duty during the 1998 elections, which ended with the victory of Mesrop II. We worked hard around the clock, counted votes and checked the lists. In the elections of October 1998, Mesrop Mutafyan became the 84th patriarch of the Armenian community in Turkey. The process was criticized, with claims that there had been fraud. However, Mesrop II stood strong and gave a different portrait. While acting as the spiritual leader of the community, Mesrop II played a critical role in carrying the community’s problems to the agenda of the country. Yes, he was a spiritual leader and had to remain so, but it was such a process the community was going under that he found himself at the center of politics. Mesrop II was worn out. In short, what is left from an idealist 56-year-old man is a community that still cannot find its way out to the ballot box and an ill man who is fighting for his life.
1 Aralık 2010 Çarşamba
Turkish Armenians sue Turkey over belated patriarch election
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Turkish Armenian community has filled two lawsuits against the Turkish government, including one to get permission to go ahead with a long-delayed election to select their own new patriarch.
“A committee composed of civilian representatives from the community filed two lawsuits,” the community’s attorney Sebuh Aslangil told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “The first one is to make the government allow an election for a patriarch to take place, and the second is for canceling the substitute patriarch’s post.”
Aslangil told the Daily News that such a post does not exist in the rules of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Civilian representatives of the community, who have formed an initiative to lobby for their rights to select their own patriarch, meanwhile held a meeting Wednesday in Istanbul. The initiative previously organized a petition campaign that gathered 6,000 signatures from Armenians in Istanbul demanding that the election be allowed to take place.
Previous patriarch Mesrop II stepped down due to dementia. After his resignation, the Armenian community applied to the Interior Ministry; the first was made by the patriarchate’s spiritual committee to elect a co-patriarch and the second was made by the civilian committee to elect a new patriarch.
Speaking to the Daily News, initiative spokesman Garo Paylan said the fact that there were two applications posed a problem, but that this should “not get the Interior Ministry off the hook for what they have done.”
He said the ministry invented the post of “substitute patriarch” in order to see the person they wanted installed in the patriarch’s place. “The Turkish state needs to give the Armenian community what they are entitled to and should not impede the election process,” Paylan said. “It is our most deserved right to be able to elect our patriarch. In no time in history has the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul been persecuted to this extent.”
Secret meeting at the palace
In November, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a secret meeting with Archbishop Aram Ateşyan and a few prominent businessmen from the Armenian community. The participants made no statement about what was discussed at the meeting.
In subsequent months, Ateşyan was assigned as substitute patriarch through the intervention of the Interior Ministry.
According to Paylan, some prominent people from the community had an interesting meeting with Interior Minister Beşir Atalay last week. “Atalay told us he was given information by Ateşyan concerning the election procedure,” the spokesman said. “We do not know what is happening behind closed doors, but we know there is a post that has been left unfilled for three years and that is the post of the community’s spiritual leader.”
Paylan said the election must take place as soon as possible and that it does not matter whether it selects a co-patriarch or a new patriarch.
“Ateşyan imitates the Turkish government’s official discourse wherever he goes and says we have no problems with the Turkish state,” he said. “We want someone who is not afraid to speak his mind and who could represent our community in a way that is true to reality.”
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Turkish Armenian community has filled two lawsuits against the Turkish government, including one to get permission to go ahead with a long-delayed election to select their own new patriarch.
“A committee composed of civilian representatives from the community filed two lawsuits,” the community’s attorney Sebuh Aslangil told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “The first one is to make the government allow an election for a patriarch to take place, and the second is for canceling the substitute patriarch’s post.”
Aslangil told the Daily News that such a post does not exist in the rules of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Civilian representatives of the community, who have formed an initiative to lobby for their rights to select their own patriarch, meanwhile held a meeting Wednesday in Istanbul. The initiative previously organized a petition campaign that gathered 6,000 signatures from Armenians in Istanbul demanding that the election be allowed to take place.
Previous patriarch Mesrop II stepped down due to dementia. After his resignation, the Armenian community applied to the Interior Ministry; the first was made by the patriarchate’s spiritual committee to elect a co-patriarch and the second was made by the civilian committee to elect a new patriarch.
Speaking to the Daily News, initiative spokesman Garo Paylan said the fact that there were two applications posed a problem, but that this should “not get the Interior Ministry off the hook for what they have done.”
He said the ministry invented the post of “substitute patriarch” in order to see the person they wanted installed in the patriarch’s place. “The Turkish state needs to give the Armenian community what they are entitled to and should not impede the election process,” Paylan said. “It is our most deserved right to be able to elect our patriarch. In no time in history has the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul been persecuted to this extent.”
Secret meeting at the palace
In November, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a secret meeting with Archbishop Aram Ateşyan and a few prominent businessmen from the Armenian community. The participants made no statement about what was discussed at the meeting.
In subsequent months, Ateşyan was assigned as substitute patriarch through the intervention of the Interior Ministry.
According to Paylan, some prominent people from the community had an interesting meeting with Interior Minister Beşir Atalay last week. “Atalay told us he was given information by Ateşyan concerning the election procedure,” the spokesman said. “We do not know what is happening behind closed doors, but we know there is a post that has been left unfilled for three years and that is the post of the community’s spiritual leader.”
Paylan said the election must take place as soon as possible and that it does not matter whether it selects a co-patriarch or a new patriarch.
“Ateşyan imitates the Turkish government’s official discourse wherever he goes and says we have no problems with the Turkish state,” he said. “We want someone who is not afraid to speak his mind and who could represent our community in a way that is true to reality.”
Sibil’s Armenian songs echo on Istanbul’s İstiklal
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Young Armenian artist Sibil’s album is on the market. In the album she is accompanied by leading Turkish artists. Sufi music master Mercan Dede performed the most beloved song of the Armenian world, Giligya, with his reed flute and was accompanied by zither virtuoso Göksel Baktagir. Cenk Taşkan (Majak Toşikyan), who has produced legendary Turkish pop music songs, arranged the album. ‘Turkey is progressing so fast. It is unbelievable that an Armenian album is played on the streets,’ Sibil says
One of the most successful names of Sufi music in Turkey, Mercan Dede, has made the dreams of an Armenian artist come true. In recent days, an impressive sound has been heard in the music markets on İstiklal Avenue. Some think this different language is Kurdish or Laz, but actually the songs are Armenian.
Armenian artist Sibil’s album, on the Ossi Music label, is an example of solidarity between Turkish, Armenian, Greek and diaspora Armenian artists. Sibil is accompanied by Mercan Dede with his reed flute and Göktel Baktagir with his zither. Greek artist Petro has made a first by performing Armenian music legend Gomidas’ song “Der Voğormya” (God Mercy Us) in Turkish style. Jimmy Philipossian from the diaspora is on the album with his lyrics. Majak Toşikyan, who is known as Cenk Taşkan and has made legendary Turkish pop music since the 1970s, arranged the album.
“My dreams have come true thanks to this album,” said Sibil, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. She said that while she was a child her mother warned her not to speak Armenian on the street. “I discovered Armenian music at the age of 14 with a cassette from abroad. I cried for hours when I listened to the first Armenian song. We were not able to express our identity freely in those years.”
Sibil said she believed Turkey was democratizing fast. “We left all those hard years behind. I can make an Armenian album and it is played on the street, it is unbelievable.”
Very hard times
Although she has had great interest in music since her childhood, Sibil did not get a conservatory education. “My family hesitated to send me to conservatory because of my identity. I had very hard times. Even though I did not attend conservatory, music has become a part of my life.”
Soprano Sibil, who is known for her successful solos in the Armenian society, said she owed her voice to Armenian church choirs in Istanbul. “Even though it is called church choir, each Armenian child gets serious music education in these choirs and improves their voice. The choir has given many things to me, but I always loved popular music.”
Mercan Dede finds Sibil
Sibil’s dreams came true thanks to a coincidence. The Surp Vartananz Armenian Choir, of which she is a member, shared the stage with Turkish pop music stars Nükhet Duru and Sezen Aksu in the mid-2000s. These concerts drew great attention from the Turkish media. Sibil accompanied the two artists on stage in both concerts. Later on the concerts were released on CD.
“How could I know that this CD would be a turning point in my life?” Sibil said. “In 2006, Mercan Dede was expected to give a concert in a cathedral in Paris. When an Armenian choir quit the concert at the last minute, he remembered and found me. It was unbelievable that I took the stage in this concert as a big coincidence.
“I have never dreamed of releasing a CD one day with such big artists, but it is real now. I will always appreciate all of them.” They came together and gave life to Armenian music with me. Also, Mercan Dede accompanied the most beloved song of the Armenian world, Giligya, with his reed flute. In the album listeners will find the harmony of Turkish and Armenian motifs.”
‘I fear the dream will end’
Sibil, who has been working in the financial sector for many years, explained how she felt when she heard her own voice on the streets. “I feel like I am in a dream, I fear that the dream will come to an end when I wake up.”
Sibil said her friends at work gave her an unforgettable surprise when her album was released. “Everyone had my album on their desk and were listening to my songs. I returned to my childhood, to those days when I could not tell my name freely. I was really affected.”
“We came together in this album for a common goal and gave life to Armenian songs,” she said. “I want all my songs to reach all around Turkey.”
Sibil’s album will be released in Europe and the U.S. in the coming days
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Young Armenian artist Sibil’s album is on the market. In the album she is accompanied by leading Turkish artists. Sufi music master Mercan Dede performed the most beloved song of the Armenian world, Giligya, with his reed flute and was accompanied by zither virtuoso Göksel Baktagir. Cenk Taşkan (Majak Toşikyan), who has produced legendary Turkish pop music songs, arranged the album. ‘Turkey is progressing so fast. It is unbelievable that an Armenian album is played on the streets,’ Sibil says
One of the most successful names of Sufi music in Turkey, Mercan Dede, has made the dreams of an Armenian artist come true. In recent days, an impressive sound has been heard in the music markets on İstiklal Avenue. Some think this different language is Kurdish or Laz, but actually the songs are Armenian.
Armenian artist Sibil’s album, on the Ossi Music label, is an example of solidarity between Turkish, Armenian, Greek and diaspora Armenian artists. Sibil is accompanied by Mercan Dede with his reed flute and Göktel Baktagir with his zither. Greek artist Petro has made a first by performing Armenian music legend Gomidas’ song “Der Voğormya” (God Mercy Us) in Turkish style. Jimmy Philipossian from the diaspora is on the album with his lyrics. Majak Toşikyan, who is known as Cenk Taşkan and has made legendary Turkish pop music since the 1970s, arranged the album.
“My dreams have come true thanks to this album,” said Sibil, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. She said that while she was a child her mother warned her not to speak Armenian on the street. “I discovered Armenian music at the age of 14 with a cassette from abroad. I cried for hours when I listened to the first Armenian song. We were not able to express our identity freely in those years.”
Sibil said she believed Turkey was democratizing fast. “We left all those hard years behind. I can make an Armenian album and it is played on the street, it is unbelievable.”
Very hard times
Although she has had great interest in music since her childhood, Sibil did not get a conservatory education. “My family hesitated to send me to conservatory because of my identity. I had very hard times. Even though I did not attend conservatory, music has become a part of my life.”
Soprano Sibil, who is known for her successful solos in the Armenian society, said she owed her voice to Armenian church choirs in Istanbul. “Even though it is called church choir, each Armenian child gets serious music education in these choirs and improves their voice. The choir has given many things to me, but I always loved popular music.”
Mercan Dede finds Sibil
Sibil’s dreams came true thanks to a coincidence. The Surp Vartananz Armenian Choir, of which she is a member, shared the stage with Turkish pop music stars Nükhet Duru and Sezen Aksu in the mid-2000s. These concerts drew great attention from the Turkish media. Sibil accompanied the two artists on stage in both concerts. Later on the concerts were released on CD.
“How could I know that this CD would be a turning point in my life?” Sibil said. “In 2006, Mercan Dede was expected to give a concert in a cathedral in Paris. When an Armenian choir quit the concert at the last minute, he remembered and found me. It was unbelievable that I took the stage in this concert as a big coincidence.
“I have never dreamed of releasing a CD one day with such big artists, but it is real now. I will always appreciate all of them.” They came together and gave life to Armenian music with me. Also, Mercan Dede accompanied the most beloved song of the Armenian world, Giligya, with his reed flute. In the album listeners will find the harmony of Turkish and Armenian motifs.”
‘I fear the dream will end’
Sibil, who has been working in the financial sector for many years, explained how she felt when she heard her own voice on the streets. “I feel like I am in a dream, I fear that the dream will come to an end when I wake up.”
Sibil said her friends at work gave her an unforgettable surprise when her album was released. “Everyone had my album on their desk and were listening to my songs. I returned to my childhood, to those days when I could not tell my name freely. I was really affected.”
“We came together in this album for a common goal and gave life to Armenian songs,” she said. “I want all my songs to reach all around Turkey.”
Sibil’s album will be released in Europe and the U.S. in the coming days
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