Meaning of ’minority’
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 10, 2009 00:00
As we reported Tuesday in the Daily News, President Obama used the word "minority" in reference to Turkey’s Kurds. As we reported yesterday, the parliamentary group deputy leader of the Democratic Society Party, or DTP, Selahattin Demirtaş, took offense, saying, "Kurds are a people living in their homeland and they are one of the principal founders of the Turkish Republic."
Many a well-intentioned outsider might be forgiven for being confused. Including Obama. But he is also a pretty smart lawyer. He should be able to understand the legal basis of the Lausanne Treaty as well as the conceptual legacy of the Ottoman "millet" system of protection of cultural rights.
Well, then, you are left with something akin to a British Queen’s counsel trying to argue with the logic of English common law before a tribunal of French magistrates schooled in the Roman tradition. Intellectually, this is about where Obama is on a learning curve.
The Lausanne Treaty was signed in 1923, after the Independence War was won against Britain, France, Italy and Greece and just before the declaration of the modern Republic of Turkey, ending the centuries-old Ottoman Empire era. The uniqueness of this international treaty comes from the fact that it constituted the very foundation of the Republic and established very sensitive balances within the borders.
It produced the agreement regarding the western Thrace border, the agreement regarding judicial competence, the trade agreement, the agreement regarding the exchange of Turkish and Greek populations, and the Turco-Greek agreement regarding the release of interned civilians and war prisoners. Furthermore, it also defined the minorities of this country on the basis of religion and not of ethnicity. Thus, since 1923, Armenians, Greeks and Jews have been legally considered minorities and have enjoyed special rights.
But both the definition of minorities and the scope of human rights changed a lot through the 20th century. In many European Union documents, Kurds in Turkey are considered a minority and appeals have been made to Turkey to improve their cultural rights. Which pushed Turkey to stretch out its "red lines," allowing a Kurdish broadcast from the state television corporation and special Kurdish courses. In the Daily News, we applauded such reforms and encouraged the government to expand the "individual human rights" of the Turkish people.
Any country in the world could be considered in comfort only when only all of its people feel happy and confident. But we believe that while doing this for Turkey, the utmost attention should be paid to maintaining the balance between the founding principles of this country.
Well, then, you are left with something akin to a British Queen’s counsel trying to argue with the logic of English common law before a tribunal of French magistrates schooled in the Roman tradition. Intellectually, this is about where Obama is on a learning curve.
The Lausanne Treaty was signed in 1923, after the Independence War was won against Britain, France, Italy and Greece and just before the declaration of the modern Republic of Turkey, ending the centuries-old Ottoman Empire era. The uniqueness of this international treaty comes from the fact that it constituted the very foundation of the Republic and established very sensitive balances within the borders.
It produced the agreement regarding the western Thrace border, the agreement regarding judicial competence, the trade agreement, the agreement regarding the exchange of Turkish and Greek populations, and the Turco-Greek agreement regarding the release of interned civilians and war prisoners. Furthermore, it also defined the minorities of this country on the basis of religion and not of ethnicity. Thus, since 1923, Armenians, Greeks and Jews have been legally considered minorities and have enjoyed special rights.
But both the definition of minorities and the scope of human rights changed a lot through the 20th century. In many European Union documents, Kurds in Turkey are considered a minority and appeals have been made to Turkey to improve their cultural rights. Which pushed Turkey to stretch out its "red lines," allowing a Kurdish broadcast from the state television corporation and special Kurdish courses. In the Daily News, we applauded such reforms and encouraged the government to expand the "individual human rights" of the Turkish people.
Any country in the world could be considered in comfort only when only all of its people feel happy and confident. But we believe that while doing this for Turkey, the utmost attention should be paid to maintaining the balance between the founding principles of this country.