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The ’Armenian apology’ issue
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The "Apology to the Armenians" campaign that a group of well-known and influential Turkish intellectuals have initiated has seriously divided the nation. Judging by the angry reactions from various quarters opposing this campaign it is clear that if some kind of a referendum were held today, the majority would vote against such an apology.
The reason is because the people that know the least about the events that lead to the tragedy of 1915 are contemporary Turks, who have been raised on large doses of official history.
Official history in Turkey says that the Armenian rose up in arms, collaborated with the enemy, and therefore were the self-initiators of what befell them in a civil war that they lost.
The fact that a "genocide" was perpetrated, however, is vehemently denied by the Turkish state, and a large portion of the population, their explanation being that people killed and were killed on both sides.
However the shroud on 1915 has been slowly lifting in recent years in this country. There is today in Turkey an increasing body of literature on the Armenian issue, both for and against as far as the genocide debate is concerned.
Few who castigate Turkey for denying the freedom of expression on the Armenian issue appear to be aware that you can even purchase the famous "Blue Book" on the events of 1915, co-authored by historian Arnold Toynbee, in bookshops.
The campaign by the intellectuals is just the latest and most forward step in the direction of fully lifting this shroud over the Armenian issue. More and more Turks are coming around to understanding that "something very serious" happened a century ago in these lands.
The signatories to the apology petition, whose number has reached over 23,500 as of yesterday, include diplomats, academics, journalists, actors, businessmen etc. The fact that they would be grossly outnumbered were a referendum to be held is, ultimately, of little consequence.
It is the intellectuals in a society who represent the "quality" of that society, rather than the crowd that merely represents a "quantity." Therefore one cannot dismiss the campaign by the intellectuals as "irrelevant," as some in this country are doing.
What is not clear is how this campaign will be received on the Armenian side. While some appear happy, the hard-core "Dashnak elements" are wary, considering this to be "a new Turkish ploy to drag attention away from the genocide, and the question of compensation."
One has to understand that for many Armenians the concept of "justice for 1915" is synonymous with "vengeance for 1915." The reluctance on the Armenian side to respond to the Turkish intellectuals with any sign of empathy for the millions of Muslims that died during the same period, in the same geography, is also noteworthy.
It is equally telling that no Armenian organization should have come out and displayed even an iota of empathy for the large number of Turkish diplomats and members of their families who died at the hands of Armenian terrorists.
Had some Armenians done so, this would have strengthened the hand of the "Apology to the Armenians" campaign. Instead an angry debate is raging among Armenians about whether there should be a rapprochement with the Turks at all.
The latest victim in this context appears to be Ara Sarafian, of the London based Gomidas Institute, who is being attacked by some members of the Armenian diaspora for "going Turk," due to some objective and reconciliatory remarks he has been making.
The fact that the Turkish petition by the Turkish intellectuals empathizes with the "Great Tragedy" of 1915, rather than using the word "genocide," has also angered Armenians who refuse to see the important development that this step represents for Turkey and for Turkish-Armenian relations as far as for well-intentioned people on both sides are concerned.
In fact, the campaign in question probably has more to do with the "post-modern civil war" that is raging in Turkey between liberal and democratic groups and the more atavistic and autocratic elements, than it has with the Armenian issue.
In the meantime, the disgusting insinuation by Republican People’s Party, or CHP, deputy Canan Aritman, to the effect that President Gul did not oppose the intellectuals’ campaign strongly because his grandmother was a secret Armenian, also drove many to signing the petition.
The simple fact is that the petition, which can be seen in www.ozurdiliyoruz.com, has turned out to be a powerful devise for people to avail of if they want the world to see which groups in this country they do not identify with, or belong to, in any way.
This, of course, begs the question of whether I personally signed the petition, as many of my friends have done. I did not, even if I support the idea behind it, and explained my reasons why in my column in Milliyet. These I will repeat here.
I completely agree with the first sentence of the petition. My conscience too does not accept a denial or a belittling of the "Great Tragedy" that befell the Armenian people in 1915. I stand opposed to everything that prevents us from learning everything there is to know about these events.
I support the carrying of the objective facts acquired about these events to new generations so that "the lesson of history" may be learned and such ugliness not be repeated, wishful thinking as this may be.
I do not, however, agree with the second part of the petition which wants me to come up "with my share of the apology" to the Armenians. I see nothing in my family history that should make me apologize personally, unlike of the signatories.
Neither do I believe in the concept of "collective guilt" on the basis of race or religion, as this has dangerous connotations, and is an idea that should not be toyed with in these dangerous times.
Besides, as one Western ambassador underlined very aptly recently, what is expected on the Armenian side is not the "personal apologies" of individual Turks, even if they act collectively.
What is expected is that the "Turkish state" apologizes to the Armenians, the way Willy Brandt did to the Jews, in an act of "mea culpa." This I simply do not see happening any time soon.
The campaign by the intellectuals, given the acrimonious debate it has stirred in Turkey, has probably made the state even more reluctant than ever not to come up with even a semblance of an apology, let alone a bona fide apology.
It might arguably, therefore, have been more effective for the intellectuals to call on the Turkish state to recognize the events of "The Great Disaster of 1915," rather than perpetuating a policy of total denial.
This does not mean, however, that this petition has been a useless exercise. It has, to the contrary, been very useful in terms of representing a fresh stepping stone in the process of Turkey’s maturation as a society.
Official history in Turkey says that the Armenian rose up in arms, collaborated with the enemy, and therefore were the self-initiators of what befell them in a civil war that they lost.
The fact that a "genocide" was perpetrated, however, is vehemently denied by the Turkish state, and a large portion of the population, their explanation being that people killed and were killed on both sides.
However the shroud on 1915 has been slowly lifting in recent years in this country. There is today in Turkey an increasing body of literature on the Armenian issue, both for and against as far as the genocide debate is concerned.
Few who castigate Turkey for denying the freedom of expression on the Armenian issue appear to be aware that you can even purchase the famous "Blue Book" on the events of 1915, co-authored by historian Arnold Toynbee, in bookshops.
The campaign by the intellectuals is just the latest and most forward step in the direction of fully lifting this shroud over the Armenian issue. More and more Turks are coming around to understanding that "something very serious" happened a century ago in these lands.
The signatories to the apology petition, whose number has reached over 23,500 as of yesterday, include diplomats, academics, journalists, actors, businessmen etc. The fact that they would be grossly outnumbered were a referendum to be held is, ultimately, of little consequence.
It is the intellectuals in a society who represent the "quality" of that society, rather than the crowd that merely represents a "quantity." Therefore one cannot dismiss the campaign by the intellectuals as "irrelevant," as some in this country are doing.
What is not clear is how this campaign will be received on the Armenian side. While some appear happy, the hard-core "Dashnak elements" are wary, considering this to be "a new Turkish ploy to drag attention away from the genocide, and the question of compensation."
One has to understand that for many Armenians the concept of "justice for 1915" is synonymous with "vengeance for 1915." The reluctance on the Armenian side to respond to the Turkish intellectuals with any sign of empathy for the millions of Muslims that died during the same period, in the same geography, is also noteworthy.
It is equally telling that no Armenian organization should have come out and displayed even an iota of empathy for the large number of Turkish diplomats and members of their families who died at the hands of Armenian terrorists.
Had some Armenians done so, this would have strengthened the hand of the "Apology to the Armenians" campaign. Instead an angry debate is raging among Armenians about whether there should be a rapprochement with the Turks at all.
The latest victim in this context appears to be Ara Sarafian, of the London based Gomidas Institute, who is being attacked by some members of the Armenian diaspora for "going Turk," due to some objective and reconciliatory remarks he has been making.
The fact that the Turkish petition by the Turkish intellectuals empathizes with the "Great Tragedy" of 1915, rather than using the word "genocide," has also angered Armenians who refuse to see the important development that this step represents for Turkey and for Turkish-Armenian relations as far as for well-intentioned people on both sides are concerned.
In fact, the campaign in question probably has more to do with the "post-modern civil war" that is raging in Turkey between liberal and democratic groups and the more atavistic and autocratic elements, than it has with the Armenian issue.
In the meantime, the disgusting insinuation by Republican People’s Party, or CHP, deputy Canan Aritman, to the effect that President Gul did not oppose the intellectuals’ campaign strongly because his grandmother was a secret Armenian, also drove many to signing the petition.
The simple fact is that the petition, which can be seen in www.ozurdiliyoruz.com, has turned out to be a powerful devise for people to avail of if they want the world to see which groups in this country they do not identify with, or belong to, in any way.
This, of course, begs the question of whether I personally signed the petition, as many of my friends have done. I did not, even if I support the idea behind it, and explained my reasons why in my column in Milliyet. These I will repeat here.
I completely agree with the first sentence of the petition. My conscience too does not accept a denial or a belittling of the "Great Tragedy" that befell the Armenian people in 1915. I stand opposed to everything that prevents us from learning everything there is to know about these events.
I support the carrying of the objective facts acquired about these events to new generations so that "the lesson of history" may be learned and such ugliness not be repeated, wishful thinking as this may be.
I do not, however, agree with the second part of the petition which wants me to come up "with my share of the apology" to the Armenians. I see nothing in my family history that should make me apologize personally, unlike of the signatories.
Neither do I believe in the concept of "collective guilt" on the basis of race or religion, as this has dangerous connotations, and is an idea that should not be toyed with in these dangerous times.
Besides, as one Western ambassador underlined very aptly recently, what is expected on the Armenian side is not the "personal apologies" of individual Turks, even if they act collectively.
What is expected is that the "Turkish state" apologizes to the Armenians, the way Willy Brandt did to the Jews, in an act of "mea culpa." This I simply do not see happening any time soon.
The campaign by the intellectuals, given the acrimonious debate it has stirred in Turkey, has probably made the state even more reluctant than ever not to come up with even a semblance of an apology, let alone a bona fide apology.
It might arguably, therefore, have been more effective for the intellectuals to call on the Turkish state to recognize the events of "The Great Disaster of 1915," rather than perpetuating a policy of total denial.
This does not mean, however, that this petition has been a useless exercise. It has, to the contrary, been very useful in terms of representing a fresh stepping stone in the process of Turkey’s maturation as a society.
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