Silence is a killer – Today’s columnist
January 25th, 2007 by
Mr. Dink believed that the mass killings of Armenians during and after World War I constituted genocide, and he angered the extreme right with his position. About a year ago, he stood trial under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalizes insults to Turkey, its government or the national character. Now that law has criminalized Turkey. Now those so-called Turkish nationalists are responsible for showing the world a country that is immoderate, uncivilized and intolerant. Those marching in Istanbul feel even more shamed over the mindset of those so-called nationalists in the name of protecting Turkey’s interests. The scenes of aggressive verbal and nearly physical attacks during the trial of Mr. Dink and other prominent Turkish journalists will be remembered in history as the dark face of Turkey. [Read More]
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January 29th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
As is typical in most articles written on this topic by Turks, the article starts off with appropriate criticism of the Turkish government and ends with traditional denialism of the Armenian genocide, and other genocides committed during the disintegration of their empire (Arabs, Greeks, Assyrians, etc.) It’s almost a childish argument; criticizing the Turkish government or far right elements within Turkey for denying free speech, a characteristic of western nations, while most western nations that do have free speech have acknowledged the genocide of the Armenians under Turkish rule. Having read a number of Tulin’s older articles, like defending the denial of Turkey for the US use of their bases during the Iraq invasion, literally defending the Turkish “nation” on every single occasion, it is obvious that the author is religiously devoted to the glorification of her nation, rather than having the critical eye necessary for a “free-lance journalist” to look into its past and see its faults. It is this exact attitude that prevents Turkey from becoming a true democracy, and keeps it as racist and nationalist country hiding behind a thin democratic shell. What displeased me the most about this article is Tulin’s misinterpretation of Mr. Hamparian’s quote and automatically assuming that he “conveniently forgot” about the “victimization of Turkish diplomats”. There was no need to reference this. This was not the point of the quote and it does not serve the purpose of bringing justice to the killing of Hrant Dink. Again, the author, who is closely linked to Turkish politics (having tried to run for parliament) uses the death of a journalist for her own interest, 1. to deny the Armenian genocide, 2. glorify Turkism, 3. and criticize the ruling party of Erdogan (whom her former party, the New Turkish Party, now merged with the leading opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP), opposes). It is also interesting to note that the CHP was founded by Mustapha Kemal and is in essence a nationalist/socialist party (sound familiar). This same party, the CHP was also responsible for preventing the US from acquiring access to Turkish bases during their invasion of Iraq. To conclude, what I found most ironic is the title of this article, “Silence is a killer”. Tulin is right on this point, Turkey has been silent over 92 years, and yes, it kills.
February 3rd, 2007 at 12:38 am
The mind-state and twisted logic of a genocide denier never ceases to amaze me. To them, denying clear historical facts is viewed as “clarifying” history. The conclusions of the vast majority of scholarship and humanity are considered to be the result of “politics” and “public relations.” Rather than condemn the perpetrators, they blame the victims for daring to speak out. Tulin Daloglu’s ironically titled op-ed, “Silence is a Killer,” continues this shameless legacy of denial, in this case, against the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
Daloglu complains that few publications on the topic include the “Turkish point of view, written by Turkish scholars.” First of all, to learn about the facts of the Armenian Genocide, all one needs to do is to look at the archival record and objective scholarship from American, British, German, Austrian, and other accounts. Furthermore, there are even Turkish writers, such as Taner Akcam, Elif Shafak, Muta Gocek, Halil Berktay, and other s who have written accurately about the Armenian Genocide. There is no “point of view” about the occurrence of the Armenian Genocide. There are only facts on one side and denial on the other.
Those such as Daloglu who deny the Genocide seem unable to come to grips with this reality. It is difficult for them to accept the fact that no credible, disinterested academic thinks it wasn’t genocide. Even politicians in the US opposed to Armenian efforts never actually question whether it happened or not. There are simply some who give in to Turkish threats and high-powered lobbying and others who do not.
Year by year, the Turkish denial machine is becoming increasingly worn out. The Turkish government’s only resort is to make empty threats to the rest of the world while, domestically, they attempt to brainwash their own citizens from discovering this bloody page in their country’s history. Fortunately, such thinly disguised efforts to deny the genocide and make threats against its affirmation are increasingly being marginalized throughout the world, including within Turkey itself. Ultimately, despite the odds, truth is bound to prevail.