I could've continued but ...

Submitted by Hikmet Pala (United Kingdom), Jul 25, 2010 at 09:48

It seems to me that Ianus is so much immersed in his [and I presume it is a he] that he cannot read what is being unsaid or to be more precise, what is being said!

First and foremost, as a Pomak myself, I am very aware of the atrocities the Turks have caused throughout the centuries. I am very much aware of the Batak massacre that us Pomaks and Basibozuks [literally: Hoodlums] were used against our Bulgarian brothers. I am also one of the foremost protestors of it. Also, I was not slow to sign the "Apology to Armenians concerning the Great Catastrophe",

As a participant and administrator of 'Greeks and Turks against military spending' facebook website, I try to contribute modestly. Therefore it goes without saying that I most strongly protest 1934 Trachian Incidents where tens of thousands of Jews were mass-assaulted, raped, some killed, by Turkish Fascist thugs, herded from their homes and within hours fled for their lives. Leaving everything they owned to be plundered. Neither do I advocate the Democrat Party provoked and inspired thuggery on predominantly Greek but also Armenian, Jewish population of 'Istanbul' on 6-7 September 1955. On the contrary, I strongly condemn it.

As a translator, and for European Court of Human Rights, I have read and translated Security and Judiciary documents regarding human rights violations of Kurds. When the Turkish government was ordered to compensate the damages, -often even unimaginable to Ianus – that they have caused to poor, defenceless Kurds, I took some satisfaction for having contributed to the 'unpoetic' justice-per se!

But it seems that any of these –even after having been stressed, explained...- would mean much to Ianus. In my view, there are a number of reasons for this: Perhaps he doesn't understand my obvious remark: " At least Turkey is in spending genuine effort to end her own hypocrisies", Perhaps I should've said " At last, but not least Turkey is in spending genuine effort to end her own hypocrisies"

The reason for suggesting this is, for the first time in the history of the Republic, we have a government, which is at odds with the regime' ancient, so the government no longer swallow the threats, lies and distortions of the military, judiciary, the fallacies of the nation-state, and is in the process of breaking off with th establishment, which was the ones that committed all the atrocities that Ianus fanatically distorts.

The popular motto amongst the Liberal-Leftist Intelligentsia in TR, Not far enough but Yes! Meaning that the present government is trying to do the right thing, but not only they have to fight the establishment, threats of military coup d'etats, hysterical media, judicial conundrum, but also the public opinion, which have been hammered in throughout 80 odd years of 'Republican Conditioning'

Even today, even in Iraq, you still can find some supporters of Saddam. How about 87 years long conditioning of Nationalism of the worst kind and Nation-State palaver?? Nevertheless, they make mistakes, even some dreadful ones. Well I guess one has to be philosophical about it. You win some, you lose some! Let us hope that we win far more than we lose.

However, compared with Ianus' chauvinistic howling, deriving from his hatred immersed single minded nationalism, their mistakes would not be seem any worse than a new born baby's first defecation. One would not be upset or disgusted but would only regard it with amusement.

Ianus doesn't seem to think that; some Turks do not notice great atrocities, do not protest strongly injustices, do not acknowledge the cruelties committed against Greek, Jews, Kurds, Armenians, in fact everybody in Turkey, of any conviction, or creed or ethnicity. Further, he doesn't seem to think nothing is being done about it. Well he should raise his head from the pile he is in and look again.

My points were about Israel's massacre at high seas. I pointed out to the fact that in Dr. Pipes' article, Cyprus was used as an incomparable example to excuse the wrongdoings of Israel. Views, analogies and examples were distorted. I also found it hilarious that Dr. Pipes responded to my comments by saying: I stopped reading it after "Greek Island"... was not mentioned in my article. Well, although I am not entirely sure he really did stop reading it, but I think dear Dr. should have continued to read it, and do not allow a small assumption to deter him.

Going back to Ianus and some of the fallacies: Churches, temples.... It sounds as if only Turks did such damages. What does he think Vandals, Vikings , Bretons, Romans, Byzantines did? Or Mongols, Spaniards, Jesuits, Catholics... I am not going to justify what Turks did, or did not. But there is some relief in converting temples into mosques; that allows them to stand, and perhaps turn them into museums.

Of the 7 thousand years of history of the Turks, Sumerians, Hittites etc. We all know that nationalism in the modern sense is only 2-3 centuries old. We also know that the emergence of Turkish nationalism unfortunately coincided with the era of fading nationalism and the notion of the nation-state. Perhaps it was for this reason that it was even fiercer, more single minded and cruder. Perhaps in that case someone can explain to me why Greeks do not recognize us Pomaks as a Slavonic speaking Moslem population but; Traks [Ethnic Thracians] of an obscure origin-and of course more Greek than Greeks. It somehow sounds very familiar to me.

But none of these justifies Ianus' brand of anti-nationalist nationalism. Both the population exchanges of 1923 and Cyprus 1974 were unfortunate, regrettable but we live in a real world. Indian sub-continent, Serbian-Bosnian-Kosovars in the 90's, British purge of Boers and in turn Boer Purges of Zulus, Stalin's forced march of Crimean Tatars... the history is full of it. With the brand of nationalism he has in his mind, perhaps Ianus' complaint is only limited to not having the power to exercise it himself. Otherwise the history is full of forced marches, ethnic cleansings. Ask the people of Ruanda! They know it.

Another outrageous suggestion is that Turks did what they did in Cyprus was because US wanted them to do so, because Makarios saw the light and turned Bolshevik! Well, almost. There is a proverb in Turkish: If my auntie had balls, she would have been my uncle!

I think Ianus should take his accusation of "Turkish Ministry of Truth which has instructed you" and shove it... into his pocket where he keeps his own retarded, obsolete nationalism.

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