Hatred of Ataturk, and Alevi Persecution

Submitted by Jamie (United States), Dec 11, 2019 at 21:26

David Ryan wrote in "Ataturk Worship": "I want Constantinople back. (Should have kept it in 1924.)"

You may still choose to call Muhammad Ali "Cassius Clay," but the owners of that city had changed the name way back in 1453.

Maybe you were referring to "Constantinople" in the sense of how western powers had occupied Istanbul after WWI ended, in lieu of Turkish rule. If it were not for that "fraud," Ataturk, there would likely be no Turkey today. And that sounds like it would be just dandy, with you.

Yes, Alevis have had a raw deal, given religious chauvinism, in this case that of the Sunni majority, the same kind that has prevented non-Christians from serving in the highest positions in U.S. and other western societies for the longest time. (Or even with less popular Christians. It wasn't all that long ago when doors were closed to Catholic Americans.) As with other nations, restrictions against minorities have loosened with the passage of years. It's ridiculous to go back many decades and cite "massacres," as those such acts are commonplace and still relevant.

"Look up Alevi massacres." All right, so there was a sultan named Selin 1 from the early 16th century who did a number on Alevis. That was before the USA existed; are you next going to point to early U.S. history to make the case slavery still exists in the USA today?

And when you look things up, are you referring to the many sources out there, such as Wikipedia, where the authors feel bias against Turks and reference hateful propaganda? Do you believe everything you read because it's in print?

One may read from https://ipa.news/2019/01/02/turkish-minister-claims-massacres-of-alevi-turks-never-happened/ where there was a bad incident against Alevis in more recent times. The perpetrators were fanatical Grey Wolves who were tried and some (if not all) convicted for their crimes. You made it sound as though such massacres were perpetrated by the Turkish government. Are you next going to blame the Oklahoma bombings on a directive from Washington?

If the Alevis were "dead" or "illegal," 15-25% would not have been able to continue to form Turkey's population, and to live their lives like any other Turk or Kurdish Turk. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2017/02/10/religious-diversity-and-the-alevi-struggle-for-equality-in-turkey/#600e565d6d03.) Unfortunately, you can't shake the usual "Turkey is deplorable" attitude that has become so entrenched, given the enormous prejudice regarding the West's favorite villain.

I caught the reply of Alex Baldor after completing my response. Thank you, Mr. Baldor, for taking the trouble to address falsities and hatefulness.
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