Turks

Published by The National Herald, August 28, 2005

"Benevolent Side" Of Turks - Stop Kidding Yourself

Tony Andriotis’ commentary in last week’s edition, "Learning to Hate and Teaching to Forget," is a total distortion of Greek history. Mr. Andriotis does not seem to critically question and examine whatever he is being told or sold as justification for Turkish crimes, and even shows he has the potential of becoming a historical revisionist.

Mr. Andriotis states that the Jews and their religion have been welcomed by the Ottomans, but he does not seem to realize the fact that the Jews were welcomed because they were willing to be compliant in relation to Ottoman policies. Turkey’s Christians did not possess the same citizen rights as the Turkish citizens, however. There is no question that Christians were considered second-class citizens in Turkey, and were often referred to as "animals" by the Turks.

The most horrendous thing is to omit and forget the atrocities which were committed against the Christians by the Ottoman Empire. Let us not forget the slaughter of 1.5 million Greeks, 1.5 million Armenians, and 800,000 Assyrians and other Christians which were ethnically cleansed from Asia Minor.

An example of how generous the Turks were during the burning of Smyrna in 1922 is exemplified in the order of the Central Turkish Administration, which was issued stating that every Turk was "obliged to kill 4-5 Greeks for the country’s grandeur." Turkish history is blighted with criminal acts. Let us not also forget the 1955 pogrom, during which the Greek population in Constantinople was subjected to heinous acts of brutality and has been reduced to less than 2,000 Greeks presently.

Regarding religious freedom, the United Nations’ January 2005 Report on Religious Freedom in Turkey indicates that the blight of the Christian communities has not improved that much. And the European Union, in a recent report (July 14), states that Turkey’s "current draft law on religious foundations falls short of European standards."

The Turkish Government does not grant permission to build Christian churches, and the Halki School of Theology remains closed. Moreover, Turkey’s Christian communities are not legally recognized, and are therefore unable to acquire property or open a bank account. Land ownership registration for Christians is not permitted, and Christian property can be confiscated by the state at any time (since it is considered state property).

Such is the "benevolent side of the Turks" which Mr. Andriotis discovered in high school and now praises in his commentary. The truth is that, to date, the Turks have neither apologized nor expressed human regret for the crimes perpetrated against their many victims.



Volume 7 Number 35 - Tuesday, August 30th, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY