‘Traitor Teller Soldier Fly’
1) This is what I wrote last Friday (“Conquest 1453,” Hürriyet Daily News, Feb. 17, 2012):
“…It is quite hard to think of the British commemorating the conquest of London or the Germans that of Berlin – and noisily thinking this is a virtue: ‘We are sitting on other nations’ lands! Ah, there is Cyprus too…’ Another Turkish [film] producer with a quick eye for $$$$ should soon set off to release a ‘Conquest 1974,’ and another, an ‘Extinction 1915.’
“Sadly, millions of Turks will go to the theaters to feel proud of their ancestors and to visually show their children ‘our greatness.’ We are great not only because ‘we had the power of the sword’ but, even more sadly, because ‘we still adore the idea.’
“…[Even] more amusing is the fact that you can often see these devout generations staging one protest rally after another, fiercely demanding an end to the ‘Israeli occupation of Jerusalem.’ Amusement turns into extreme amusement when, like it happened a couple of years ago, crowds of devout young Turks commemorate the conquest of Istanbul, only to move on to another demonstration, this time to protest the occupation of Jerusalem.
“Weird Turkey? Not yet. After the double demonstrations, they would surf the web to find which “traitor” Turk(s) criticized their hooliganism, and flood him/them with extremely creative words of curses and threats.”
(End of the quote from “Conquest 1453”)
2) This is how Greek daily Ta Nea quoted from the article “Conquest 1453”:
“…The most scathing criticism was made [i.e., penned] by the columnist of Hürriyet Daily News, Burak Bekdil, who remarks that millions of people are taught that the Turks didn’t simply rule by the sword, but enjoyed it, even. Bekdil wondered: ‘Will there follow, perhaps, also the movie ‘Conquest 1974?’”
(End of Ta Nea quote)
3) This is what a reader wrote to me:
“…The curse of all the oppressed [peoples] who sought refuge in Anatolia will be upon you and your children!”
(End of the reader’s pleasantries)
4) This is how a popular Turkish news website quoted Ta Nea:
“Scandalous lines from Hürriyet columnist!”
“The Greek media found the ammunition it needs for slander in a Turkish writer’s column… Although Burak Bekdil did not exactly use the word ‘genocide’ he labeled the Peace Operation [of Cyprus in 1974] as ‘extinction’ which means genocide.
“Ta Nea’s attribution to the article in Hürriyet Daily News contains scandalous lines particularly about the Cyprus Peace Operation.”
[Story read by 11,540 people]
(End of the Turkish news story which was then quoted by half a dozen more similar websites)
5) An anonymous caller tells the Hürriyet switchboard that he will kill Burak Bekdil.
6) This is how bloggers for a page exclusively created for the “traitor Turk” commented:
- “If someone investigated he would find that this man’s origins are in no way Turkish.”
- “I have enlarged his photo and examined it. He is definitely not Turkish. He could be an Armenian convert.”
- “Even the ignoble’s face doesn’t look Turkish.”
- “The hadith tells us not to avoid war in the name of God. It says heaven is under the shadow of the sword. We have used our swords for God!”
- “He should not be allowed to breathe air.”
- “He must be an ignoble Greek.”
I am not going to comment on any of that colorful content. I am confident that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I was doubtlessly right when, after meeting with members of the Parliament’s Constitution Conciliation Commission, he said:
“It is the first official invitation to non-Muslim minorities in Republican history. We don’t want to be second-class citizens. Unfortunately there have been injustices in the past. These are all slowly being rectified. A new Turkey is being born. We are leaving the meeting with hope and are extremely grateful.”
(End of His All Holiness’s quote)
