THE TURKS' NOTORIOUS RECONCILIATION

To many Westerners, Europeans in particular, “the Armenian genocide” is a clear-cut fact. It seems that the only point of contention is how to make Turkey eventually recognize it. Some say that since the Turks have failed to reconcile themselves with their past, they must be forced, either with the help of parliamentary resolutions or political sticks, to admit and accept the “genocide.” This is a stance supported by Armenia and the Armenian diaspora.

  Others, on the other hand, believe that recognition should first come from inside Turkey. It is precisely for this reason that they are attempting to exert pressure on Turkey to abolish article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. This stance is based on a naive and misleading portrait of an authoritarian state in Turkey, a kind of Orwellian big brother, preventing the Turkish people from doing what they are normally expected to do.

  The eventual result is a classic of black comedy, not only for Turks but also for Armenians. Vice Chairman of the European Commission Franco Frattini's contradictory remarks, during the second convention of European Armenians hosted by the Christian Democrat group in the European Parliament, is the best example in that regard. Contrary to his cautious messages in the meeting hall, Frattini was reportedly unhesitating in revealing his personal “support” for recognizing the events as “genocide” while answering questions by journalists. To Frattini, the best solution for Turkey's coming to terms with the events of 1915 was the German model of recognizing the Holocaust.

History is the key

  In justifying why the tragic events of 1915 should be considered as genocide, both groups point to the fact that the Armenian claims have been endorsed by a group of academics. In its recent verdict against Turkish Workers' Party (?P) leader Do?u Perinçek, who was sentenced last year by a Lausanne court under an anti-racism law for denying the alleged genocide, for instance, Switzerland's Federal Tribunal ruled that many historians, the European Parliament and numerous national parliaments considered the killings as genocide. The verdict is the best example how each body that takes an affirming position serves to encourage others and helps our Armenian friends oppose any challenge to their version of mainstream historiography. The other side of the coin is persistently neglected.

  In such a milieu, it becomes only the Armenian version of events that are taught to Western kids, and with noble considerations indeed. Just recently, Canada's education ministry was reported to have taken a contentious step to include the alleged genocide of Armenians in the high school curriculum in two state schools, one being in Toronto and the other in York. According to the Toronto District School Board, “the tragedies and horrors of genocidal acts in the past and present must be studied and addressed” and “democracy, justice and rule of law must be understood, claimed and defended by each generation of citizens if we are to confront this demonstration of human evil.”

  It seems that the only option left to Turkey is a profound analysis of history. What I suggest is not the joint commission between Armenian and Turkish historians. As I said in the past, Armenians would not consent to this proposal when they believe the battle is already won. None of historians of Armenian descent would risk being a member of this joint commission, especially if such an archival investigation would definitely display the methodological weaknesses of the accounts they use to claim the events were genocide.

  As unjust as it may be, in the situation described above where much of the rest of the world is in disagreement with us, the onus is on this country to prove the claims wrong. The best thing to do in that regard is to commission an investigation into the matter, with both sides of the argument and supporting evidence laid out and examined without any predetermination of what the result might be. A parliamentary commission to which Turkish historians “with differing views” will be included will be the best solution. Otherwise, what Turkey will have to deal with will be nothing more than a mere cat-mouse game. In fact, a recent news story by Today's Zaman regarding two Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies' meeting with Democrat Congressman Adam Schiff, the main architect of the recent “Armenian Genocide Resolution Bill,” precisely exemplifies this phenomenon.

  According to the story, one of these deputies, Burhan Kayatürk, related to Schiff “experiences from his own life” regarding the Armenians' atrocities of the time against the Muslims. He told him how his grandfather was killed by his Armenian neighbors. In response, Schiff reportedly admittedly said, “I've never heard these stories before, and quite frankly I'm touched by them.” It was actually for the first time that he was hearing “something different.” I am absolutely sure that Mr. Schiff does not know anything about Ottoman Armenians either. Could he have heard, for instance, that in the run-up to this tragic period, the Armenian nationalists murdered prominent Armenians who warned against risings such as the Patriarch in Istanbul?

  Actually, it is this milieu in which we Turks are expected to become reconciled with our past! And that we call nothing more than mere politics…