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09.02.2009

ON MUTUAL PERCEPTION OF ARMENIANS IN TURKEY

   

Ruben Melkonyan

0_image (original)The problem of mutual perception of different groups of the Armenians becomes of vital importance today but this time on the grounds of the Armenians in Turkey. The issue of the Armenians who were forced to convert their religion (i.e. who were Islamized) in Turkey has become the subject of wide speculations in scientific and analytical circles of Armenia quite recently. This unknown and veiled problem causes ambiguous reactions. First of all there is an objective problem of lack of information, which gradually vanishes and this generates both questions and answers. Thus the contradictive evaluations (from unreasonably optimistic to nihilistic), which were caused by this problem, may be regarded as quite regular.

The facts show that the issue of mutual perception of different groups of the Armenians is rather vital even for Armenian community of Istanbul. Taking into consideration the fact that Christian Istanbul-Armenians associate more with different groups of the converted Armenians in Turkey and their successors lower we shall try to turn to different elements of their mutual perception.

It should be mentioned that the Armenian community of Istanbul, which is mainly guided by different stereotypes and commonplaces, is not inclined to associate with the Armenians from other groups, which are different from them. Armenians from the RA are no exception either. They are mostly regarded (perceived) by the Armenians of Istanbul as “strangers” or “aliens”. The growth of the number of articles and publications is the evidence of the topicality of the problem of mutual perception of the Armenians in Turkey and Istanbul-Armenians who are on different stages of estrangement.

Thus Istanbul-Armenian journalist of “Akos” daily Bagrat Esdugyan has been turning to that problem rather often recently. And here we find it necessary to make rather extended quotations from his articles. Because, being a member of Armenian community in Istanbul, he could present the matter impartially, from constructive positions and, which is most important, “from within”: “One of the main issues, which are on the agenda in Turkey now, is the issue of national identity. Many prejudiced ideas, opinions and even statements fall to the ground today. Till recent times the authorities have liked to believe that 99.9% of the population of the country is Muslims. Armenian community in the country seems to think the same way. Or it does not realize that there are also other Armenians in this country and it does not want to hear about them. There is no place in our narrow-minded perception for the Armenian who is not a Christian (underlined by us – R. M.). Till recent times we could go on not calling Armenian the one who did not speak Armenian. And today we do not want to hear of those whose way of life differs from our philistine traditions. But there are such people. There are Armenians who hold on their national identity, ignoring their religious affiliation. There are Christians who cling to their faith without realizing their national identity. There are Armenian-speaking people who only now disclose the national identity of their ancestors. Some of them occurred in the regions inhabited by Kurds and Kurdishized. The others stayed in the regions inhabited by Turks and Turkishized. And the third group is the Armenians who seeking for their roots come to our church. But are the doors of church open before them? What is the answer an Armenian from province receives from the priest when he asks to christen him, to carry out wedding ceremony or funeral?”

By the way, Bagrad Esdugyan talked on that subject in the interview with Armenian internet-site “Hetq” (the Association of Investigating Armenian Journalists”): “When we speak of Armenian community in Turkey we mean Istanbul Armenian community. And we speak of Istanbul Armenian community we mean a kind of philistine way of life. And that philistine, narrow-minded way of life wants to see Armenians who are just like them. I.e. an Armenian has to live in some distinct districts, to go to the island in summer and visit church with some frequency. And an Armenian should keep himself within some definite bounds set by the majority of those who live in the city. An Armenian who does not fit with this mode of life will arouse suspicion and will be disdained. This group may include either those who live in the RA or those who have lived out of Istanbul for a long time and preserved their identity or lost it but now try to realize it. Those Armenians cannot be integrated with Armenian community of Istanbul either.

It should be mentioned that the same situation can be also met in Europe where they have a number of obstacles determined by language, social and other differences between Armenians who have re-converted their faith (i.e. who re-converted Christianity) or who are on their way to do that and those who have not converted their faith, and this causes estrangement among people.

There is no doubt that Armenian Apostolic Church has a lot to do in the issue of correct perception and integration of crypto- or Islamized Armenians (especially those who want to re-convert Christianity). And the uncharitable attitude of Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul towards the Armenians (and this may be conditioned by different facts, such as prudence, the restrictions applied by Turkish government and also by the possible danger of avaricious intentions) who want to re-convert Christianity is reprehensible.

It is obvious that in the discourse of the Armenians of Istanbul the question “Who is an Armenian?” is pointed out. And Bagrat Esdugyan has also touched over that issue on the pages of “Akos” daily: “Indeed, who is an Armenian? What do we understand saying “Armenian”? E.g. what do we, the Armenians of Istanbul expect from the Armenians? Is it possible that an Armenian does not speak Armenian? Life has shown that it is possible. Do the Armenians living in Armenia accept those who do not speak Armenian as an Armenian? Who knows, may be they do. And can an Armenian be non-Christian? Can we imagine a man who has converted Islam saying that he is an Armenian? It occurs that it is possible. On the next day after the murder of Dink we had been on guard by the entrance of the office of “Akos” daily, i.e. people from “Sayat-Nova”, guys from “Kartesh Turkiler”, youth from “Tostlar Gorozu”, and dozens of Sasunians. That night we saw Muslim Armenians who came to pay a tribute to the greatest martyr of our days Hrant Dink. We saw that this is possible too”. The author of the article confirms the idea, which was presented by us repeatedly that the adequate perception of crypto- or Islamized Armenians and their successors in Turkey, the specification of the attitude toward them is possible only after comprehensive acknowledgment and understanding of that issue. One can see that Esdugyan approaches to the issue of the perception of estranged Armenians in Turkey on behalf of the Armenians from the RA with the unveiled caution and preconception which are justly based on our “inexperience”, i.e. lack of awareness concerning that issue as compared with them. Esdugyan also indirectly accepts that Istanbul-Armenians today have a problem of recognition of the Armenians who live in province and who are on different stages of estrangement, as they do not know the whole matter profoundly. “Who did know about 20 thousand Armenians of Adiyaman twenty years ago? Two years ago our community got acquainted with that province, because several dozens of pupils came to our national high schools. Is our country a place where are a lot of crypto-Armenians or those who has lost their roots?

We find that the issue of the perception of the Islamized Armenians and their successors on behalf of the Turks, the Kurds or in one word Muslims surrounding them is not of a minor importance and it is noteworthy. It is not a secret that in Turkey the converted Armenians were not regarded as “true Muslims” either on state or on social levels, and today that approach has not changed. There are a lot of facts showing the foregoing. It is enough to mention the fact that there were some sanctions imposed by the republican Turkey on state level against Islamized Armenians. The Islamized Armenians accept that even after their faith conversion their milieu does not regard them as true Muslims and they are always labeled as “gyavur” of “denme” (converted). E.g. the converted Armenian 85-years old Sasunian Zeynep Iylmaz who is believed to be a faithful Muslim (even more Muslim than her Muslim husband) says: “We were Armenians and now we are Muslims but when occasion offers Muslims always say “You are the Armenians”. We cannot get rid of it”. Turning to that matter Bagrat Esdugyan mentions that Muslims still regard Islamized Armenians and their successors as Armenians. “Muslim never accept them, they say “this is gyavur village”. Such an attitude has not changed and has been passed on from generation to generation”.

It would be interesting to know the opinion of Turkish nationalists concerning the question “Who is a Turk?” and to see in the same context the way they treat non-Turks who are on different stages of estrangement. Thus one of the pioneers of pan-Turkism Nihal Atsz (1905-1975) answered the question “Who is a Turk?” in his article “Turkish race = Turkish nation” published in 1934 in “Orqun” magazine saying: “For the Turks the issue of nation is first of all the issue of blood. Thus the one who say that he is a Turk must be from the Turkish kin. The one of the other blood even if he does not know any other language but for Turkish cannot be a Turk”.

Summing up all what was said above we should mention that we must have a differentiated approach and, which is most important expectations from various groups of Islamized Armenians. The attempts and the aspiration of crypto-Armenians to re-integrate Armeniancy must be awarded our positive attitude. It is necessary to get over the differences between us, which have occurred due to the objective reasons.

There are different occurrences to be noticed among Islamized Armenians and their successors from mixed marriages: some of them, as we have already told, are proud of their Armenian descent and begin to treat it in special way, the others try to ignore this, thus not to be labeled as “gyavur” or “enemy-Armenian”, and the third part feels hostility towards the Christian Armenians (and this is conditioned by some psychological reasons too).

Of course it is said that we can often see that the estranged successors of Islamized Armenians have some deformed or “corrupted” human features characteristic of our nation, of the Armenian anthropological type. Anyway we should realize that there are people who have an Armenian descent and those who want to learn more about it. That is why we must not deny the existence of the Islamized Armenians and their successors and quite the contrary; we must find some common edges to associate with them.


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