Turks call for scholarly discourse of Genocide - but then...

[winoman]

Ankara Condemns Dissident Conference On Armenian Genocide

05/24/05

(AFP) - Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek Tuesday accused of "treason" a group of academics organizing a conference to question Turkey's official position on the mass killings of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire, the Anatolia news agency reported.

The three-day conference, which opens Wednesday at Istanbul's prestigious Bogazici University, will be attended by Turkish academics and intellectuals who dispute Ankara's version of the 1915-1917 massacres, recognized as genocide by several countries.

Cicek condemned the initiative as a blow to government efforts to counter a mounting Armenian campaign to have the killings recognized internationally as genocide, which many fear may cloud Turkey's bid to join the European Union. "This is a stab in the back to the Turkish nation... this is irresponsibility," Anatolia quoted Cicek as saying at a parliamentary debate.

"We must put an end to this cycle of treason and insult, of spreading propaganda against the (Turkish) nation by people who belong to it," he said.

The opposition joined the criticism. Sukru Elekdag, a senior MP for the main opposition Republican People's Party and a retired ambassador, called the conference "a treacherous project" aimed at disseminating pro-Armenian propaganda "under the guise of research."

Conference organizers said in a press statement that "it is high time Turkey's own academics and intellectuals collectively raise voices that differ from the official stance" on the Armenian killings. "The expression of critical and alternative opinions will be to Turkey's benefit, because it will show how rich in pluralist thinking Turkish society actually is," the statement said.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen were killed by the Ottomans in what was a genocide between 1915 and 1917. Ankara argues that 300,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife during World War I, when the Armenians took up
arms for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided with Russian troops invading the crumbling Ottoman Empire.

Ankara fears that the genocide allegations could fuel anti-Turkish sentiment in international public opinion and cloud its image at a time when it is vying for EU membership.

[winoman]

From Hurriyetim...

http://www.hurriyetim.com.tr/haber/0,,sid~381@nvid~580682,00.asp

Hürriyetim
23.05.2005
War of words before conference on Armenians has even begun

A conference to be held between May 25-27 at Bosphorus University is
sparking arguments before it has even started. The conference, organized by
the Bosphorus, Bilgi, and Sabanci Universities, is entitled "Ottoman
Armenians During the Collapse of the Empire: Scholarly Responsibility and
Problems with Democracy," and is expected to attract wide participation.
The sharpest criticism so far of the conference has come from Professor
Ilber Ortayli of Galatasaray University, who has said:

The same old team of people

"The people invited are the same ones who are always invited. There is no
way the issues can be argued healthily." Ortayli went on, "Maybe they
couldn't invite Professor Yusuf Halacoglu (embattled Turkish professor
recently accused by a Swiss prosecutor of violating Swiss law by denying the
Armenian genocide), by they should have invited retired diplomat Gunduz
Aktan for his knowledge of law....In this country, there is democracy,
everyone can do what they want. Everyone can account for their actions. My
views on this matter are clear."

Professor Yusuf Halacoglu also had criticisms for the upcoming conference:
"They have invited people who will echo the views of the Armenian side. Why
haven't they invited me? If they see me as representing the official view on
the matter, they must be defending the diaspora view of things."

Professor Berktay of Sabanci University: No need for Halacoglu to
"re-enlighten" us

In answer to much of the criticism, Professor Halil Berktay of Sabanci
University had this to say: "The official response of the Turkish government
on this matter has practically been memorized. Conferences on the Armenian
question have been organized for years in this country. All of them have
been one sided; historians that criticized freely were never invited. There
is no need for Professor Halacoglu to "re-enlighten" us on his views."

Retired diplomat Elekdag: Goal of conference is to stain Turkey

Retired diplomat and Republican People's (CHP) Party MP Sukru Elekdag had
these strong words for the conference organizers: "There is a desire to
broadcast Armenian propoganda. No one was invited to speak about history in
an objective and honest way. It is very sad that a meeting whose objective
is to stain Turkey is being held at Bosphorus University."

[winoman]

Well well - historians must decide....aparently not...

First Conference by Turkish Scholars on the Armenian Genocide in Istanbul
Postponed (Cancelled?) by Government


Istanbul, Turkey -- During May 25-27, 2005, there was to be a conference
organized at Bogaziçi University. The hosts of the conference are the
Comparative Literature Department of Bilgi University, the History
Department of Bogaziçi University and the History Program at Sabanci
University. The title of the conference was "Ottoman Armenians during the
Decline of the Empire: Issues of Scientific Responsibility and Democracy."
Only Turkish scholars from around the world were invited to participate in
this conference, notably those who dispute the Turkish Government's version of the events of 1915, which other countries recognize as the planned
Armenian Genocide.

This was an unprecedented, major, international conference. According to the
organizers, it was "time, ninety years after 1915, this tragic event in the
history of our country, for Turkey's own academics and intellectuals to
collectively raise their voices that differ from that of the official state
thesis.."

At the opening of the conference, the President of Sabanci University, Dr.
?, announced suddenly, to the great consternation of all present, that the
conference was postponed. The day before, Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek accused those who organized and participated in the conference of treason, calling them traitors to their country. He condemned the initiative as a blow to government efforts to counter a mounting Armenian campaign to have the killings recognized internationally as genocide.

"This is a stab in the back to the Turkish nation. this is irresponsibility," the Anatolian News Agency quotes Cicek as saying at a parliamentary debate.

"We must put an end to this cycle of treason and insult, of spreading
propaganda against the nation by people who belong to it," he added.
All of this calls into question the letter sent by Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan only a few weeks ago to the President of Armenia,
Robert Kocharyan, calling for a joint commission on the Armenian issue. If
Turkish scholars, themselves, are not allowed to discuss this issue, without the participation of scholars of other nationalities, how could such a joint commission ever work?




First Conference on the Armenian Issue Organized in Istanbul, Turkey


During 25-27 May 2005, there will be a conference organized at Bogaziçi
University. The hosts of the conference are the Comparative Literature
Department of Bilgi University, the History Department of Bogaziçi
University and the History Program at Sabanci University. The title of the
conference is "Ottoman Armenians during the Decline of the Empire: Issues of
Scientific Responsibility and Democracy."

Only Turkish scholars will participate in this conference which is not
international in character. As a consequence, the working language of the
conference will be entirely in Turkish. Only an invited group of people will
be able to attend the conference because of limited space and the vast
interest expressed in the proceedings.

The Organizing Committee of faculty members from the three participating
universities are, in alphabetic order, Murat Belge (chair, Comparative
Literature Department, Bilgi), Halil Berktay (coordinator, History Program,
Sabanci), Selim Deringil (chair, History Department, Bogaziçi), Edhem Eldem
(History Department, Bogaziçi), Hakan Erdem (History Program, Sabanci),
Çaglar Keyder (Sociology Department, Bogaziçi), Cemil Koçak (History
Program, Sabanci), and Aksin Somel (History Program, Sabanci).
In addition, the Consulting Committee of academics from Turkey and abroad
comprises, in alphabetical order, of Fikret Adanir (Bochum Ruhr University,
Germany), Engin Akarli (Brown University, USA), Taner Akçam (University of
Minnesota, USA), Ayhan Aktar (Marmara University, Turkey), Seyla Benhabib
(Yale University, USA), Üstün Ergüder (Director of Istanbul Policy Center at
Sabanci University, Turkey), Fatma Müge Göçek (University of Michigan, USA),
Nilüfer Göle (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, France), Cemal
Kafadar (Harvard University, USA), Metin Kunt (Sabanci University, Turkey),
Serif Mardin (Sabanci University), Oktay Özel (Bilkent University, Turkey),
Ilhan Tekeli (Middle East Technical University, Turkey), Mete Tunçay (Bilgi
University, Turkey), Stefan Yerasimos (Universite Paris VIII, France).
The schedule of the conference already contains more than thirty papers to
be delivered at ten sessions, a number of panels and a round table
discussion. The organizers of the conference regretfully note that they
have been unable to include many valuable suggestions that would have made
the schedule much richer because of the large number of interested
participants and the need to contain all the proceedings in three days.

According to the conference organizers, it is time today, ninety years after
1915, this tragic event in the history of our country, for Turkey's own
academics and intellectuals to collectively raise their voices that differ
from that of the official [state] theses and put forth their own
contributions. Turkish society that has grown, differentiated within
itself, and opened to the world has accumulated both qualitatively and
quantitatively an impressive amount of independent and critical thought.
This accumulation already covers a rather large spectrum, achieves breadth
and depth along the intellectual circles of historians, social scientists,
writers, publishers, lawyers, journalists and independent intellectuals, and
now wants to make its own voice heard and thus come of age as an
intellectual generation with its own free and autonomous ideas.
The conference organizers express the common denominator of this new
formation to be the recognition of a responsibility of conscience. This is not solely a responsibility in reference to scientific truth or world
citizenship, but also a responsibility toward our own country, society and
democracy. It is once again Turkey that would benefit the most from the emergence of different, critical and alternative voices and the portrayal of multiplicity of ideas contained in Turkish society.

[Otto]

something very common.....

"Hey look that way...Armenians and their Turkish supporters back stabbing us"
and more increased tax issue goes unnoticed

can you believe those so called Justice and development party even asked for a new law that will make all kind of judges untouchable by traffic police...

those idiots will drink all night and police will say you can go mister....

thank god we are not that blind.... sometimes i think there is a governmental joke is going on... other times i am sure of it...

whenever they want to make smthng that we dont want they throw a bone around and hope we chase it...

[Thai-Samurai]

something very common.....

"Hey look that way...Armenians and their Turkish supporters back stabbing us"
and more increased tax issue goes unnoticed

can you believe those so called Justice and development party even asked for a new law that will make all kind of judges untouchable by traffic police...

those idiots will drink all night and police will say you can go mister....

thank god we are not that blind.... sometimes i think there is a governmental joke is going on... other times i am sure of it...

whenever they want to make smthng that we dont want they throw a bone around and hope we chase it...

yours posts are kinda confusing, what do you mean by these two.


"those idiots will drink all night and police will say you can go mister....

thank god we are not that blind.... sometimes i think there is a governmental joke is going on... other times i am sure of it..."

[Otto]

i mean they are using genocide as a diversion to make funny laws..... government tried to pass a law that will make judges untouchable by traffic police... police will not stop judges to see driving license and so.... but we saw it coming and they could not pass the law.... common thing is that back stabbing story....

[winoman]

Yes such as charges of Armenian sedition used to cover for military (and political and economic) ineptness on the part of the CUP. Yes create a diversion - get folks worked up - etc

[winoman]

just received the following from Prof. Stephen Feinstein who
received a call from Taner Akcam, one of the first Turkish historians
to acknowledge the Armenian genocide.

We should do all we can to mobilize protests by our governments,
press, and professional societies. The very idea of Turkey becoming a
member of the European Union should be put to rest by this blatant
violation of human rights and the Turkish government's systematic denial of the truth about the Armenian genocide.

Dr. Gregory H. Stanton
President Genocide Watch
Coordinator
The International Campaign to End Genocide
P.O. Box 809
Washington, D.C. 20044

E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.genocidewatch.org

Just got a call from Taner Akcam that the Turkish Government closed down
the Istanbul Historians conference and that the Justice Minister made a
speech in Parliament denouncing all of them as traitors.

Taner Akcam is calling for maximum political and press intervention as
he sees this as a dangerous situation.

Dr. Stephen Feinstein, Director
Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
University of Minnesota
100 Nolte Hall West
315 Pillsbury Drive
Minneapolis, MN. 55455
email: [email protected]
WEB SITE: http://www.chgs.umn.edu

[bell-the-cat]

yours posts are kinda confusing, what do you mean by these two.


"those idiots will drink all night and police will say you can go mister....

thank god we are not that blind.... sometimes i think there is a governmental joke is going on... other times i am sure of it..."

He is refering to contemporary news items within Turkey.

Otto - am I right in thinking that both Bilgi and Sabanci Universities are privately owned institutions. Bosphorus University is state controlled I think, it used to be the Robert College, or the "American" college.

[eMachine]

He is refering to contemporary news items within Turkey.

Otto - am I right in thinking that both Bilgi and Sabanci Universities are privately owned institutions. Bosphorus University is state controlled I think, it used to be the Robert College, or the "American" college.

correct