March 23, 2005
LETTERS TO THE TIMES
How Should We Read Sales of 'Mein Kampf' in Turkey?
The article about the popularity of Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf" in Turkey ("Hitler Finds an Audience in Turkey," March 16) causes one to speculate about the sudden rise of anti-Semitism in Turkey.
One reason could be that with anti-Semitism rising again in Europe, the Turks, who have desperately sought entry into the European Union, are only trying to fit in with Europeans. Another could be that Hitler's genocidal policies dovetail quite nicely with Turkish history. Let us not forget that the Turks popularized modern genocide when they killed up to 1 1/2 million Armenians during World War I. Not only won't the Turks apologize for their heinous crime, they won't even acknowledge it. The Turks also have long denied the rights of ethnic Kurds who live in Turkey. The Turks are so hateful of Kurds that they will not even allow a Kurdish state to be born outside of Turkey's borders.
Josh Baker
San Francisco
Los Angeles Times
LETTERS TO THE TIMES
How Should We Read Sales of 'Mein Kampf' in Turkey?
The article about the popularity of Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf" in Turkey ("Hitler Finds an Audience in Turkey," March 16) causes one to speculate about the sudden rise of anti-Semitism in Turkey.
One reason could be that with anti-Semitism rising again in Europe, the Turks, who have desperately sought entry into the European Union, are only trying to fit in with Europeans. Another could be that Hitler's genocidal policies dovetail quite nicely with Turkish history. Let us not forget that the Turks popularized modern genocide when they killed up to 1 1/2 million Armenians during World War I. Not only won't the Turks apologize for their heinous crime, they won't even acknowledge it. The Turks also have long denied the rights of ethnic Kurds who live in Turkey. The Turks are so hateful of Kurds that they will not even allow a Kurdish state to be born outside of Turkey's borders.
Josh Baker
San Francisco
Los Angeles Times