It was a hot summer’s night of 2011, when I sat on a balcony with my family in my birthplace near the Syrian-Turkish border: Antakya, Hatay. My cousin’s relatives from Syria were visiting her. These guests were wealthy Christians that had a very modern air, as they sat...
Fréderike Geerdink “Abdullah Gül has no right to speak”, I hear all the time as a reaction to President Gül resisting the ideology of Dutch politician Geert Wilders, which discriminates against people and marginalises them. That’s because Gül has a problem handling...
An interesting and powerful documentary by Maria Iliou on destruction of Smyrna (Izmir) in the eve of the foundation of Turkish Republic. (English with Greek subtitles) Smyrna: Destruction of a cosmopolitan city Ταινία που αναφέρετε στην...
Turkish parliament amending a law banning minority institutions to claim ownership on their confiscated real estates, made it possible for them to claim all such estates which they have declared back in 1936. In 1936, Turkish government asked such foundations to provide proofs...
Since my last visit to Tarsus, I have been trying to investigate about the origins of the historical houses there. All my research ended up in nothing. All I could find was that they were being renovated for some time now and they were of great historical value. Even a blind...
A.A. Wife of slain Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, Rakel Dink said she doesn't know how discriminative and racist comments, behavior, plans and projects would be collected, put aside and trashed. She spoke at "Setting up peace" conference organized by Peace Initiative...
Ultra-nationalists are planning to conquer Asia Minor, all over again. Tomorrow, on October 1st, MHP, their major political organization is planning a Friday prayer session in Holy Virgin Cathedral at Ani, a sacred and antique settlement in what used to be Western Armenia. They...
A journalist friend of mine will get crazy about this article. She'd say "too many subjects in one single article" or "it's too long and complex to be read easily, and there are too many points to consider". Yes, I know. But in Turkey, the agenda is full of such frivolities that...
What is the function of a nation state? If we listen to Rousseau, "... the general will is always in the right and inclines toward the public good" in a modern state. It finds its origins in a "contract". A contract between the electorate and elected to serve in the good of the...
She was sipping her coffee alla Turca. Yes, she was old. But she was solid as a rock. She didn't shake, she didn't tremble. She kept her eyes at the sea. Her ever-seeing eyes were fixed to the crimson clouds at the sunset. Her gaze followed the passers-by of today and the...
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