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WHY HALACOGLU DECIDED TO MENTION THE LISTS OF CONVERTED ARMENIANS
By H. Charkian, Translated by A.M.
AZG Armenian Daily #163
08/09/2007
Scandal in Turkey
After the scandalous statement of August 18, head of the Turkish
Historic Union professor Halacoglu made another statement on
August 21. "In order to avoid the deportation of 1915, Armenians,
who pretended to be Alavis or Kurds, adopted Islam. In 1920s the
number of 'Armenian dyonme's reached 100 thousand. In 1936-37 the
Government disclosed all of them. I have got those lists," he said.
This statement, although more precise than the previous one, increased
the rumors about Halacoglu.
Nevertheless, the most remarkable part of all those statements is
that Halacoglu de facto admitted that deportation in 1915 meant death
to Armenians.
Halacoglu did not even mention that great numbers of Armenian young
women and children were turned to Islam perforce, but confesses that
Islam did not save the converted Armenians from massacre, either,
otherwise why should Kemalists discover their dwellings and make
their lists in 1936-37?
Due to these confessions by Halacoglu, Nevzat Onayan in an article
published on "Evrensel.net" discovered that in 1935 the Turkish
Government realized two kinds of population census - public and
secret. The official, public census was realized in October 1935,
and the secret - in July 1935. The corresponding law had been adopted
on May 3, 1934. This law was never officially published and came into
power in secret.
Moreover, on June 14, 1934 Internal Affairs Minister of Turkey Sukryu
Kaya, close comrade of Kemal Ataturk and a Jew from Salonicae by
origin, announced at the parliament, "Dear Sirs, this is the law,
which will ensure the solution of the most vital problem in this state,
the problem of language".
By the way, on August 22 "BIA" news agency reported that one the very
eve of the World War I the "Ittihat ve terakki" party sent someone
Esat Uras to Armenian regions of Turkey, in order to find out whether
Armenians could be assimilated with other peoples or no. The latter
came to the following conclusion, "The Kurds can be assimilated,
but the Armenians - no; therefore they must be nutralized".
In the September 7 release of "Radikal" Fuat Dyundar supplemented
the information of "BIA" agency.
"Especially in autumn 1915, when the major part of Armenians of
Anatolia were deported, Taleat Pasa started persecution of converted
Armenians. The statistics services were demanded to collect information
about perverted Armenians from the regions and to report to the
central authorities each month.
The authorities demanded not only the number of Armenians to be
registered, but also the addresses and all the members of the
families," wrote Dyundar.
He notes that the 1915 order about deportation of all Armenians forced
many to adopt Islam, so as to save their lives. At first Taleat Pasa
ordered not to deport the converted Armenians, but when their number
considerably increased, he changed his mind and ordered to deport all
Armenians irrespective of their religion. Later Taleat made a law that
only Armenian women married with Turks were not subject to deportation.
Then Dyundar writes, "The adoption of Islam by Armenian families,
saying nothing of town quarters and villages, was impossible. The
Armenians could save their lives only among rebel Kurds who mainly
settled in Dersim and Sincar. Therefore, all the Armenians could not
turn into Alavis, as the Passport Department registered the nationality
of all villages. In other words, citizens of Armenian villages saw no
reason of pretending to be Alavis, as that would not save them from
deportation. This means that ascribing Armenian origin to Alavi Kurds
and increasing the number of converted Armenians up to 100 thousand
has nothing in common with science".
"At present there are certain circles in Turkey, which are far
more reactionary than Ittihatists, although they call themselves
Neo-Ittihatists," continues Dyundar.
In order the reduce the number of Kurdish population of Turkey,
the authorities are trying to represent certain parts of them as
ethnic Armenians or Jews. At the same time they are trying to deny
the Genocide, saying that the "massacred" Armenians in fact turned
into Alavis.
Dyunbdar also refuses to believe that Halacoglu indeed has the lists
of Armenian "donme's". He thinks that Halacoglu, who has dedicated all
his life to the denial of the Armenian Genocide, would have long ago
published those lists and translated them into all known languages,
if he only had them.
One could think that Dyundar's conclusions explain everything. But
the so-called lists of "donme" Armenians were made in 1936-1937 and
their discovery after 70 years must have some reasons.
Let us not forget that although Erdogan's Ilsamist "Justice and
Prosperity" party has not deprived yet the Turkish elite of its
privileges, but has laid background for raising the question of certain
"donme's", converted Jews from Salonikae, who make the major mart of
that elite.
On August 29 "El Aziz" newspaper published an article, which
illustrated all the agiotage about Halacoglu's statements from the
aspect of the Jewish elite of Turkey. That is a remarkable article
and should be referred to in another publication.
By H. Charkian, Translated by A.M.
AZG Armenian Daily #163
08/09/2007
Scandal in Turkey
After the scandalous statement of August 18, head of the Turkish
Historic Union professor Halacoglu made another statement on
August 21. "In order to avoid the deportation of 1915, Armenians,
who pretended to be Alavis or Kurds, adopted Islam. In 1920s the
number of 'Armenian dyonme's reached 100 thousand. In 1936-37 the
Government disclosed all of them. I have got those lists," he said.
This statement, although more precise than the previous one, increased
the rumors about Halacoglu.
Nevertheless, the most remarkable part of all those statements is
that Halacoglu de facto admitted that deportation in 1915 meant death
to Armenians.
Halacoglu did not even mention that great numbers of Armenian young
women and children were turned to Islam perforce, but confesses that
Islam did not save the converted Armenians from massacre, either,
otherwise why should Kemalists discover their dwellings and make
their lists in 1936-37?
Due to these confessions by Halacoglu, Nevzat Onayan in an article
published on "Evrensel.net" discovered that in 1935 the Turkish
Government realized two kinds of population census - public and
secret. The official, public census was realized in October 1935,
and the secret - in July 1935. The corresponding law had been adopted
on May 3, 1934. This law was never officially published and came into
power in secret.
Moreover, on June 14, 1934 Internal Affairs Minister of Turkey Sukryu
Kaya, close comrade of Kemal Ataturk and a Jew from Salonicae by
origin, announced at the parliament, "Dear Sirs, this is the law,
which will ensure the solution of the most vital problem in this state,
the problem of language".
By the way, on August 22 "BIA" news agency reported that one the very
eve of the World War I the "Ittihat ve terakki" party sent someone
Esat Uras to Armenian regions of Turkey, in order to find out whether
Armenians could be assimilated with other peoples or no. The latter
came to the following conclusion, "The Kurds can be assimilated,
but the Armenians - no; therefore they must be nutralized".
In the September 7 release of "Radikal" Fuat Dyundar supplemented
the information of "BIA" agency.
"Especially in autumn 1915, when the major part of Armenians of
Anatolia were deported, Taleat Pasa started persecution of converted
Armenians. The statistics services were demanded to collect information
about perverted Armenians from the regions and to report to the
central authorities each month.
The authorities demanded not only the number of Armenians to be
registered, but also the addresses and all the members of the
families," wrote Dyundar.
He notes that the 1915 order about deportation of all Armenians forced
many to adopt Islam, so as to save their lives. At first Taleat Pasa
ordered not to deport the converted Armenians, but when their number
considerably increased, he changed his mind and ordered to deport all
Armenians irrespective of their religion. Later Taleat made a law that
only Armenian women married with Turks were not subject to deportation.
Then Dyundar writes, "The adoption of Islam by Armenian families,
saying nothing of town quarters and villages, was impossible. The
Armenians could save their lives only among rebel Kurds who mainly
settled in Dersim and Sincar. Therefore, all the Armenians could not
turn into Alavis, as the Passport Department registered the nationality
of all villages. In other words, citizens of Armenian villages saw no
reason of pretending to be Alavis, as that would not save them from
deportation. This means that ascribing Armenian origin to Alavi Kurds
and increasing the number of converted Armenians up to 100 thousand
has nothing in common with science".
"At present there are certain circles in Turkey, which are far
more reactionary than Ittihatists, although they call themselves
Neo-Ittihatists," continues Dyundar.
In order the reduce the number of Kurdish population of Turkey,
the authorities are trying to represent certain parts of them as
ethnic Armenians or Jews. At the same time they are trying to deny
the Genocide, saying that the "massacred" Armenians in fact turned
into Alavis.
Dyunbdar also refuses to believe that Halacoglu indeed has the lists
of Armenian "donme's". He thinks that Halacoglu, who has dedicated all
his life to the denial of the Armenian Genocide, would have long ago
published those lists and translated them into all known languages,
if he only had them.
One could think that Dyundar's conclusions explain everything. But
the so-called lists of "donme" Armenians were made in 1936-1937 and
their discovery after 70 years must have some reasons.
Let us not forget that although Erdogan's Ilsamist "Justice and
Prosperity" party has not deprived yet the Turkish elite of its
privileges, but has laid background for raising the question of certain
"donme's", converted Jews from Salonikae, who make the major mart of
that elite.
On August 29 "El Aziz" newspaper published an article, which
illustrated all the agiotage about Halacoglu's statements from the
aspect of the Jewish elite of Turkey. That is a remarkable article
and should be referred to in another publication.