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FORGOTTEN COMMUNITY SEEKS TO JOIN ELECTIONS WITH NEW PARTY
Hurriyet
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=a-forgotten-community-seeks-to-join-elections-with-a-new-party-2011-05-16
May 17 2011
Turkey
Historical communities of Islamisized Armenians, who live on the
Black Sea coast in northeastern Turkey, are getting ready to found a
new political party. The party's founder, Ä°smet Å~^ahin, is a former
deputy candidate from Istanbul's second region who ran on the ranks
of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, until he was
left out of the candidate list. The new party's name will be publicly
announced following the general elections on June 12. Å~^ahin also
served in BDP's ranks in previous elections.
"We will become a party that produces global solutions for societal
problems and protects the general interests of all oppressed people.
Our party will remain completely outside the left-right paradigm,"
Å~^ahin, who is a prominent member of the HemÅ~_in community, told
Hurriyet Daily News.
The HemÅ~_in were originally Armenians who fled to the Pontus region
along the eastern Black Sea as Arab troops occupied their homeland in
790. In 1480 the Ottomans conquered the area and in 1600 instituted the
"devÅ~_irme," in which suitable young boys were taken from Christian
families to be educated. The Christians in the region often converted
to Islam to get rid of the "devÅ~_irme" and other taxes that were
applied to them.
"CHP and AKP are nationalists; BDP is becoming corrupt"
A total of seven Turkish-Armenians ran for seats in the parliament
with the AKP, the CHP and the BDP, but all of them were left off the
candidate list.
"It would have been naive to expect positive results. The AKP still
uses the Armenian identity as a form of curse in tete a tete debates,"
said Å~^ahin, who accused the ruling AKP and the main opposition
CHP of nationalism, and then added that the Armenian community of
Istanbul is still an inconsequential factor in Turkey's political
and social structure.
"The presence of even a single Armenian deputy in parliament would
remind Turkey of its history; it would force Turkey to face up to
its own history. Turkey does not have the courage to face up to its
history," said Å~^ahin.
"The BDP presents the Kurds and Turks as brothers in arms that
fought against common enemies to protect the Republic, with the aim
of gaining recognition from the state. The BDP is getting corrupt.
Instead of aligning itself with other oppressed peoples, the BDP
chose to go for an exclusively Kurdish constituency. In the past they
had announced their support for me because I was from within the
party and because I am a Hamshenite," said Å~^ahin, adding that he
found it meaningless for other people to lay so much stress on his
Hamshenite identity.
"In recent years, more and more people have begun claiming they are
discovering their Armenian identity, and I do not find this sincere.
Hamshenites have always identified themselves as Hamshenites. If you
ask whether they are Turks, you would elicit a negative response. If
you ask whether they are Armenians, again you would elicit a negative
response. They would only tell you they are Hamshenites," said Å~^ahin.
From: A. Papazian
Hurriyet
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=a-forgotten-community-seeks-to-join-elections-with-a-new-party-2011-05-16
May 17 2011
Turkey
Historical communities of Islamisized Armenians, who live on the
Black Sea coast in northeastern Turkey, are getting ready to found a
new political party. The party's founder, Ä°smet Å~^ahin, is a former
deputy candidate from Istanbul's second region who ran on the ranks
of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, until he was
left out of the candidate list. The new party's name will be publicly
announced following the general elections on June 12. Å~^ahin also
served in BDP's ranks in previous elections.
"We will become a party that produces global solutions for societal
problems and protects the general interests of all oppressed people.
Our party will remain completely outside the left-right paradigm,"
Å~^ahin, who is a prominent member of the HemÅ~_in community, told
Hurriyet Daily News.
The HemÅ~_in were originally Armenians who fled to the Pontus region
along the eastern Black Sea as Arab troops occupied their homeland in
790. In 1480 the Ottomans conquered the area and in 1600 instituted the
"devÅ~_irme," in which suitable young boys were taken from Christian
families to be educated. The Christians in the region often converted
to Islam to get rid of the "devÅ~_irme" and other taxes that were
applied to them.
"CHP and AKP are nationalists; BDP is becoming corrupt"
A total of seven Turkish-Armenians ran for seats in the parliament
with the AKP, the CHP and the BDP, but all of them were left off the
candidate list.
"It would have been naive to expect positive results. The AKP still
uses the Armenian identity as a form of curse in tete a tete debates,"
said Å~^ahin, who accused the ruling AKP and the main opposition
CHP of nationalism, and then added that the Armenian community of
Istanbul is still an inconsequential factor in Turkey's political
and social structure.
"The presence of even a single Armenian deputy in parliament would
remind Turkey of its history; it would force Turkey to face up to
its own history. Turkey does not have the courage to face up to its
history," said Å~^ahin.
"The BDP presents the Kurds and Turks as brothers in arms that
fought against common enemies to protect the Republic, with the aim
of gaining recognition from the state. The BDP is getting corrupt.
Instead of aligning itself with other oppressed peoples, the BDP
chose to go for an exclusively Kurdish constituency. In the past they
had announced their support for me because I was from within the
party and because I am a Hamshenite," said Å~^ahin, adding that he
found it meaningless for other people to lay so much stress on his
Hamshenite identity.
"In recent years, more and more people have begun claiming they are
discovering their Armenian identity, and I do not find this sincere.
Hamshenites have always identified themselves as Hamshenites. If you
ask whether they are Turks, you would elicit a negative response. If
you ask whether they are Armenians, again you would elicit a negative
response. They would only tell you they are Hamshenites," said Å~^ahin.
From: A. Papazian