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HATE SPEECH, HATE CRIMES?
http://times.am/?l=en&p=17546
by Today's Zaman
What is happening in Samatya? Can it be a coincidence that on four
occasions in the past few weeks, elderly women living on their own --
all of them of Armenian descent -- were targeted in brutal attacks?
The latest assault took place on Tuesday, when 83-year-old Sultan
Aykar was severely beaten by a masked assailant. Her cries alerted the
neighbors and the perpetrator fled. She is now in hospital and risks
losing an eye. Another victim, aged 87, lost sight in one eye after
being battered in early December, while 84 year-old Maritsa Kucuk died
on Dec. 28 after being repeatedly stabbed. A fourth elderly woman
narrowly escaped being kidnapped in early January.
These attacks do not bear the hallmark of burglaries gone awry. Home
thefts are not uncommon in Ä°stanbul, as in all big cities, but Sultan
Aykar's attacker -- said to be around 35, dressed entirely in black
and wearing a ski mask -- did not even pick up her handbag.
This spate of attacks has inevitably rekindled concerns among
non-Muslims in Turkey and raised suspicion that they are part of an
organized drive against Armenians. Civil society organizations are
following these incidents closely and demanding answers and improved
security measures in areas like Samatya where many of Turkey's
remaining Armenians reside. The Human Rights Association paid a visit
to police headquarters on Wednesday and alerted the authorities to the
possibility that these attacks may be hate crimes. The police are
investigating but have so far not identified the culprits.
Six years after the murder of journalist Hrant Dink -- targeted after
a long media and judicial campaign identifying him as an internal
enemy -- has the risk of hate crimes receded? Has Turkey become a more
inclusive society?
The Media Ethics Platform organized a panel on hate speech and the
role played by the media in Dink's death last weekend, chaired by our
colleague Yonca Poyraz Dogan. Journalist Kemal GöktaÅ~_, who has written
a book on the issue, reminded the audience that the free-for-all
against Dink in the media had started after the General Staff
condemned Dink for an article suggesting that Ataturk's adopted
daughter, Sabiha Gökcen, was Armenian.
The (relatively) good news is that Dink's murder seriously shook
Turkey, and mainstream media outlets publish fewer openly biased
headlines. But if discrimination has become more discreet and the most
egregious headlines are to be limited to a few nationalist newspapers,
prejudice has not disappeared and media members still tend to take
their cues from officialdom, as they promote a nationalist ideology
that sees Sunni Turks as the "real" citizens of this country.
In fact, the Media Watch on Hate Speech Project set up by the Hrant
Dink Foundation, which monitors the national and local press for news
and statements targeting specific groups, noticed an increase in
prejudiced and provocative statements in the media in the first half
of 2012. According to the latest report they published, for the
May-August 2012 period, non-Muslims -- Armenians, Christians, Jews,
Greeks -- were the main targets, but Kurds, women and homosexuals were
also subjected to insults, distorted reports or demeaning statements
in parts of the media.
No country is free of discrimination. As we all know, Muslims in
Western societies are often at the receiving end of preconceived
opinions in Western societies. In Turkey, biased or provocative
headlines tend to ebb and flow in line with the political agenda,
peaking during times of crises. The politicians' attitude, the
language they use and how they respond to situations that have the
potential to reinforce erroneous perceptions and divide society are
therefore crucial.
Raising awareness of hate speech and monitoring the media is
important, but ultimately politicians have to take the lead if Turkey
is to become a genuinely inclusive society in which all citizens,
irrespective of their origins, are equal in reality as well as on
paper. Let's hope that the authorities are taking a close interest in
the Samatya attacks and a thorough investigation will swiftly lead to
the perpetrators' arrest.
25.01.13, 12:46
http://times.am/?l=en&p=17546
by Today's Zaman
What is happening in Samatya? Can it be a coincidence that on four
occasions in the past few weeks, elderly women living on their own --
all of them of Armenian descent -- were targeted in brutal attacks?
The latest assault took place on Tuesday, when 83-year-old Sultan
Aykar was severely beaten by a masked assailant. Her cries alerted the
neighbors and the perpetrator fled. She is now in hospital and risks
losing an eye. Another victim, aged 87, lost sight in one eye after
being battered in early December, while 84 year-old Maritsa Kucuk died
on Dec. 28 after being repeatedly stabbed. A fourth elderly woman
narrowly escaped being kidnapped in early January.
These attacks do not bear the hallmark of burglaries gone awry. Home
thefts are not uncommon in Ä°stanbul, as in all big cities, but Sultan
Aykar's attacker -- said to be around 35, dressed entirely in black
and wearing a ski mask -- did not even pick up her handbag.
This spate of attacks has inevitably rekindled concerns among
non-Muslims in Turkey and raised suspicion that they are part of an
organized drive against Armenians. Civil society organizations are
following these incidents closely and demanding answers and improved
security measures in areas like Samatya where many of Turkey's
remaining Armenians reside. The Human Rights Association paid a visit
to police headquarters on Wednesday and alerted the authorities to the
possibility that these attacks may be hate crimes. The police are
investigating but have so far not identified the culprits.
Six years after the murder of journalist Hrant Dink -- targeted after
a long media and judicial campaign identifying him as an internal
enemy -- has the risk of hate crimes receded? Has Turkey become a more
inclusive society?
The Media Ethics Platform organized a panel on hate speech and the
role played by the media in Dink's death last weekend, chaired by our
colleague Yonca Poyraz Dogan. Journalist Kemal GöktaÅ~_, who has written
a book on the issue, reminded the audience that the free-for-all
against Dink in the media had started after the General Staff
condemned Dink for an article suggesting that Ataturk's adopted
daughter, Sabiha Gökcen, was Armenian.
The (relatively) good news is that Dink's murder seriously shook
Turkey, and mainstream media outlets publish fewer openly biased
headlines. But if discrimination has become more discreet and the most
egregious headlines are to be limited to a few nationalist newspapers,
prejudice has not disappeared and media members still tend to take
their cues from officialdom, as they promote a nationalist ideology
that sees Sunni Turks as the "real" citizens of this country.
In fact, the Media Watch on Hate Speech Project set up by the Hrant
Dink Foundation, which monitors the national and local press for news
and statements targeting specific groups, noticed an increase in
prejudiced and provocative statements in the media in the first half
of 2012. According to the latest report they published, for the
May-August 2012 period, non-Muslims -- Armenians, Christians, Jews,
Greeks -- were the main targets, but Kurds, women and homosexuals were
also subjected to insults, distorted reports or demeaning statements
in parts of the media.
No country is free of discrimination. As we all know, Muslims in
Western societies are often at the receiving end of preconceived
opinions in Western societies. In Turkey, biased or provocative
headlines tend to ebb and flow in line with the political agenda,
peaking during times of crises. The politicians' attitude, the
language they use and how they respond to situations that have the
potential to reinforce erroneous perceptions and divide society are
therefore crucial.
Raising awareness of hate speech and monitoring the media is
important, but ultimately politicians have to take the lead if Turkey
is to become a genuinely inclusive society in which all citizens,
irrespective of their origins, are equal in reality as well as on
paper. Let's hope that the authorities are taking a close interest in
the Samatya attacks and a thorough investigation will swiftly lead to
the perpetrators' arrest.
25.01.13, 12:46