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CHP MEMBERS REACT TO RACIST REMARKS DESPITE PARTY INACTION
Today's Zaman
Dec 25 2008
Turkey
Republican People's Party (CHP) politicians have voiced their
objections to racist remarks made by CHP İzmir deputy Canan Arıtman,
who questioned President Abdullah Gul's ethnic background, but
there have still been no disciplinary actions taken by the party
administration.
A deputy from the CHP recently apologized to the mother of President
Gul, whose maternal ethnic roots had been questioned by Arıtman
when the president did not object to an apology campaign launched
by Turkish intellectuals over the killings of Anatolian Armenians at
the hands of the late Ottoman Empire in 1915, which Armenians claim
constituted genocide. On a television program discussing the apology
campaign Tuesday evening, former ambassador and CHP Ä°stanbul deputy
Å~^ukru Elekdag said he would like to apologize to the mother of the
president. "I would like to apologize to someone and that person is
a woman, a mother. That woman is the mother of Abdullah Gul. I know
she has been quite disturbed by this discussion. For that reason,
I would like to say that I feel the same empathy for her that I would
feel for my own mother and I apologize to her," Elekdag said.
Arıtman's remarks have drawn ire from CHP politicians, with many
stressing that they don't share her beliefs. "Arıtman made a very
wrong statement. I don't approve of such talk of ethnicity," CHP
Chief Accountant Mustafa Ozyurek said. In addition, CHP Adana deputy
Hulusi Guvel criticized the party administration for failing to act
in response to Arıtman's statements.
The CHP administration issued a warning to Arıtman after she appeared
on two television programs to discuss her allegations about Gul
without the administration's permission.
On the other hand, CHP parliamentary group leader Hakkı Suha Okay
has criticized Gul, who filed a symbolic YTL 1 lawsuit against
Arıtman for assaulting his "personal and family values, honor
and reputation." Speaking to the Anatolia news agency yesterday,
Okay said, "Filing this lawsuit is an injustice to our citizens of
Armenian roots," explaining that it implied that the president regards
"Armenian ethnicity" as an insult. Emphasizing that "everyone's roots
deserve respect," he added that Arıtman's words lacked "class,"
but that the president's action was inappropriate.
Meanwhile, Arıtman said in a statement yesterday evening that the
media had launched a lynch campaign against her. "I have two questions
for the media outlets trying to lynch me. Has President Abdullah Gul,
who sued me for my words, not offended Armenians? You want my expulsion
from my party. Are you going to demand the president's resignation,
too?" she asked. "If saying that your mother is British is not an
insult, neither is saying she was Armenian," she said, asserting that
the president had attached a negative meaning to the word "Armenian"
by suing her for her statement.
In light of the current debate, Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate
head Ali Bardakoglu said, "The biggest disservice to humanity would
be to take ethnic roots as a measure," adding that all people are
ultimately the "children of Adam and Eve." Bardakoglu was quoted by
the Milliyet daily as saying: "We have lost our tolerance toward each
other. Let's leave the judgmental attitudes behind."
Gul: Roots, beliefs and ideas do not matter
In a Christmas message yesterday, President Gul said: "Regardless
of their roots, beliefs or ideas, all of our citizens are honorable
and equal members of our nation. People share all moments of life
together. The contemporary Turkish Republic is a secular and social
state under the rule of law and has adopted this principle with each
member of the society firmly together in unity and solidarity. ... with
those thoughts I celebrate the Christmas holiday of all of our citizens
coming from Christian traditions and I wish them happy holidays."
Meanwhile, in response to reporters' questions about the recent row,
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that he embraces
all of Turkey's citizens. "Is somebody a citizen of the Turkish
Republic? Is his or her constitutional identity Turkish? That's what
matters," he said, adding that nobody should be discriminated against
based on his ethnic origin.
--Boundary_(ID_jyMftS/+eXH+WfG0luwIxQ)--
Today's Zaman
Dec 25 2008
Turkey
Republican People's Party (CHP) politicians have voiced their
objections to racist remarks made by CHP İzmir deputy Canan Arıtman,
who questioned President Abdullah Gul's ethnic background, but
there have still been no disciplinary actions taken by the party
administration.
A deputy from the CHP recently apologized to the mother of President
Gul, whose maternal ethnic roots had been questioned by Arıtman
when the president did not object to an apology campaign launched
by Turkish intellectuals over the killings of Anatolian Armenians at
the hands of the late Ottoman Empire in 1915, which Armenians claim
constituted genocide. On a television program discussing the apology
campaign Tuesday evening, former ambassador and CHP Ä°stanbul deputy
Å~^ukru Elekdag said he would like to apologize to the mother of the
president. "I would like to apologize to someone and that person is
a woman, a mother. That woman is the mother of Abdullah Gul. I know
she has been quite disturbed by this discussion. For that reason,
I would like to say that I feel the same empathy for her that I would
feel for my own mother and I apologize to her," Elekdag said.
Arıtman's remarks have drawn ire from CHP politicians, with many
stressing that they don't share her beliefs. "Arıtman made a very
wrong statement. I don't approve of such talk of ethnicity," CHP
Chief Accountant Mustafa Ozyurek said. In addition, CHP Adana deputy
Hulusi Guvel criticized the party administration for failing to act
in response to Arıtman's statements.
The CHP administration issued a warning to Arıtman after she appeared
on two television programs to discuss her allegations about Gul
without the administration's permission.
On the other hand, CHP parliamentary group leader Hakkı Suha Okay
has criticized Gul, who filed a symbolic YTL 1 lawsuit against
Arıtman for assaulting his "personal and family values, honor
and reputation." Speaking to the Anatolia news agency yesterday,
Okay said, "Filing this lawsuit is an injustice to our citizens of
Armenian roots," explaining that it implied that the president regards
"Armenian ethnicity" as an insult. Emphasizing that "everyone's roots
deserve respect," he added that Arıtman's words lacked "class,"
but that the president's action was inappropriate.
Meanwhile, Arıtman said in a statement yesterday evening that the
media had launched a lynch campaign against her. "I have two questions
for the media outlets trying to lynch me. Has President Abdullah Gul,
who sued me for my words, not offended Armenians? You want my expulsion
from my party. Are you going to demand the president's resignation,
too?" she asked. "If saying that your mother is British is not an
insult, neither is saying she was Armenian," she said, asserting that
the president had attached a negative meaning to the word "Armenian"
by suing her for her statement.
In light of the current debate, Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate
head Ali Bardakoglu said, "The biggest disservice to humanity would
be to take ethnic roots as a measure," adding that all people are
ultimately the "children of Adam and Eve." Bardakoglu was quoted by
the Milliyet daily as saying: "We have lost our tolerance toward each
other. Let's leave the judgmental attitudes behind."
Gul: Roots, beliefs and ideas do not matter
In a Christmas message yesterday, President Gul said: "Regardless
of their roots, beliefs or ideas, all of our citizens are honorable
and equal members of our nation. People share all moments of life
together. The contemporary Turkish Republic is a secular and social
state under the rule of law and has adopted this principle with each
member of the society firmly together in unity and solidarity. ... with
those thoughts I celebrate the Christmas holiday of all of our citizens
coming from Christian traditions and I wish them happy holidays."
Meanwhile, in response to reporters' questions about the recent row,
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that he embraces
all of Turkey's citizens. "Is somebody a citizen of the Turkish
Republic? Is his or her constitutional identity Turkish? That's what
matters," he said, adding that nobody should be discriminated against
based on his ethnic origin.
--Boundary_(ID_jyMftS/+eXH+WfG0luwIxQ)--