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MINORITIES IN TURKEY SECRETLY CATEGORIZED IN CENSUS RECORDS
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Aug 1 2013
1 August 2013 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, Ä°STANBUL
Official correspondence sent within the Education Ministry has revealed
that non-Muslim minorities in Turkey are categorized based on their
ethnicity, which is assigned a number, in a practice that dates back
to the establishment of the republic.
According to a report by the Agos daily, since 1923, Armenians, Greeks
and Jews have been assigned code numbers in official correspondence
between government institutions. A letter sent by the Ä°stanbul
Directorate of National Education to its Å~^iÅ~_li branch indicates
that Armenian citizens are given the code number two.
This confidential categorization by the state is normally kept by
census bureaus and revealed only when there is an official request
from another government institution. According to this racial code
system, Greeks are given the number one and Jews the number three.
The secret categorization of minorities was revealed when a parent
asked an Armenian kindergarten for a document proving there is no legal
obstacle to the enrollment there of her child. When the Å~^iÅ~_li
branch of the directorate inquired with the census bureau into the
background of the family, it was seen that religious minorities are
given specific code numbers.
The family is currently waiting for a response from the Education
Ministry stating that they are of Armenian descent. The confusion
in the system stems from the fact that the mother is an Armenian who
converted to her family's religion after being registered as a Muslim
at birth.
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Aug 1 2013
1 August 2013 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, Ä°STANBUL
Official correspondence sent within the Education Ministry has revealed
that non-Muslim minorities in Turkey are categorized based on their
ethnicity, which is assigned a number, in a practice that dates back
to the establishment of the republic.
According to a report by the Agos daily, since 1923, Armenians, Greeks
and Jews have been assigned code numbers in official correspondence
between government institutions. A letter sent by the Ä°stanbul
Directorate of National Education to its Å~^iÅ~_li branch indicates
that Armenian citizens are given the code number two.
This confidential categorization by the state is normally kept by
census bureaus and revealed only when there is an official request
from another government institution. According to this racial code
system, Greeks are given the number one and Jews the number three.
The secret categorization of minorities was revealed when a parent
asked an Armenian kindergarten for a document proving there is no legal
obstacle to the enrollment there of her child. When the Å~^iÅ~_li
branch of the directorate inquired with the census bureau into the
background of the family, it was seen that religious minorities are
given specific code numbers.
The family is currently waiting for a response from the Education
Ministry stating that they are of Armenian descent. The confusion
in the system stems from the fact that the mother is an Armenian who
converted to her family's religion after being registered as a Muslim
at birth.