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Today's Zaman, Turkey
April 11 2015
Let us be informed, remember and respect
DOÄ?U ERGÄ°L
April 11, 2015, Saturday
The writing of history can be essentially the writing of a fiction,
the result of carefully choosing and editing from countless events
over the years.
But, of course, turning out a history that swells our chests with
pride winds up creating a fake impression of the past. Not only is it
misleading but it can also lead to great disappointment when one
dreams of a future based upon a past that never actually existed.
The whole idea of `New Ottomanism' is precisely in this category. It's
apparently difficult for some to accept that certain things, no longer
fitting with the times, have had to withdraw from the stage. And so,
some begin to dream of reforming this past based on its strongest
form. According to this dream, once it's been recreated, all the
former peoples of the Ottomans will once again gather under its flag.
The dimensions of this sort of self-deception become clear when one
looks at the Middle East of today.
April 24 is drawing closer. That date marks the symbolic start of
events the Armenians refer to as `genocide' and which we tend to call
`forced relocations' or `reciprocal massacres.' They are going to
attack, and we are going to defend ourselves. But which dates are we
going to use in our references? The ones they have written, or ours?
Or will we perhaps finally find a more objective history we can all
use?
The third option seems very unlikely, since there has been a
purposeful erasure of this topic from society's memory. Which is why
most of us are not able to complete the whole subject of World War I
in either our minds or our spirits. Quite a few countries in the world
believe what the Armenians have to say on this topic. Our government,
seeing the trouble it will inevitably face on this matter, has
abandoned its former `It wasn't us massacring them, but they us'
thesis, instead clinging to the newer `fair and just memory' thesis
that both sides experienced pain and loss.
Here is the new scenario: The Ottoman Empire, which had many Armenian
citizens, was the target of an imperialist attack. While the empire
was busy fighting for its life in Çanakkale, in the east, the
Armenians had fallen under the influence of the Russians and were in
the midst of an uprising. And so it was, responding to an essential
defensive reflex, that `what had to be done was done.' And so, let us
celebrate the victory at Çanakkale, which came only through so much
loss, as an opportunity to commemorate and recognize all the pain all
sides experienced.
The Armenians have already declared that they view this date-flipping
maneuver as not only inappropriate but immoral. First of all, the
Allied attack on the Çanakkale Strait began in February 1915; on March
18, 1915, after they had experienced some great losses, the Allies
pulled back. As for the land attacks, they came to an end on Jan. 9,
1916. None of these dates has any link whatsoever to April 24.
There are two other important topics that we have overlooked, in the
midst of all the comfort lent by forgetting and willful ignorance. The
first is the role played by the German fleet and military personnel in
the defense of Çanakkale. And the other is the role played by
non-Muslim soldiers who fought to defend their land.
During World War I, there were around 35,000 German officers, NCOs and
privates shouldering duties on various Ottoman fronts. Among the
officers, there were top figures such as generals and admirals.
Overseeing the fifth unit of the military in the defense of Çanakkale
as its commander was Gen. Otto Liman von Sanders. And in the Gulf of
Saros, the commander of the first unit, Gen. Colmar von der Goltz,
protected the forces under him. It was Adm. Guido von Usedom who was
responsible for the defense of both the Çanakkale and Ä°stanbul
straits. Similarly, Vice Adm. Johannes Merten was on duty in
Çanakkale, while in Ä°stanbul, Marine Brig. Friedrich von Kühlwetter
was at the helm. The heads or commanders of quite a few units at that
time were German.
On the Çanakkale Front, fighting next to Muslim soldiers were also
Armenians, Greeks, Jews, Assyrians and Chaldeans. Of those who lost
their lives fighting at Çanakkale, 558 were non-Muslim citizens of the
Ottoman state. They shared the same fates as their Muslim
counterparts. Let us recall this, and show respect. May they all rest
in peace.
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist/dogu-ergil/let-us-be-informed-remember-and-respect_377636.html
From: Baghdasarian
April 11 2015
Let us be informed, remember and respect
DOÄ?U ERGÄ°L
April 11, 2015, Saturday
The writing of history can be essentially the writing of a fiction,
the result of carefully choosing and editing from countless events
over the years.
But, of course, turning out a history that swells our chests with
pride winds up creating a fake impression of the past. Not only is it
misleading but it can also lead to great disappointment when one
dreams of a future based upon a past that never actually existed.
The whole idea of `New Ottomanism' is precisely in this category. It's
apparently difficult for some to accept that certain things, no longer
fitting with the times, have had to withdraw from the stage. And so,
some begin to dream of reforming this past based on its strongest
form. According to this dream, once it's been recreated, all the
former peoples of the Ottomans will once again gather under its flag.
The dimensions of this sort of self-deception become clear when one
looks at the Middle East of today.
April 24 is drawing closer. That date marks the symbolic start of
events the Armenians refer to as `genocide' and which we tend to call
`forced relocations' or `reciprocal massacres.' They are going to
attack, and we are going to defend ourselves. But which dates are we
going to use in our references? The ones they have written, or ours?
Or will we perhaps finally find a more objective history we can all
use?
The third option seems very unlikely, since there has been a
purposeful erasure of this topic from society's memory. Which is why
most of us are not able to complete the whole subject of World War I
in either our minds or our spirits. Quite a few countries in the world
believe what the Armenians have to say on this topic. Our government,
seeing the trouble it will inevitably face on this matter, has
abandoned its former `It wasn't us massacring them, but they us'
thesis, instead clinging to the newer `fair and just memory' thesis
that both sides experienced pain and loss.
Here is the new scenario: The Ottoman Empire, which had many Armenian
citizens, was the target of an imperialist attack. While the empire
was busy fighting for its life in Çanakkale, in the east, the
Armenians had fallen under the influence of the Russians and were in
the midst of an uprising. And so it was, responding to an essential
defensive reflex, that `what had to be done was done.' And so, let us
celebrate the victory at Çanakkale, which came only through so much
loss, as an opportunity to commemorate and recognize all the pain all
sides experienced.
The Armenians have already declared that they view this date-flipping
maneuver as not only inappropriate but immoral. First of all, the
Allied attack on the Çanakkale Strait began in February 1915; on March
18, 1915, after they had experienced some great losses, the Allies
pulled back. As for the land attacks, they came to an end on Jan. 9,
1916. None of these dates has any link whatsoever to April 24.
There are two other important topics that we have overlooked, in the
midst of all the comfort lent by forgetting and willful ignorance. The
first is the role played by the German fleet and military personnel in
the defense of Çanakkale. And the other is the role played by
non-Muslim soldiers who fought to defend their land.
During World War I, there were around 35,000 German officers, NCOs and
privates shouldering duties on various Ottoman fronts. Among the
officers, there were top figures such as generals and admirals.
Overseeing the fifth unit of the military in the defense of Çanakkale
as its commander was Gen. Otto Liman von Sanders. And in the Gulf of
Saros, the commander of the first unit, Gen. Colmar von der Goltz,
protected the forces under him. It was Adm. Guido von Usedom who was
responsible for the defense of both the Çanakkale and Ä°stanbul
straits. Similarly, Vice Adm. Johannes Merten was on duty in
Çanakkale, while in Ä°stanbul, Marine Brig. Friedrich von Kühlwetter
was at the helm. The heads or commanders of quite a few units at that
time were German.
On the Çanakkale Front, fighting next to Muslim soldiers were also
Armenians, Greeks, Jews, Assyrians and Chaldeans. Of those who lost
their lives fighting at Çanakkale, 558 were non-Muslim citizens of the
Ottoman state. They shared the same fates as their Muslim
counterparts. Let us recall this, and show respect. May they all rest
in peace.
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist/dogu-ergil/let-us-be-informed-remember-and-respect_377636.html
From: Baghdasarian