German
Green Party Co-Chairman and the architect of the bill adopted by the German
Federal Parliament recognising the mass killing of Armenians and other Christian minorities by
Ottoman Turkey during World War One as an act of "genocide", Cem Oezdemir, made a statement to Deutsche Welle Turkish,
upon reactions saying "my predecessor is not Anwar or Talat Pasha, but
Kütahya governor who protected the Armenians”. When he said that, Mr. Oezdemir
was probably neither aware how contradictory this expression was in itself, nor
what kind of a new mission it loaded on him. If he knew, would he say so, one
wonders.
Governor
Faik Ali [Ozansoy] Bey, who took the responsibility of 3,000 Armenian families
to be relocated and kept them in Kütahya under his protection had a request to
the Armenians who were grateful to him: " It is a conscientious responsibility for you
to announce to the whole world and to the humanity, as loud as possible, that
all those events were murders of some villainous traitors and Turkish citizens
turned away from them. Yes, do announce together with us that Armenians are
victims and excusable as much as Turks, and Turks are victims and excusable as
much as Armenians. ". This mission should
be the legacy inherited by a person who takes on the "Governor of Kütahya"
as his predecessor. Another important point is that Faik Ali Bey had taken this
responsibility convincing Talat Pasha to approve that these families stay in
Kütahya. Under the circumstances, it can be considered that those who are
grateful to the Governor of Kütahya, should also be grateful to Talat Pasha as
well.
In
light of this information, I have sent Mr. Cem Oezdemir the e-mail message
below and I have copied it to the
Deutsche Welle:
"I
understand in a statement you have made to Deutsche Welle, you have said "I
take on those who, like the Governor of Kütahya said 'Any one who dares to
touch Armenians within my territory will need to pass by my doorway', as my
predecessor”. I guess, you were not aware of the letter Faik Ali [Ozansoy] Bey,
the Governor of Kütahya wrote to the Armenians who were under his protection.
Because if you were aware, you probably would not utter his name after you so
strongly advocated for genocide allegations. If you sincerely intend to follow
his footsteps then you have shouldered a seriously hard mission for yourself. I
hope now you show the same vigor in the support of the application submitted 10
minutes after the resolution was passed, for its withdrawal and to ensure it will
just be shelved as was the case in Sweden. Before I leave you alone with your conscience
and Faik Ali Bey’s letter I would like to inform you that Faik Ali Bey had
persuaded Talat Pasha to approve stay of 3.000 Armenian families in Kütahya under
custody of Faik Ali Bey. I would also like to offer you kindly an article about
Talat Pasha, which I wrote in 2013 for those who call him a murderer and is
available at the url underneath the letter:
Faik Ali
[Ozansoy] Bey's letter to the Armenians who were under his protection:
... With my
thanks, I would like to call your attention to a more important duty than the
one you have owned yourselves as a responsibility to express your gratitude to
my humble self: You know very well that as I undertook the responsibility of
protecting you as an official duty and conscientious responsibility within my
capacity, Muslim people of Kütahya in the city and environs shared the same
opinion and feelings with me and showed hospitality to innumerable Armenian
families who sought shelter in our province where they arrived with great
difficulties because of ferocity of the events. Local or outlander, all of you observed that
we secured your lives, your property and your chastity. Your greatest
responsibility is not to forget this.
No, it is not
enough not to forget. It is a conscientious responsibility for you to announce
to the whole world and to the humanity, as loud as possible, that all those
events were murders of some villainous traitors and Turkish citizens turned
away from them. Yes, do announce together with us that Armenians are victims
and excusable as much as Turks, and Turks are victims and excusable as much as
Armenians.
Attributing the
sin of this war and atrocities to the history of all humankind by removing them
from the registry of deeds of those who actually caused them will not only be
violating the spirit of truth and integrity, and if millions of innocent
individuals of a society are to be held responsible and reproached for the
Armenian case which is a part of the calamity of war and was perpetrated by a
few or maybe several hundred people, this will be overwhelmingly offensive to
divine retribution and sense of justice,which we all seek in great destitute
and await forlornly.
If you, too, joining us, make a case for the importance of this fact and announce it, you will demonstrate that it is not that you are in need of justice only for yourselves and you demand it but that you are advocates of it absolutely and that you cherish the ideal of justice, thereby showing that you deserve it twice as much and prove that you are worthy of it.
With my deepest respect and wishes for the continuation of your hearty affection,
If you, too, joining us, make a case for the importance of this fact and announce it, you will demonstrate that it is not that you are in need of justice only for yourselves and you demand it but that you are advocates of it absolutely and that you cherish the ideal of justice, thereby showing that you deserve it twice as much and prove that you are worthy of it.
With my deepest respect and wishes for the continuation of your hearty affection,
Yours sincerely,
Faik Ali
My article
titled “Talat Pasha and Armenians” is available at
The
[Turkish] Patriotic Party European Representation has formally applied to the
German Bundestag requesting the withdrawal of the Resolution on Genocide.
Beyhan Yildirim, the Representative of The Party, who has submitted the
application, has emphasized that the Resolution contravenes the international
law and the Bundestag has not complied with the UN 1948 Convention on Genocide
and the ECHR Perinçek-Swiss Case Decision (2013/2015). The Resolution is
expected to be shelved as was the case in Switzerland in view of legal stance.
Isn’t
it a binding duty, for someone who takes on the Governor of Kütahya as his
predecessor, to spend every effort possible for the withdrawal of the
Resolution? Mr. Oezdemir had defended the idea that it isn’t right for the
parliaments to pass that kind of resolutions in 2001 (Frankfurter Allgemeine,
5th April. 2001). The same Mr. Oezdemir has taken action for a resolution to be
adopted again, while one was already passed in 2005, this time with the emphasis
on inclusion of the topic in textbooks. In the light of Faik Ali Bey’s letter I
hope Mr. Oezdemir reviews his approach to this issue.
I
hope Germany corrects this situation for the sake of their own children of
Turkish origin in the fourth generation and also to overcome the awkward
position fallen into legally, as soon as possible.
It
is a great mistake to think that the Turkish people will take this Resolution seriously.
Whereas we know we are right and legally in a strong position, it should never
be expected to be able to make us accept opinions rooted from perceptions
created through the psychological warfare executed during the 1st World War and
later preserved and consolidated in the post-war Western society to the extent
of ossification with the belief that they are based on facts, and imposed on us
through political pressure. We know what we have been through. We do not need
anyone to impose falsifications on us as if they reflect the truth. It is the West
who must face the facts and the documents ignored to date, so that dialogue can
be started and solutions can be produced. No solution can be found injecting
falsifications contrary to the reality experienced by their families, into the young
minds of children. If this Resolution is not withdrawn, and the alleged
genocide gets into the textbooks, the Turkish-German families should teach
their children at home and prepare them for what they will face. The Turkish-German
community need a toolkit for this purpose and has to be proactive to protect
their children.
The url’s of
the messages I have sent to the Members of the Bundestag on this issue are
as follows:
My first message sent to 230 MPs:
http://armenianholocaustmystory.blogspot.com/2016/05/message-sent-to-german-bundestag.html
My response
to 3 messages received from the German Greens:
http://armenianholocaustmystory.blogspot.com/2016/06/exchange-of-ideas-with-greens.html
My message
revised in the light of communication with the Greens and sent to 630 MPs:
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