Kurdistan Observer, MI
Oct 30, 2004

Turkey and European Union

By: Amed Demirhan

Oct 30, 2004

In recent months there have been an on going serious debate about
Turkey’s membership application to European Union. In principle, I
always have been supporter of Turkeys membership to European Union (EU)
and North Atlantics treaty (NATO) because I believe this two
organizations are gate ways to Western civilization and it’s in Kurdish
national interest as well. However, in current condition, instead of
Turkey adapting to the EU, it seems EU is willing to grants Turkey
specially statues and accommodating to its racist, anti-Semitics, and
xenophobic regime with out any change. This is very dangerous for every
one. Turkish history is the best witness for this; therefore European
should not repeat Arab-Muslim mistakes.

History records that Arab and Muslim greatly contributed to the global
civilization from 7th century to the 13th century in many areas like:
Mathematics, physic, astronomy, medicine, poetry, literature,
architecture, philosophy by translating classical Greeks, and Roman’s
literatures. After Turkish Memluks (States Slaves: Children of the
state with Turkish origins) and Ottomans tribes took over Muslim
countries, the Muslim civilization rapidly declined and become symbols
of dictatorship and brutality in three continents. One cannot find a
trace of civilization from Muslim world from 14th century to today
because of Turkish dominance, therefore one wouldn’t want EU and
Western civilizations become another victims of the Turkish regimes and
state culture (Not Turkish people).

When one looks to Turkish media, which strongly controlled by the
state, still insist on one language, one religion, and one race idea of
the state. It strongly oppose to the EU classification of the Kurds and
Alavis (a radically different sect of Islam, by some it considered
unorthodox) as minority. Interestingly both Alavis and Kurds rejects
they are minorities. Kurds are majority in Kurdistan areas of the
country that consist of one third of the country’s’ geography and they
are about 20-30 % of population. The Alevis are about 20-30 % of the
population and consist among different ethnics groups but majority are
Kurdish, and they like to be treated as equal with the Sunni majority
however, not as minority.

On the other hand the Kemalist and Fundamentalist Turks argue that
Turkey only recognized the non-Muslims as minorities: Jewish, Armenian,
and Greeks in accordance of July 24, 1923 Lausanne Treaty. However, no
one is or willing to say in Turkish press why these three groups were
considered minorities and not Muslims? The answer is simple because
these three groups during the Ottoman- Ittihat Teraki regime were
subject to genocides and so called Muslim in theory and in accordance
with Muslim laws considered equal citizens. This was Turkish
representatives defense about Muslims in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1924.
However, one should remember the Turkish government still hasn’t
implemented Lausanne treaty. Contrary to the treaty it has prohibited
Kurdish Language and has many restrictions on Greeks and Armenian
cultures, properties, and still refuse it committed genocide against
Greek, Armenians, and Kurds.

One of the basic requirements for EU membership is the acceptance of
the so-called Copenhagen criteria of 1993,
) and Turkey is
far away from implementing this treaty. The most important thing is
that Turkey should become an European country, but Europe shouldn’t
become a `Turkey’. All public surveys show people in both EU and
Turkey are favoring that Turkey should become European by adopting the
EU standard not other way around.

Amed Demirhan