HALACOðLU: REMARKS DISTORTED, STUDY WILL CONTRIBUTE TO PEACE

Today’s Zaman
Aug 22 2007
Turkey

Turkish Historical Society (TTK) President Yusuf Halacoðlu has said
recent remarks made by him that "Kurds are actually Turkmen and that
the Alevi Kurds are actually Armenians" were misinterpreted.

Halacoðlu, speaking at a press conference on Tuesday in Ankara,
claimed that his words were distorted.

"My remarks were wrongly conveyed to the public," said Halacoðlu, who
added: "I do not speak without evidence. Some may prefer making noisy
arguments, but I do not make statements without conducting studies.

Professors bury their heads in the sand." Touching on the fact that
such studies are also made by foreign scholars, Halacoðlu explained
that it is perfectly normal for him as head of the TTK to conduct
studies on these subjects and disseminate them to the public.

Professor Ali Yaþar Sarýbay, speaking to Today’s Zaman, maintained
that such remarks were not appropriate for a scholar or a historian.

"Even assuming it was a scientific study, what significance does it
have? What we need in this land is peace and tranquility. I don’t
find these remarks meaningful."

Mehmet Menzir Kababaþ, a deputy from the Democratic Society Party
(DTP), argued that the statement was unscientific. "The prime minister
should immediately remove him from office," he said. When asked about
whether he is planning to resign from office, Halacoðlu responded: "I
have not received any reaction in this respect. I will not resign. The
government has not requested me to do so." Halacoðlu added that even
if he was not the president of the TTK, he would continue to conduct
studies on the subject.

He further stressed that his study on Turkish clans — in which he
claims that many Turks became Kurds due to the feudal structure of
Ottoman society in the 16th century — would ultimately contribute
to social peace.

Observing that there is currently competition between Kurds and Turks
in Turkey, he said: "I am not racist. I regard people as individuals.

He who feels himself a member of a particular race is a member of
that race." Halacoðlu also argued that his study provided important
details on the ethnic composition in Turkey and on so-called "converts"
(donme).

Sarýbay said that the claims that Kurds were actually Turks were not
new and that such arguments had made no contribution to social peace.

Alevis, too, harshly reacted to Halacoðlu’s remarks that "Alevi Kurds
are actually Armenians."

Alevi Foundations Federation Chairman Doðan Bermek stressed that some
groups in Turkey have been trying to implement social engineering
projects. "People are trying to label each other with certain
identities," he said. Noting that it is wrong to confuse religious
beliefs with ethnicity, Bermek added: "People may become Armenians
or Muslims as they wish, and this cannot be criticized. Halacoðlu
argues that Kurdish-speaking Alevis are Armenians, but they claim to
have come from Khorasan. Are they lying?"

Yusuf Halacoðlu’s study claims that many Armenians identified
themselves as "Kurdish Alevis" in an attempt to save themselves from
the forced migration of Armenians in 1915.

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