GUL: TURKISH JEWS EQUAL CITIZENS

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.02.2009 18:09 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ All citizens of the Turkish Republic have equal
rights and Turkish Jews are not an exception from this firm principle,
President Abdullah Gul said yesterday, as he called on the Turkish
public to take pains to be more sensitive to the Jewish population
in its reactions to the loss of hundreds of civilians during Israel’s
recent deadly offensive in the Gaza Strip.

"Our Jewish citizens are equal to me and you," Gul told reporters at
a press conference when reminded of news reports concerning Turkish
Jews’ worries over rising anti-Semitism in the country.

"They [Turkish Jews] can also serve as deputies and as the
president. They also have rights in this country. Each and every
citizen of the Turkish Republic has equal rights. Any discrimination
against them [Turkish Jews] is out of the question. Israel is one
thing and our Jewish citizens in Turkey are another," Gul said while
speaking at the press conference. "I call on all my citizens.

Let no one behave rudely toward another," Gul said yesterday, calling
on the public to remind individuals who redirect their reactions
toward Israel to Turkish Jews, Today’s Zaman reports.

Silvyo Ovadya, the leader of the Jewish community in Turkey claimed
yesterday that the biggest problem of Jews is that the majority of
the Turkish people eye them as foreigners.