ACADEMICS ANGERED BY FILM’S SCREENING

Hurriyet
lish/domestic/11033646.asp?gid=244
Feb 19 2009
Turkey

ISTANBUL – Academics and Armenian citizens are angered after it
was revealed that the Ministry of Education sent a controversial
documentary about the Armenian question to all elementary schools
in Turkey.

A written statement sent by the Ministry of Education to all elementary
schools at the end of January, said "Sarı Gelin — The True Face of
the Armenian Question," a documentary filmed by the General Staff,
was sent to all schools by the Ministry of Education on Jun. 25, 2008.

The documentary was criticized by academics for reflecting the
official ideology of the Turkish Republic about the incidents of 1915
and undermining the claims of an alleged Armenian "genocide". The
documentary mentioned the 1915 incidents. It is mostly criticized as
unscientific and weak in its claims because it exaggerated the deaths
of Turks while undermining Armenian deaths in an attempt to dismiss
Armenians claims of "genocide".

"The students were forced to watch that documentary, which indeed
had no scientific background. That would only increase hatred and
discrimination against the Armenians," the History Foundation of
Turkey said in a written statement on Tuesday.

Also, 500 Armenians and intellectuals have sent an open letter to
the prime minister protesting this incident, daily Radikal reported
yesterday. The letter asked the prime minister to exempt at least
Armenian schools and Armenian students who attended the same classes
with Turkish students from watching the documentary in order to
"prevent them feeling guilty, ashamed and excluded from the others."

The statement sent by the ministry requested that school directors
show the film to all students and send a "conclusive report" back to
the related administration by Feb 29, 2009.

Totalitarian state

For academics, involving children in a conflicting situation is
wrong, according to Ali Bayramoglu, a columnist at daily YeniÅ~_afak
"This is to make the official ideology and the public opinion exactly
the same. This is similar to the practices of a totalitarian state,"
said Bayramoglu, adding that it is undemocratic that Armenian schools
and Armenian students attending the same classes with Turks were told
to watch the documentary. "Imagine if Turks living in Bulgaria were
forced to watch a documentary saying that ‘Turks have been the cruel
toward Bulgarians in history.’ Would you accept that?" Bayramoglu
said to the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

Mensur Akgun, an academic from Istanbul Kultur University, said
although he did not watch the documentary, he guessed it was a type of
propaganda. "In a period when relations between Armenia and Turkey are
improving, it is wrong to distribute propaganda materials, especially
to children," said Akgun.