WHEN MEANING OF ‘ANTI-‘ IS BLURRED IN TURKISH PRO-PALESTINIAN DEMOS
Hurriyet
Jan 15 2009
Turkey
ISTANBUL – Pro-Palestinian demonstrations are proliferating across
Turkey as the country’s citizens seek to make their voices heard and
show their anger for Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.
Calls to boycott Israeli companies, farmer’s plans to stop buying
seeds and agricultural pesticides, banners on billboards around the
city saying "You cannot be the son of Moses," or "This is not written
in your book either," students standing in silence in their school
gardens for showing respect to dead civilians in Gaza by order of
the Education Ministry Ã~I
Many people in Turkey continue to protest Israeli attacks on the Gaza
Strip that have killed hundreds of civilians, including women and
children. However, others fear that underneath the sonorous protests
within Turkey, anti-Semitism is sprouting.
The Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review spoke with experts and found
that some were certain there was a strong anti-Semitic stance among
the protesters that was dangerous, while others were more optimistic
about the situation but still called for caution over any threat of
a rise of anti-Semitism in Turkey.
"It is beyond doubt, especially those Islamist protests are
anti-Semitic," said Semih Ä°diz, columnist of the Daily News and former
diplomacy editor for CNN, who received many e-mails in protest to
his columns that drew attention to the potential rise of anti-Semitism.
Ä°diz recalled some of the protests that had been held around the
country. In the central Anatolian province of EskiÅ~_ehir, members
of an association wrote on banners that Jews and Armenians could not
enter their association, but dogs could, to protest both the Israeli
attacks on Palestine and the apology campaign to Armenians.
In another central Anatolian province, Aksaray, an imam, asked in
his Friday sermon, "What did the cursed Ã~I soldiers of the cursed
clan leave behind?"
Ä°diz is not the only person to recall incidents like these. "If these
can happen, what do they mean?" said Soli Ozel, an international
relations professor at Bilgi University. "Five years ago Hitler’s
Mein Kampf was on sale in 14 different editions."
Journalist RuÅ~_en Cakır is also among experts who said anti-Semitism
has occurred for a long time in Turkey. "It is everyone’s right and
beyond that, duty to criticize Israel’s policies. However, Israel
is not doing this because it is a Jewish state, but because it is a
state," he said. Cakır also criticized some banners on billboards
that read, "You cannot be the son of Moses." This seems to be in
favor of Judaism but in fact it is against Judaism, he said.
Husnu Kılıc, head of the Solidarity Foundation that organized the
banner campaign said those criticizing the campaign did not understand
the banners. "As Israel is defining itself as a state of religion,
we address them with their own religious references. On the contrary,
our banners defend the essence of Judaism," he said.
Meanwhile, some members of the Jewish community in Turkey were
less critical of anti-Semitic themes in protests than Turkish
experts. According to poet Roni Margulies, anti-Semitism in Turkey
is "to a very large extent, low-level, non-aggressive, and almost
sub-conscious." Many people in Turkey believe that Jews are rich and
are attempting to gain control of the world, Margulies said, adding
that conspiracy theories regarding Jews are widely believed. "Of
course it is wrong, but I can understand it. Most people in Turkey
automatically associate Jews with the state of Israel and with Zionism,
without thinking too much or too deeply about it. In particular,
religious people look at the world in terms of religion and assume
that everyone does so. Therefore, they assume that all Jews side with
Israel and they blame all Jews for the atrocities Israel carries out."
Meanwhile, human rights activist Avi Haligules said the difference
between being a Jew and being an Israeli was starting to become
more obvious. "At least people are asking less questions to me now,"
said Haligules, a member of Turkey’s Jewish community.
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