Taner Akcam

I had the opportunity to analyze the new history textbooks for primary school, middle school and high school. I limited my review everything about the Armenian question, but I really invite other journalists or researchers to do likewise on everything related to other Christians, Jews and Alevis. This would be very useful. In a context where the AKP to lay the foundations for a “new Turkey” campaign slogan of President Erdogan, it was interesting to see what the designers thought the Armenians of this “new Turkey.” We learn a lot in those history books about how these “visionaries” intend shape new generations. The message is very clear: it is to educate young people as part of a complotiste vision of society and the world, like the theories developed by the Ergenekon network [Turkish mafia network].

It is thus explained to young students in their final year of primary school that Turkey faces three major threats. The Armenian issue is presented as the first of these threats, then comes terrorism and finally the Christian missionaries, who pose a serious threat to national security! You read that right. The designers of the new Turkey share with the supporters of Ergenekon network an idea of ​​threats to the nation that led to the murder of Hrant Dink [intellectual Istanbul Armenian killed in 2007] and that of three Christian missionaries in Malatya the same year [they had been slain; their alleged killers were released this year]. That is what these “innovators” want to pass on to our children. Armenians are portrayed in these books as separatist manipulated by foreign powers who attack the Turks and Muslims who are desperate to impose their lie about the genocide. Nothing new in that speech, which is only a repetition of the arguments of the most famous Turkish denialists.

“Events Armenian” .. An important place is given to the genocide, designated as the “Armenian events of 1915” in the history book for middle school handbook. It repeats all the cliches about “Armenians collaborated with the Russians,” the Armenian organizations “who fomented uprisings in Anatolia” and did not hesitate to “kill those of their compatriots who did not want to follow up. “ Armenians, “who were ordered to kill their Turkish neighbors took advantage of the absence of men gone to the front to attack the defenseless Turkish villages and massacring the population there, sparing the children.” According to these books, they do not stay there and “hit the Ottoman army in the back by sabotaging their supply lines, destroying roads and bridges.” “By spying on behalf of Russia and causing unrest in the cities, they also facilitated the occupation [of eastern Anatolia] Russia.” When you read these sentences, we must have in mind that, even if they are not very numerous, there are still Armenians in Turkey and that their children will also have to read such allegations to school [including the Armenian community schools] ! You can still read this manual a thesis about which we do not know whether to laugh or cry, that “the deportation of Armenians was organized to ensure their safety.” But who then threatened? The Armenians of course, that “thus killing all of them who refused to participate in the uprising.” On the figures, these books evoke 300,000 Armenians died “because of war and disease,” while Armenians “massacred 600,000 Turks and 500,000 others forced to leave their homes” … And do s’ Is it here that in 1915 [the date of the Armenian genocide]. What we can conclude is that, to embody a paradise, it seems necessary to first define hell. Those who claim to have a vision [the AKP] and feel the need to define the type of enemy that would prevent the implementation of this vision. It must therefore be noted in reading these books, that Armenians are enemies of the “new Turkey.”

Taner Akcam

Posted on September 17

Taraf (excerpts) Istanbul