The Madness of Turks

Rauf Naqishbendi | Exclusive to iKurd.net

Soon after the First World War and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Turkish leaders conducted ethnic cleansing and genocide against Turkey’s minorities, Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek citizens, events collectively referred to as the Late Ottoman Genocides. For years, the Turkish government has denied responsibility for the genocide.

In fact, it’s illegal, even today, to talk about the Armenian Genocide in Turkey.”. Afterward, Turks turned their attention toward Kurds and systematically declared national and cultural genocide against Kurds, which has been in progress for more than a century. In this inquiry, how Turkish chauvinistic ideas have been embedded in Turkey’s constitution to demonize and disenfranchise minorities, including Kurds, will be elucidated.

Kurds have fought back against Turkish bigotry not only recently, but according to Wikipedia, “According to Ottoman military records, Kurdish rebellions have been occurring in Anatolia for over two centuries,” and after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, there has been a large Kurdish uprise against Turks periodically and in progress up to present day.

Turks framed their constitution according to their hatred and bigotry against Kurds and non-Turks in Turkey. To start with, according to Wikipedia, Article 66 defines a Turkish civic identity as: “everyone bound to the Turkish state through the bond of citizenship is a Turk”. This is the denial of the existence of all minorities and their national identities in Turkey, including Kurds, who are 25% of Turkey’s population.

Article 3 affirms that “The Turkish State, with its territory and nation, is an indivisible entity. Its language is Turkish.” Again, denial of Kurds’ mother tongue. The nation’s heart beats in its language, for the language is an instrument whereby people communicate with each other.

Furthermore, within language embedded culture, history, and just about everything dear and near to the nation’s heart. Turks knew the importance of language, and that is why they inhumanely forced their Turkification upon Kurds; they forbade Kurdish publication and speaking the Kurdish language in public.

In the second article of Turkey’s constitution, the characteristics of the republic are stated, “Turkey is a democratic, secular, and social state of law, respectful of human rights, loyal to Atatürk’s nationalism.”. This is a gross description of the insane and chauvinistic Turkish state where it places Turkism above humanity by declaring that the citizens of Turkey are loyal to the disgraceful and racist Father of Turks, Kemal Atatürk.

According to Wikipedia, Atatürk’s definition of a nation is: “A community of people who have lived together in the past, who have the belief and decision to live together in the future, who have the same homeland, and who have a unity of language, culture, and emotion.”. That is not a true definition of any nation in a world with a homogeneous population.

First, indeed, Kurds and Turks lived together in the past, but having the same homeland is invalid for Kurds living in Kurdistan and Turks living in Turkey. Then “who has the belief and decision to live together in the future” is a fallacy, for Kurds never desired to live with Turks but rather their country has been occupied and Kurds have been forced to be subjugated to Turkish rule. “who has a unity of language, culture, and emotion.”. This is another fallacy, for Kurds speak Kurdish and Turks speak Turkish; furthermore, there is no unity of culture, for Kurds have a rich and unique culture, and its history goes back to biblical times.

According to sociologists, culture consists of the values, beliefs, systems of language, communication, and practices that people share and that can be used to define them as collective. Common cultures include those shaped by regional traditions, religious beliefs, and historical experiences. Based on this definition, Kurds have no cultural unity with Turks.

A Kurdish PKK female fighter, 2022. Photo: PKK guerrillas/ANF

As aforementioned, Kurds have revolted against the Evil Ottoman Empire for nearly two centuries, and since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Kurds have revolted periodically for another century and are in progress at present with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK, which has been going on for near half a century.

Ironically, Kurds have fought and resisted Turks but not succeeded in gaining their freedom, yet Turks failed to root out Kurdish nationalism and Kurdish demand for justice. Now, Turks’ hatred has gone beyond their border into Iraq and Syria as Turks are determined to practice their bigotry against Kurds anywhere and everywhere in the world.

War entails paramount expenditure; it’s a drain on the economy and national security, causing bloodshed and destruction. Turks fighting Kurds not only in Turkey but in their two neighboring countries is a drug on their economy, and Turkey’s economy is in shambles, Turks will never achieve their goals to root out Kurdish nationalism, or PKK.

Even if PKK is wiped out, their Kurdish national ideology will remain inspiring for generations to come. Common sense dictates that when war doesn’t achieve its intended purpose, peace must be pursued with genuine effort and compromise. But Turks keep on fighting defeated war; it’s not that they are morons, but rather they have been demon-possessed, and their minds have been screwed by bigotry and Atatürk’s nationalism.

Turks have been diseased with bigotry and high pride. When men are haunted by these characteristics, they hear but do not understand, they see but they don’t perceive, and they act not according to reason but from anger and hatred. What profit is there for their fighting? Should they settle with Kurds, they could reap profit socially, economically, and politically.

In addition, justice prevails, and social harmony flourishes instead of social division and polarization, and the funds allocated to bloodshed and destruction can be devoted to reconstruction and social welfare. Turks’ bigotry and high pride have been harmful to Turks and devastating to Kurds. Then Turks must realize one century of war got them nowhere; wisdom and prudence dictate if war is not a solution, peace should be given a chance.

Finally, to Turks, how long are you willing to fight the unwinnable war? Another century or forever? What profit is to be made from this chaos? Imagine if Turks should wake up to the sense of humanity—what difference that will make to themselves and Kurds. Darned it, hatred and pride in a way.

Rauf Naqishbendi is a retired software engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area. A long-time senior contributing writer for iKurd.net. His memoirs entitled “The Garden Of The Poets”, recently published. It reads as a novel depicting his experience and the subsequent 1988 bombing of his hometown with chemical and biological weapons by Saddam Hussein. It is the story of his people´s suffering, and a sneak preview of their culture and history.

The opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of iKurd.net or its editors.