The Minorities

The film 'THE CLUB' made me think about the way we are seen as a 'minority', or as 'THE OTHERS', in Turkey. The Jew in the United States is first American, then Jewish. The Jew in Turkey is first Jewish, then Turkish. The Turk is a Turk not only because he belongs to the Turkish stock but also because he is a Muslim. The Jew neither belongs to the Turkish stock nor is a Muslim. So he is 'THE OTHER'. The Other, even if he is not, and even with a very small probability, may be an enemy of the Turkish state because he may collaborate with foreign powers. That is why we shall not see any Jew in a dominant position such as governor, ambassador or judge. Of course what I say is not only about the Jew, but about all the other minorities that are not of the Muslim religion. So we can say that the essential element for being a Turk is not the origin of one's stock but the Muslim religion. Since Ottoman times, peoples of the Muslim faith and of non-Turkish stock were assimilated; but peoples of non-Muslim religion were categorically considered THE OTHERS, THE FOREIGNERS.

The Ottoman ran his empire on the basis of two communities (umma): the Muslim community and the non-Muslim community. The tradition was to see the Muslim community as always superior to the other. 'The Others' could not have taller houses, could not ride on horseback without permission, had to dress in a different colour from the Muslims, and so on. With the Ottoman reforms of the 19th century, all obtained equality of national rights while remaining independent in their religious rights. With the Muslim immigration from the Balkans, Crimea and the Caucasus, the non-Muslim minority belonged all the more to 'THE OTHERS'. This belonging was signed in chapter 3 of the Treaty of Lausanne, which called MINORITIES only the NON-MUSLIMS.

The pains they made us feel and suffer so much — the Wealth Tax (Varlık Vergisi), the 'twenty classes' conscription, what happened in Thrace, the vandalism of 6-7 September — all this was part of the mentality and the thinking about 'the Others'. Even today we are considered THE OTHERS. I believe that is how the majority sees us, even though the laws say we are equal.

To feel good in our beloved country is what we wish, without forgetting to keep our eyes well open at all times.

Always good fortune, health and peace to all.