Second Wave of Gezi Protests

Second wave of Gezi Protests started with violent clashes in Istanbul and Ankara. Large scale protests have been organised in metropolitan cities and the protestors want the Turkish Premier (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) to step down. As a result of corruption and bribery scandals, fierce against the Government has grown more and more.

Now the poliçe try to take the protestors under control with illegal means, which are not much different than those used in the Gezi Protests. Water cannons fed with reddish chemicals, tear gas and plastic bullets are often used by the police. Reportedly, the amount of tear gas and chemicals added into the water canons is far more than the one in Gezi Protests.

Santa Claus Circumcised and Stabbed

A group of Anatolian Youth Society members protested Santa Claus and Christian customs. The protest took place in Istanbul. The extremist group brought a Santa Claus doll and they first circumcised the doll and then stabbed it until it was totally destroyed. The extremists believe and say that God ordered them to do so.

The number such protests keeps an increasing trend in Turkey. Non-muslim minorities, particularly the Christians, feel uneasy due to intolerant messages given in the protests.

Hate-speech on Christmas Eve

At the Christmas night on the 24th of December, an interesting message was written on one of the electronic billboards of a mosque in Kadikoy Port, Istanbul. The billboard of the mosque did not give a positive or embracing message. It targeted the Christians and Jews by giving a reference to the Qoran, Muslim’s holy book. The text barrowed from the Qoran says that “O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are in fact allies of one another.”

No clear explanation has been received from the Mosque or the Administration of Religious Affairs about the purpose of this text, yet.

No Santa Claus, Yes “Dede Korkut”

The local chief of Sirinevler Quarter in Istanbul gave an interesting message for the Christmas. On the canvas hanged by the chief, it reads that “Santa Claus, who has nothing to do with our customs and culture, will not come to Sirinevler this year, either! Instead, Dede Korkut (a hero in old Turkic legends) will come.”

According to message, Dede Korkut will teach kids that they came down to Earth to deliver justice. It is clear from this message that the local authorities are not happy with the decorations which are not inherent in Muslim culture. This message also reminded of the statement made by the Mufti of Keshan District last year.

The mufti of Keshan said that “Santa Claus is entering through chimneys or windows. If he were a good man, he would enter through the door.”

Stories from Turko-Armenian Border

Armenian Culture and Solidarity Society in Istanbul organises a film show activity. The activity will take place in the Society building on 15 December 2013, at 16:00. Basically, the show will cover five multimedia documentaries.

The film, Beyond Waiting… Stories from Turko-Armenian Border, is based on the daily life and expectations of local people living in Kars and Gumru cities on the eastern borderline. Lack of communication and mutual dialogue is one of the main themes. For instance, the officers at the train station wait for the train that has not come for years. The film aims to urge the audience to listen, speak and take action.

Just a reminder that the activity is free of charge and welcomes all.

Conference on the Traces of Armenian Culture in Sivas

On 13 Decemer 2013, Sivas Ermenileri ve Dostlari Derneği (Society of Armenians from Sivas) organises a conference about the traces of Armenian culture in Sivas, a city in central Anatolia.

The conference will be presented by Zakarya Mildanoglu and it starts at 20:30. The venue of the conference is Surp Vartanants Armenian Church, Shirinoglou Hall, Ferikoy, Istanbul.

The event is free of charge and welcomes anyone interested in Armenian culture.

Turkish Ministry of Defence Cares about Churches

The Turkish Ministry of Defence has started a new initiative for a historical church located in the military zone. Mr Ismet Yilmaz, the Minister of Defence, requested official procedures be started for transferring and restoring a church in Sivas. The church in question is Surp Kevork Church. It is an Armenian church and it is currently used as an arsenal by the Turkish Army. The structural and architectural condition of the church is relatively good, as it is actively used by the Army. It is expected that the church will have been transferred by the end of this year. It is planned to restore the historical church next year.

Sebuk Kocak, the President of Sivas Armenians and Fellows Society, has extended his sincere thanks to the Minister on behalf of his society.

The Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul is concerned about the decision because Aram Ateshian, the Vice-Patriarchate of the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul, wants the historical church be given back to the Patriarchate, not to the Society.

Discriminatory Language in Gaziosmanpasa Municipality

Within the scope of an urban transformation project, a number of building were demolished and removed in Sarigol, Gaziosmanpasa, Istanbul. For the houses to be built, a regulation has been put into effect for the new owners. The Municipal Board removed a critical article from the regulation. The previous version was prohibiting the sale of houses to non-residents. Accordingly, it was necessary to be a resident of Gaziosmanpasa Municipality. However, with this amendment, the sale of houses to be built has been opened to all. This change created a big problem in the board meeting.

In the Municipal Board Meeting , Ismail Ozkan, the Vice-Mayor, said that “They are manipulating our goal in a way as if we were selling the houses to the Armenians, Greeks, Israelites and to other nations… Our own citizens will buy it alone.”

When these words were reacted, the Vice-Mayor wanted these sentences be removed from the minutes of meeting.

Holocaust Movies from France in Istanbul

“Cinema and Shoah in France” is in progress. The event organised by the French Culture Center in Istanbul is going to show five masterpieces about the crimes committed against the Jews in Vichy, France at the time of German invasion.

The main goal of the event is to show the most interesting and outstanding Holocaust movies shot by French directors. The show will take place between 11 and 13 December.

It is expected to see about 11 documentaries and fiction movies in the event. Note that discussion sessions will follow the shows. Alain Resnais, Claude Berri, François Truffaut, Joseph Losey, Louis Malle are only some of the directors whose works will be shown in the event.

Converting Hagia Sophia Church into a Mosque

On the recent days, Turkish authorities, like Bulent Arinc (the President of Turkish Parliament), have been delivering speeches that mainly point out converting Hagia Sophia Church into a mosque again. Since it was converted to a museum in the early republican period, it has not been used as a mosque. After converting the Hagia Sophias in Iznik and Trabzon, it is considered that the Hagia Sophia Church in Istanbul will be the next one. Public addresses by the ruling party’s politicians increase this probability as they always note that they long for changing it to a mosque.
To this end, the Foundation of Ottoman Dynasty has launched an online campaign and it urges internet users to share their campaign pictures to gain support. Different from the other campaigns, it gives a date: 29th of May, or the Anniversary of Constantinople’s Conquest by the Turks. The Foundation of Ottoman Dynasty wants the Church to be opened to mosque services on the anniversary day of Constantinople’s conquest by the Turks.