The history of Akhtamar is a cultural genocide, the Turkish paper writes
ArmRadio.am
31.03.2007 13:33
The Turkish Daily News published an article titled `The so-called
Akdamar museum,’ the author of which calls the opening ceremony of the
renovated Church of the Holy Cross a "cultural genocide." `Today is
indeed the day of the opening of the Akhtamar Church, which the
Minister of Culture turned into a mess, ‘ Cengiz Ã?andar wrote
in the article.
The Ministry has renamed the 1000-year-old Armenian capital "Ani" as
"Anı" (which means "memory" in Turkish), and also removed the
cross and the bells from the Ahtamar Church, which it renamed as
"Akdamar" (which means "white vein" in Turkish.) This obsession with
renaming, the cultural and religious intolerance shown towards the
cross and the church bell, might well be perceived in the world as a
"cultural genocide"; nobody should be surprised if that turns out to
be the case.
Who will believe that you are secular, or that you "respect all
faiths," or that you represent "the alliance of civilizations against
the clash of civilizations?" What you do is simply "cultural
genocide."
The author reminds that Hrant Dink was treacherously murdered with a
shot in the back on Jan. 19. During the time of his murder, the last
Agos newspaper he prepared, Agos’s 564th issue has just hit the
newsstands. The headline of the newspaper was on Akhtamar and so was
the editorial, which Hrant wrote and signed as `Agos.’ `The opening of
the restored Surp Haç Armenian Church of Ahtamar Island has
turned into a comedy. It could only be possible to put a right job on
a wrong course so successfully. The impossible-to-hide hidden motive
could not be more revealing. A real comedy¦ A real tragedy¦ The
government hasn’t still been able to formulate a correct approach to
the `Armenian question.’ Its real aim is not to solve the problem, but
to gain points like a wrestler in a contest. How and when it will make
the right move and defeat its opponent. That’s the only concern. This
is not earnestness. The state calls on Armenian historians to discuss
history, but does not shy from trying its own intellectuals who have
an unorthodox rhetoric on the Armenian genocide. It restores an
Armenian church in the Southeast, but only thinks, `How can I use this
for political gains in the world, how can I sell it?’
They shot Hrant on the day this article was published. And today, they
replace the cross with the icing on the cake, when they open the
Ahhtamar Sourp Haç Church as `Akdamar.’ Then the `alleged
genocide’ and `alliance of civilizations’ rhetoric will follow, Cengiz
Ã?andar writes.