TURKISH JOURNALISTS’ ASSOCIATION HEAD SAYS HIS MOTHER WAS ARMENIAN
October 12, 2013 – 11:16 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – The head of a journalists’ association in Turkey,
has revealed that his mother was an Armenian, who was left “in front
of an Alevi family’s door” by Armenians during the 1915 Armenian
Genocide in his recently published book, adding that his relatives
had reacted strongly to this revelation, Hurriyet Daily News reported.
Ahmet Abakay, a journalist and the head of the Contemporary
Journalists’ Association, told his mother HoÅ~_ana’s story in his
book entitled “HoÅ~_ana’s last words,” (HoÅ~_ana’nın son Sözu) in
which he said that he was told by his mother that she was an Armenian
only weeks before she died.
“My mother told me about her story 13 years ago and soon after, she
died. I could write this only 10 years later, because I hesitated. I
hardly wrote it, bursting into tears when writing all of the chapters
and I was stuck. I did not imagine that it could get that sentimental
for me to write it. My mother was left at some people’s door like an
innocent kitten and that idea filled me with grief,” Abakay told the
HDN, adding that his mother was one of the Armenian babies left to
the Turkish families during the Genocide.
Abakay said his mother HoÅ~_ana told him her story, which she kept
secret for her entire 82-year-long life, with one condition; that he
should not tell it to anyone as long as she was alive.
“My mother made me promise not to tell her story to my wife, daughter
or her sisters, as long as she was alive. I told this issue to my
inner circle after I lost my mother, to learn whether there are other
secrets that we are not told. But my sister told me not to reveal this
on the grounds that I am a journalist and she recalled what happened to
Hrant Dink [Armenian-Turkish journalist murdered by a gunman in broad
daylight in 2007 in Istanbul]. A majority of my relatives could not
accept their [new] identity,” Abakay said. Some relatives denied the
story, while others claimed that his mother was too old to be aware
of what she was saying. Abakay said he received fierce reactions from
some of his family members over his revelation in his book.
“My uncle’s children told me ‘how dare you call our aunt Armenian
and insult our family’s honor. You will remove the Armenian part from
your book, otherwise we will pull it off the shelves,'” said Abakay.
Abakay said his mother used to talk about one of her sisters left with
Armenians in the past, but she had never talked about it in detail.
Later on he learnt that she was from the southeastern province of
Erzurum’s AÅ~_kale district. “I want to research my identity but I
doubt whether I can go any further. Now, I am content that I have
received my identity back.”