Author: Toneyan Mark

ELMAR GASIMOV: "THE ARMENIANS ARE A HOSPITABLE NATION"

Aysor
Sept 15 2009
Armenia

Elamr Gasimov, the representative of Azerbaijan, among the 100 w/c
took the golden medal in the European Youth Judo tournament taking
place in Karen Demirchyan stadium, Yerevan. After the awarding ceremony
Gasimov, answering the questions of the press service of the Armenian
Judo Federation, mentioned that the "Yerevan Gold" is the first in his
career and he will never forget it. "This success is a result of hard
working and trainings during which I have sometimes even felt bad. I
am impressed and inspired. Now I have to get prepared for the World
Youth championship that will take place in France. There too I would
like to become a champion. Then I will take part in the championship
of the grown ups. Any sportsman dreams about Olympiad. It is the most
important thing", – mentioned the sportsman.

Of course Gasimov couldn’t not to mention the conditions that the
Armenian side provided for the Azerbaijani delegation. "I didn’t have
the opportunity to deal with the Armenian sportsmen here, but I can
say that the Armenians are very hospitable people. We didn’t leave
the hotel, because we were concentrated on our trainings for having
excellent results. But the trainers came out and walked around the
city", – stated the newly recognized champion of Europe.

To the question, whether there would occur any problem, if there was
not signed any security guarantee between the Sport Ministries of
the two countries Gasimov answered, – "Now I think that there would
be no problem."

GEORGIA: THE WHITE HOUSE’S NEW CAUCASUS ENVOY VISITS GEORGIA

s/eav091109a.shtml
9/14/09

Washington’s new point person for diplomacy in the Caucasus and
Southern Europe, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Tina Kaidanow,
visited Tbilisi on September 14 for meetings with Georgia’s key
political players, and to get an update on the status of Georgia’s
Geneva talks with Russia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Kaidanow, a career diplomat who most recently served as US
ambassador to the Republic of Kosovo, is replacing Matthew Bryza,
the Bush administration’s longtime face in the Caucasus who
enjoyed celebrity-like status among many Georgians. After the 2008
Georgian-Russian war, however, Bryza took hits from both domestic
critics and Georgian opposition groups for having allegedly developed
personalized ties with President Mikheil Saakashvili and his close
circle of advisers.

Kaidanow, by contrast, is new to the South Caucasus. The bulk of
her career has been spent in the Balkans — Belgrade, Sarajevo and
Skopje — or in Europe-related assignments at the State Department
and National Security Council in Washington, DC, according to her
State Department biography.

CASE WAS QUASHED

s15168.html
16:47:55 – 14/09/2009

The Armenian Office of Prosecutor General quashed the case of
the representative of the ANM Gyumri office, the head of Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’ headquarter for 2008 presidential election in the
Shirak region Murad Grigoryan because of the lack of evidences.

Recall he was accused of Article 149 of the Crime Code of impeding
the works of the electoral commission on the day of the presidential
election. After being underground for more than one year, Murad
Grigoryan presented to the law enforcement bodies. In prosecutor’s
office, the case was quashed because of the lack of evidences, as
informed Grigoryan’s lawyer Varduhi Elbakyan in a conversation with
us. She expressed her doubt that this may be a political decision
as they maybe afraid of the precedents when the witnesses in other
cases refused their testimonies and the cases turned out to be false.

315 INDIVDUALS GRANTED AMNESTY IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.NET
11.09.2009 18:07 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ As of September 11, 2009, 315 convicts (including
8 women and 3 minors) were released from Armenia’s penitentiary
institutions under NA Decision on Declaring Amnesty, RA Justice
Ministry’s press service reports.

WD Newsletter
3325 North Glenoaks Blvd. Burbank, CA 91504
Tel: (818) 558-7474 Fax: (818) 558-6333
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

Western Diocese e-Newsletter

Today at 6:00 PM, ACYO (Armenian Church Youth Organization)
members will offer a special prayer for the repose of the
souls of the victims of 9/11 and in remembrance of the
tragic events that took place on this date eight years ago.
His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate,
accompanied by Diocesan Clergy, will lead the special prayer
during the first day of Senior ACYO Sports Weekend in Costa
Mesa.

The following statement was issued by the Primate on the
eighth anniversary of 9/11:
`The victims of September 11, 2001 should always be
remembered in our prayers. We cannot live a careless life.
Today we remember especially the beloved ones of the victims
of 9/11 who continue to suffer for their great loss during
that tragic day. `If one member suffers, all suffer
together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together’
(1 Corinthians 12: 26). These words of Apostle Paul apply to
us all. We pray for peace in the world, for people who
suffer in wars, for children who are deprived from food and
live in dreadful poverty, but above all we pray for the
protection of America, as a beacon of hope and freedom to
the world.’

The Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North
America, providing spiritual guidance and leadership to the
Armenian Apostolic community, is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit,
tax-exempt organization comprised of more than 50 churches
in 16 western states. It was established in 1898 as the
Diocese of the Armenian Church encompassing the entire
United States and Canada. In 1927 the Western Diocese was
formed to exclusivly serve the western United States.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Karine Abalyan
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

September 11, 2009

___________________________________

ARCHBIS HOP AYKAZIAN REPRESENTS THE ARMENIAN CHURCH AT WORLD COUNCIL OF
CHURCHES MEETINGS

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, legate of the Eastern Diocese and President of
the National Council of Churches, took part in a series of meetings with the
World Council of Churches from August 23 to September 3. The meetings
involving Christian leaders from around the world convened at the WCC’s
world headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

The sessions began with the meeting of the Executive Committee from August
23 to August 25. The committee discussed the election of the World Council
of Churches General Secretary as well as other issues and topics that would
be brought to the floor during the subsequent Central Committee meeting.

Accompanying Archbishop Aykazian to the WCC Central Committee meeting from
August 26 to September 2 was Yn. Paula Devejian, Internet Development
director at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

The Central Committee elected a new General Secretary for the World Council
of Churches: Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, who has served as the General
Secretary of the Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relations
since 2002. The committee also expressed its gratitude to outgoing General
Secretary Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia.

The committee voted to hold the next General Assembly in Busan, South Korea.
Archbishop Aykazian was elected to the Assembly Planning Committee. The
WCC’s General Assembly is held every 7 years, the last one was in Brazil in
2006. The 104th meeting will take place in 2013.

Also during the Central Committee meeting, Archbishop Aykazian gave a report
about the genocide in Darfur. The Committee drafted a statement urging the
government of Sudan "to assume full responsibility for the protection of its
citizens," and "to allow uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to reach all
suffering people in Darfur."

The WCC Central Committee also issued a series of statements on violence
against women in Congo, the protection of religious minorities in Pakistan,
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, caste-based discrimination in India,
anti-Christian violence, and other issues.

"This was a productive meeting for all members of the WCC," said Archbishop
Aykazian. "I am particularly hopeful that our statement on the genocide in
Darfur will help bring more attention to this tragedy."

"This meeting of the committee was important in setting the direction of the
organization for the next several years. In addition to electing a new
General Secretary to lead the organization, serious work has been started on
examining the working structure and methods of communications," said Yn.
Devejian. "Keeping in mind the goal of unity of the churches, new ideas and
methods within the WCC can have a positive effect and influence on the
ecumenical dialogues that are taking place between the individual churches."

On September 3, Archbishop Aykazian attended a Financial Advisory Committee
meeting to discuss the financial situation of the WCC.

The next Executive Committee meeting will be held in February in Geneva,
Switzerland. The Central Committee will next meet in 2011.

The Armenian Church has been a member of the WCC since 1962. The council
consists of 349 churches, denominations, and church fellowships representing
more than 110 countries and territories worldwide.

###

Photos attached.

Photo 1: Archbishop Vicken Aykazian with other participants at the World
Council of Churches meetings held in Geneva, Switzerland.

Photo 2: Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, and Yn.
Paula Devejian at the World Council of Churches meeting in Geneva,
Switzerland. The Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit was elected to serve as the
organization’s new general secretary.

MOST OF ARMENIAN DETAINEES REFUSE PUBLIC DEFENDERS’ ASSISTANCE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.09.2009 20:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA Chamber of Advocates has today convened a
round table on the theme "Refusal to Benefit from Public Defenders’
Services". As seen in a report submitted by lawyers, public defenders’
services are mostly rejected in Kotayk, Gegharkunik and Arragatsotn
regions.

In 2008, 291 out of 364 defendants refused to benefit from advocates’
services at the stage of inquest. As of 2009, 42 out of 102 defendants
in Yerevan rejected public defenders’ services.

Lawyers believe this either results from lack of information on
service being free or public distrust. In their report, they also
say that investigators often coerce accused individuals into refusing
such services.

ALLY BACKS SARKISIAN VISIT TO TURKEY
Ruzanna Stepanian

Armenialiberty.org
Sept 10 2009

Armenia — Heghine Bisharian, a leader of the pro-government Orinats
Yerkir Party, speaks at a May 2009 rally in Yerevan.

President Serzh Sarkisian should visit Turkey next month to keep
up momentum in the ongoing efforts to normalize Turkish-Armenian
relations, a junior partner in his coalition government said on
Thursday.

Sarkisian has been invited to attend with his Turkish counterpart,
Abdullah Gul, the return match between the two countries’ national
teams to be played in the Turkish city of Bursa on October 14. Gul
extended the invitation after watching their first game during a
historic visit to Armenia in September 2008.

Sarkisian made clear throughout the summer that he will go to
Turkey only if Ankara takes "real steps" to establish diplomatic
relations with Yerevan and reopen the Turkish-Armenian border. The
two governments unveiled draft agreements to that effect on August 31.

Heghine Bisharian, a leader of the Orinats Yerkir Party, which holds
three portfolios in the Armenian government, spoke out in favor
of Sarkisian’s acceptance of Gul’s invitation. "If they came here,
we should go there too if we are committed to the normalization of
relations," she said.

Bisharian also expressed her party’s unequivocal support for the
Turkish-Armenian protocols that are due to be signed by October
14. She said an open border with Turkey would greatly benefit the
Armenian economy. "People think that prices in our country will fall,
there will be more [business] activity, more people will come to our
country, trade and business will develop," she told a news conference.

Speaking at a news conference, Bisharian also defended the two
governments’ plans to set up a panel of historians who would
jointly study the 1915 mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire. Sarkisian’s political opponents are strongly against such a
study, saying that Turkey would exploit it to keep more countries of
the world from recognizing the massacres as genocide.

"We have many historical facts, documents with which we can prove
our point through that sub-commission," countered Bisharian. She
also dismissed opposition speculation that as part of its deal with
Ankara, Yerevan agreed to make more concessions in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

"Not a single provision of the protocols mentions the Artsakh issue,"
she said, echoing statements by Sarkisian and his political allies.

HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION ISSUES WEEKLY REPORT ON ISRAELI VIOLATIONS IN WEST BANK AND GAZA STRIP

Palestine News Network
Sept 10 2009

PNN – The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights has issued its weekly
report for the period of 3 through 9 September, noting that six
civilians were injured and a child killed in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip.

The report follows.

PCHR – Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks
against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory (OPT) and Continue to Impose a Total Closure on the Gaza
Strip

A Palestinian child was killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip.

6 Palestinian civilians, a resistance activist and an Israeli
journalist were wounded by IOF gunfire.

IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized to protest
the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.

IOF conducted 38 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West
Bank and 5 into the Gaza Strip.

IOF arrested 22 Palestinian civilians, including two children, in
the West Bank, and 5 children in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli naval troops continued to attack Palestinian fishers and
fishing boats in the Gaza Strip.

IOF have continued to impose a total closure on the OPT and have
isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

IOF troops positioned at military checkpoints and border crossings
in the West Bank arrested 6 Palestinian civilians, including two women.

IOF have continued measures aimed at establishing a Jewish majority
in occupied east Jerusalem.

IOF extended the closure of a Palestinian development center for
one year.

IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli
settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

Israel laid the foundation for a new settlement between "Ma’ale Adomim"
settlement and East Jerusalem.

Israel approved the construction of hundreds of housing units in
Israeli settlements.

IOF destroyed 4 water tanks in Hebron.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the
OPT continued during the reporting period (03 – 09 September 2009):

Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed a Palestinian
child and wounded 6 Palestinian civilian, a resistance activist and
an Israeli journalist.

On 04 September 2009, IOF shot dead a Palestinian child in Beit Hanoun
town in the northern Gaza Strip, as he was walking with his family
towards their farm in the border area.

On 03 September 2009, a Palestinian resistance activist was wounded
in fighting during an Israeli military incursion into the east of
Gaza City.

On 09 September 2009, a Palestinian civilian was wounded in Beit
Hanoun town, when Israeli troops positioned at the border between
the Gaza Strip and Israel fired at him.

On 03 September 2009, an IOF warplane bombarded a tract of land in
‘Abassan village, east of Khan Yunis. The bombardment made a large
crater in the area, but no casualties were reported.

In the West Bank, on 03 September 2009, a Palestinian child was
injured when a sound bomb left by IOF in Ne’lin village, west of
Ramallah, exploded.

IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian
civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders to
protest the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank;
4 Palestinian civilians, including a journalist and a child, and an
Israeli journalist were wounded.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 38
military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF
arrested 22 Palestinian civilians, including two children.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 5 limited incursions into Palestinian
communities, during which they leveled areas of previously razed
Palestinian land. They also arrested 5 Palestinian children who were
grazing animals.

Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a tightened
closure on the OPT and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including
occupied East Jerusalem.

Gaza Strip

IOF have continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza Strip
for more than two years. The illegal IOF closure of the Gaza Strip,
which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous
impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.

1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights, including
freedom of movement, and their rights to appropriate living conditions,
work, health and education.

The main concern of 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip is
to obtain their basic needs of food, medicines, water and electricity
supplies.

IOF have continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials
into the Gaza Strip for more than two years.

IOF have not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding
limited amounts of cooking gas, since 10 December 2008.

The Rafah International Crossing Point has been opened for a few days
for a number of patients who received medical treatment abroad and
needed to return home to the Gaza Strip.

IOF have continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to Palestinian
civilians wishing to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical
treatment, trade or social visits.

Poverty and unemployment rates stand at approximately 80% and 60%
respectively in the Gaza Strip.

IOF have continued to prevent the entry of spare parts form water
networks and sewage systems. Losses incurred to this sector are
estimated at US$ 6 million.

IOF have imposed additional restrictions on access of international
diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers to the Gaza Strip. They
have prevented representatives of several international humanitarian
organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.

Living conditions of the Palestinian civilian population have seriously
deteriorated; levels of poverty and unemployment have sharply mounted.

At least 900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been denied
family visitation rights for more than two years.

IOF have continued to attack Palestinian fishers along the Gaza
Strip coast.

West Bank

IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank, including occupied
East Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip continue to be denied access to Jerusalem.

IOF have established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem, severely
restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently
prevented from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

There are approximately permanent 630 roadblocks, and manned and
unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition, there are
some 60-80 ‘flying’ or temporary checkpoints erected across the West
Bank by IOF every week.

When complete, the illegal Annexation Wall will stretch for
724 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating the
entire population. 350 kilometers of the Wall has already been
constructed. Approximately 99% of the Wall has been constructed inside
the West Bank itself, further confiscating Palestinian land.

At least 65% of the main roads that leads to 18 Palestinian communities
in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF (47 out of
72 roads).

There are around 500 kilometers of restricted roads across the
West Bank. In addition, approximately one third of the West Bank,
including occupied East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians
without a permit issued by the IOF. These permits are extremely
difficult to obtain.

IOF continue to harass, and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful
protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.

Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by IOF in Jerusalem,
and across the West Bank, including being regularly stopped and
searched in the streets by IOF.

Efforts intended to establish a Jewish majority in occupied Jerusalem:
IOF have escalated arbitrary measures against Palestinian civilians
in East Jerusalem in an attempt to force them to leave the city. On 07
September 2009, the Israeli police summoned Hazem Abu Sair, Director of
Nidal Center for Community Development in the old town of Jerusalem,
and handed to him a decision signed by the chief of Israeli police
extending the closure of the center until 11 September 2010. It
is worth noting that the Israeli police had closed the center
for one month starting from 15 July 2007. On 06 September 2009,
a number of Israeli settlers attacked a number of clergymen near
the Armenian Monastery. They violently beat the clergymen and broke
their crosses. Soon, the Israeli police arrived at the area. The
clergymen complained to the police, but the police instead arrested
two clergymen. The police detained them for 3 days and wanted to expel
them to Armenia, but retreated under media and political pressure.

Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement activities in
the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law and Israeli
settlers living have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and
property. On Thursday morning, 03 September 2009, IOF moved into
al-Baq’a area, east of Hebron. Bulldozers destroyed 4 cement-made
water tanks, which are used for irrigation. During this incursion,
a number of Palestinian farmers attempted to stop the destruction
of the tanks. IOF troops violently beat them. As a result, 3 farmers
sustained bruises. On 06 September 2009, Murad Mohammed Abu Haikal,
19, and Labib Mohammed Abu Haikal, 16, from Hebron, were attacked by
Israeli settlers living in "Ramat Yishai" settlement outpost in the
Tal Rumaida neighborhood, central Hebron. Murad sustained a fracture
to the nose and bruises throughout the body.

On 06 September 2009, the Israeli Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak,
approved new settlement construction plans. The cabinet (the
six-fold Council of ministers) met to discuss the distribution of
450-500 housing units that had been approved by the Israeli Prime
Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on 6 September 2009. The establishment
of the approved units was decided to be distributed accross different
settlements, including "Har Gilo" south of Jerusalem, "Mode’in Elite"
west of Ramallah and "Ariel" north of Salfit.

On 07 September 2009, a ceremony was organized to lay the foundation
of a new settlement neighborhood called "Mafsirit Adomim" in the
"E1" zone between "Ma’ale Adomim" settlement and the eastern city
of occupied Jerusalem. It is reported that there are plans to
establish 3,000 housing units. According to statements by the head
of the municipality of "Ma’ale Adomim" settlement, there are 37,000
settlers in "Ma’ale Adomim" settlement and that the settlement needs
600 new housing units every year. Israeli Peace Now reported that a
few days ago, the Israeli government had finished the preparations
to construct dozens of housing units in the northern Jordan Valley
in the east of the West Bank. Peace Now stated that there were 100
housing units being constructed.

These units had been approved by former Israeli Minister of Defense,
Amir Peretz, in 2006 and by Minister of Defense, Ihoud Barak, in
2008. The Israeli government continues to approve the establishment
of new housing units in settlements.

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (03 –
09 September 2009).

ON SEPT. 11, ARMENIAN MASSACRES, BUTTERFLIES, THE CALIPHATE AND THE EU
by ORHAN KEMAL CENGiZ

Today’s Zaman
Sept 11 2009
Turkey

If Turkey can recover its memory, if Turkey maintains peace with its
Muslim identity on the one hand and its long history with Christians
on the other, I believe this country will hold the key to the 21st
century.

Maybe I should write many different articles trying to explain
what I am trying to tell you now, but let us view this column as an
introduction to this vast area.

While the Ottoman Empire was disintegrating, it wasn’t only the
Christians who were massacred; the Muslim identity of this country was
also denied completely. It appears paradoxical, does it not? This is
what makes understanding Turkey so difficult. Christians were massacred
to purify Anatolia, to create a nation-state. These massacres were
carried out by the very people who tried to modernize Turkey. These
"modern" people orchestrated massacres to create a nation-state that is
based on a Muslim identity but also, in order to "modernize" society
and to create a "modern state," they banned every kind of expression
of religious identity in the public sphere and exerted extreme
control over every part of religious life. During these massacres,
many devoted Muslims disobeyed orders and tried to save non-Muslims,
believing this was what their religion ordered them to do.

Today is Sept. 11, the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks
on the twin towers in New York. Today our hearts will be with the
innocent Americans whose only mistake was being in those buildings at
the time of the attacks. It is not nice to speculate over incidents
involving human suffering, incidents that are very tragic. But to
prevent them from happening again, we should try to understand what
conditions made their occurrence possible.

What would you think if I offered you the thought that there is a
strong link between the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and these
heinous attacks on the twin towers in New York? I call this the
suspended butterfly effect. The classic butterfly effect theory holds
that if a butterfly flaps its wings in China, it will set off a tornado
in California. The historical butterfly effect also worked like that:
The wind created by the collapse of the Ottoman Empire unfortunately
turned into a tornado in New York in 2001. The collapse of the Ottoman
Empire and the abolishment of the caliphate (the central religious
and moral authority for all Muslims) created a huge vacuum in the
Muslim world, a vacuum from which the whole world still suffers.

Would it be possible for Osama bin Laden to issue a fatwa for jihad
if a Muslim world had a caliphate that had the hearts and minds of all
Muslims and was also loyal to democratic values? With the collapse of
the Ottoman Empire, Muslims lost a central authority, and today the
whole world suffers from the lack of this central Muslin authority
that would dare tell bin Laden that he misinterprets the Quran and
that Islam is a religion of peace, not the kind of war he masterminds.

Not only the lack of a caliphate but also the collapse of the Ottoman
Empire had a huge impact on the Muslim world. The vacuum left by the
Ottoman Empire was filled with endless wars and conflicts. Today we
are again at a critical conjuncture. Some are not aware, but Turkey’s
exclusion from Europe will have a similar butterfly effect to that of
the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The whole Muslim world is watching
the progress. If the mentality of French President Nicolas Sarkozy
defines the future of Europe, Turkey will be excluded and Europe will
be a "Christian" entity. This will be the beginning of a disastrous
chain reaction in the world in which al-Qaeda and radicalism win and
reason loses.

I have a different scenario. Turkish Muslim democrats will make
peace with the past of this country. Turkey will remember being a
Muslims country but also remember its Christians, their suffering,
their anguish, their pain. Muslims will start the reconciliation
process with non-Muslims. This will be the beginning of a peace
between Islam and Christianity. Turkey will be the womb of the
universal reconciliation of religions. Turkey will regain its role
of being the leader of the Muslim world and at the same time it will
be a member of the European Union. It will show the whole world that
a Muslim country can be democratic, secular and European. Europe
will change the whole course of history with Turkey’s help, and
Turkey will overcome its memory loss and recover from its painful
neurosis. Sept. 11 started in Turkey and it will end here!

A note to my readers: I receive many messages from readers and am
grateful for that. Most of these messages are very positive and
stimulate me to write on new subjects. From some messages, though,
I gather the impression that I and some readers hold differing views
on the functions of columns. This column does not produce anything
scientific; I am not a scientist. I am simply thinking out loud. If
I can encourage the reader to look at matters from a different and
unconventional perspective, I deem myself successful. This is what
I am trying to do in this column. A second note: I use Facebook and
am delighted to exchange ideas with people over Facebook. So please,
do not hesitate to add me if you are a Facebook user.