7 June 2005

1. "Turkish army's new balance for 1984-1999: 18,475 Turkish soldiers killed", the Turkish army published a new balance of the Turkish and civilian casualties in the war against the PKK between 1984-1999 during an OSCE-meeting in Turkey. The army put their casualties to 18,475 soldiers and the civilian casualties to 12,485.

2. "Turkey Closes Teachers Union Egitim Sen", with a membership of some 210,000 the teachers union Egitim Sen is the the largest education workers union in Turkey. The issue underlying the closure of Egitim Sen is Turkey’s ceaseless struggle to both deny and destroy Kurdish identity within Turkish borders.

3. "Press Council to provide legal aid on future TCK cases", Turkey's Press Council established a Legal Assistance and Support Service for journalists because of controversial provisions in the new Turkish Penal Code (TCK) that bring restrictions on freedom of the press.

4. "Turkey wants no less than full EU membership", Turkey will not accept anything but full membership of the EU, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with Germany's Bild am Sonntag. But when the conservatives in Germany react with scepticism towards infinite enlargement of the European Union, then something fundamental in the European approach towards Turkey is going to change.

5. "Antisemitism in the Turkish Media (Part III): Targeting Turkey's Jewish Citizens", The media frequently accuse Turkish Jews of destroying the Ottoman Empire, carrying out the 'genocide' of Armenians, hatching sinister plots against Turkey, establishing a secular 'anti-Islamic' regime in Turkey; also blaming Jews for being rich and influential is often seen.

6. "Kurds in talks with Arab tribes in bid to contain Syria clashes", representatives of banned Kurdish parties met with Arab tribal chiefs in northeastern Syria Monday in a bid to calm sectarian tensions following bloody clashes over the weekend, a Kurdish leader said.

7. "Iraqi Kurds meet to pave the way for unified self-rule area", Iraqi Kurdistan's newly elected regional parliament convened for the first time on Saturday in the northern city of Irbil, paving the way for the unification of a Kurdish self-rule area currently divided between two rival parties.

8. "Kurdish Peshmerga Forces Express Readiness to Join Iraqi National Army", known for their fierce resistance to the Saddam Hussein government, leaders of the Kurdish region's peshmerga military say their forces are now ready to join the Iraqi National Army. But working alongside Iraqi Arabs, the Kurds former foes, may take some adjustment.

1. - DozaMe.org - "Turkish army's new balance for 1984-1999: 18,475 Turkish soldiers killed":

5 June 2005

The Turkish army published a new balance of the Turkish and civilian casualties in the war against the PKK between 1984-1999 during an OSCE-meeting in Turkey. The army put their casualties to 18,475 soldiers and the civilian casualties to 12,485.

Former numbers were 5,555 soldiers killed and 5,302 civilians. The army had put the PKK casualties to 23,638. The first official total death toll was 34,495.

The Turkish army didn't publish any PKK casualties in their new report. With these new numbers, the Turkish army now puts the total death toll for the war between 1984-1999 (with their old numbers of PKK casualties) to 54,598. This is 20,103 people more than the initial numbers given by the Turkish army.

The Turkish army has not added the Kurdish civilian casualties caused by Turkish death squads and the state-sponsored Turkish Hizbullah. These numbers are 18,500, according to the facts set forward by the former French Ambassador to Turkey Eric Rouleau in the November/December 2000 edition of 'Foreign Affairs'. Together with these numbers, the death toll reaches little over 73,000.

ARGK (People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan) had issued a statement in 1999 putting the numbers of the Turkish casualties between 1984-1999 to 42,500. 31,418 were Turkish officers, non commissioned officers and regular soldiers. 5,365 were Special Forces, police officers and intelligence agents. 5,717 were paramilitary Village Guards.

2. - Peace in Kurdistan Campaign - "Turkey Closes Teachers Union Egitim Sen":

7 June 2005*

With a membership of some 210,000 the teachers union Egitim Sen is the the largest education workers union in Turkey. The successor to two previous banned teachers unions Egitim Sen has existed since 1995. Since it’s foundation the union has had a clause in its constitution defending the right of every individual to be taught in their mother tongue and to observe and nourish their own cultural traditions. Ten months ago the Turkish state began a case against Egitim Sen which at the end of May 2005 resulted in the forced closure of the union based on the defence of language rights being an attack on the indivisibility and and unitary nature of Turkey. The union now faces the choice of renouncing its commitment to mother tongue education or accepting permanent closure.

The issue underlying the closure of Egitim Sen is Turkey’s ceaseless struggle to both deny and destroy Kurdish identity within Turkish borders. With a Kurdish population of some 20 million most of whom still speak Kurdish and who resolutely identify themselves as Kurds Turkey’s attempts to crush symbols of resistance has merely served to increase Kurdish resolve.

The survival of the Kurdish language is largely due to the low priority Turkey traditionally gave to the provision of education. This meant that the education of Kurdish children fell mostly to their mothers who taught their children in Kurdish. As education has become more widespread and accessible so its utility as a means of social engineering has increased with all education being strictly in Turkish with the use of Kurdish by teachers being a dismissible offence.

Officials of the Diyarbakir branch of Egitim Sen believe that the attack on the union goes deeper than the issue of language rights. Egitim Sen is an example of a union which has successfully brought together Kurds and Turks in a single representative body against a state which remains hostile to workers rights. Recent developments in Turkey have seen an upsurge in chauvinist Turkish nationalism which has encouraged anti-Kurdish sentiment. This is illustrated by the Kemalists within the union who are pressing for the union to drop the offending clause, a condition for the lifting of the ban. A further issue is the politicisation of management within the education system. Egitim Sem has brought some 3000 cases against the government for political interference especially over the appointment of governing party sympathisers to key managerial positions.

At a time when Turkey is being groomed for EU membership the state’s behaviour is highly inappropriate and at odds with the values Europe claims to espouse. Egitim Sem is already in the process of appealing to Strasbourg and calls upon fellow teachers, trade unionists, politicians and concerned European citizens for support. The issues must be taken up by all those concerned with basic human rights and who believe that Turkey’s membership of the EU should be accompanied by genuine democratisation and respect for minority rights.

* This press release is based on a meeting on 1 June 2005 between the Diyarbakir branch of Egitim Sem and a visiting delegation from England. For information contact: peace in Kurdistan Campaign on tel 020 7586 5892 or 020 7250 1315 e-mail: knklondon@gn.apc.org

3. - Turkish Daily News - "Press Council to provide legal aid on future TCK cases":

ANKARA / 6 June 2005

Turkey's Press Council established a Legal Assistance and Support Service for journalists because of controversial provisions in the new Turkish Penal Code (TCK) that bring restrictions on freedom of the press.

According to a statement from the Press Council, the legal assistance project for journalists was formed through the cooperation of Oktay Eksi, head of the council, and Özdemir Özok, head of the Turkish Bar Association (TBB), the Anatolia news agency reported.

The objective of the service is to prevent journalists from facing jail sentences due to the new penal code, which came into force last Wednesday. The Press Council has been in contact with the chairmen of 75 bar associations in Anatolia to arrange for free legal support, the statement read.

Within the scope of the project, already in practice, a journalist who faces charges will be provided a lawyer free of charge; the council has a hotline to assist journalists and a designated observer will follow cases against journalists.

4. - EUobserver - "Turkey wants no less than full EU membership":

6 June 2005 / by Lisbeth Kirk

Turkey will not accept anything but full membership of the EU, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with Germany's Bild am Sonntag.

"The aim of Turkey is full membership in the EU. We are not ready to accept anything else", he said.

French and German right-wing parties have lately proposed the possibility of arranging a partnership deal with Turkey instead of full membership of the EU, but this is being firmly rejected by Ankara.

Mr Erdogan warned that a "so-called privileged partnership contradicts the spirit of relations between Turkey and the EU".

"Remarks such as those in Germany from the CDU put the relations between Turkey and the EU on the line," Mr Erdogan told Bild Zeitung.

Turkey's foreign minister Abdullah Gul is also pushing for his country to stay on track to join the EU despite referendums in France and the Netherlands turning down the EU Constitution.

Speaking to the Financial Times Mr Gul said: "Turkey wasn't the reason for a No in these referendums. It wasn't about full Turkish membership of the EU".

The German conservative opposition parties CDU and CSU have suggested a privileged partnership deal with Turkey instead of full membership. But the CDU leader, Angela Merkel has not questioned the start of membership negotiations with Turkey due on 3 October.

Mrs Merkel told Frankfurter Allgemeinen Sonntagszeitung that both the CDU and the CSU would bring the idea of a priveleged partnership up during membership negotiations with Turkey.

The chairman of the European committee in the German Bundestag, CDU MP Matthias Wissmann, said that a stronger role by the new French interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, could change the French position on Turkish EU membership.

"When the conservatives in Germany react with scepticism towards infinite enlargement of the European Union, then something fundamental in the European approach towards Turkey is going to change", he said.

5. - MEMRI - "Antisemitism in the Turkish Media (Part III): Targeting Turkey's Jewish Citizens":

6 June 2005 / Special Dispatch Series - No. 916

The following is the third report in a series on the issue of antisemitism in the Turkish media. [1] This phenomena is directed not only against the Jews in general, it also targets Turkey's Jewish citizens, in the form of multiple attacks on Turkey's Chief Rabbi; insults to and offensive characterization of Turkey's Jews; and accusations of disloyalty, espionage, and treason. The media frequently accuse Turkish Jews of destroying the Ottoman Empire, carrying out the 'genocide' of Armenians, hatching sinister plots against Turkey, establishing a secular 'anti-Islamic' regime in Turkey; also blaming Jews for being rich and influential is often seen.

Publications by the Islamic terrorist organization IBDA-C, [2] which claimed responsibility for the November 15, 2003 bombings of two Istanbul synagogues, circulate freely in Turkey; dozens of pages in each issue are dedicated to virulently antisemitic literature. [3] Books such as Mein Kampf,The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and The International Jew are high on Turkish bestseller lists, and are displayed prominently in the front of bookstores.

The following report also focuses on some of the intellectuals and liberal journalists in Turkey who have spoken out against this wave of antisemitism.

"Judaism is Synonymous With Treason"

Columnist Fahri Guven wrote in the Islamist daily Milli Gazete: [4] "[…] The Ottomans saved the Jews from the hands of Christians, who murdered them along with the Muslims in Endulus [Muslim Spain]. When Russia and Hungary persecuted the Jews, again the Ottomans saved them. The Muslim Turks rescued Jews yet again, from the hands of Hitler, who was himself a hidden Jew […]. From the beginning, the Ottomans showed hospitality, seemingly even by allotting the best homes to the Jews – along the Bosphorus, in Istanbul's most luxurious area.

"And, characteristic of their savage, treacherous [nature], in return they [the Jews] first overthrew Sultan Abdulhamid and destroyed the Ottomans; [5] [then], like insects, they ate away at the Ottoman [Empire]; and as if this were not enough, they stabbed the Muslim Turkish soldiers in Palestine in the back.

"'Judaism' is synonymous with 'treason' […] They [the Jews] even betrayed God […] When God told them to bow their heads while entering Al-Quds [Jerusalem], they entered with their heads up. The prophets sent to them, such as Zachariah and Isaiah, were murdered by the Jews […] In fact, no amount of pages or lines would be sufficient to explain the Koranic chapters and our Lord Prophet's [Muhammad's] words that tell us of the betrayals of the Jews. […]"

"Here is the Real Jew!"

Columnist for the ultra-nationalist daily Ortadogu Selcuk Duzgun, in an article titled "Here is the Real Jew," wrote: [6] "Salamon [a Jewish name often used in a derogatory way] is on his deathbed. He asks his wife about each member of his family and wants to know if they are present. When the wife assures him that all his loved ones are beside him, he is angered and shouts at them for leaving the shop unattended.

"This is a clear example of what the real Jew is. While we read and laugh at our jokes about the Jews, they [the Jews] are enjoying themselves by fooling the entire world.

"[…] Oh my naive people – you have elevated so many of these [Jews], and you have given an identity to so many [who had none]. You have saved, protected, and fed so many of them!... […] and they have created the [country's] agenda and continued their march to [their] 'Promised Land.' While we were calling them Masons, Sabbateans, Rotarians, etc., they had the privilege of ruling our country. Whatever name we call them, we always are faced with the truth that they are the 'JEWS.'

"[…] We are surrounded. Wherever we look we see traitors. Wherever we turn we see impure, false converts. Whichever stone you turn over, there is a 'JEW' under it. And we keep thinking to ourselves: 'Hitler did not do enough to these Jews.'[…]"

Turkey's Chief Rabbi Attacked, Reviled By Media

On August 17, 2004, the Islamist daily Anadolu'da Vakit, popularly known as Vakit, published a column by Abdurrahim Karakoc that lauded Hitler for his "foresight" and for "purging the bloodthirsty, swindling Jews" and also praised Osama bin Laden. [7]

In February 2005, the publication of the daily in Germany was banned by the German government because of its antisemitic incitement and Holocaust denial. The Turkish press reacted with attacks on and smears against the German government, particularly German Interior Minister Otto Schily.

On March 2, 2005, German Ambassador to Ankara, Wolf Ruthart Born, sent a letter to Turkish Press Council President Oktay Eksi, of the centrist, widely circulated daily Hurriyet, who had called Germany's ban on Vakit "the murder of the law." In it, Ambassador Born said that Vakit 's articles were 'inciting and disgusting' and that it would be better for the Turkish Press Council to focus on these inappropriate publications instead of giving legal advice to the German Interior Minister. Since then, the German government has approached Turkish Interior Minister Aksu to protest against Vakit 's ongoing attacks on Germany and its government.

At a May 18, 2005 press conference, German Interior Minister Schily said: "As you know, Anadolu'da Vakit was banned because of its virulent antisemitism. Then it began publishing articles attacking me and, lately, Prime Minister Schroeder. The Turkish government must also concern itself with the Vakit newspaper. […] This paper has depicted me, and also our Prime Minister, as neo-Nazis […] If the Turkish government does not have the necessary laws, they should create them." [8]

Following the August 17, 2004 publication of Karakoc's article in Vakit, the Turkish Chief Rabbinate sent a letter of complaint to several liberal columnists in Turkish newspapers, prompting a campaign of daily attacks and revilement against Turkish Chief Rabbi Izak Haleva by journalists and politicians who write primarily for Vakit.

The following are only a few sample excerpts from this campaign:

The Chief Rabbi must condemn Israel

On August 26, 2004, the headline of Vakit's lead story read: "The Chief Rabbi who criticizes '[free] thought' is indifferent to Sharon's cruelty. Turkey's Chief Rabbi, who criticized our writer Abdurrahim Karakoc in a letter he sent to some columnists, has never said anything about Israel's massacres that have turned into 'genocide.'"

On August 27, Vakit's headline, and a report by Kenan Kiran in the paper, read: "Still not a sound from the rabbi. Chief Rabbi Haleva, who sent a letter to journalists targeting our writer Karakoc, has not answered our questions for yet another day.

"The Chief Rabbi's letter prompted many reactions […]: "AKP MP from Manisa, Huseyin Tanriverdi, said: '[…] [The Chief Rabbi's] attitude that is disrespectful of free conscience is wrong. […] Those who call themselves 'men,' and especially the faithful, cannot be silent about the savagery in Palestine. Mr. Haleva must condemn Israel's inhuman massacres.

"MP Tanriverdi added: 'In the face of the existing barbarism and massacres, Mr. Karakoc has sought to stop this human tragedy by reminding [us] of historical facts. […] Mr. Karakoc has made very reasonable observations.'

"Chief Rabbi Haleva stated that he would send a written reply to [ Vakit 's] questions. Although two days have passed, the following questions remain unanswered: 'Do you consider Hitler cruel? Do you also consider Sharon cruel, knowing the world media's decision that the massacres he commits are similar to what Hitler did to the Jews? Do you condone the Israeli soldiers' aggression against Palestinian civilians?'"

Rabbi Haleva, if you do not stop Sharon, anti-Jewish voices may turn into anti-Jewish actions!

On August 29, Vakit 's Ilhan Toprak reported: "Turkish Health Workers Union President Mustafa Basoglu criticized Turkey's Chief Rabbi [in a letter he sent to him] for being disturbed at Karakoc's comparing Hitler and Sharon. […] [The letter read:] 'As a religious leader, Izak Haleva must make all the necessary efforts to prevent Sharon's negative attitudes […] If Sharon […] is not stopped, the voices being raised against the Jews […] might turn into actions. To prevent that, the Chief Rabbi must stop Sharon […]'

More Turkish politicians join in: Chief Rabbi must apologize

On August 28, the front page of Vakit read: "[...] Politicians are reacting to Chief Rabbi Haleva: AKP MP from Kahramanmaras and former President of Turkish Writers Association Atilla Maras said it was a crime for Turkey's Chief Rabbi to send letters of complaint to journalists against Abdurrahim Karakoc. MP Maras added: 'Turkey's Chief Rabbi Izak Haleva must condemn Israel and Sharon' […]

"Nurettin Aktas, AKP Member of Parliament from Gaziantep, said that Turkey's Chief Rabbi had no reason to be disturbed by Karakoc's article, 'Israel is perpetrating state terrorism […] The Chief Rabbi […] must warn Sharon and apologize to the Palestinian people. The world condemns Sharon, just like they condemned Hitler.'"

"Chief Rabbi, the Commander"

On August 29, in an article titled "Chief Rabbi, the Commander," Vakit columnist Huseyin Uzmez joined in: "[…] Why is it that one of the [Turkish] authorities does not come forward and say: 'You, [Chief Rabbi,] come here! Haven't you learned when and how to submit a complaint? How dare you cross your limits?'" […]

Chief Rabbi beats the drums!

On August 31, Hasan Karakaya added another article to the attack on Turkey's Chief Rabbi: "[…] It was clear that…the mallet beating these drums [the six journalists to whom Rabbi Haleva wrote] was in the hands of that [person], whatever his name is: Helava [derived from the Turkish word for 'sewage' or 'toilet'] or 'Haleva.'"

Turkish columnist: "Chief Rabbi's synagogues are Zionist bases"

On September 2, 2004, Vakit columnist Nurettin Sirin wrote: "[…] Firstly, the Chief Rabbi who uses his synagogues as Zionist bases must learn that no Jew has the right to teach a lesson on 'human rights' to [us], the children of the Ottomans. These [Jews], who fled Spain's massacres and found shelter thanks to Ottoman tolerance, have carried out nothing but treason and plots on Ottoman territory, and have [always] carried out the ugly designs of Zionism on this [Turkish] land.

"These people [the Jews] […] tried to 'Israelize' the Ottoman [Empire] from within, carrying out their treachery through some Zionist organizations. With the help of Masonic lodges, Lions and Rotary clubs, and political, academic, economic, media, and bureaucratic co-conspirators, they have woven a 'web of Semitism' on this Islamic geography.

"'Semitism' in this country [Turkey] is the name of 'treason' against Islam and Muslims, and against all our national and moral values. […] Documenting this treachery is as easy as proving the laws of gravity. In face of this truth, the Chief Rabbinate and their allies' cries of 'antisemitism' and their fake claim to innocence are laughable.

"[…] Has he [the Chief Rabbi] ever condemned the genocide by the Jews, that he [dares] to talk of the so-called persecutions of the Jews? […]

"[…] It is these so-called innocent Jews who are responsible for the loss of our Ottoman [Empire], for the trampling of our sanctity, for the hanging of our forefathers, for the humiliation of all our beliefs, and for the ban on our women's covering [as demanded by Islam].

"[…] [Karakoc's] article will be an important contribution to the questioning of [the Jews'] sinister plots, satanic steps, and historic treason in our country. When the masks of these so-called innocent people and groups fall, we will clearly see the monster behind them.

"[…] At this opportunity, I would like to also place my signature under the article titled 'Foresight, Israel Shameless' written by my brother and friend Karakoc, and to express my willingness to be judged [as I stand] right next to him. God bless your pen and your heart, brother Karakoc… […]"

For more examples of the attacks on and revilement of Turkish Chief Rabbi Izak Haleva see Appendix I.

Turkish Columnist Warns: Last Chance for the Jews

Columnist for the mainstream secular liberal daily Aksam, Sakir Suter, wrote: [9] "In Turkey, there are 'sworn enemies' of the Jews. [But] Jews also have some friends, even if they are not 'sworn [friends]' […] Quite a few people [in Turkey] are pleased by their friendship with Turkish citizens of Jewish descent. There are some common [shared] historical sorrows and joys.

"Today, however, we are on the verge of saying 'there WERE' [in the past].
We will either cross-out this friendship or continue with a 'bad taste.'

"In Turkey, there is a big 'maybe' hanging in the minds of [even] those who [until now] did not see the Jews as 'enemies.'

"They [the Turkish Jews] have an obligation to show us that they are distanced from the terror that resulted in the death of thousands in Turkey [due to terrorism activity by the PKK, a separatist Kurdish organization]... and that the Jews are not 'plotting' against us [the Turks] together with the [Kurdish] elements in Northern Iraq, who definitely cannot be our friends.

"[…] The burden of proof is on […] Tel Aviv to show that they [the Jews] are not playing out any Israeli 'anti-Turkish plots in Northern Iraq,' as reported even by the foreign media. Instead of providing the required proof, making nasty threat-like comments against Turkey is ugly.

"[…] If they [the Jews] claim to be real friends of Turkey, the burden is not on the Turks, who have proven their friendship, but on the Jews, whose 'hostility' we are discussing.

"We, on our part, are offering one last chance before officially and openly declaring that the Jews are our 'enemy.'

"[…][Now] we have reached such a juncture that... millions in Turkey are all too eager to pour out to the streets and cry out: 'Death to Zionism!'... 'You [Jew]! Let us hear you [reply]!' 'You must either prove your innocence… or apologize [immediately] to the Turks, who took you for a 'friend' for over 500 years!"

Jewish Espionage

Columnist Suat Gun wrote in the nationalist daily Once Vatan: [10] "Upon the discovery of an Israeli mole in the Pentagon, I remembered the book by the late General Cevat Rifat Atilhan, titled Suzi Liberman, the Jewish Spy…

"Cevat Rifat Atilhan was an officer, much valued by great Ataturk. His units fought in important […] battles [during WWI]. When the Arab-Israel war started in 1948, he joined that front with the 300 volunteers he gathered, and was successful in capturing a Jewish settlement from the enemy.

"Cevat Rifat Atilhan is an unequalled patriot, who informed the Turkish public of the 'Jewish threat.'[…]

"This present day espionage [in the U.S.] is an operation undertaken by the Jews […] who like a cancer virus have spread everywhere, destroying the American governmental system. In reality, the U.S. has been infected with a 'Jewish cancer,' and the Jews will bring about its death, demise, or destruction [whichever term you choose].…"

"Politics are Committing Adultery With Our Honor"

Liberal columnist Ayse Onal, formerly of the secular, Kemalist daily Aksam and who writes now for the Star Gazete, wrote an article protesting the Turkish media's accusation of the Jews for every disaster in the world. She opens with quotes by antisemitic writers: [11]

"335 children and teachers were murdered in Beslan by the Jews. The barbarism of 9/11 was a Jewish plot. Turkish society and family values are being destroyed by the Jews. It is the Jews who are cutting off heads in Iraq. They [the Jews] are so blinded [with hatred] that in order to conceal the Jewish finger [role] in all of that, they sometimes butcher [their fellow] Jews as well. It was them [the Jews] who bombed their own synagogues. And when their own families died, they shed false tears.

"The Jews are like a punching bag. Hit [them] and hit [them], as much as you can… Punch [them] as much as you want, with no fear, shame, respect or sense of boundaries… In any event, only about 15,000 Jews remain [in Turkey], and they have no voice to be heard.

"The Jews are a convenient, living shield for all immorality, all murders, savagery, and lies… If you place a Jew where there is barbarism or fraud, you have solved the problem…

"And knowing too well what would await them, nobody has the possibility, nor the courage, to ask, 'Where are the human rights and freedoms, values of equality, principles of non-discrimination with regard to religion, race, and ethnicity?' If the honor [of the citizens] is indeed under the protection of the [Turkish] constitution, this means that according to the State, Jews are either not human, or not citizens.[…]

A Nauseating Synagogue in the Land of the Prophets

In the Islamist daily Milli Gazete, Burhan Bozgeyik wrote: [12] "[…] We went to the city of Sanliurfa to visit friends and relatives. Before entering the city, we went directly to the garden of the revered Hajji Halil's father. We performed our noon prayers there. Our young brothers went all out to show us hospitality. We were in the place where […] Ibrahim Aleyhisselam [Abraham] lived. […]

"After food and conversation, we started thinking about our next stop, Adana. But, since we had come this far, we had to first visit the cave where Halilullah [Abraham] was born […] So we went to the Dergah Mosque, and there we performed our mid-afternoon prayers.

"I have told you all this as an introduction to our real subject: On the way back, our guide said, 'Just take a look here, look at this synagogue.' We looked: it was an impressive building. "This entire area was expropriated; this park is going to be expanded so that the synagogue will be prominent,' he said. [13]

"When we saw the synagogue, we lost all our joy. It wiped away the vision of the beautiful garden, the magnificent banquet, the mosque, the shrine […] Instead, this frightful building stood in front of our eyes like a ghost. What was a synagogue doing in this 'Land of the Prophets?' […] Where did this 'Jew-love' come from?

"[…] Frankly, we were extremely nauseated when we saw the synagogue. The food we had eaten stuck in our throats like a knot […]"

Respect for Christians and Jews Harms This Country

In another article, Burhan Bozgeyikwrote: [14] "Some people in this country are mistaken in how they treat Christians and Jews. Such mistakes are harming not only the perpetrators, but also all the young Muslims of this land, and directly or indirectly, this country.

"Heading the list of these mistakes is the respect and reverence shown to Christians and Jews […] It is a mistake to include them in the protocol of meetings, to let them speak, to applaud them, to quote their words in the newspapers […]. It is not just wrong, it is a frighteningly grave mistake […]

"It is a mistake for so-called professors, writers, thinkers, and famous intellectuals to make 'sympathetic' statements about Christians and Jews. Particularly, to say that 'they too will go to heaven' is an even bigger mistake. […] Christians and Jews, who have rejected our Prophet and refuse to recite 'Mohammed is the Messenger of God' belong forever in Hell.

"In the eyes of God, there is only one religion, and that is Islam […] There is only one book, and that is the Koran. […]

"For so-called 'dignitaries' to present Christianity and Judaism as 'godly religions' is terribly wrong. […]

Let Us Be Wary of Becoming Neo-Nazis

Columnist Mehmet Barlas of the mainstream, large circulation Turkish daily Sabah criticized the antisemitism in the Turkish media: [15] "[…] Being 'European' implies that all the people and the 'media' accept a [particular] philosophy. Three days ago, the European Council Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published a report on Turkey which included the following criticism of the Turkish media:

"Antisemitic propaganda continues to be published by some Turkish media organs. Identifying the Turkish Jewish Community […] with the policies of the State of Israel is frequent in the Turkish media."

"All those who follow world developments know what this statement means. Publication of materials that incite and generate hatred and hostility against a race or an ethnic group is now considered a 'crime against humanity.' The concept of crime is not only valid for bureaucrats and politicians. For example, Nigerian journalists who engaged in similar practice against their country's minorities were convicted last year by the international court. It is becoming dangerous for the members of the Turkish media to engage in racism as they hide behind the assertion, 'I'm commenting on Middle East politics.'

"Those who make remarks such as 'anyway, he's a Sabbatean, we know his [real] identity' may cause serious harm to their country and their profession and bring serious problems upon themselves.

"Those who aspire to be patriots, nationalists, or Arab sympathizers can [easily] turn into Neo-Nazis.

"[…] We in the media should refrain from using expressions which do not fit the European pattern. This kind of behavior is 'shameful,' even when not 'criminal.' […]

IBDA-C Publication: "The Best Jew is a Dead Jew!"

Aylik is a monthly magazine published in Turkey by the Great East Islamic Raiders Front, IBDA-C, which is the terrorist organization which claimed responsibility for the November 15, 2003 attacks on Istanbul's two main synagogues that killed 26 and wounded dozens. Turkish authorities have stated that this organization has ties to Al-Qa'ida. The April 2005 edition of Aylik includes 18 pages of antisemitic propaganda.

The first article concerning the Jews, titled "The Internal and External Enemy: Yahudi" was written by Salih Izzet Erdis, also known as Salih Mirzabeyoglu, who is the 'architect' or 'commander' of the organization and is presently serving a life term in a Turkish prison. The following are few excerpts from his article:

"[…] The race that bred in evil and treachery, creating the real Jew, and the one that has become a curse to the world, is the Jew…

"[…] The one who blamed the Prophet Jesus [for blasphemy], who came from their own [kind], and whom they sold to the Romans […], that lowly treacherous one, is (Judah), the Jew…

"The one who later distorted the belief of Jesus and made up the lie and the insult that he is the son of God is (St. Paul) the Jew…

"[…] The ones who, through planning and plotting, brought to Turkey adultery, immorality, and destruction, who built Israel right at the heart of Islam and next to the oil and other natural resources […] as a tiny model of their secret [world] empire…

"Like an octopus hiding its tentacles under its belly, watching [for opportunities] to grab Iraq with one arm, Syria with another arm, and with others Kuwait, Hijaz [Saudi Arabia], Egypt, and Libya; they who need a world tragedy in order to carry out their aims […] In short, those who stir the witches' cauldron to melt all civilizations within it are Jews… It is only the Jew, always the Jew…"

The second article, which was prepared for publication by Unsal Zor, is titled, "Cursed Until Eternity": "The rabbis falsified the Torah [which Muslims believe otherwise would be identical to the Koran]. They concealed the power and greatness of God and presented their own race instead as the 'Chosen' One…

"[…] It is always said that the accusations against the Jews were all 'libels.' None of those [accusations] were 'libels.'

"[…] Their important book the Talmud commands hating all those who are not Jews, and when possible acting by [killing] them. […]

"An important Talmud writer, Maimonides, has said: '[…] It is prohibited to save the life of anyone who is not a Jew […] It is forbidden for a Jewish doctor to heal a non-Jew, even if he is paid to do so – unless not treating the non-Jew would cause a public reaction which might harm the Jews.

" Haham [Rabbi] Sofer has said about the Muslims and Christians in the Ottoman Empire: 'They are believers in other gods; therefore, they must be killed using indirect methods.' […]

"The Talmud says: 'If a Jew finds a lost object and realizes that it belonged to a Jew, he is obligated to return it. But if the owner is not a Jew, then it is imperative not to give it back. […] Dishonesty is acceptable towards a non-Jew. […]

" Yahudi [Jew] the thief! […] These few examples provide a glimpse of the 'Jewish ideology.' […] If the Talmud says all these things, then we say: 'Nobody should shed tears and mucus, or mourn when a Jew dies. The best Jew is a dead Jew!' […]"

The next article in the magazine, "Why Antisemitism?" by Cumali Dalkilic, declares Jews the 'enemy' of the Turks, of Islam, and of the entire world. Jews are alleged to have a 'disgusting nature' and are defined as 'the people eternally cursed by God and His prophets, who are not wanted by anyone and thrown out of every place.'

The article quotes many pages from Hitler's Mein Kampf and shows admiration for Hitler, calling him 'a hero', 'a rare mind' that grasped the ['real'] meaning of the Jew and the Jewish problem, 'a true statesman to whom no other can stand up.' The article, which also includes excerpts from the notorious Protocols of the Elders of Zion, ends with Holocaust denial, cuts down the number of Jewish victims from millions to 130,000 to 150,000, and called on its readers to read and understand Hitler through his own writings instead of believing the 'historic fraud' of the Jews [that] 'prostitutionalizes' the conscience.

The final three articles on the Jews exhibit the most virulent demonization of the Jews. One ends with expressing satisfaction at the new rise in anti-Jewish sentiment in Turkey and credits IBDA and its leader Salih Mirzabeyoglu with this 'achievement.' The last sentence reads: "This is the 'real' and 'final' place for settling accounts with the Jews."

Another, titled "The Cifit's [filthy Jews'] [16] Castle" attacks the Donme, [17] claiming that they are not 'real Muslims' or real 'Turks,' but 'filthy Jews' under cover, and that they are responsible for the present secularism in Turkey, as well as for all the wrongdoings in the world. The article also states that "the only barrier before the filthy Jews is the 'wall of Islam.'"

***

Appendix I:

List of additional articles attacking Turkey's Chief Rabbi Izak Haleva:

Vakit, August 26, 2004, "Dedicated to the Rabbi." Front page headline.

Vakit, August 27, 2004, "Chief Rabbi's Musketeers (1)," A. Karakoc.

Vakit, August 28, 2004, "Chief Rabbi's Musketeers (2)," A. Karakoc.

Vakit, August 28, 2004, "Haleva Must Apologize." Headline.

Vakit, August 29, 2004, "Chief Rabbi's Musketeers (3)," A. Karakoc.

Vakit, August 29, 2004, "The Sharons and the [Media] Barons, Shoulder to Shoulder," Hasan Karakaya.

Vakit, August 29, 2004, "Hitler or Sharon [Same Thing]," Ilhan Toprak.

Vakit, August 31, 2004, "Beat the drums!" Hasan Karakaya.

Tercuman, Dunden Bugune, August 31, 2004, "The Tactical Mistake of the Chief Rabbi and his Friends," Serdar Arseven.

Vakit, August 31, 2004, "Has the Human Rights Organization Given up on Freedom of Thought?" Ali Karahasanoglu.

Vakit, September 1, 2004, "Listen to the cries…," Hasan Karakaya.

Vakit, September 9, 2004,"Oppressions of the Oppressor," A. Karakoc.

***

[1] See also, MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 900, "Antisemitism in the Turkish Media: Part 1," April 28, 2005, http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP90005 and MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 904, "Antisemitism in the Turkish Media (Part II) - Turkish Intellectuals Against Antisemitism," May 5, 2005, http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP90405.

[2] The Great East Islamic Raiders Front (IBDA-C) was established in the mid-1970's by a faction of the youth group of former Turkish prime minister Erbakan's MSP (National Salvation Party), which was outlawed during the 1980 military intervention.

[3] The names and phone numbers of the publication's editorial staff appear on the first page.

[4] Milli Gazete, February 4, 2005. This daily is affiliated with former PM Erbakan's Islamic movement Milli Gorus, from which current Turkish PM Erdogan and his AK (Justice and Development) Party emerged. On December 28, 2002, columnist Y. Bayer of the mainstream, high circulation Turkish daily Hurriyet wrote: "Did you know that: In 1974, when [Turkish Prime Minister] Tayyip Erdogan was president of the Beyoglu [Istanbul] Youth Group of the [Islamist] MSP [National Salvation Party], he wrote and directed a theatrical play called Maskomya and also played the lead role of the 'bad son?' And that the role of Erdogan's grandmother was performed by a girl from a CHP [the secular, Kemalist Republican People's Party] family, and that the play was staged 10 times despite the complaints of a board member to Erbakan?"

The historian/researcher Rifat N. Bali also commented on Erdogan's play: "Maskomya, or in its correct form Mas-kom-Ya, was a theatrical play that was staged everywhere in the 1970s, as part of the 'cultural' activities of MSP Youth Branches. The unabbreviated version of Mas-kom-Ya is Mason-Komunist-Yahudi [Mason-Communist-Jew]. It is known that the play was built on the 'evil' nature of these three concepts, and the hatred towards them."

[5] Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II (1842-1918) was dethroned in 1909 by the Young Turks revolution.

[6] Ortadogu, February 13, 2005. Ortadogu is a ultra-nationalist Turkish daily close to MHP (Nationalist Movement Party), a coalition partner in former governments.

[7] For more on this article, see MEMRI Special Dispatch Series No. 900 (http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP90005).

[8] Sabah, May 18, 2005.

[9] Aksam, June 24, 2004.

[10] Once Vatan, December 23, 2004.

[11] Aksam, September 12, 2004.

[12] Milli Gazete, May 9, 2005.

[13] The synagogue is part of an inter-faith project which also includes a mosque and a church, which is being developed in Southeast Turkey to demonstrate tolerance and pluralism in Turkey's history.

[14] Milli Gazete, April 13, 2005.

[15] Sabah, February 17, 2005.

[16] The word 'Jew' in Turkish is Yahudi, and is derogatory. Cifit [pronounced "chee-fut"] means "filthy Jew."

[17] The Dönme [Sabbateans] are descendants of the Jewish followers of the self-proclaimed messiah Sabbetai Sevi (1626-1676), who in 1666 was forced by the Sultan to convert to Islam. They consider themselves Muslims and are officially recognized as such. Dönme is the Turkish word for 'convert,' but also carries overtones of 'turncoat.'

6. - AFP - "Kurds in talks with Arab tribes in bid to contain Syria clashes":

DAMASCUS / 6 June 2005

Representatives of banned Kurdish parties met with Arab tribal chiefs in northeastern Syria Monday in a bid to calm sectarian tensions following bloody clashes over the weekend, a Kurdish leader said.

A security force action in Qamishli Sunday to disperse Kurdish demonstrators angry at the abduction and murder of a leading Muslim cleric had "turned into Arab-Kurdish clashes", Kurdish Progressive Democrat Party leader Aziz Daud told AFP by telephone from the town.

Yakiti party leader Hassan Saleh said the situation in Qamishli remained tense after several demonstrators were wounded and dozens arrested.

Daud said 50 Kurdish-owned shops had been ransacked by militiamen during the clashes.

Qamishli has been on edge since deadly clashes in March last year pitted Kurdish protestors against security forces and Arab tribesmen.

The Syrian authorities said that 25 people were killed. Kurdish sources put the death toll as high as 40.

The latest violence followed the kidnapping and murder of popular local cleric Mohammed Maashuq Khaznawi.

The Syrian authorities said two people had already been detained in what it promised would be a full investigation.

But the fact that the death was first announced by underground Kurdish sources and only later confirmed by the government sparked widespread scepticism among Syria's Kurdish minority.

Syria's 1.5 million Kurds make up about nine percent of the population and are mainly concentrated in the north.

Some 200,000 have been denied Syrian citizenship, making it difficult for them to find work in the state-controlled economy.

7. - Financial Times - "Iraqi Kurds meet to pave the way for unified self-rule area":

BAGHDAD / 6 June 2005 / by Steve Negus

Iraqi Kurdistan's newly elected regional parliament convened for the first time on Saturday in the northern city of Irbil, paving the way for the unification of a Kurdish self-rule area currently divided between two rival parties.

Many Kurds believe the merger is vital if they are to realise their national aspirations - including regional autonomy and control over the disputed province of Kirkuk.

Jalal Talabani, Iraq's first-ever Kurdish president, told the 111-member body: "Your democratically elected parliament faces a critical period in the history of Iraq. Our sacred task is to draft a permanent constitution that guarantees equality for all of Iraqi society and protects democratic and federal freedoms."

Kurdish leaders expect the announcement within weeks of a cabinet composed jointly of the Kurdish Democratic party led by Massoud Barzani, which controls the centre and west of the zone, and Mr Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

This joint government will then attempt to merge the competing ministries the two parties have run in their respective zones since fighting a small civil war in 1996.

Many Kurds believe that if the state of disunity persists it will disadvantage the Kurds in negotiations with other Iraqis over a permanent constitution.

"This division is the stumbling block" for the Kurds realising their national aspirations, said Hiwa Osman, a Kurdish affairs analyst. "If you have divided governments, and a decision was taken on Kirkuk [to join it to Kurdistan], which region, which administration, would you have put it under?"

Mr Talabani and Mr Barzani have agreed the outline of an agreement to merge their two governments that would see Mr Barzani become the president of Kurdistan in exchange for supporting Mr Talabani's candidacy for the largely symbolic presidency of Iraq. Many Kurds say this agreement was suited to the personalities of both.

The two parties ran a joint list in January 30 elections for the Kurdish regional parliament, the first in the northern autonomous zone since 1992. However, the formation of the joint government was held up for four months by a dispute between the two leaders over the powers that Mr Barzani would wield as president.

Kurdish leaders, however, expect parliament to approve a compromise bill, which allows for heavy parliamentary oversight over the presidency, within days.

8. - VOA - "Kurdish Peshmerga Forces Express Readiness to Join Iraqi National Army":

Irbil / 6 June 2005 / by By Patricia Nunan

Known for their fierce resistance to the Saddam Hussein government, leaders of the Kurdish region's peshmerga military say their forces are now ready to join the Iraqi National Army. But working alongside Iraqi Arabs, the Kurds former foes, may take some adjustment.

A drill sergeant barks orders at a group of new recruits learning how to march at a military base outside the city of Irbil. This is the home of a division of the Iraqi National Army, a force of about 1,100 soldiers and officers made up entirely of Kurds.

Even though these men are training to be part of Iraq's National Army, the officers and soldiers here still think of themselves as peshmerga, the term for the Kurdish regional military that resisted the Saddam Hussein regime. It is a group proud of its history, the word, peshmerga, means those who face death.

The forces here have received training from the U.S. military, which also provided

material support, such as weapons. Captain Sabir Ahmed says the U.S. training is designed to teach the young recruits special techniques to combat the problems now facing Iraq.

He says, "The Americans teach us how to run checkpoints and search cars, and, one thing that's very important, how to carry out attacks to clear terrorists from a house."

Officials here say there are about 600 Kurdish troops fighting as part of the National Army in predominantly Arab areas in northern Iraq. But so far, the bulk of the 60,000 peshmerga fighters in the Kurdish region have not been permitted to operate beyond the region's borders. That is despite the peshmergas' enthusiasm for the idea of taking on the insurgency.

"I told them that we are ready to go to inside of Mosul, for example, or Kirkuk. We can clear it from the terrorists," says Hamid Effendi, the minister of Peshmerga, based in Irbil.

Mr. Effendi says both Iraqi and U.S. leaders have wanted to avoid perpetuating the perception of ethnic division that a unit of Kurdish military fighting in Arab territory or against Arab insurgents might suggest.

"They say to us that, 'it is better for you to defend on Kurdistan, to stay in Kurdistan only, because there are differences between two nations Kurds and Arabs. If we try to go inside Mosul, maybe some of them say that the Kurds want to attack Arabs. But it's not right. We want to defend Arabs," he said.

An ethnic minority, for years Iraqi Kurds were on the receiving end of some of the worst oppression by the Saddam Hussein regime. Fearing the Kurds were growing too powerful, Saddam launched what is known as the Anfal campaign against them in 1988 resulting in the deaths of more than 175,000 people.

Rights groups say tens-of-thousands more died in a brutal crackdown by Saddam following the 1991 Gulf War.

After that, however, the United States imposed a strict no-fly zone over the three provinces that make up the Kurdish region. As a result, the Kurds enjoyed virtual self-rule for the 12 years between that war and the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003.

Asos Hardi, the editor of the Kurdish weekly newspaper, Hawlati, says it will take time

before the Kurdish people get used to the idea of forging alliances with former enemies.

"During the whole past history, the Iraqi army was a force to attack our country, to attack our society, our culture, our land. If this will change, and the new army will be the army of protecting this land, I dont think there will be a problem for the peshmerga to be part of this army," said Mr. Hardi. "But, of course, its not a simple and easy process."

Some Kurdish leaders remain wary about fully integrating the peshmerga into Iraq's National Army. Adnan Mufti, a senior official with the party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, says, even as part of that army, Kurdish military units need to remain in Kurdish regions.

"We are still afraid that there will be a change in Baghdad and another dictatorship, or another decision there asking for the removal of the rights of Kurds," explained Mr. Mufti. "We need peshmerga there, until we see Iraq and Kurdistan with full democracy. … Without it, we are asking that peshmerga must still [be] in Kurdistan, as a part of our Iraqi army and defend our people."

Many soldiers and officers on the base say they have had little face-to-face contact with their new allies, the Arab forces that make up the bulk of the Iraqi National Army. Most, however, say that, if ordered, they would gladly fight alongside them against the insurgents in any part of Iraq. They seem to think that, if Iraqi Kurds and Arabs share new battlefield ties, it may, perhaps, ease the weight of history.