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Halaçoğlu: Remarks distorted, study will contribute to peace

Turkish Historical Society (TTK) President Yusuf Halaçoğlu has said recent remarks made by him that "Kurds are actually Turkmen and that the Alevi Kurds are actually Armenians" were misinterpreted. Halaçoğlu, speaking at a press conference on Tuesday in Ankara, claimed that his words were distorted.

Yusuf Halaçoğlu

"My remarks were wrongly conveyed to the public," said Halaçoğlu, who added: "I do not speak without evidence. Some may prefer making noisy arguments, but I do not make statements without conducting studies. Professors bury their heads in the sand." Touching on the fact that such studies are also made by foreign scholars, Halaçoğlu explained that it is perfectly normal for him as head of the TTK to conduct studies on these subjects and disseminate them to the public.

Professor Ali Yaşar Sarıbay, speaking to Today's Zaman, maintained that such remarks were not appropriate for a scholar or a historian. "Even assuming it was a scientific study, what significance does it have? What we need in this land is peace and tranquility. I don't find these remarks meaningful."

Mehmet Menzir Kababaş, a deputy from the Democratic Society Party (DTP), argued that the statement was unscientific. "The prime minister should immediately remove him from office," he said. When asked about whether he is planning to resign from office, Halaçoğlu responded: "I have not received any reaction in this respect. I will not resign. The government has not requested me to do so." Halaçoğlu added that even if he was not the president of the TTK, he would continue to conduct studies on the subject.

He further stressed that his study on Turkish clans -- in which he claims that many Turks became Kurds due to the feudal structure of Ottoman society in the 16th century -- would ultimately contribute to social peace.

Observing that there is currently competition between Kurds and Turks in Turkey, he said: “I am not racist. I regard people as individuals. He who feels himself a member of a particular race is a member of that race.” Halaçoğlu also argued that his study provided important details on the ethnic composition in Turkey and on so-called “converts” (dönme).

Sarıbay said that the claims that Kurds were actually Turks were not new and that such arguments had made no contribution to social peace.

Alevis, too, harshly reacted to Halaçoğlu’s remarks that “Alevi Kurds are actually Armenians.”

Alevi Foundations Federation Chairman Doğan Bermek stressed that some groups in Turkey have been trying to implement social engineering projects. “People are trying to label each other with certain identities,” he said. Noting that it is wrong to confuse religious beliefs with ethnicity, Bermek added: “People may become Armenians or Muslims as they wish, and this cannot be criticized. Halaçoğlu argues that Kurdish-speaking Alevis are Armenians, but they claim to have come from Khorasan. Are they lying?”

Yusuf Halaçoğlu’s study claims that many Armenians identified themselves as “Kurdish Alevis” in an attempt to save themselves from the forced migration of Armenians in 1915.

22.08.2007
Today’s Zaman Ankara