24 September 2009 / SABAH NAZLI ILICAK,
The most recent example we have of this is the fact that the Bakırköy public prosecutor has opened a case against Turkish artist Hülya Avşar alleging that she has sparked “hatred, enmity and animosity” amongst the people of Turkey for things she said in regard to the Kurdish initiative.
What use is there in making Avşar a target of our justice system? The stance displayed by Avşar was, on the contrary, quite a compromising, conciliatory one. What she was trying to say was that her mother was Turkish and her father Kurdish, and that actually, Kurds and Turks will always be close. Forget about enmity, hatred, or animosity; Avşar was sending out a message of friendship. Recently I wrote about how amendments to the Constitution won't be enough, that what we really need are changes in our mentalities, which is why Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks not of an initiative “bill,” but of a “process.” During the process that lies before us, perspectives will change gradually, softening over time.
