On Aug. 15 Erdoğan, accompanied by a delegation of five ministers along with senior officials, paid a visit to the İstanbul island of Büyükada -- which has a high minority population -- to meet with representatives of non-Muslim communities. During the meeting, the prime minister promised them increased democratic rights and discussed the problems they faced, which caused people to expect the government to begin working to solve their problems. The visit to Büyükada came after the announcement that the government had started its democratic initiative, which aims to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the country’s Kurdish problem by granting more rights and freedoms to Turkey’s Kurdish citizens.“The purpose of organizing these kinds of meetings is to prepare the public psychologically for a major change. The government knows the problems faced by minority groups well and has the authority and the political power to undertake reforms which will offer more freedom to minorities. That the government has good intentions was the message they tried to send with this meeting,” said Etyen Mahçupyan, director of the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation’s (TESEV) democratization program, speaking to Sunday’s Zaman. Mahçupyan also stated that holding a meeting on its own means nothing, mutual confidence should first be established and later concrete steps ought to be taken to solve the problems discussed.
Noting the most important problems of minority groups in Turkey, Mahçupyan, who is a member of Turkey’s Armenian community, underlined that the controversy over assets belonging to Turkey’s non-Muslim foundations constitutes these communities’ main issue of concern. He believes consensus must be reached between the foundations and the state with regards to compensating them or returning assets to their original owners.
From 1921 to 1974, foundations founded by non-Muslim communities were allowed to have assets in Turkey; however, after a new law was passed in 1974, minority groups were no longer permitted to own immovable property.
Complaining about growing anti-Semitism in Turkey, particularly in the media, which is becoming more apparent, İvo Molinas, editor-in-chief of the Şalom newspaper, a daily published by Turkey’s Jewish community, strongly suggested a change in the law to enable the punishment of anti-Semitism. “We need anti-discrimination laws regarding this issue,” Molinas said, drawing attention to laws against racial discrimination in the West. He also said: “Today, anti-Semitic acts and articles that would certainly be penalized in the West cannot be investigated or punished under the Turkish Penal Code [TCK]. This is our affliction,” he said. He expressed concerns that anti-Semitic movements have gained more ground in recent years.
Sevan Balcı, a member of Turkey’s Armenian community, praised the efforts of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government to create better conditions for non-Muslim communities and compared the AK Party period with the previous eras. “The Armenians in Turkey are currently living the best period of the past 100 years. At least the issue of the Armenian genocide can now find a platform for discussion in Turkey. We can fix our churches; in the past, we were not even allowed to drive a nail into their walls. The land-seizing incidents decreased in last decade. These are all very good developments,” he said.
Touching upon the problems they have faced, Balcı pointed to the lack of political representation for the Armenian community, saying: “For example, in Germany Cem Özdemir can be a politician and the co-chair of the Green Party. In contrast, a Turkish citizen of Armenian ethnic origin cannot experience such a progression in his political career.” He also underlined the obstacles a member of a religious minority faces when trying to find a job in a state institution, noting that if Turkey’s Armenian were to be treated as equal citizens of the Turkish Republic, it would greatly help them in overcoming the depressing situation that has prevailed in Turkey mainly due to the discussion over the genocide claims.
