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Cruelty of the victim: Jews, Armenians and others
by
ORHAN KEMAL
CENGİZ
by
ORHAN KEMAL CENGİZ
Why do we not do these things that we do individuals for nations? Why do we put aside all precautions for nations that we would normally have for traumatized individuals? Why do we not tolerate violence from a traumatized individual but turn a blind eye on all this violence exerted by Israel? Can the Holocaust and all other terrible things that the Jews have suffered justify the terror that the Israeli state unleashes upon Palestinians?
Not only Jews but all nations who establish their identity on victimhood are deeply neurotic and are full of negative feelings. For Diaspora Armenians there seems no choice but to remind themselves daily about what happened to their ancestors. This may be for two reasons: First, they were condemned to leave their homelands and to live abroad, in many different countries and so constantly reminding themselves of the Armenian genocide was their way to protect their identity and maintain the feeling of belonging to one nation. Otherwise they would meld into the countries to which they migrated. Another factor, of course is Turkey’s absolute denial of what happened. To fight against this denial and Turkey’s effort to make the world forget about 1915, Armenians have lived as if these events happened yesterday. They did not bury their dead, they did not mourn but instead they sharpened their anger with every passing day. As a result, the nationalist Armenian turned into a potential perpetrator who never questions anything carried out by the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) or the Armenian state, in Nagorno-Karabakh for example.
Should we excuse victims for their actions today just because their ancestors suffered great pain? I know this article will prompt many angry letters from nationalist Armenians who don’t see that their hatred of Turks and their bigotry would make them perfect perpetrators when the opportunity presented itself.
As W.H. Auden says, “Those to whom evil is done/Do evil in return.”
It is therefore extremely dangerous to create an identity out of pain and victimhood. We should see traumatized nations as we see traumatized individuals. We should show respect, understanding and sympathy for their pain and suffering but we do not have to tolerate blind hatred, violence and bias just because they were once victims.
We have to fight against perpetrators but we should never turn a blind eye on potential perpetrators. We should never compromise with a victim whose identity is full of violence, intolerance and hatred.
We should force perpetrators to confess what they did, we should remind them about history everyday in order to prevent them doing what they did before. But at the same time we should convince victims to bury their dead and carry on with their lives. We should pay great attention to this extremely sensitive balance in which a victim can turn into a perpetrator at any moment. If we can do that, we will create real change!
A note for Sakineh and stoning: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was sentenced to death by stoning in Iran. Her situation has caused embarrassment for her country. Stoning is a barbaric way of punishment and can have no place in our times. All Muslims should fight against these “adultery” laws not only to protect fundamental human rights but also to protect their faith from the shadow of this inhuman and primitive practice. I therefore, would like to call on Tayyip Erdoğan and his Cabinet to make a concerted effort not only to save Sakineh but to also try to convince Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan and Nigeria to take this “punishment” out of their penal codes. I believe Turkey could play a major role in such a campaign and this is a moral duty for all of us.
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