Elif Shafak: Writing Under a Watchful Eye
I’ve grown to admire Elif Shafak’s opinions, especially nowadays as they give us a solid preview of what life can be like for a progressive Turkish contemporary writer/intellectual living and working in a post Hrant Dink world.
Listen to this recent interview on NPR’s Fresh Air radio program and please share your thoughts:
In this particular interview, it was interesting to listen to Shafak’s continued solid stance that the radical Turkish Nationalist movement is really a minority voice that is on the fringes of contemporary Turkish society, a compete opposite of what I originally conceived. There is a lot about Turkish society I have yet to discover, but it seems to be clear that there is this silent majority within the literate groups of Turkey who seem to be intellectually frustrated and actively questioning the official government “feed” about many current issues and past dark historical events. This is a good thing, as it may directly or indirectly propel a richer level of communicative openness and idea-exchange within Turks about various “Armenian” taboo topics in Turkish society such as the Ottoman era Armenian Genocide and the moral legitimacy of Turkey’s current day Armenian economic/border blockade.
Author Elif Shafak was acquitted after being taking to trial for “insulting Turkishness” when a fictional character described the Armenian genocide in her latest book. AFP/Getty Images
In these days Germany proposes a law against genocide denial, and is trying to spread it to all EU member states.
Such a law prohibiting denial of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes can have interesting consequences.
For example, Turkey can be punished for its crimes and the denial of the holocaust against Armenians (1894-1923, genocide of more than 1.5 million Armenians), and the Jewish State can be punished for its crimes and the denial of the holocaust against Palestinians (1946-present time, genocide of Palestinians, and occupation of Palestine).
However, the German government has probably not intended such effects of a possible law criminalising the denial of genocide.
Right now the Israeli Prime Minister is holding talks in Turkey, his country’s main regional ally. Does he care about the German proposal? Mot much perhaps, as he is in Turkey to prepare other projects in the region, more urgent for the Jewish State.
Comment by Vardan Sevan — 2/15/2007 @ 5:08 pm
In these days Germany proposes a law against genocide denial, and is trying to spread it to all EU member states.
Such a law prohibiting denial of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes can have interesting consequences.
For example, Turkey can be punished for its crimes and the denial of the holocaust against Armenians (1894-1923, genocide of more than 1.5 million Armenians), and the Jewish State can be punished for its crimes and the denial of the holocaust against Palestinians (1946-present time, genocide of Palestinians, and occupation of Palestine).
However, the German government has probably not intended such effects of a possible law criminalising the denial of genocide.
Right now the Israeli Prime Minister is holding talks in Turkey, his country’s main regional ally. Does he care about the German proposal? Not much perhaps, as he is in Turkey to prepare other projects in the region, more urgent for the Jewish State.
Comment by Vardan Sevan — 2/15/2007 @ 5:10 pm