NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/talk/politics/mideast/24056

Internet Message Format | 1992-12-24 | 4.9 KB

Xref: sparky talk.politics.mideast:24056 talk.politics.soviet:9974 soc.culture.greek:11852 soc.culture.europe:10781 soc.rights.human:4662 soc.culture.bulgaria:2016
Path: sparky!uunet!anatolia.mn.org!zuma!sera
From: [e-mail] (Serdar Argic)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast,talk.politics.soviet,soc.culture.greek,soc.culture.europe,soc.rights.human,soc.culture.bulgaria
Followup-To: soc.culture.turkish
Subject: 'Pol*pol' has been practicing Goebels' rule quite loyally.
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 92 17:39:43 EST
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Serdar Argic)
References: <[e-mail]>
Distribution: world
Lines: 88

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Michael Polymenakos)  writes:

>1) The Greek Government has been paying to maintain Turkish language
>schools in Western Thrace since the 20s. As a result the literacy rate

Dr. Goebels thought that a lie repeated enough times could finally
be believed. I have been observing that 'pol*pol' has been practicing
Goebels' rule quite loyally. 'Pol*'s audience is mostly made of Greeks
who are not allowed to listen to Turkish news. However, in today's
informed world Greek propagandists can only fool themselves. For
instance, those who lived in 1974 will remember the TV news they
watched and the newspapers they read and the younger generation can
read the American newspapers of July and August 1974 to find out what
really happened.

The Greek authorities deny even the existence of a Turkish
minority. They pursue the same denial in connection with
the Macedonians of Greece. Talk about oppression. In addition,
in 1980 the 'democratic' Greek Parliament passed Law No. 1091,
virtually taking over the administration of the vakiflar and
other charitable trusts. They have ceased to be self-supporting
religious and cultural entities. Talk about fascism. The Greek
governments are attempting to appoint the muftus, irrespective
of the will of the Turkish minority, as state official. Although
the Orthodox Church has full authority in similar matters in
Greece, the Muslim Turkish minority will have no say in electing
its religious leaders. Talk about democracy.

The government of Greece has recently destroyed an Islamic
convention in Komotini. Such destruction, which reflects an
attitude against the Muslim Turkish cultural heritage, is a
violation of the Lausanne Convention as well as the 'so-called'
Greek Constitution, which is supposed to guarantee the protection
of historical monuments.

The government of Greece, on the other hand, is building new
churches in remote villages as a complementary step toward
Hellenizing the region.

The longstanding use of the adjective 'Turkish' in titles
and on signboards is prohibited. The Greek courts have
ordered the closure of the Turkish Teachers' Association,
the Komotini Turkish Youth Association and the Ksanti
Turkish Association on grounds that there are no Turks
in Western Thrace. Such community associations had been
active until 1984. But they were first told to remove
the word 'Turkish' on their buildings and on their official
papers and then eventually close down. This is also the
final verdict (November 4, 1987) of the Greek High Court.

Sidiropoulos, the president of the Macedonian Human Rights
Committee, became the latest victim of a tactic long used by
the Greeks to silence critics of policies of forced assimilation
of the Macedonian minority. A forestry official by occupation,
Sidiropoulos has been sent to 'internal exile' on the island of
Kefalonia, hundreds of kilometers away from his native Florina.
His employer, the Florina City Council, asked him to depart in
24 hours. The Greek authorities are trying to punish him for his
involvement in Copenhagen. He returned to Florina by his own choice
and remains without a job.

Helsinki Watch, a well-known Human Rights group, had been investigating
the plight of the Turkish Minority in Greece. In August 1990, their
findings were published in a report titled

 'Destroying Ethnic Identity: Turks of Greece.'

The report confirmed gross violations of the Human Rights of the
Turkish minority by the Greek authorities. It says for instance,
the Greek government recently destroyed an Islamic convent in
Komotini. Such destruction, which reflects an attitude against
the Muslim Turkish cultural heritage, is a violation of the
Lausanne Convention.

The Turkish cemeteries in the village of Vafeika and in Pinarlik
were attacked, and tombstones were broken. The cemetery in
Karotas was razed by bulldozers.

Need I go on?

Serdar Argic

                     'This war quickly developed into one of extermination.
                      We closed the roads and mountain passes that might
                      serve as ways of escape for the Tartars [Turks] and
                      then proceeded in the work of extermination.'
                                                       (Ohanus Appressian)