TURKISH SYRIACS IN PEACE

We are forwarding you the translation of the article in Arabic which has been published in the 19th June 2000 edition of a Beirut- based weekly called the "Ash-Shiraa" and signed by the Syriac Archbishop in Beirut (Jebel-i Lebanon) George SALIBA.

"Historians have defined Middle Ages in Europe as the age, during which ignorance ruled and people were faced with numerous problems due to various rigid thoughts and as a dark age which was marked by deep suffering. Neither Christianity nor humanity accept the ideas put forth during those years. Due to the never-ending ambitions of the Westerners, clergymen and the Catholic churches were left ineffective and desperate during the Crusades. The Westerners and the Romans failed to accomplish their ambitions through these wars, but instead, all these harmed the Christians.
Later on, reforms started to take place in the Roman Catholic churches. The Church began to move away from fallacious obsession to the holy Bible and the teachings of Christ and began applying them. This trend continued from the 16th century until the French Revolution in 1789. The French Revolution, besides bringing about waves of human rights and liberation has also separated religion from state.
On the other hand, Easterners were in fear, anxiety and suffering of two events: One of them was the attacks to Baghdad led first by Hulagu Khan and later by Jenghis Khan, Tamerlane and the Mamelukes; and the other was the reigning period of the Ottomans especially after their invasion of Ýstanbul in 1453.
Ottoman sultans, pashas and authorities kept their existence through aids from inside and outside sources. Some of the West European countries played a direct role in the aggressive policies of the Ottomans. It is obvious that the Jews and the English were involved in the massacres of Lebanon during the years 1840-1860. Behind the genocide which took place in 1895 in Diyarbakir, and those followed until the First World War were the Germans. The genocide in 1915 was substantiated by the provocations led by England and some other European countries which defined the Ottoman Empire as a "patient on the verge of death".
Lots of people were subject to various sorts of torture by the Ottomans. Syriacs, Armenians, some minority groups and a lot of innocent Muslims were subject to Ottoman pressure which was the will of the Jews and the Europeans.
The Jews and the Europeans tried their utmost to keep the Ottoman Empire under control and prevented the Ottomans to benefit from the opportunities of the empire by planting seeds of intrigue and conspiracy.
The massacres were led by the Kurdish landlords. Kurdish landlords were irresponsible, ignorant and were far from thinking about the results while conducting these massacres.
God took the revenge of the pure and innocent bloods shed by innocent people. Mustafa Kemal ATATURK and some of the leading figures of the country established the Turkish Republic in 1923 and brought justice to the country by putting an end to the existence of the Ottoman Empire.
ATATURK established peace in the region and in Turkey just like the just Holy Khalif Ömer who had succeeded in creating a victorious community out of a defeated religious community. Just as Ömer saving the Syriacs from the Byzantines, ATATURK also saved the Syriacs and the others from the evil Ottomans.
With the establishment of the new Turkish Republic, just like all the citizens of the country, the Syriacs also expressed their devotion and support to the Republic and like the others they also stated their gratitude and were happy of the situation. The Syriac Patriarch of the period, Ýlyas Þakir III, stated the devotion of the Syriacs to the Turkish Republic and ATATURK in return gave orders for the protection of the Syriac Church. From that day on, according to the principles put down by ATATURK, all the Syriacs have been respected not only in Turkey but also elsewhere.
Nowadays we hear the comments and various ideas of some people, institutions, societies or some radical groups about the hard and painful days of the past.
Despite all these, I would like to express here today that the Orthodox Syriac Church will preserve its loyalty and appraisal to the Turkish Republic.
Today's Turkey has nothing to do with the genocides of the past. On the contrary, this Republic has given an end to the remains of the Ottoman. The Turkish Republic also condemns the harm the Ottomans have given to Muslim and Christian population.
In this context, according to ATATURK's words 'Syriacs are a chaste nation', respect towards the Orthodox Syriac Church particularly by the President and the Prime Minister in Turkey and the embassies abroad still continues. Thanks to God, apart from being a devoted community to their homeland, the Syriacs, after their love for God, has the deepest love for the land in which they live.
It is hard for us to forget the interest shown to us by the Turkish authorities as secular clergymen during our repeated visits to Turkey, the latest of which was to Antakya between the dates 1,2 April 2000. We can show their close interest to us as an evidence to what I mentioned above. It is our obligation to convey our thanks to the Turkish Government, military authorities and to the public for their hospitality and respect.
I would especially like to point out here that the Orthodox Church does not consent any declaration and opinion regarding the Syriacs without the approval of the Holy Patriarch Mar Agnatyus I, who officially represents the Syriacs all over the world.