Is Mass Migration Bringing the End of Turkey?

The late Ömer Seyfettin's first book is titled "History is an eternal repetition". The late poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy, who also wrote our national anthem, probably referring to this, says in one of his poems: 

"A man takes a share from the past... What a fairy tale! 

5000 years of parable gave you half a share? 

They describe history as repeating itself.

Would it repeat itself if any lessons were taken?"

In other words, Mehmet Akif says; "Yes, history repeats itself, but this is not a general rule. History keeps repeating itself because no example is taken and no lesson is learned. If lessons are learned from history and measures are taken, it will not repeat itself. 

Today, though, everyone thinks it is a skill to distort history in order to use it as a basis for their political, religious or personal interests. The fez, the crazy, the crazy, whatever, distort historical facts, but I decided to write this article in case there may still be those who want to learn from history and seek solutions to the threats we may face in the future. Our topic is illegal immigration and asylum seekers, one of the most important problems on Turkey's agenda recently.

Although it has been one of the most talked about issues all over the world recently, migration is not a matter of today. It is a problem as old as human history. According to scientific research, it is said that the first human being emerged in Africa and spread from there to the whole world. In other words, the reason why human beings spread all over the world is migration. 

Migrations, whether individual or mass, have emerged out of certain necessities. In other words, there are many reasons for migration, such as war, drought, etc. However, until the introduction of writing, we have no clear data on why and how these migrations took place and what consequences they had. 

The first written records found in archaeological research begin with the invention and use of cuneiform by the Sumerians. The adventure of using writing, which began around 3500 years ago, gives us detailed information about what was happening at that time, thanks to texts written on clay tablets and flat rocks. This includes information about migrations and their consequences.

The surviving clay tablets and other physical remains read by linguists show that the Sumerians reached a very high level of civilization for their time, building large cities and establishing administrative, religious and political mechanisms, thus increasing their level of prosperity. However, as the level of prosperity increased, the number of people willing to work as shepherds, field workers and construction workers decreased.

So, slaves were used to do these jobs, and when this was not enough, immigrants were taken from the Akkadian society. Some people argued that this would harm the country, but most Sumerians did not listen to these warnings, saying that the country needed shepherds and laborers. 

For this reason, after a while the number of immigrants coming to the country increased considerably. Since the reproduction rate of these immigrants was higher than the resident population, they took over the majority in the northern part of the country. After this, they established their own kingdom in the north with an uprising and caused the Sumerian state to split into two. 

Many sane Sumerians warned the people to resist, but despite everything that happened, the people, the rulers, the rich and the kings who ruled them, who thought of nothing but their daily small personal interests, did not come to their senses. As a result, the Akkadian state invaded the south in time and destroyed the Sumerian state. After that, the Sumerian language, civilization and nation disappeared.

The Egyptians, who were in a very close geography, did not take lessons from what happened to the Sumerians; on the contrary, they followed the same path. The Egyptians, who had established the highest civilization of their time, took in nomadic and semi-nomadic people from Syria who lived on herding/livestock as immigrants with their increasing level of prosperity.

Initially, the aim was to use these migrants as shepherds and agricultural workers. However, this migration grew so large that the number of migrants increased dramatically. The immigrants, who gained power throughout Egypt, took over the government in Egypt with a coup and established the Hyksos/Shepherd Kings dynasty. They also brutally oppressed Egyptians who tried to resist them. Fortunately, since the Hyksos were only concentrated in the fertile northern parts of the country, the Egyptians in the south were able to overthrow this dynasty after a long period of domination and sent the Syrians back to Palestine and Syria.

Let us continue our article by giving an example from the ancient period. The Hittites were the first of the three states that established an Anatolian-centered state by controlling all or almost all of Anatolia. The second is the Anatolian Seljuk State and the third is the Republic of Turkey. 

The Hittites collapsed as a result of the mass migration of sea tribes, when they were at the peak of their power. The mass migration that started from the north of the Balkans, after destroying the states of the entire Balkan Peninsula, crossed into Anatolia, taking the remaining local peoples with them. 

The Hittite state, which ignored this threat and did not take the necessary measures, lost its cities one by one, and then its capital fell. Some princes tried to ensure the continuity of the Hittites by establishing small city states in Southeastern Anatolia and Syria, but these states could not survive as the migrants also entered Syria.

If we give an example from the period after Christ, the best example is the Roman Empire, one of the longest-lasting and largest empires in history. Rome started to struggle with some Germanic tribes that started to descend towards the south during the reign of Caesar. In fact, it was Caesar who gave them the name Germanic. The Romans organized many expeditions to prevent and control these immigrants, whom they called barbarians, from entering their country. 

They were also successful in this. However, the beginning of a new wave of migration in the 4th century A.D. was the first step towards the end of Rome. The Huns, who were defeated by the Chinese in the east and did not want to be under Chinese sovereignty, moved westward and strengthened in time and advanced towards Europe from the north of the Black Sea. 

They fought and destroyed the Germanic tribes that came in their way. While some of those who remained joined the Huns, a large mass fled towards the Roman borders. When these communities, known as Goths, reached the Danube River, the Romans, who were having trouble finding shepherds for their animals, laborers for their fields and soldiers for their armies, allowed them to cross west of the Danube. 

Emperor Valens also thought that he could use these Goths to his advantage in the political struggle in the country. So he ordered the borders to be opened to the migrants. As a result, many more people from the rear poured into Roman territory. Instead of settling them in certain areas and controlling them, Rome let them go, and these Goths spread everywhere in Roman territory. 

Emperor Valens, who had allowed them to enter the country, belatedly imposed some restrictions when he realized that the large Goth population was harming the Roman Empire. The Goths then revolted. Valens gathered a large army and confronted the Goths near Edirne. In the battle, the Goths not only defeated the Roman army but also destroyed it completely. The emperor was among the dead.

Interestingly, these Goths and other Germanic tribes joined with the Huns and attacked the Romans instead of being grateful to and supporting Rome when the pursuing Hun armies crossed the Danube. They continued to attack Rome after Attila, when the Hunnic Empire disintegrated and the Huns retreated to the northeast. It was these Germans who destroyed Western Rome.

Other migrants destroyed the eastern part of Rome, which was divided in two. You know, a minister who recently tried to defend the immigrants in our country said, "We also came here from somewhere." And no one asked, "Do you realize what you are saying?" The fall of Eastern Rome is related to this issue.

The journey took a long time, but after 1071, the migration of Turks to Anatolia accelerated. When we came here, there was the Eastern Roman Empire in Anatolia. Now there is no such empire, because we destroyed it. So, mass migration is a great threat to established and indigenous states. 

Now the same problem is facing our country. The Arab spring has turned into Turkish winter. Millions of Syrians came to our country because of the civil war. While they were initially held in detention centers, they were later released and spread all over the country. Those who said that this was dangerous for the country were accused of racism by government circles and their supporters, and it was declared that no immigrant would be prevented from entering the country and would not be sent back. Politicized masses who could not comprehend what this meant applauded this.

However, these statements quickly turned a classic refugee crisis into a disaster. Millions of people from underdeveloped parts of the world, particularly Afghanistan and Pakistan, have packed their bags and set off for our country. The war in Ukraine has also enabled Ukrainians to join these masses. Thus, in addition to the millions of Syrian refugees, millions of illegal immigrants have gathered in our country. 

Worse, the state did not prevent this and signed a readmission agreement with the European Union. This means that migrants who enter Europe, whether through us or from elsewhere, are handed over to us. We take them into our country and put them on the streets. These migrants sometimes even demonstrate on the streets with the flags of their own countries.

This situation poses a great danger for our country. Some of these migrants and asylum seekers have also been naturalized through bribery or for political gain. According to some comments, these new citizens were decisive in the presidential election. 

In other words, the scourge of illegal immigration and asylum is already having an impact on the future of the country. But it should not be forgotten that Emperor Valens also welcomed immigrants to use them for political purposes, but they first destroyed him and his army.

It is imperative that the government takes immediate action on this issue. The readmission agreement with Europe must be terminated. This agreement has turned our country into a migrant warehouse. It must be announced from the most authoritative mouths that not a single migrant will be taken in anymore, that those who come will be subjected to legal action and deported after serving their sentences. Thus, new arrivals can be prevented. 

In the future, the number of migrants and asylum seekers, the cities in which they live, should be determined and they should be repatriated according to a specific plan. Otherwise history will inevitably repeat itself. Therefore, measures must be taken immediately and urgently. 

One last note: Some people object to my social media posts about migrants with the incar-muhajir sentiment or with the nonsense that the country needs shepherds. Let me answer them in their own words: You say muhajir, we say nation; you say shepherd, we say homeland. This country and its citizens are more important than your sheep.