Why are Armenians against Atatürk?

Ataturk Series and Disneyland

This is the first time that Armenians' anti-Atatürk sentiment has entered our agenda with such intensity.

Disney Plus, owned by a businessman of Jewish origin, which entered its broadcasting life in Turkey with a splendid introduction, brought many local and foreign content to its users, but sat on the agenda with a scandalous decision.

Because the announcement of the "Atatürk" series starring Aras Bulut Iynemli, waiting for the broadcast date of the completed shootings, the Turkish people were full of excitement, an interesting decision came from Disney Plus: The platform has cancelled the Ataturk series. (1)

And why?

An Armenian news channel claimed this in a post: "We are pleased to announce that Disney+ has decided to cancel the Ataturk series."

"The cancellation decision was reportedly influenced by pressure from the Armenian community and demands from the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)."

The ruling and opposition parties reacted harshly on the issue at the level of the chairman.

Political parties, RTÜK, the art world and social media showed serious visual reactions.

A campaign to unsubscribe from Disney Plus was launched in Turkey (the results of which were not publicised).

"Walt Disney's Turkey office announced that the series "Atatürk", based on the life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, will be broadcast in two parts on television and in cinemas."

As a result, "Disney+ failed to broadcast the Atatürk series" (2)

Commentary by Historian Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı

İlber Hocam thinks that Armenians' hatred of Atatürk is based on the deportation incident.

In fact, it can be evaluated that the hatred is not based on the deportation event itself, but on the distribution of the remaining properties after the deportation.

Because there are many writings and letters on this subject.

As a matter of fact, there are similar approaches regarding the Greek properties remaining after the exchange, and the address of the resentment is directed not to the young and ineffective Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Kemal, but to the President Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha, who is trying to establish a mighty and fully authorised nation state.

As a matter of fact, my professor İlber also explains this: Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı, who stated in the newspaper that M. Kemal had nothing to do with the deportation incident, that his connection with the Union and Progress could not have been very intense at that time, and that he served as a military attaché in Bulgaria, far from the centre, evaluated the cancellation of the Atatürk series by the American digital broadcasting network Disney Plus on SÖZCÜ Television.

The famous historian said that "At the time of the alleged Armenian exile, Atatürk was appointed as Attaché General in Sofia", "At that time, Atatürk was not involved in any decisions and transactions in the central government", "Despite this, in Armenian circles abroad, things such as 'Armenian murderer, organiser of the massacre', which are not even remotely related" are claimed. (3)

Furthermore, "This claim for Atatürk has nothing to do with objective historical facts. It cannot be taken seriously," Ortaylı said, adding, "The official position does not accept the Armenian allegations. The claim put forward for Atatürk has nothing to do with objective historical facts. The solution to this issue is for Armenia and Armenian historians and Turks to research these issues together." (4)

My respected professor concluded his evaluation on the subject in the same newspaper as follows: "The founding President of the Republic of Turkey was Mustafa Kemal, Field Marshal of Turkey, distinguished general of the Ottoman armies and division commander during the First World War, Lieutenant Colonel, then Colonel. On his role in the Armenian issue... I am sure that he (Atatürk) would not have responded in any way to the words used about him today by the Armenian Lobby. Because the official position does not accept the Armenian claims. The allegations levelled against Atatürk have nothing to do with objective historical facts."

Mehdiyev's Atatürk through the Eyes of Armenians

In the world of science, as in the world of art, business and politics, this issue is not emphasised strongly and continuously due to certain balances. Gaffar Cakmakli Mehdiyev's work (in the light of Armenian sources) "Atatürk's Understanding of Identity in the Armenian Thought System and its Introduction to the Armenian Society" appears to be the most serious and courageous work. Here, on the basis of the aforementioned study, let us briefly mention a few hate speeches of the Armenians (without making it long), so that it can be understood that the source of such hatred is deeper.

In Armenia, it is recognised that "Atatürk's role in the life of Armenians is as influential as that of Lenin and Stalin", but in Armenian textbooks and historical works "many of Atatürk's ideas are falsified for insidious purposes" and "attacks against him are systematised".

"In this context, it is very important that the reasons for the attacks on Atatürk are investigated and revealed." "As a result, a perception of an 'Armenian-hostile' Atatürk identity has been created for the Armenian community."

According to the book, Armenians make extreme claims (slander): "Mustafa Kemal was taken prisoner by the British in 1918" (5 ) "He attempted suicide in October-November 1918" (6 ) They even fabricate the story that "Mustafa Kemal died in 1911 and that a man of another (nationality) (7 ) was appointed as an officer of the Ottoman army in his name."

"The history textbooks in Armenia are also replete with statements and sentences denigrating Atatürk, such as on page 31 of the textbook for 9th graders." "The article "Who is Mustafa Kemal, who is actually the ancestor of the Turks?" published in the Armenian press was written on the basis of the statements of some anti-Atatürkists in Turkey." (8).

In this study, the author's main problem is to seek an answer to the question "Why do the Armenian attacks on Atatürk originate, what is their main purpose and what are their alleged aims?".

In fact, the hate speeches and defamations here are of course too big, deep and traumatic to be directed against a lieutenant colonel who had no or minimal involvement in the deportation.

It is clear that the issue has deeper foundations and is directed against a "One Man" (9), even above a more powerful Field Marshal. Let us now turn to a few other pieces of evidence besides the above-mentioned work:

Other Evidence of Armenians' Enmity to Atatürk

Armenians' enmity towards Kurds, Azerbaijan and Anatolian Turks is well known.

However, their hatred towards Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of our Republic, was not known by the Turkish public until this incident.

However, Armenian official books and publications have created and made this hatred known to the Armenian public.

"As a result of the project of creating a single type of Turkish nation according to Armenians", Mustafa Kemal Atatürk himself was an important figure targeted by Armenians. (10)

M. Kemal Atatürk, who always rejected and repeated the Armenian allegations, never liked the Armenian rebellion and the conflicts based on self-defence against it (11). However, it is also clear that this hatred has deeper roots, which have been briefly mentioned above. Because at this time, as mentioned above by Prof. Ilber, while M. Kemal remained in the shadow of Ismail Enver Pasha from Kastamon, he was not in a direct decision-making position, although he was a member of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), which took the decision of deportation. Therefore, the relationship between this hatred and later events should also be established.

"Letter from an Armenian from Harput to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk"

In this Letter to the One Man, M. Kemal Atatürk, written in the last year of his power and life;

"Dear Mustafa Kemal Pasha: I regret that I cannot express my ideas in Turkish. However, I am obliged to write them in Armenian, confident that an Armenian who knows Turkish well will easily be found to translate them to you. Although it has been twenty years since the days of persecution and disaster passed over our homeland, I have not yet seen any specific and promising change in terms of progress in our internal and external policy."

After stating that "the system of exceptionalism (contempt) and discrimination (humiliation) of the days of the sultanate is still being applied against the non-Turkish elements", he added : "During the reign of the sultanate, non-Turks enjoyed freedom within the country, at least in the religious and partly in the cultural spheres. However, in the days of your progressive and forward-thinking people, the non-Turkish sons of the country are deprived of even these primitive rights." The letter clearly asserts that the Republican administration, which is claimed to be progressive, has actually fallen behind the Ottoman administration.

In the letter, it is stated that the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War and the disintegration of the state were caused by the enmity of the godless (hot-headed) godless (hot-headed) rulers (dirijans/bureaucrats) directed from outside against their citizens (non-Turks). However, according to the author, among the people, "to discriminate is ignorance." The author continues as follows: "You dominated countries and nations, but you lacked the power and judgement to bind and subjugate them to the state."

The author also makes a comparison and brings the subject to 1915. "Instead of oppressing the peoples living in the former Ottoman territories they occupied, the Europeans chose to respect their democratic rights and to integrate with each other. Whereas you, only yesterday, massacred the Armenians and scattered the rest of them all over the world, leaving them unprotected, vagrant and stateless. And those who remained in the country, you deprived them of their personal and national rights and turned them into slaves."

According to the author, the problem stems from a state understanding that lacks democratic rights and freedoms, and as long as you cannot solve this understanding, foreigners will continue to interfere in your internal affairs. A state built on a rotten foundation can neither progress nor become permanent (payidar). When we analyse Turkey today from this point of view, we see that it is again following the words of some deceitful and conspiratorial states, walking on a wrong path and following the old haughty and threatening policy. (12)

An Article by Soner Yalçın on Armenian Property

In an article ( 13) titled "The first owner of the Çankaya Mansion was Armenian" ( 14) in the daily Hürriyet, Soner Yalçın clearly states that the real issue is Armenian property:

"Date: 16 May 1921. Journalist Ruşen Eşref (Ünaydın) invited Mustafa Kemal for a horse ride on the Çankaya ridges.

During his ride, Mustafa Kemal admired a two-storey vineyard house on one and a half acres. This place, known as the "Kasapyan Orchard House" , would later turn into the Çankaya Mansion, the symbol of the Republic of Turkey.

Ruşen Eşref persuaded Mustafa Kemal to take a horse ride on the Çankaya ridges where Ankara's summer vineyard houses were located. This horse ride would lead to the birth of the Çankaya Mansion... KASAPYAN VINEYARD HOUSE Çankaya, on a green hill overlooking the city, had large vineyards and orchards. The most important reason why this vineyard house, located in greenery on a hill overlooking Ankara, was liked was that there were three houses on the land. Therefore, these could be used for the bodyguards, aides and assistants. The favourite house was known as "Kasapyan Bağevi" in the region; it had been built by an Armenian merchant from Ankara. The owner, a wealthy jeweller, had left the city during the war and sold the vineyard house along with his belongings to Bulgurluzadeler, a well-known family in Ankara. Upon learning that Mustafa Kemal liked the vineyard house, Rıfat (Börekçi) Efendi, the President of the Association of Mudafa-i Hukuk, the Mufti of Ankara, bought the house from Bulgurluzade Tevfik Efendi for 4,500 liras with the money he collected from his fellow countrymen and presented it to Mustafa Kemal as a gift. He accepted the house with one condition; he would donate the vineyard house to the Turkish Armed Forces.

He wanted a new building to be built on the same land. The architect of this building was to be foreign: Prof. Dr Clemens Holzmeister. And the year was 1930... Clemens Holzmeister... His speciality was church architecture from Roman times to the 20th century. He also built the Krim Church, the Dornback Church, the Vogelweidplatz Church and the Belo Horizonte Cathedral in Brazil. Clemens Holzmeister was not only interested in architecture; he was also a versatile artist who painted and sculpted. So much so that the Sehlageter Monument he built in 1929 would be demolished by Adolf Hitler. Turkey opened its doors to Prof. Clemens Holzmeister, as it did to many scientists who fled the Nazis. His daughter, the world-famous artist Judith Holzmeister, was one of the rare survivors of the Nazi camp. Prof. Holzmeister wrote in his book "Years of Exile" about the years he spent away from his country because of Hitler...

"Çankaya Pavilion and the Property of the Exiles"

Cumhuriyet Newspaper (15) published a news article titled "Armenians have their eyes on Çankaya Mansion" (16) and stated that Armenians, who demanded billions of dollars in compensation from Turkey, are now preparing to claim rights on 5 important properties. "Author Nevzat Onaran, who has researched the claims of Armenians regarding their properties left in Turkey, in his book "Emval-i Metruke Olayı" (Emval-i Metruke Olayı), brought up the Erzurum Congress Building and 4 important artefacts on which claims were made. Among these properties is the land of Çankaya Mansion. It is claimed that the land is owned by the Kasapyan Family. On the website of the Mansion, it is stated that "The vineyard house in Çankaya is a gift of the Municipality".

While American Armenians are demanding billions of dollars for the properties they lost in the '1915 events', author Nevzat Onaran, who researched the issue, claimed that Çankaya Mansion, Mustafa Kemal Museum in Şişli, Heybeliada Wheelwright School, the building where the Erzurum Congress was held and Surp Agop Cemetery belonged to Armenians and were seized by the Treasury. According to the website of the Presidency, the Çankaya Mansion was gifted to Mustafa Kemal by the Ankara Municipality in 1921.

According to Habertürk's Sibel Hürtaş and Tülay Şubatlı, while the repercussions of the lawsuit filed by Armenians living in the USA against the Republic of Turkey, the Central Bank and Ziraat Bank, claiming that their properties were confiscated during the 1915 events, continue, author Nevzat Onaran, who has conducted research on the subject, made a remarkable claim. Onaran argued that a total of 276 million liras confiscated from Armenians were recorded as revenue in the 1928 budget.

He noted that the Çankaya Mansion was gifted to Atatürk by the Ankara Municipality on 30 May 1921. Onaran stated that the books kept by the commissions established for the liquidation of the properties of Armenians were not disclosed and said, "Were these destroyed? Or are they in the deepest vaults of the state?" he asked.

Official information

The official website of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey gives the following information about the Çankaya Mansion: "The vineyard house in Çankaya, in the Bağlar region, was gifted to Mustafa Kemal on 30 May 1921 by Ankara Şehremaneti (Municipality) in order to enable him to live in a quieter and more peaceful environment." Author Nevzat Onaran reported these claims in his book titled "Emvâl-i Metrûke Olayı" and in the book, which summarises the economic developments following the 1915 events, the following claims are made What happened after 1915: The legal regulation on the liquidation of the movable and immovable properties of the Armenians and Greeks who were officially transferred or exiled and fled lasted until the early 1930s. Accordingly, movables were generally defined as "Emvâl-i metrûke", that is, abandoned immovable property. The properties were registered to the Treasury by the Liquidation Commissions established to liquidate Emvâl-i metrûke. The Treasury either distributed or sold them according to the legislation.

Escrow Account:

The money generated by the lease and sale of movable and immovable property was to be deposited first in the Property Chest on behalf of the owner. This provision was amended in 1928 as "to be transferred to the budget as income". According to Article 2 of the law adopted by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), 300 thousand liras of the 1928 revenue budget was to be paid from the budget remaining in the escrow account as the cost of the property belonging to the person who had been "exiled or disappeared or escaped or fled away". How much was the sum of money: In 1928 the budget was 222 million. Considering that the revenue budget increased 921.5 times between 1928 and 2008, from 222 million liras to 204 billion liras, with this simple calculation, the value of 300 thousand liras is 276.4 million liras as of 2008. If it is taken into account that 6 zeros were removed from the TL, the increase is 921.5 million times and the amount is 276.4 trillion liras.

'Where are the books?'

Nevzat Onaran also gave the following information in his book regarding the "notebooks" containing information about the claims in question and the allegedly confiscated property of Armenians "A total of 33 Liquidation Commissions were established in Erzurum, Edirne, Istanbul and many other provinces in order to liquidate the properties of the deportees in Anatolia. As of today, despite all the discussions, it has not been officially announced how many people were exiled in accordance with this legislation and how much of their property was recorded. It is also unknown how much money was deposited in the Property Funds on behalf of these people and how many people were paid out of it. Considering the 33 Liquidation Commissions' two main books and two current books, there should be at least 66 books. To date, not even one of these books has been disclosed. Have they been destroyed? Or are they in the deepest vaults of the state? We do not know." Here are the 5 important properties that Armenians call 'ours', the properties mentioned in the previous section, and all of them explain the reason for Armenians' hatred of Atatürk...Çankaya Mansion

Erzurum Congress Building, Mustafa Kemal Museum, Çarkçı Mektebi, Armenian cemetery

Many other claims for goods are also mentioned:

Turabian and Davouyan, grandson of Samuel Agha of Adana, and Berj Boyajian, who was also a lawyer...

Boyajian, one of four lawyers, including Mark Geragos, who is known for his anti-Turkey stance, said: "In 1915, the Ottomans decided to deport Armenians to other places. "At the same time, the Ottoman Empire passed a law that secured the money of those who left in banks, their fields and factories under state guarantee until the Armenians returned. They benefited from the income of these properties for 95 years. We do not want these properties back. We are saying, return the income from these properties. It is a very simple case." What kind of a figure will emerge in the million-dollar lawsuit is unknown. Lawyer Boyajian, who specifically avoided giving the number of deeds, stated that they are ready for a negotiation process with Turkey and said, "The Turkish government will first respond to the lawsuit. Then we will compare the deeds and records. And for each title deed, we will calculate the income arising from the right to occupy and use the property. If an agreement is reached on a figure regarding the income from the properties, the lawsuit does not need to continue. But if no agreement is reached, the case will continue and both parties will abide by the decision of the court."

Conclusion

To whom the Armenian and Greek properties went and by whom they were divided can be interpreted as the source of an (unexpressed but deep-seated) antipathy towards Atatürk on the part of Armenians and Greeks.

WHY ARMENIANS ARE AGAINST ATATÜRK

"Disney+'s decision to cancel the Atatürk series" disappeared as quickly as the summer rain that fell as I started this article.

Because the "balances" around art, media and politics prevented such a fight from taking place.

For example, if this demand had come from another organisation and not from Armenians (or Greeks), the sky would have fallen on its head.

At the end of the day, it seems possible to draw the following conclusions from what was written and what could not be written:

Armenians lost their highest positions in politics, bureaucracy, economy and social life in the Ottoman Empire, where they were regarded as Millet-i Sadıka, through uprisings, massacres and exile at the instigation of European states.

According to them, the Committee of Union and Progress and the "One Man" filled this void with "White Turks" and "Jews escaping from the Nazis".

It is believed that the "Emval-i Metruke" of one million deported Armenians and one million seven hundred thousand exchanged Greeks suffered a similar fate in social life.

The biggest argument of international politics is the "principle of reciprocity". It is the principle of reciprocity.

Negotiating such issues without discussing the properties of Turks in a geography of nearly twenty million square kilometres is a weakness, to say the least, unless there are more serious ones.

Finally, as an honourable Turk who "my grandfather's three brothers were martyred in Gallipoli and (possibly) in the War of Independence" and "my children's mother's ancestors left all their lands and real estate from the persecution in what are now Bulgaria and Greece", my curiosity was aroused:

Since we did not receive a single cent from the property of one million Greeks and one million Armenians deported at the end of the exchange, where did these properties go?

Whose names are in the Emvali Metruke Books?

What do you think...

Should the "Old Notebooks" be opened?

Bibliography

(1) For a summary of the subject see: https://www.ensonhaber.com/medya/disney-plus-ataturk-olayi-nedir-ne-oldu-ataturk-dizisi-yayinlanacak-mi (Access date: 06.08.2023)

(2) I started this article on 06.08.2023 and now I plan to finish it on 24.04.2024 (DELAYEDLY due to the change in business life). However, this delay has confirmed my assertion that the reactions, which was the prediction of my article, would end like a straw flame. Because instead of historical theses, the two sides' motive of protecting their own power and activities in the geographical region would dominate. And as a matter of fact, this is what happened.

(3) https://www.aydinlik.com.tr/haber/ilber-ortaylidan-ataturk-dizisini-iptal-eden-disney-plusa-cok-sert-tepki-408875 (Access date: 06.08.2023)

(4) https://www.sozcu.com.tr/2023/gundem/ataturke-disney-sansurunu-ilber-ortayli-sozcu-tvde-yorumladi-7763120/ (Access date: 06.08.2023)

(5) The claim of Ara Papyan, an Armenian political scientist.

(6) The claim of US citizen Elizabeth Harris in her article "How Mustapha Kemal Formed His Army" published in the 1922 issue of The Contemporary History.

(7) Here, it is implicitly implied that Armenian properties were given to converts brought from abroad.

(8) https://oa.mg/work/10.51824/978-975-17-4794-5.31 (Access Date: 17.04.2024) Full Text at PublisherAccess via your InstitutionCite this on CitationsyOpen in Google ScholarVisualise on Litmaps

(9) Inspired by the title of İhsan Süreyya Sırma's book.

(10) https://www.turkyurdu.com.tr/yazar-yazi.php?id=1461 (Date of access: 06.08.2023) Here: The Turkish official history thesis put forward by Atatürk has a solid basis. Let historians reveal this. Let us open the documents: "The fact that a massacre was committed by the Turks against the Armenians consists of a number of false and fabricated rumours. You may believe that these are absolutely untrue. In order to document this fact, we would gladly accept that impartial committees should carry out investigations in our country in complete freedom. We recommend that you read the most recent reports on this matter given by the American Mission to Armenia in the Eastern province of Karib. The atrocities and massacres committed by the Armenians against the Turkish population have caused our armies to mobilise against Armenia. The massacres were on a very large scale. We have rich documents about them. I will give you copies of these. Lord Curzon's speech in the House of Commons, which is among the documents Atatürk cited as evidence for his own statements, was also published in the Times of 13 March. According to the document in the newspaper article, Curzon said: "It seems to me that you think that Armenians are like a pure and innocent eight-year-old girl. In this you are very much mistaken. For the Armenians themselves have proved to what extent they are a cruel nation, especially with their recent acts of savagery." Curzon himself expressed his opposition to the non-objective Armenian allegations with his opinion.

(11) https://avim.org.tr/Blog/ERMENI-IDDIALARI-KONUSUNDA-ATATURK-NE-DEMISTI (Access date: 06.08.2023) So what did Atatürk say in the face of such allegations? On pages 348 and 349 of the book Nutuk published by the CHP Istanbul Provincial Presidency, Atatürk's words in the face of these allegations are as follows "It should not have been doubted that the statements about the Armenian massacre are not in accordance with the truth. On the contrary, the Armenians in the southern regions, armed by foreign forces, were attacking the Muslims in their neighbourhood, encouraged by the protection they received. With the idea of revenge, they were pursuing a ruthless policy of killing and extermination on all sides. This was the reason for the disastrous incident in Marash. Armenians, united with foreign forces, destroyed an old Muslim city like Marash with artillery and heavy machine guns. Thousands of helpless and innocent mothers and children were tortured to death. It was the Armenians who committed this unprecedented atrocity in history. The Muslims had fought back and defended themselves only to protect their honour and their lives. The telegram sent by the Americans, who had stayed in the city with the Muslims during the twenty days of the Maraş genocide, to their representative office in Istanbul about this event revealed the perpetrators of this tragedy in a way that could not be denied. The Muslims in the province of Adana were in danger of being killed every minute under the pressure of the bayonets of Armenians armed to the teeth. When this policy of persecution and extermination against Muslims, who wanted nothing but the preservation of their lives and independence, was of such a nature as to attract the attention of the civilised world and bring them to their senses, how could a proposal such as asking for its abandonment by claiming that the opposite was being done be taken seriously?" (Atatürk's Great Speech read at the Second Congress of the CHP, 20-25 October 1927)

(12) https://www.agos.com.tr/tr/yazi/25409/harputlu-bir-ermeniden-mustafa-kemal-ataturk-e-mektup (Date of Access: 18.04.2024)

(13) The article in the Armenian Agos newspaper begins as follows: Hüsnü Gürbey and Mahsuni Gül have found a very interesting document that has been in the state archive for 83 years. In late 1937, a Harput Armenian named B.G. Karapetyan wrote a letter to Atatürk. In his letter, Karapetyan lists and analyses the developments regarding what happened to Armenians from 1909 to 1915 and proposes a new structure for Turkey that would respond to the demands of all peoples for freedom.

A document/letter in the Presidential Archives; "CA: 01019578/648214" was sent to Mustafa Kemal Pasha under the signature of B.G. Karapetyan, an Elazig Armenian. The original of the letter is in Armenian. The copy in our possession is a translation into Turkish and is undated, only the date 19. 1. 938 is written in red pen at the end of the attachment. The letter consists of the original and an annex. Since the annex was written due to the events in Hatay, the date of the letter is estimated to be approximately 1937-38, which corresponds to the date indicated in red pencil."

(14) Hürriyet Newspaper dated 25 March 2007

(15) https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/ermenilerin-gozu-cankaya-koskunde-169406 (Date of Access: 18.04.2024)

(16) 9 August 2011

(17) https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/ermenilerin-gozu-cankaya-koskunde-169406 (Date of Access: 18.04.2024)