On Anti-Turkism, Part I

When I started up this blog, my intention was to bring news having to do with Turkey from the perspective of a Turk. In my opinion, what I have seen in the American and European media makes me believe that these stories are often reported with a strong anti-Turkish bias. Anti-Turkism is defined as hostility towards Turkish people and culture or the Republic of Turkey. In some countries I honestly believe anti-Turkism is almost as strong as anti-Semitism was prior to the Holocaust (the atrocities of the Holocaust are often seen as the most important factor in curbing anti-Semitism in America and Europe). Looking at the negotiations between Turkey and the EU, it is apparent that many in Europe aren't even bothering to hide their biases. The argument that Turkey is too culturally different from Europe is no different than saying that, because of their culture and religion, Turks will never be able to modernize to Europe's standards.

Anti-Turkism dates back hundreds of years to the Crusades. Throughout the Middle Ages publications depicting the Turks as bloodthirsty savages were spread. Martin Luther claimed that God had sent the Turks to punish Christianity for allowing the corruption of the Holy See and the Church. In some parts of Europe to equate someone to a Turk was to curse them, and Turks were associated with such vices as being un-cleanly, barbaric, and crude. Voltaire claimed Turks were "tyrants of the women and enemies of arts." It would be great if we could blame these misconceptions on the ignorance of that time. However, in 1926 the Venerable Cardinal Newman (venerable means that he is two steps away from sainthood) wrote in his book The Blight of Asia that Turks were, "The great anti-Christ among the races of men." And in 2004, in a international soccer match between the Turkey and England national teams, a very large number of English fans chanted, "I'd rather be a Paki than a Turk." There were enough fans chanting this that it was easily audible to viewers watching on television.

This post is basically my introduction to the concept of anti-Turkism as an actual racist movement that actually exists and is more prevalent than most would think. When I see an example of anti-Turkism worth noting, I will write about it in this continuing series.