Hidden Armenians in Turkey expose their identities

The stories of Armenians who had concealed their identities for decades have begun surfacing over recent years as Turkey continues treading its path toward democratization. Many of them live under their Sunni – Muslim or Kurdish – Alevi identities, although they still define themselves ethnically as Armenians.

“Race, identity and religion are distinct affairs. I’ve been raised as a Sunni-Muslim, and live as one, but I deny neither my past nor my culture. Religion is not important, but I want to know my language,” Gaffur Türkay, a prominent Diyarbakır Armenian who identifies as a Sunni Muslim, told the Hürriyet Daily News last week.

Türkay was 15 when he learned that his real surname is Ohanyan. His father was a pilgrim, and Türkay grew up with Sunni–Muslim culture. Muslim Armenians in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır recognize each other, he said.

“The perception of Islam [in Diyarbakır] is very important,” he said. “[The people in Diyarbakır] can tolerate you up to a certain point when you say you are Armenian. Things change, however, when you touch upon Islam.”

Türkay added that Christian Armenians look down upon Muslim Armenians.

“[They behave] as if we had a choice in the matter. The Armenian identity must bond around race, not religion. Religion can be chosen, but not race,” he said.

Yusuf Halaçoğlu, the former president of the Turkish Historical Society, or TTK, said the situation in Diyarbakır could be seen in other parts of the country. “There are hidden Armenians not just in Diyarbakır but all across Turkey, and now they are also revealing their identities,” he told the Daily News over the phone. Halaçoğlu was removed from his post at the TTK following public response to his remarks claiming that Kurds living in Turkey were actually Turcomans and that Kurdish – Alevis were of Armenian descent.

“My remarks were falsely conveyed to the public,” Kalaçoğlu said. “I shared this information with the deceased Hrant Dink as well. I tried to highlight under which identities those Armenians who supposedly died in 1915 still continue to exist,” he said, adding that he possessed records of Armenians who concealed their identities.

“This is information emanating from records [contained] in the United States archives. I have records [that indicate] the villages and locations they reside in, and the names of the clans they live under,” said Halaçoğlu.

Source: here

FWIW....Religious affiliation does not have to do with blood lines, it´s of the heart. 

I have friends who are Armenian, but not Christian. I hate it when people think because you are XXX you must be Catholic, or Jewish or Muslim. You are what your heart tells you you are. Too many subscribe to religions of which they have no knowledge about, it´s just because their parents, grandparent...

I know Jews say they are Jewish, even if they don´t practice or believe in G-d. This is hard for me to grasp.....but one certainly can´t seriously claim to be a Christian, Muslim or whatever, without believing in the basic tenants...however...too many claim just such identities.

How many actually know the difference between Unitarianism and Trinitarianism? I have to laugh when I hear people saying they are Catholic, but they don´t believe in what the Pope says....really...then are you really Roman Catholic....? The Catholic church doesn´t let people go easily once they have been baptized...something babies have no control over. That said, I think their numbers are overly inflated given the fact that they actually count all those baptized babies as members of the Catholic church. I know many who do not practice at all, and in fact have joined other faiths. 

In collaboration with the enemies of Turkey, Armenians had murdered thousands of Turks when the Ottoman Empire was disintegrating in the WW I. 

They were in fear because Turks would take revenge on them. They did not want to be displaced and relocated either.  They converted to Islam in order to be exempted from the relocation obligation. Most of them remained loyaled to the muslim faith but some of them reverted. 

The treaty of Sevres( 1920 ) had a special article for the Armenians who converted to Islam. Turkey would take all the safety measures for them to revert to christianity.

Most of them are sincere, upright muslims today.

See this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGXvUkpYoFc

Armenians claim roots in Diyarbakır

A group of Armenians, raised as Sunni Muslims, will be baptized today as Armenian Orthodox christians at the historic St. Giragos (Surp Giragos) Armenian Church in Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

The church, which was reopened on Oct. 22 following two years of restoration work, will host the baptism ceremony for dozens of Sunni Muslims of Armenian origin, whose ancestors converted to Islam after the 1915 killings in the Ottoman era.

From: here

To be honest they look scary.

Quoting si++

Armenians claim roots in Diyarbakır

 

The Surp Giragos Church was blessed on Oct. 22 in accordance with the traditions of the Apostolic Armenian Church. DHA photo

A group of Armenians, raised as Sunni Muslims, will be baptized today as Armenian Orthodox christians at the historic St. Giragos (Surp Giragos) Armenian Church in Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

The church, which was reopened on Oct. 22 following two years of restoration work, will host the baptism ceremony for dozens of Sunni Muslims of Armenian origin, whose ancestors converted to Islam after the 1915 killings in the Ottoman era.

 

From: here

as soon as this sermon is over the crowd cheers "bring on the double bacon cheeseburger "

life is a contest and a race to the end ... does it really matter where or how you get there

ISTANBUL. – Turkey’s famous rock singer Yasar Kurt, revealing his Armenian identity at the age of 40, told what was the surrounding’s response after knowing the truth.

He told that everything was confused after revealing his Armenian origin.

“I was excited for 1.5 years and got very angry. Why it happened so? Why I was unaware?” Kurt said.

According to him, the elder relatives accepted his Armenian origin news normal, while the younger ones stricter. There were even people who told him to go to Armenia, which disclosed the real face of those people.

The singer was born in Istanbul and started to learn Armenian on knowing his real identity.

Source: here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsjRanbZyt4

http://www.haberler.com/100-bin-gizli-ermeni-var-4569693-haberi/

Bugün TV de Erkam Tufan ile Analiz programında Ermeni Patrik Genel Vekili Aram Ateşyan önemli açıklamalarda bulundu. "Türkiye´de 100 binin üstünde gizli Ermeni var" iddiasında bulunan Ateşyan, Tunceli´nin yüzde 90´ının Ermeni olduğunu savundu.

ARAM ATEŞYAN : Ben önce birinci dünya savaşından ele almıyorum. Büyük anne ve babalarımızı ele alırsam onlar 1 milyonun üzerindedir. Son nesilden bahsediyorum artı yüz bin daha var en az bugün yaşayanların annesi babası Ermeni olanlardan bahsediyorum. Annesi babası ermeni olan ama kendini Müslümanım diye tabir eden, Ermeniceyi bilen, boynunda gizlice haç taşıyan yüz binin üzerinde Ermeni var.

Erkam Tufan AYTAV : Yüz bin epey büyük rakam değil mi? bu pek bilinmez, peki sizin onlarla kilise olarak bir bağlantınız var mı?

ARAM ATEŞYAN : Kilise olarak değil ama bireysel olarak var.

Erkam Tufan AYTAV : Neden kilise olarak değil, deşifre olmasınlar diye mi?

Briefly:

Aram Ateşyan from Armenian Patriarch has said that there are >100000 crypto Armenians in Turchia today adding that more than 90% of population of Tunceli province is of Armanian origin.

Tartışmaya " Çok kayıp verdik ama, bazılarımız anavatanımıza ihanet etmiş, yabancı devletlerin ordularına katılıp kendi yurttaşlarımıza silah çekmiştik; bu hıyanete katılmayanlarımızın başına bir felaket filan gelmedi" diye başlayacak bir delikanlı Taşnakcı varsa çıksın ortaya; anlaşırız !

Bugünkü Ermenistanı zamanında yöneten Osmanlı yöneticilerinin ve o zamanlar orada yaşayan Türk kökenli Osmanlı vatandaşlarının soyundan gelenlerin akibetinden haberi olanınız var mı?

Bir tane bile kalmamış. Hepsi buharlaşmış olmalı.

Bu konuda zırıldayan birini gördünüz mü?

I had a look at their web page. Their web page says they are pure and genuıne Armenians who had to live in disguise; they complain that other rich Armenians enjoying life in Istanbul never send them any money.

They do not explain why they had to hide themselves all those years, while some other Armenians lived elsewhere in Turkia, as Armenians, and prospered as decent citizens.

The last part of their declaration is an appeal to Western powers, begging for money. Money is very unlikely, but they may be offered some shiny army uniforms very soon.

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY !

Quoting si++

Armenians claim roots in Diyarbakır

 

The Surp Giragos Church was blessed on Oct. 22 in accordance with the traditions of the Apostolic Armenian Church. DHA photo

A group of Armenians, raised as Sunni Muslims, will be baptized today as Armenian Orthodox christians at the historic St. Giragos (Surp Giragos) Armenian Church in Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

The church, which was reopened on Oct. 22 following two years of restoration work, will host the baptism ceremony for dozens of Sunni Muslims of Armenian origin, whose ancestors converted to Islam after the 1915 killings in the Ottoman era.

 

From: here

Roots in Dıyarbakır area, they can have; Nobady refutes it anyway.

For independent sovereignity in Diyarbakır area, they have to pay the price.