According to the
article, a man in Istanbul attacked, strangled and beat an elderly woman brutally
almost to death. He robbed her and left her bruised and blinded in one eye. This
has been the first string of attacks in the last few months on elderly Armenian
women in Samatya, Istanbul’s historic Armenian quarter. In recent years, Turkey
has tend to become more accommodating toward its minorities but this attack in Samatya
has left residents afraid to leave doors unlock and are living in fear. Robert
Koptas, the the editor of Agos, an Armenian newspaper has covered the issues of
several attacks explaining that they (Armenians) were always regarded as foreigners,
as second-class citizens. The article states that Armenians and other minorities
were once widely discriminated against in Turkey, escalating to
violent attacks by nationalists and shut out from the army officer corps.
A downside to this article was that it provides a synopsis
about Armenian people living in fear but refuse to give details about what
happened in the past to bring about so much animosity against Armenian people. The
article mentioned that the recent violence
has recalled a tortured past and hinted at future tensions as Turkey prepares
to face the 100th anniversary of the genocide of its Armenian population in the
last years of the Ottoman Empire. Despite the past, the article mentioned a good
review about issues that have improved bought by Turkey’s effort to join the
European and reform the community. The country is questioning the anniversary that’s
coming up and wondering will the outcome of it reconcile this issue or create
more tension. This article makes me believe that the Armenian people will decrease
their fear and stand up in harmony to face the Turkey government and citizens. They
should protest for a more democratic government which will enforce laws and
improve their role advancement as first class citizens instead of foreigners
being victimized .Armenians deserve a sense of security and equality while
living in Samatya.
Courtney Lyons
April 04,2013 9:28pm
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