The Non-Fiction of "Snow"

Europe's refusal to admit Turkey to the EU is causing a backlash of negative, anti-European opinion in the country, reports the BBC. The rise of a fundamentalist Islamic movement in Turkey, and the conflict this is creating for ordinary people in their daily lives, were the subjects of Orhan Pamuk's recent novel, "Snow." Human rights abuses against the Kurds, as well as Turkey's refusal to admit the veracity of the Armenian genocide, have been central reasons why the country has not won admission to the EU.

But in a world that seems to be becoming more polarized with every passing day, one wonders if perhaps it's time to open the doors and help Turkey engage with the West as it has wanted to do. As the daughter-in-law of an Armenian refugee and a Syrian Christian whose grandfather was nearly massacred by the Ottomans in their persecution of Christians, I have no love for this past history - but I am a firm believer in dialogue, trade and cooperation between nations as a path to understanding and peace, and I see nothing to be gained and much to lose if Turkey slides into the hands of those who want it to become an Islamic republic, rather than the multi-cultural bridge between East and West that, at its best, it has historically been.

Comments

[Jean]

Like many pro-EU-integrationists, I'd be happy to see Turkey join. The German EU presidency (worst of all EU governments, with the history of racist German treatment of Turkish migrants who I believe still cannot get German citizenship, even into the second and third generation),has been against for all the wrong reasons. But of course there are some absolutely right conditions too re capital punishment, minority rights etc. Impossible to predict, right now, how things will go with the forthcoming Turkish elections or with EU membership. Impossible to predict how things will go in my own country, in these very frightening times, never mind in Turkey. I've just been reading some of the endless, horrible xenophobic, Islamophobic public comments on the BBC news website about recent events in England and Scotland. It's not surprising. But it's horrible. For all I am desperately opposed to some of the economic and cultural effects of globalisation, I remain convinced that European integration has to be the right way to go - to build, in as open-minded a way as possible, on what we have in common...

[Ernesto Priego]

I second Jean here. I am not a EU national, but I still agree with everything she says. It's really sad how, on a personal and empyrical level, one can witness the profound differences, mutual resentment and anger there is between, say, Greek, (Greek) Cypriot and Turkish young people. Greek students I know always had a passive-agressive comment to make about Cypriots, and viceversa. And when the Greek Cypriots are asked to talk about Turkey, well, there's hell. And these are postgraduates doing humanities degrees.

And yes, you should have seen The Sun's cover yesterday... so disgusting.

[beth]

Thanks for your perspectives, Jean and Ernesto. I agree with both of you.

[Bitterroot]

"...in a world that seems to be becoming more polarized with every passing day..."

"...dialogue, trade and cooperation between nations as a path to understanding and peace..."

Amen. Looking at things from the other side of the Atlantic, I am frightened and bone-weary of the damage that has been caused by the administration of our country (US) drawing spurious lines in the sand. The resulting polarization in our own country as a result of these policies, which of course have contributed to the problems you allude to above, is as severe as anything I've seen in my lifetime.

[beth]

I've somehow stopped getting comment notifications from TypePad, so I missed seeing yours quickly. Sorry! thanks very much for the comment - and I couldn't agree with you more. It's extremely sad and disheartening to see what's happened in our country; I was just writing about that very subject in my journal this morning. I'm glad some of us have an online connection as a way to discuss these trends and our feelings about them.