The Christianity was made a state religion first time ever in today’sIstanbul,Turkey.

The Emperor “Constantine the Great” founded theEastern Roman Empire, and on 330 A.D. he accepted Christianity, and accorded a status to it by declaring the Christianity the official religion of the realm. He made the city ofGreek Byzantium(today’sIstanbul) its capital, and renamed it Constantinople.

In Jerusalem, a sect out of nowhere, peaceful and humble posed a quiet challenge to the all-powerful Roman emperors. The spiritual leader of this mission was Jesus Christ. During the early stage of this movement his followers were persecuted. Following his death, during the period between 29AD and 40AD the Roman persecutions of his disciples increased; therefore, they convened secretly in places chosen by the Apostles. Between 37 A.D. and 42 A.D. the Roman persecutions intensified, and the Apostles were forced to leave Jerusalemfor more secure places. The Apostles Peter and his followers chose Antioch, today’s Antakya, a Turkish town on the Eastern Mediterraneanwhich was once one of the great emporiums of the Hellenistic and Roman world. Those faithful Christians convened in a makeshift locale, and feeling secure, they called themselves first time ever “Christians”, meaning those who adopted the faith of Christ. Their meeting place in Antiochis accepted as the first Christian church of the world. There were earlier congregation places inJerusalem, but the congregants had not identified themselves as “Christians.” Therefore; theAntiochChurch holds the title of the “First Christian Church”. Later,Antioch gained prominence in Christianity, and was the third important Christian city afterJerusalem and Rome.

The Roman persecutions of the early Christians lasted for about three centuries, during which time the beleaguered Christians found a safe haven in today’s Turkish heartland, which is called with its antique name of “Cappadocia”. Today, in that region there are two Turkish towns called “Urgup” and “Goreme”. A New York Times article describes those cities as “lunar landscapes”, and further it says, “a more extraterrestrial specter than Cappadocia’s landscape can hardly be imagined – endless fields of bizarre castles, cones, spires and towers, crags dotted with mysterious apertures and phalanxes of gigantic mushrooms wearing caps that mock gravity.” Tens of thousands years of volcanic eruptions created a tufa, a soft and malleable stone, consisting of lava, ash and mud. Beneath this fantastic landscape the early Christians dug far-flung subterranean cities 10 stories (300 feet) deep that include churches, storage areas, and ingenious airshafts and wells that made possible long subterranean stays. Above ground they carved churches, monasteries and hermits’ hideaways into the rock and painted on their walls icons and geometric designs. Today, a total of six ancient churches exist in that area.

Virgin Mary is revered in Islam too as the mother of Jesus Christ.(Meryem Ana in Turkish, meaning Mother Mary) She spent her last years in Ephesus, a town in the western Turkey. The successive Roman emperors saw the Christians as a curse and a growing threat to their authorities. Shortly after the Ascension of Jesus Christ,Jerusalem became even more dangerous a place. Saint Peter andSaint John were imprisoned, and in 37 A.D. Saint Stephen was stoned to death. In 42 A.D. Saint James the Elder,Saint John’s brother, was beheaded. Under such circumstances it was unthinkable thatSaint John, who had been entrusted with the care of Mary by Christ himself, would have exposed her to such a peril. According to Tradition Mary and Saint John left Jerusalem for Asia Minor (present day Turkey) in the year 37 A.D., or the latest, in 42 A.D. Eusebius of Caesarea (260-339A.D.) the renowned theologian, church historian and the biographer of the Emperor Constantine wrote that the Asia Minor at that time was turned to a field of apostolic activities by the Jesus’ disciples escaping from Jerusalem. Mary lived for nine years at the western Anatolian town ofEphesus in a stone house originally built bySaint John on the top of a hill at an elevation of 1,500 ft. Today, a path shaded by olive trees leads to a statue of her located next to her house that welcomes the visitors gracefully. She may have died there at about the age of 64. Her grave is a mile away from her house.

In Ephesus, as early as the 3^rd century a large Christian church (Marian Basilica) existed. It was dedicated to Saint Mary, where the Ecumenical Council of 431 A.D. was convened. The church law, then prevalent, did not allow building churches to venerate saints, except in places where they had lived or died. This is a confirmation that Mary had lived there. Also, the tomb of Saint John is there too; it lies under the marble sanctuary within the Basilica of Saint John. Ever since the 8^th century the Syrian Jacobite Church upheld the Ephesian Tradition with regard to Mary’s last years. Later, they reaffirmed this belief in 12^th and 13^th centuries, and again in 17^th and the 18^th centuries. The Pope “learned” Benedict XIV (1740-1758) also confirmed the Ephesian Tradition.

In the same area, about 7 miles East of Ephesus there is a town called “Kirkince”. An Orthodox colony of 4000 Greeks have lived in that area. They are the last remaining ascendants of the Ephesian Christians. Their forefathers took refuge in Kirkince in the 11^th century because of the invasion of the Seljuk Turks. Every year, on August 15^th they convene in a small chapel on Bulbul Dag (Mount of Nightingale) to celebrate the Assumption Day. Some historians tie those maverick Christians to the habitation of Virgin Mary in that area. They claim those diehard Christians were the loyal followers of Virgin Mary.

Today, the Virgin Mary’s house is a pilgrimage site. It started in 1896. In 1982, there were about 500,000 visitors from all over the world. Pope Leo XIII, Pope Saint Pious X, John XXIII, Paul IV (July 26, 1967), and John Paul II (November 30, 1979) made pilgrimage to the site, and proclaimed it as a pilgrimage ground. On the way to Mary’s house is the Grotto of the Seven Sleepers. Here, carved out of the mountain side, are the remains of three churches, the tombs of the seven early Christian martyrs, and the tomb of Mary Magdalena. 

Apostle Saint Paul was born in Tarsus, a town in the Southern Turkey which is notable for another earlier occasion; it was the meeting place of Anthony and Cleopatra in 37 B.C. Saint Paul was a Jew, and named Saul after the first king of Israel. Saint Paul made three missionary voyages. All these trips originated from today’sTurkey.  His first voyage started in A.D. 47 fromAntioch, and ended a year later again inAntioch. His second voyage started in 49 AD also fromAntioch, he moved to the North and crossed toEurope from the Dardanelle (Turkish Straits). He and his party went toMacedonia, there Luke, the author of the fourth Gospel, joinedSaint Paul’s party. Then, they came toAthens, and toCorinth. They crossed the Aegean Sea back to Asia Minor, and arrived toEphesus. Later,Saint John left for the Holy Land, and then returned toAntioch.

WhenSaint Paulstarted his third missionary voyage fromAntiochhe had planned to go to the city ofEphesus, which he did, and stayed there about two-and-half years. He and his companions then traveled to Northern Greece andMacedonia. Then they traveled to the Aegean islands, and finally toHoly Land. InJerusalem, he was arrested with trumped up charges. He wanted to appeal to the Emperor, and was taken toRome. He was freed. He returned toEphesus. In AD 67, during the reign of the Emperor Nero, he was arrested second time, this time he was found guilty, and beheaded.Saint Paulwas a tireless preacher, a true believer and a spirited evangelist. He became a martyr.

Another famous person of Christianity with roots in Turkey is Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus; who was born and lived in the 4^th century in a town called “Patara” (today, Gelemis) in Southern Turkey. Patara was an important port city in the ancient times. His tomb and his church still stand intact in a neighboring small town calledMyra (Demre, in Turkish) also located inSouthern Turkey. Previously,Myra was a pagan city, but in the Saint Nicholas’s time it became the seat of his Bishopric.Saint Paul visitedMyra during his journey toRome.

Nicholas was the son of wealthy parents who died young. With the money he inherited he made a practice of giving secretly to the poor. Nicholas became Christian, and traveled toJerusalemfor pilgrimage. On his return he went toMyra; the Christian had built a church on the site of an ancient pagan temple. He became the Bishop of Myra and modestly filled the Episcopal See of Myra. His generosity and the tales of his benevolence spread beyond the range of his small village, and even drew the wrath of the Byzantine Emperor Diocletian who put him in jail and had him tortured.

To many, Saint Nicholas is more than a saint; he is the spirit of Christmas.

Christianity is a dynamic religion, open to new ideas, and is progressive. In 395 A.D. theRoman Empirewas divided into two for political reasons. The Western Roman Empire centered inRome, and the Eastern Roman Empire centered in Byzantine (today’sIstanbul,Turkey). Being geographically far from each other the theology, interpretation, and even the liturgy in these two Christian centers gradually grew apart. Despite some rivalry betweenRomeand theConstantinoplethey worked in a relative harmony until 11^th century. The Patriarch of the Orthodox Church inIstanbul felt that the Pope of the WesternChurchinRomeconstantly introduced innovations into the liturgy which he believed as a direct violation of the ecclesiastical laws laid down by the Apostles and the successive synods. He found those accretions schismatic. Historically, the Eastern Orthodox Church has assumed seniority over the Latin Church; it acted as if it was the custodian, if not the direct heir to the Christianity. Its posture was that the Christianity was home-grown in the Orthodox soil; whereas it was “transplanted” in the Latin soil; and the “bonding” in that climate may not have been right as 500 years later the Protestantism divided the Western Christianity into warring camps. Thus, the Orthodox Church carved itself an image of being “original” while it regarded the Latin Church in Romeas a “late comer” without any “organic” ties to the root of the Christianity. In that environment, the question of Trinity turned from a mild disagreement to a thorny issue that occupied the agenda of both Churches. Each interpreted the Trinity from its own rigid perspective. Inevitably, it escalated to a burning issue which caused the relations between these two main branches of the Christianity broke off in a schism. The contention had a political dimension, but it had also theological and doctrinaire layers. Final showdown came about on July 16, 1054 at the Church of Saint Sophia (Holly Wisdom) inIstanbul. Cardinal Humbert, an envoy of the Pope, was visitingConstantinople, following some provocative discussions he placed on the communion table an aphorism excommunicating the Eastern Patriarch and the bishops of the Eastern Church collectively, and he did this in their home turf! It was an audacity unpardonable. Ever since this incident these two main branches of Christianity do not talk to each other. The late Pope John Paul II made an attempt to re-establish the “union” between the Latin and theOrthodoxChurches; but the relations have not warmed up yet.

Other early Christianity relics that exist in today’s Turkeyare the “Seven Churches of Revelation”. The Book of Revelation was written about 95 A.D. by Apostle John. It is the only prophetic-based book in the New Testament. The seven churches of Revelation were existed in the first century A.D. They are located atEphesus,Smyrna (today’sIzmir),Pergamum (today’sBergama), Thyatira (today’s Akhisar),Sardis,Philadelphia (today’s Alasehir), andLaodicea – all in today’sTurkey.

All the above Christian relics located in today’s Turkey have generated a lively “Faith Tourism”, and each year thousands of pilgrims flock to Turkey to visit those sites, and to feel the holy presence of their faith. 

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Ayhan Ozer

Pennington,NJ

15 May 2012

Avrupa’nin ilk Turk dernegi – Kapak

The launch is scheduled to take place at the Kingsway Hall Hotel in Covent Garden on the evening of 19^th April 2012. This is to help celebrate with the book launch commemorating the establishment of the first Turkish Association in which the former President of Northern Cyprus Mr. Rauf Denktas, the Ambassador of Turkey to London and also the Head of the Turkish Consulate in London as well as other prominent people have contributed.

The Association since 1951 has helped to disseminate information on education, immigration, housing and other social issues of the time, to the wider community by raising their awareness with the support of key figures from the world of politics primarily from Cyprus and Turkey. The Association attracted some of the most talented individuals such as the Nobel Peace prize nominee  Osman Turkay amongst its members and active supporters.

The Cyprus Turkish Association was established in Soho, London. Sociologist, producer and director Ms. Semra Eren-Nijhar has worked over several years in the archives of the Association and compiled the book – ‘The First Turkish Association in Europe – Cyprus Turkish Association’ . The CTA has its office and building at the heart of London in Soho and prides itself as a self help and resilient organisation that has kept the torch of harmony and integration burning despite the many challenges.

At this important juncture in the political, social and economic landscape in London and across the world, it is an honour to mark the occasion with distinguished guests and supporters that form the cream of the Turkish community from the across the UK. We expect to have many distinguished guests from Turkey as well as from other communities including London Mayoral Candidates and other dignitaries at the event with wide range of media also present for the event coverage.

The event is jointly hosted by the chair of the Association:

Mustafa Gencsoy of the Cyprus Turkish Association, Tel: 020 7437 4940

Author of the book: Semra Eren-Nijhar (SUNCUT Consulting), semra.e.n@suncut.co.uk

Note: The book Launch took place as it is scheduled. Please see the pictures below.

How did this belief come about? In ancient societies it was widely believed that a cosmic belt that carried supernatural forces surrounded the Earth, and some human beings were unknowingly in tune with that force which reflected in their eyes, supposedly causing unintentional harm to other people.

Belief in the evil eye is ancient, and it goes back to preliterate pagan societies; however, it has persisted throughout the world into modern times. In our time, almost all the traditions, the Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism have references to it. In some countries the strangers, the crippled, the lame individuals, and old women are most accused of casting evil eye. Envy or jealousy of someone else’s prosperity or beauty, yearning intensely for the good fortune of other people, as well as the malice are thought to be the cause.  It is believed that if a person is admired and loved by others the evil eye may strike that person. Even plants, house pets, and homes are not immune from evil eye. In medieval Europe it was considered unlucky to be praised or to have one’s possessions admired. Even today, this superstition exists in many parts of the world. In some countries the newly born babies are kept apart from the visitors for 40 days to avoid the evil eyes. To ward off the harmful glances, people are expected to utter qualifying phrases such as “God bless it” or “Mashallah” (Marvellous, Wonderful), thus they mollify their admiration. Among some Asian and African people the evil eye is particularly dreaded while eating and drinking because the soul is thought to be more vulnerable when the mouth is open; therefore eating is either a solitary activity, or takes place only with the immediate family and behind locked doors.

The power of the evil eye sometimes reaches unimaginable dimensions. A Slavic folktale, for example, relates the story of a father who was believed possessing evil eye. He blinded himself in order to avoid injuring his own children.

Measures taken to avert the evil eye may vary among cultures. Wearing amulets, charms  (Nazarlık), talisman; or, to display ritual drawings or objects are the most commons. Also, such items as horse shoe, baby shoe, and garlic are displayed at homes. In Turkey, the charms made of blue stone that depict a picture of an eye can be worn by the children on their shoulders or on the necks, or attached on a crib. Also, a strong-scented perennial woody herb called “Rue” is burned to dispel the bad souls (Tütsü in Turkish).

Once a person is believed to be stricken by the evil eye, there are remedies to break or dispel it. It is believed that those reliefs can free a person from the mental and the spiritual bondage that may be tormenting him or her. Those cures are primitive in nature, and without any rational basis. The most common practice is having a holy man read verses from Qur’an and then blow out gently to the face of the stricken.

A person “who has been touched by the evil eye” can also be exorcised by a wise man to drive out the evil spirit. An ancient practice called “Pouring (molten) Lead” is believed to be a panacea. To perform this ritual, the subject person is covered with a blanket for protection from scattering lead fragments. About half a pound of lead is melted in a receptacle, then it is brought gently above the head of the subject person, and dumped into cold water in a large and deep container. This permits the lead to take its shape freely while it solidifies. In contact with the cold water, the hot liquid lead gives off a sharp and explosive sound, and takes immediately an odd shape with several outstretched spikes; which signify, so it is believed, the evil is broken, or dispelled.

As for the amulets. They are also called “Talisman”, an object either natural or man-made, believed to be endowed with special powers to protect or to bring good fortune. Amulets are carried on the person, or put in critical places around the house. They are made of precious stones, metals, teeth, horn, or claws of animals. Among believers the amulets are thought to derive power from their connection with natural forces or from religious associations.

The Christian amulets include the traditional relics of saints and letters which are said to have been sent from heaven. The crosses or crucifixes, and statuettes of the Madonna are also very popular. Among Jews the preparation of amulets is a rabbinic function. Muslims often carry on their person’s verses from the Qur’an, or the names of God, or associated sacred numbers carefully wrapped in a small satchels.

Ayhan Ozer

Pennington, NJ

20th March 2012

Maxime Gauin

“Inquisitorial, liberticidal and obscurantist” said Josselin de Rohan, then Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the French Senate, on May 4, 2011. The first censorship bill regarding the Armenian issue was rejected by an overwhelming majority of senators. For purely electoral reasons, Nicolas Sarkozy oversaw the vote of a similar, new bill on December 22. The text was presented by Marseille’s Deputy Valérie Boyer. The text was adopted, against the opinion of most French editorialists, from the social-democrat Jean Daniel to the conservative YvanRioufol, who are hostile to the draft, against the statements of prominent French historians including Pierre Nora, and also against the hostility of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Alain Juppé and “discontentment” of the Minister of Interior Claude Guéant.

Sevan Ince

The other night, we four Armenian friends were out from our Clubhouse and enjoying our water pipes at Galatasaray. The conversation turned around and came to the known topic. I sensed that every one is troubled on the same subject. How would you make this heard to the world as a Turk with Armenian origin being a simple citizen of Turkey? . .

You are not a reputed artist, politician or president of some association that others would extend the microphone to you for an interview. You are not a columnist, so that you can make your ideas heard from your newspaper corner. All is fine, but we are fed up with this affair. Other persons speak in our place, knowing or having no idea.

On one side say that “there was a genocide made to Armenians” and on the other side they say “there is no genocide”. Now the latest fashion is those who say, “let us leave it to historians”. I just look to those who say that there was a genocide committed, and I see that they are either diaspora members full of hatred and grudge or politicians, who have a benefit from the matter. I look at those who say “there was no genocide” and I see that they have no deep knowledge, but refuse it as a habit. Moreover, speaking of historians, for God’s sake, what are they going to find out? Can be there a document of genocide? If a document is found by accident, a counter document is found and the argument continues to nowhere.

The truth is known by me and others like me, but no others! We are persons who heard the incidents from the first hand. We are Turkish Armenians. The Turkish Armenians bear a great difference from the Outside Armenians! We are the grand children of those Armenians who stayed in Turkey during the relocation or those who came back. We did not hear only one type of stories. Diaspora Armenians know only stories of death. They did not come back and did not see the embarrassed faces of their neighbors. They accuse only Turks for these deaths, they name all as genocide. But Turkish Armenians have many other different stories.

For example, my grandfather was telling how his elder brother was taken from his farm in Erzincan and that he had to pay a donkey-load of gold to a corporal as ransom to save him. None of them, the gold or brother came back! My grandmother was telling how the youngsters of the village were gathered, given arms and made revolutionist gangs. Persons who spoke foreign language gave their uniforms.

My grandfather used to tell in cries about the Ottoman Captain Sinan, who did his utmost to save all his family in Kayseri. Thanks to the captain, none in the family was ever hurt. We listened to stories of bloodshed, but we also heard of the Turks who lied in front of the Turkish soldiers to save his Armenian friend carried away, or the neighboring Turks who opened their arms when the relocated persons returned home.

Therefore, I say let them ask us. No one can be more objective than us. This story has a long version explanation and a short one. The short one is as follows:

A portion of the community was mislead by imperialist powers and fought for separation. The Ottoman government was angered and took decision for relocation. This relocation was carried under the difficult conditions prevailing at that time. The exiles were carried in various manners, and helpless persons, children suffered and died. These deaths were because of epidemics and hunger. There was no organized killing made by Ottoman soldiers. The deaths out of the epidemics are separate individual cases, and were done by the robbers of the region, to get hold of the gold in possession of the people being marched. It is a matter of debate if the Ottoman army fighting on several fronts, had enough soldiers to avoid the murders during the marches. Under the circumstances and given the fact that Armenians living in the western parts of the country never had such sufferings, this cannot be called a genocide. You can give other names, but none can be named “genocide”. Furthermore, the number of 1.5 million does not signify the number of deaths, but the number of losses.

We Turkish Armenians know pretty well that Anatolia is full of Armenians who became Moslem, during or after these incidents. These persons, when they became free later, did not return to their own religion and since they hide their past, they were put in the column of those lost. This is the short explanation.

If one has to speak, we can speak and tell them the long version of the incidents. There can be no other historians better than us!. As regards the French, they should chew musty cheese.

Sevan İnce

(Note: This letter was left by Sevan İnce, before he committed suicide, because his business went bad).

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Translated from Taraf Newspaper, 26.1.09

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Resource: Armenian Genocide Resource Center http://armenians-1915.blogspot.com/2009/02/2739-death-announcement-of-sevan-ince.html

The Young Turks started as a Radio Talk Show ten years ago and continued as online TV. The show later moved to CNBCE, but was cancelled due to his harsh criticism of the developments in the political arena. His show appears daily on Current TV which is repeated several times each day.

The 10^th anniversary program covered several current topics and opened with an interview with Andrew Breitbart, a conservative activist and publisher (biggovernment.com), where a heated debate took place on the activities of the “Occupy Wall Street Movement.” At times, both talking simultaneously, Andrew accused Cenk and liberals that they were presenting the Tea Party as a terrorist organization, and at times Andrew referring to Cenk Uygur as a terrorist looking guy. There were a lot of accusations back and forth on the “Occupy Movement” as well, with videos from demonstrations, which was difficult to follow. In fact, during the show on the following day, Cenk Uygur stated that the interview with Andrew was the longest ever (13 minutes) where Andrew spoke the most, with all kinds of comments, and accusation on the sexual conduct of the movement participants, quite unusual to say the least.

The second topic of discussion was on the GOP presidential race and Rick Sontorum’s surge in the polls. There were several comments on Santorum’s political life and a video on his confrontation with the “Occupy movement”. There were also discussions on Mitt Romney’s ad campaigns.

The use of Drones by the US military in foreign countries which has resulted in the death of many innocent people was also discussed followed with “drum-beat for war with Iran.” Commenting on the extensive coverage of the Iranian threats against America, Cenk stated that all Iran said was that they would retaliate if they are attacked. Contacted by phone, an expert on the Iranian situation, Glenn Greenwald presented a long analysis from Rio the Janerio and referred to NBC’s broadcast demanding protection for the world from an Iranian attack.

The final topic was a discussion on the payroll tax proposal, argued by 3 members of “Power Pane” from Andy Kroll from “Mother Jones”, Elise Foley from “Huffington Post’ and Ari Berman, author of “Herding Donkeys”, individuals usually not seen on the main media. (The proposal became law the following day).

The show ended with a celebration of the 10^th anniversary with scenes from earlier programs and some insight into what they will be doing during the next ten years, including perhaps a trip to the Bahamas for the staff.

Yuksel Oktay, Washington Township, NJ. 15 February 2012

Cenk Kadir Uygur (Turkish pronunciation: [ˈdʒɛŋk ˈujɡur]; born March 21, 1970), is the main host and co-founder of the progressive^[2] Internet and talk radio show, The Young Turks (TYT).^[3][4] A naturalized U.S. citizen, Uygur was born in Turkey and raised from age eight in the United States. He worked as an attorney in Washington D.C. and New York before beginning his career as a political commentator. Originally a moderate Republican, he has since become a staunch critic of the Republican Party and has adopted more progressive and liberal views.^[5][6]

In addition to hosting TYT, Uygur appeared on MSNBC as a political commentator in 2010, later hosting a weeknight commentary show on the channel for nearly six months—until the time slot was given to Al Sharpton.^[7] Shortly after leaving MSNBC, Uygur secured a show on Current TV that began airing on December 5, 2011 before Countdown with Keith Olbermann.^[8]

There is a vague reference in history that attributes the beginning of this custom to Sultan Selim I (Yavuz or Grim, 1512-1520). There may be some truth to that as all of his wars were against the Arabs (Memluks) or Persians (Safavids). He also brought Khilafet to the Ottomans from Egypt in 1516. One of Istanbul’s imperial mosques, the world famous Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) was completed in 1616, and during its dedication ceremony the Ottoman sultan Ahmed I (1603-1617) initiated a custom of stringing oil lamps (Kandil) high in the air among the six minarets. This type of illumination is called “Mahya”. Kandil is a generic term that refers to the above four special events, it is a reference to those illuminations. Nowadays, however, the oil lamps have been replaced by electric bulbs. Those Mahyas occasionally spell out greetings and goodwill messages which could be seen at nights from everywhere. These illuminations are made throughout Ramadan also. The most popular message is “HOS GELDIN YA MUBAREK RAMAZAN” (Welcome, O Sacred  Ramadan). Those lights remain the entire month of celebration, including the Feast of Ramadan, the three-day observance marking the end of the fasting.

Lately, those Kandil celebrations have come under scrutiny. The contemporary scholarship claims that they did not exist during the time of Muhammed. There is no reference to such customs in the Holy Qur’an either. Also, during the period of the four Khalifs (Rashidun) who ruled after Muhammed, no such tradition was ever observed.  Later on, as the Muslim community started to grow, it has become more diverse, and to control the masses and bringing them into submission presented a challenge for the rulers. The Ulama came up with the idea of using religious observances to control the masses. The mosques have always been a perfect setting for the rulers to showcase their power. People are attracted to mosques where they are made subject to a massive brain-washing. They are induced to turn to their inner world with the inspiration of the ever-present heavenly fear. In the imposing atmosphere of the mosque the collective sub-conscious becomes imbued with the supremacy and the Might of the God as well as His Regent, the ruler. The serenity of the mosque and the unruffled quietude make the believer mentally ready for initiation into submission and obedience to God.

The devout in the congregate feel humble and diminished. Once people are thus tamed, the allegiance to the ruler is hammered home. The message that comes across is loud and clear. “Obey the God, and obey His shadow on earth,” This is a guided rite of passage into indoctrination and resignation. It all boils down to controlling the masses, and the Kandils have proven perfect medium to achieve this. The real purpose of those observations is political; religion is but a sugar-coating. Then the bottom line is, Kandils are temporal events, and later inventions and accretions to Islam by the clergy; they are not divinely ordained.

In fact, the modern scholars dispute the occasions that putatively gave rise to Kandil celebrations. For instance, they say in an ever-changing Islamic lunar calendar system how reliable is the date of birth of Muhammed, let alone his Conception? How so intimate an event could have been chronicled, and 1500 years ago at that? Besides, how significant is this, and what is its relevance to His holiness? Also, there are question marks about the Mirac Kandil which celebrates His Ascension to Heaven. The legend has it that He mounted a charger called “Burak”, journeyed to “seventh” heaven and met with God. He traveled from Mekka to Jerusalem – on a camel back – and returned on the same night. The distance covered is about 1000 miles, not to mention His vertical journey to Heaven. The modern scholars say these are parables, and today people regard them just fairy tales. Therefore, all the Kandil literatures which we see in print these days are mythical lore, not authentic.

We are living in an age of query. With the onset of the internet age everything is debated and probed, and logical answers are sought. Islam, so far, has remained immune from this brutal dissecting process. Yet, lately some fertile minds (shall we call them “iconoclasts!”) courageously search explanations to age-old taboos in Islam within the framework of reason.

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Pennington, NJ

6th February 2012

Yuksel Oktay

The 3rd National Energy Efficiency Forum and Fair was held  at the WOW Convention Center in İstanbul during the 31st annual Energy Efficiency Week. The Forum, organized by the General Directorate of Renewable Energy of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, and the ‘’Sektörel Fuarcılık’’with the support of many sponsors, including İstanbul Gas Distribution A.Ş. (IGDAŞ), the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, Ministry of Development, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Forestry and Water Works, Union of Turkish Engineers and Architects Associations (TMMOB), and others. There was no registration fee and the gala diner on Thursday night was also free where even wine and rakı was served while a six member group played and sang Turkish songs, including the favorite ‘’Eski Dostlar – Old Friends’’.

Over 1,000 professionals, bureaucrats, media members, exhibitors and others were among the attendees with standing room only at the opening session which started with the recital of the national anthem and the Turkish flag and image of Atatürk on the overhead screen. Close to 4,000 participants and visitors attended the Forum and the Fair, according to a newspaper article, and close to one hundred companies exhibited their products and services at the fair.

The opening speeches were made by Yusuf Yazar, General Manager of General Directorate of Renewabl Energy, Dr. Kıvanç Dinçer, Deputy Chairman of Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Turkey (TUBITAK), Mehmet Soğanci, Chairman of Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Scientists (TMMOB), Rıfat Hisarcıkoğlu, Chairman of Union of Chambers and Commodity (TOBB), Mahmut Mücahit Fındıklı, Chairman of Turkish Grand National Assembly Industry, Trade, Energy, Natural Resources Information and Technology Commission, and Taner Yıldız, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. There was a good representation of the energy sector who made important presentations on the present and the future state of Turkish energy sector with international participation.

Yusuf Yazar first reminded the audience that theGeneral Directorate of Renewable Energy was established in 2011, replacing the General Directorate of Electrical Power Resources Survey and Development Administration (EIE) which was founded back in 1934, first as the ‘’Electricification Bureau’’ (at Ataturk’s order). The total installed capacity of electricity in 1923 was 33 MW which has reached to over 53,000 at the end of 2011. Kıvanc Dincer, commenting that he is not from the energy sector and was invited to speak by the Minister of Energy, stated that the United States goal was to reach 50% conservation in the energy sector by 2025. Since Turkey meets most of her energy demands by imports (over 75 %), its goal should also be to conserve energy, which has been set as at least 20% by 2023. One of the areas is the 24 million  refrigerators, which consumes over 17 billion Kw every year, with a recommendation that 15 million of them should be rplaced with more efficient units. Mehmet Sogancı stated that Turkey had a potential to conserve 25% energy by 2023.

Minister of Energy presented information on the oil explorations, which has been increased by 12 fold since 2003 since oil, natural gas and coal will stil be dominant soource until 2050, accounting for 85% of energy need. Taner Yıldız stated that he goal for 2023 is to be among the top 10 largest economies and emphasized the need for building nuclear power plants which will also help in reducing global warming. The Minister also stated that the installed capacity of power plants will need to be doubled by 2023 and, up to now, licences have been issued for 50,000 MW.

The next session was the recognition of high school students who had participated in a competition on energy conservation. The awards to the winners were handed by the Miniser of Energy. This was followed by the opening of the Fair where many world famous companies were exhibiting their products an services. Among these were Siemens, Phillips, Schneider Elektrik, Rehau, Grundfos, Wilo, Osra, Thermaflex. Turkish companies were represented by Arçelik, Demirdöküm, E.C.A, Enve, Friterm, Izocam, TUBITAK MAM, Trakya Cam, Ytong, Viko and others. Civic organizations, such as MUSIAD, Chamber of Mechanical Engineers and many publishing companies also had stands.

There were 15 sessions during the two day forum, many moderated by representatives from the various energy related institutions and members of the Parliament, during which over 50 presentations were made. Everyone emphasized the need to enhance the society’s awareness regarding energy culture and efficiency. The first session, chaired by Deputy Ali Bayramoglu, was on ‘’Turkey’s Energy Efficiency Strategies and Legislation’’ where one of the speakers was Michael E. Koszalka, a US consultant on energy efficiency. This was followed by second session on ‘’Industrial energy efficiency strategies’’ where Ronald Vermeeren from Netherland spoke about long term agreements for increasing efficiency in industry.

The third session was on the ‘’role of local governments in energy efficiency’’ where one of the presenters, Aynur Acar from Union of Municipalities of Marmara, was asked what concrete actions were taken for accomplishing energy efficiency, which she responded with several examples, such as placing insulations on the outside of exsting buildings.The fourth session, chaired by Dr. Selahattin Çimen from MENR, covered ‘’Turkey’s Renewable Energy policies, legislation, action plans and environmental impact.’’ These were followed by sessions on financing mechanisms, energy efficiency strategies in buildings and the transportation sector. A ‘’Proceedings Book’’ with presentations was distributed to all participants.

On Friday, the Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan delivered a speech at 15:00 PM, emphasizing the importance of energy efficiency and conserbvation. The Prime Minister also presented  awards to companies selected for their contributon to energy efficiency, including Arçelik, Vestel, Koç and others. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) for creating a fuss over an investigation launched against its leader, accusing the CHP chairman of wanting to be a hero and likening him to fictional knight Don Quixote. The Prime Minister took advantage of the Forum and made remarks about the ongoing debate an ‘’Felzeke’’. He said: “We are working to produce energy from wind, but they are fighting with windmills. You see, they are creating a fuss over a probe. … They are now after cheap heroism. … Sorry, but this investigation can bring no heroism. … The imaginary world of that famous novel hero Don Quixote is not even as rich as that of [Kemal] Kılıçdaroğlu. It is not even certain what he is fighting with,”

All in all, this was an excellent Forum and Fair organized by Sektörel Fuarcılık in an efficient manner.

An international energy conference has also been held in Abu Dabi, ‘’World Energy Future Summit’’ last week where the UN General Secretay Ban Ki Moon and Wen Jiabao, the Prime Minister of China have also attended. According to Gila Benmayor in her Hurriyet column (17 jan 2012), very few from Turkey have attended the Summit although the main theme was Renewable Energy. Among the 26,000 attending the Summit were Meltem Çakıcı, Turhan Turhangil, Göktuğ Gür and Cihan Karamık from Turkey.

Yüksel Oktay, Energy Consultant, Washington, NJ, USA

İstanbul, 18 January 2012

Dr. Polat Kaya

A friend asked the meaning of the word KAVAL in Turkish.  To this my first response was that it meant “flute” in Turkish. But when she explained that it was the Indo-European word KAVAL meaning “horse” and what was my view about it, then, the story was changed completely and my view of this word and some other related words makes up the paper below.

First, we must note that although words may look alike in format does not necessarily mean that they are related to each other or one is derived from the other or both are coming from the same “root” word. The important linguistic element that determines the identity of a word is the meaning that has been assigned to it. Any comparison of two two words that look alike must be examined together with their meanings in order to make any  judgment abouth their linguistic relations.

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There seems to be a number of forms of this so called “Indo-European” (IE) word “KAVAL” meaning “horse” such as:

Latin “caballus“, Italian “cavallo” and sometimes  “caval“,  French “cheval“, etc. The speakers of such languages naturally think that this word is one of the original words of their languages which they speak from childhood onwards.  Of course, this assumption is a natural for them, as they do not study to learn how the words of their languages were made up.  Most people do not stop to think about such matters. However one expects that  at least some of the linguists would study such matters.  I have done such study intensively and I will now explain the nature of the make up of this word “kaval, cavallo, caballlus, cheval“.

Actually, these IE words that mean “horse” have their meaning taken from another word known as “AT” in Turkish meaning “horse“.  At this popint I can hear the the “no!, not so!” objections from the readers. But let me explaine.  This is so well camouflaged that the term AT is not even visible anymore in most IE words related to “KAVAL”in IE languages. However, we still have a few related words that give away their secrets. Some of them are:  French “chevalet, chevalement, chevaleresquement”, Italian “cavalcata, cavaletta”. Let us examine the following “horse” related words.

1. There is the French word CHEVALET which means “a horse, a horse like supporting stand.  Origin: 1800–10;  any wooden frame for holding or supporting something, equivalent to cheval  horse (< Latin caballus ) + -et -et;  compare parallel sense of horse“.  A similar French word is the word CHEVALEMENT which means “cheval, chevalerie”.

The French word CHEVALEMENT, when rearranged as “MEN-EVCHEL-AT”, I find that this so-called French word CHEVALEMENT is actually an altered, restructured and Frenchized form of the Turkish expression  “MEN EVCIL AT” meaning “I am domesticated horse”, that is, “I am tamed horse”.  So this is original concept represented by the word CHEVALEMENT.   In this Turkish expression, Turkish word MEN means “I am”, EVCIL means “domesticated, tamed” and AT means “horse”.

The French word CHEVAL is just the cut off front end of the larger term CHEVALEMENT giving the false impression that “cheval” is the root of the word which in fact it is not!  We must note that the “horse” concept has been taken from Turkish AT and then, allocated to CHEVAL in this construction.  This is concept stealing linguistic trick used to transfer the meaning of a word of another language and giving it to a newly concocted word.  Of course, in the process of fabrication of  the word CHEVALEMENT, the concept “domesticated” (tamed) expressed by the Turkish words  “MEN EVCIL” disappeared altogether while it gave its verbal body to the newly fabricated word “CHEVAL” at the same time the meaning “horse” of the Turkish word “AT” was transfered to “CHEVAL“.  This is linguistic version of the “three shell game” played by those with a fast hand trick.

We must also note that a monosyllable word AT meaning “horse” taken from the monosyllabic language of Turkish cannot be hidden readily.  The only alteration that a linguist can do to it is just reverse it to the form of TA in which the meaning “horse” would still be visible.  The only way to hide the stealing is to wrap the the term AT with some other Turkish words.  Linguistically, wrapping one word with another one or more words makes the altering and restructuring and hiding of the Turkish phrases much easier and thus, the resulting fabricated word becomes readily alienated, Aryanized, Indo-Europeanized and not recognizable as Turkish anymore.  In this restructuring, the term “MEN EVCIL”  in the the Turkish expression “MEN EVCIL AT” is the linguistic wrapping part in order to hide away the Turkish word ‘AT’ meaning “horse”.

And that is the trick that the makers of the so-called “Indo-European” languages used in fabricating countless number of words from Turkish language.  After all stealing Turkish words and phrases was not like stealing physical valuables of people.  When Turkish words and phrases are stolen and used to make up IE words, no one notices since there is no missing word in Turkish. This invisibility makes the thief quite happy and at ease!

We must also note that one can ride only on the back of the “domesticated “, that is, the “tamed” horse only”.  No self respecting wild horse will let a joker ride on its back!

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2.   The French word CHEVALERESQUE  means “chivalrous, knightly, like a knight, like a horseman-soldier who was raised to a high military position”.  The adverbial form of this French word is given as CHEVALERESQUEMENT meaning “like a horseman-soldier who was raised to a high military position.  (de façon chevaleresque, conforme a l’esprit de chevalerie)”.  Seu url link: http://dictionary.reverso.net/french-definition/chevaleresquement

The French word CHEVALERESQUEMENT, when rearranged letter-by-letter as “MEN-EVCHELE-AT- ESQERU”, I find that this so-called French word CHEVALERESQUEMENT is actually an altered, restructured and Frenchized form of the Turkish expression  “MEN EVCİL AT ESKERÜ” (MEN EVCİL AT ASKERİ) meaning “I am domesticated horse soldier”. So, this is the original concept in Turkish that is represented by the word CHEVALERESQUEMENT.

In this Turkish expression, Turkish word MEN means “I, I am”, EVCİL means “domesticated, tamed” and AT means “horse”,  ASKER means “soldier”, ASKERİ means “the soldier”.

In the French alteration and restructuring of this Turkish expression into CHEVALERESQUEMENT, the meaning of the Turkish has been redistributed among different parts of the new French word such that the front part CHEVAL gets the meaning of “horse”, and the part CHEVALERESQUE becomes the “horse-soldier”.  The remainder of the Turkish souce text forms the rest of the newly fabricated word CHEVALERESQUEMENT. In this way this newly fabricated word gets an alien Frenchise form with a complete meaning associeted with it, but all of has been taken from Turkish without anyone knowing about it.

3.   Curiously, this French word CHEVALERESQUE, meaning “chivalrous, knightly, like a knight, like a horseman-soldier”, has another relevant Turkish word hidden in its form.  We see it as follows:

The French word CHEVALERESQUE, when rearranged letter-by-letter as “SUVARECELEQ-EH”, I find that this so-called French word CHEVALERESQUE has also the Turkish expression “SÜVARİCİLİK” meaning “the profession of cavalry, the profession of knighthod”. This is again a correspondence which agrees totally meaning as well.  This indicates the power of durability of the Turkish language showing that no matter how its words and expressions are confused and restructured into other formats, it will retain its original intended meanings in Turkish within the new format. And they can be recovered back into Turkish if the meanings of the newly fabricated word is given.

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4.   There is the Italian word “CAVALCATA” meaning “riding on horseback” as if there is another part of a horse that one can ride.  When this word CAVALCATA is rearranged letter-by-letter as “AVCAL-ATC”, we find that it is the altered and restructured and renamed form of the of the Turkish expression ” EVCIL ATCı” meaning  “domesticated horse rider” (tamed horse rider) where Turkish word “EVCIL” means “domesticated, tamed”, “AT” means “horse” and ATCI means “horse rider; horse owner”.

But we must note that in this fabrication of a word from Turkish, the newly built word CAVALCATA has been renamed as meaning “riding on horseback” where the word CAVAL is presented with the false impression as if it is the word that gives the meaning “horse” to the word “CAVALCATA” and the rest is just some addition that makes the word to mean “riding on horseback”.  Yet no one knows the fact that this word CAVAL (KAVAL) has taken its meaning from Turkish word AT!

With these analyses given above, we have shown that the term French word CHEVAL and the Italian word CAVAL (KAVAL) get their meaning of “horse” from Turkish “AT“.

5.  There is the Italian expression CAVALLO DA CORSA meaning “race horse”.

The expression CAVALLO DA CORSA, rearranged as “AL-ARACLO-COSV-AD”, the altered and restructured form of the Turkish expression “AL ARAÇLU KOŞU ATI” meaning “race horse with red chariot”.

The Turkish words AL means “red”,  AT means “horse”, KOŞU means “race”, KOŞU ATI means “race horse”, ARAÇ (ARABA) means “vehicle, chariot”, ARAÇLU (ARABALI) means “with vehicle, with chariot”

Again, we have all elements of the decipherment in Turkish defined and shown how the Italian expression CAVALLO DA CORSA means “race horse”.

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6.   The latin word CABALLUS or CABALLI also means “horse“ö but we see that the letter T representıng the Turkısh word AT has been dropped for further camouflage. In this regard we have the following Latin word to analyse.

Although, I did not find it in dictionaries, I believe that in the Latin language, there must have been a word in the form of CABALLITER which would be equivalent to the Latin word EQUESTER meaning “equestrian, mounted on horse; horseman, cavalry”.  This word would also be similar to the Latin word CABALLARIUS meaning “a military man serving on horseback, horseman, rider”.

With this background information, when the term “CABALLITER“, meaning “horseman, horse soldier, rider“, is rearranged letter-by-letter as “EBCIL-ATLA-R”, we find that it is the altered and restructured and renamed form of the of the Turkish expression ” EVCIL ATLI eR” meaning  “domesticated horse rider man” (tamed-horse rider, tamed-horse soldier).  This would also explain the Latin word CABALLARIUS,  although the Turkish word AT has been dropped from it.

Turkish word “EVCIL”(EBCIL) means “domesticated, tamed”, “AT” means “horse”, ATLI means “with horse; horse rider; horse owner” and ER means “man, soldier, hero, husband”.

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7.   The Latin words EQUUS and EQUI are said to mean “horse; steed”.  Similarly, the latin words “equester, equestris, equestre”  mean “equestrian, mounted on horse; of/belonging to/consisting of horseman/cavalry”.

First let us begin with the Latin word EQUESTER (equestrian). When the Latin word EQUESTER is rearranged as “ET-ESQERU”, I find that this word EQUESTER is actually an altered, restructured and Romanized form of the Turkish expression “AT ASKERU” (AT ASKERI) meaning “horse soldier”.

In this Turkish expression, Turkish word AT means “horse“ and  ASKER (ESQER) means “soldier“.

We must note again that in this process the front part EQUES of the newly manufactured word EQUESTER got the meaning of “horse” and the rest got the meaning of “soldier” from Turkish source text!

So again we are witnessing rearrangement of a Turkish expresion into a so-called Latin word that did not exist before the rearrangement of this Turkish expression; and furtheremore, it usurped the Turkish words AT and ASKER and their meanings to come up with the word EQUESTER meaning “horse soldier”.  Any linguist will see that this is pure act of usurpation from Turkish language in concocting artificial languages and claiming them as if they were genuine languages!

8.   Similarly, the English word EQUESTRIAN is from Turkish expression “AT-ESQERAN-U” (AT ASKERLERI O” meaning “it is horse soldiers”.

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9.   The Greek term KATAPHRAKTOS means “armored cavalry”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cataphract

“A cataphract was a form of armored heavy cavalry utilised in ancient warfare by a number of peoples in Western Eurasia and the Eurasian Steppe.

The word in English is derived from the Greek: κατάφρακτος Kataphraktos (plural: κατάφρακτοι Kataphraktoi), literally meaning “armored” or “completely enclosed”. Historically the cataphract was a very heavily armored horseman, with both the rider and steed draped from head-to-toe in scale armor, while typically wielding a kontos or lance as their weapon.”

With this background information, the Greek word KATAPHRAKTOS, meaning “heavy cavalry”, has an important message to tell us!

When the Greek word KATAPHRAKTOS, rearranged letter-by-letter as “TORK-AT-ASKAPH” where symbol P is also Greek letter “R”, we find that the Greek word KATAPHRAKTOS is an altered, restructured and Hellenized form of the Turkish expression “TÜRK AT ASKARİ” (TÜRK AT ASKERİ, TÜRK SÜVARİ)  meaning “Turk Horse soldier” or “The Turkish Cavalry”. It is well known fact that “Turk Horse Soldiers” were the rulers of all steppes in the Western Eurasia and the Eurasian Steppes (Asia and Europe put together) in the ancient world. Ancient Greeks, as they did in every aspect of their Greek “civilization” including their language, took everything from the ancient Turanian Tur/Turk/Oguz peoples, altered and claimed as their own.  In this case, evidently they also took the “Turk Horse Soldiers” (The Turkish Cavalry) as their model, and armored their own horse soldiers heavily and called it KATAPHRAKTOS!

Turkish word AT means “horse”, ASKAR (ASKER) means “soldier”.  Additionally, Turkish word SÜVARİ means “cavalry, horse soldier”.

With this, I end this study about the KAVAL (CHEVAL) and their variations.

With best wishes to all,

Polat Kaya

16/01/2012

This ship had an interesting story that relates to the U.S. Navy and the World War II. She was built in 1927 by the Newport News Shipyard in Virginia to serve in Antilles. Her original name was S/S IROQUOIS. Later, the U.S. Navy purchased it to use as a hospital vessel for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, it was renamed S/S SOLACE. In 1941 she was stationed in Oahu, Hawaii.

In the U.S. history there is a “Day if Infamy” in which Japan, on December 7, 1941 attacked Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Naval Base in Honolulu, Hawaii, out of the blue, without any declaration of war, nor any warning. Nine ships of the U.S. Fleet were sunk, 21 ships were severely damaged, and 2,403 Americans were killed, including 68 civilians, 1,282 wounded. In all this turmoil one ship was spared by the Japanese kamikazes, it was S/S SOLACE, because she carried an insignia of red-cross on her deck. She was a hospital vessel; her mission was not to kill, but to save life. Throughout WW II, S/S SOLACE rendered valuable service. She carried 25,000 young men from the war zone to the safety of the mainland. At the end of the war, all those young men who owed their lives to S/S SOLACE formed a society, and created a medallion with a raised picture of her, and carried those medals with pride.

When the time for retirement came for this ship the U.S. Government did not know what to do with her. In those days, the most popular solution for the out-of- service ships was to sell it to a scrap dealer, who dismantled them to make razor blades. However, to sell her for salvage value would be a waste. The economy was struggling to revive. The ship was in good shape and unimpaired as she never took part in active war. With a measure of face-lift she could still have rendered service in the years to come; may be some countries would have been interested in buying her.

In fact, that country turned out to be Turkey. In 1949, The Turkish Maritime Lines showed interest in the ship and purchased her. With some further cosmetic and renovation she was converted to a luxury liner. She was renamed “S/S ANKARA”, and served long years in the Mediterranean, she was a sought after cruise ship not only in Turkey, but in Southern Europe and in the Middle East as well.

In 1981, S/S ANKARA was put out of service, and was sent to Aliaga demolition yard, where she eventually met her destiny; she was converted to razor blades!

Ayhan Ozer 

Pennington, NJ 

January 14, 2012