Turkish Today’s Zaman daily writes that the prominent Turkish journalist Hasan Cemal, in his recent book titled “1915: Armenian Genocide,” published last month, accounts for the evolution of his response to the question of what happened to the Ottoman Armenians, which forms the substance of what is called the “Armenian question” in Turkey.
Hasan Cemal’s book is significant in various respects. One aspect has to do with him being the grandson of Cemal Paşa, who was one of the leading figures in the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) government that took the decision to forcefully deport nearly the entire Armenian population of the empire, and who was gunned down in revenge by Armenian nationalists in Tbilisi in 1921.
An interesting piece of information provided in the book has to do with the late İlhan Selçuk, a columnist of the Cumhuriyet daily who has held great value for Kemalists. He has apparently never spoken of his Armenian mother. This is quite a remarkable example of how the Kemalist state has not only tried to cover up historical facts but also induced citizens to hide their ethnic origins.
Another important aspect of the book is that it indicates how daring Turkey’s intellectuals can be in smashing the taboos of the Kemalist state.
We should stress that even though Turkish government tries to put pressure on the idea of Armenian Genocide but the book shows the truth and it will help for the recognition for Armenian Genocide.
