The Republic of Turkey finds itself in the middle of some of the world's most prominent conflicts.\nSituated north of Iraq, west of Kyrgyzstan, northeast of Syria and Israel and east of the Balkans, Turkey is surrounded by strife. Simultaneously, the Turkish people find themselves struggling to balance a friendly relationship with neighbors and the United States, battling ethnic conflict within their borders, stabilizing an unstable region and reforming their society to prepare for evaluation for acceptance into the European Union. \nBut at a speech Friday in Ballantine Hall, the Turkish ambassador to the United States, Dr. Osman Faruk Logoglu, highlighted Turkey's accomplishments.\n"What country has the highest percent of women professors in the world?," he asked. "Turkey. Thirty-five percent of our professors are women.\n"I think that's why we have so many smart people," he said.\nTurkey, with its high Islamic population, has considerably better gender equality than many of its contemporaries, Logoglu said. He attributed his country's merit in this area to a strong, secular, republican government.
Palpable tension\nBut the crowd wasn't always buying what the doctor was selling. Tension was noticeable as the crowd used the forum to field questions about Turkey's continued displacement of its rural Kurdish population.\nPolitical Science professor Michael McGinnis said that Turkish treatment of Kurds through history has been poor. He noted that Turks, for a time, treated the Kurds as if they were not a separate population, but as "mountain-Turks."\nBut, he added, "We shouldn't be too superior about this. (Some Americans) have been pushing English as the only language. Also, many immigrants have had to change their last names to fit in here."\nSpokesman for the ambassador Tuluy Tanc explained the history of the displaced peoples, adding that many Kurds have been able to return to the villages they were once forced to leave.\n"(A local terrorist organization) targeted not only Turkish security forces, but also local Kurds," Tanc said. "Many Kurds had to move to safer places." \n"The Return to Villages and Rehabilitation Program ... is far from being complete," he added.\nTo highlight opportunities Turkey allows Kurds, Logoglu pointed out that Istanbul is the world's largest Kurdish city. He also said he thought his country was headed in the right direction in treatment of minority ethnic groups.\nThe current decade has seen improvements in the treatment of Kurds, yet problems remain. According to the Network for Education and Academic Rights, 1,300 students were detained by the police in 2002 for distributing petitions asking for support for more classes about the Kurdish language.\nThe Kurdish language has continued to be a point of contention. Just recently the language was allowed to be broadcast in Turkey without fear of reprisal. Until December of 2004, Kurdish language broadcasts had been labeled political subversion, according to the Kurdistan Observer.
Cyprus and the EU\nWhile battling human rights issues, Turkey is simultaneously attempting to follow island neighbor Cyprus into the EU. \nMcGinnis believes Cyprus, now divided between Greek and Turkish ethnic factions, must unify before the EU can accept Turkey. Otherwise new EU member Cyprus might veto Turkey's entrance, he said.\nAlso at stake is the basic acceptance of religious differences and what constitutes the European Union. \n"It remains to be seen that the Europeans can accept an Islamic country," he said. "If the member countries somehow believe Islamic members threaten their identity, they might use (Cyprus' veto) as a façade."\nTanc was more optimistic and believed neither the cultural differences nor Cyprus would block Turkey's inevitable entrance in to the EU.\n"Entrance in to the EU requires meeting standards in certain human rights areas, democracy, etc.," Tanc said. "Economically, Turkey is prepared."\nNegotiations are slated to begin between the international organization and Turkey in October of this year, Tanc said. Given the standards for admission to the EU, Turkey might still have significant work to do.\n"Religion and culture are beginning to loom as problems," Tanc said. "We're working to increase the grassroots understanding between European society and Turkish society."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Sam \nNissen at scnissen@indiana.edu.
