Ask a Turkish citizen

Will the world ever know whether Baklava was originally Turkish or Greek? Have you heard the song 'Istanbul (Not Constantinople)' by The Might Be Giants? Do you wish the EU would let you guys in? Does the average Turkish joe? Are there serious anti-Greek groups in Turkey? How important is the Cyprus issue to you/the general pubic?

I leave it at that for now, but I'm just bursting with questions.
 
Will the world ever know whether Baklava was originally Turkish or Greek?
I hope so :) then we can move on to coffee.
Have you heard the song 'Istanbul (Not Constantinople)' by The Might Be Giants?
Yes, but i think song is older TMBG version is a cover.

Do you wish the EU would let you guys in?
Don't care. It's just another imperialist bloc
Does the average Turkish joe?
used to but not anymore.
Are there serious anti-Greek groups in Turkey?
Not anymore. After 1999 earthquakes greeks considered as friendly, but it can change back pretty quickly. We should solve our two problems with greece (cyprus and continental shelf)
How important is the Cyprus issue to you/the general pubic?
Cypriots should decide what should be done. For me Annan plan was fair but greeks rejected it. I am not really disturbed by de facto two states. General public also do not really care about what happens in cyprus but for nationalist movements it's crucial.

I leave it at that for now, but I'm just bursting with questions.
keep 'em coming.
 
How do you feel about headscarves, and them being allowed in universities? Does the Education system/the official story ever consider the Byzantine Empire as part of Turkish history? Or is the history of 'Turkey' considered to begin with the migration into Anatolia? What is the most popular sport in Turkey (I'm guessing football, and if that's the case, what's the second most popular? Why was the capital moved to Ankara? How does the Black Sea compare to the Mediterranean? Do you agree with the tone Erdogan has been taking with Israel and the Arab Spring? Do you think Communism could succeed in Turkey? How do you feel about Military Service?
 
How do you feel about headscarves, and them being allowed in universities?
I do believe headscarves are product of a belief system(Islam) that sees women inferior, and no place in a society I want. But banning it is in a grey area. I see it as a political symbol and have no problem with people wearing political symbols in a university. But it's also tool of women oppression, many girls are forced to wear headscarves when they're young and most the girls in scarves would get a real beating if they tried to remove it. And I know from personal experience that, being not allowed to wear it in university can be a woman's way to liberate herself from this oppression. Long story short, If I were convinced that ALL women who wears headscarves choose it with their own, it would be OK for me but untill then I think it's a problem.

Does the Education system/the official story ever consider the Byzantine Empire as part of Turkish history? Or is the history of 'Turkey' considered to begin with the migration into Anatolia?
Our education system more focused on ethnicity than geography. It starts the story from central asia with huns, Göktürks, uyghurs, Ghaznavids, selçuks... and so on. Of course it tells about anatolian civilization starting from hittites but not as a part of turkish history but world history.
What is the most popular sport in Turkey (I'm guessing football, and if that's the case, what's the second most popular?
Of course football :) as for the second one for younger people baskeball but older ones horse racing.
Why was the capital moved to Ankara?
We were taught that, Atatürk made Ankara capital because it's more central and more defendable. But in reality -this is not for a fact but theory i find the most plausible- Atatürk wanted to create something new and he couldn't do it in İstanbul. so he made HQ of independence war as Capital
How does the Black Sea compare to the Mediterranean?
Less salty and more wavy.
Do you agree with the tone Erdogan has been taking with Israel
Erdoğan is supporting Palestine for all wrong reason. Like all İslamists he supports it because Palestine movement is become an islamist movement. in 1970's islamist in Turkey were pro-israel because USSR's support for palestine.
and the Arab Spring?
I am not convinced that it's spring In tunisia and Egypt islamist are hijaking the revolutions. Libya was French-led islamist coup just from the begining.
Do you think Communism could succeed in Turkey?
Communism would not and will not in any country. Communism is a stateless society where there are no countries. So to communism to suceed Turkey should cease to exist.
How do you feel about Military Service?
The worst 5 months 5 days of my life :)
 
#1:
How do the Turks feel about their early history? Knowing that you founded your country essentially by destroying another - one which had existed there for a thousand years - and then went on expanding, raiding, enslaving, and subjugating everyone unfortunate enough to share a border with you, this must be a recipe for a nice national psychosis. Is the rampant Turkish nationalism that's been prevalent in the country since WW1 a "cure" to this? Or do ordinary Turks believe that "might makes right"?

#2:
What do you think Turks living in Germany should do: assimilate into German society, or remain Turkish with strong ties to Turkey (that could be exploited to influence the German political scene)?
 
What part does religion play in the lives of ordinary Turks? By what I hear, Turkey is a country divided between the deeply conservative Inner Anatolia and increasingly liberal Izmir/Thrace?


Is there confusion among Turks as to if they belong in the Western World, or the Middle East and Central Asia?
 
About the whole headscarf thing, it's interesting how some women wear it just for tradition and with others it's religious and/or political. The women from villages and older women, a lot of them just wear it loose and don't really seem to be bothered if someone sees their hair. You can see them adjusting it in public and practically taking the whole scarf off. With some people, I go to their home and their mother doesn't wear the headscarf at home even though I'm there but when they go out of the house they put it on.

But some women are really strict about it and wear it tight. And then some women even dress kind of sexy in tight form fitting clothes but wear the scarf. Turkey is the only country where I've seen women smoking and wearing a headscarf.
 
How do the Turks feel about their early history? Knowing that you founded your country essentially by destroying another - one which had existed there for a thousand years - and then went on expanding, raiding, enslaving, and subjugating everyone unfortunate enough to share a border with you, this must be a recipe for a nice national psychosis. Is the rampant Turkish nationalism that's been prevalent in the country since WW1 a "cure" to this? Or do ordinary Turks believe that "might makes right"?
And how did byzantine empire(I am guessing you were reffering to them) emerged? With diplomacy and flowers? All nations have their hands dirty. Wish the things were different but this is reality of our world. An ordinary Turk believes, Byzantine Empire were corrupt, and oppressing their people and Turks saved them, and Ottoman Empire's campaign to europe also give more justice and prosperity to people of Europe. Ottoman Empire was paragon of justice and prosperity till 1600's but then it began to corrupt too and we payed the price with loosing all the lands.
What do you think Turks living in Germany should do: assimilate into German society, or remain Turkish with strong ties to Turkey (that could be exploited to influence the German political scene)?
Turks there should become members of german community but should hold onto their identities too.

What part does religion play in the lives of ordinary Turks? By what I hear, Turkey is a country divided between the deeply conservative Inner Anatolia and increasingly liberal Izmir/Thrace?
I grow up in a Alevi family. And for Alevi's religion is not that important. It's more of a cultural thing. For others you heard right for Agean, west mediterranean and thrace religion does not play important role even city congress of AKP in Tekirdağ(In Thrace) served alcohol once (it made the news) , but in central, eastern and southeastern anatolia religion is important but i didn't really lived there so i can't say to what extend.
Is there confusion among Turks as to if they belong in the Western World, or the Middle East and Central Asia?
It's more between middle east and Europe. We do not feel ourselves as Central Asians but aware that our roots are there.
 
About the whole headscarf thing, it's interesting how some women wear it just for tradition and with others it's religious and/or political. The women from villages and older women, a lot of them just wear it loose and don't really seem to be bothered if someone sees their hair. You can see them adjusting it in public and practically taking the whole scarf off. With some people, I go to their home and their mother doesn't wear the headscarf at home even though I'm there but when they go out of the house they put it on.

But some women are really strict about it and wear it tight. And then some women even dress kind of sexy in tight form fitting clothes but wear the scarf. Turkey is the only country where I've seen women smoking and wearing a headscarf.

I wasn't reffering to older women's traditionaly headscarves in my previous posts. It's common all throught Mediterranean.
About religious/political scarves. One of my coworkers -who is an islamist and been in various groups- once said to me that he could tell a woman's affiliation by how she tied her headscarf.
 
And how did byzantine empire(I am guessing you were reffering to them) emerged? With diplomacy and flowers? All nations have their hands dirty. Wish the things were different but this is reality of our world. An ordinary Turk believes, Byzantine Empire were corrupt, and oppressing their people and Turks saved them, and Ottoman Empire's campaign to europe also give more justice and prosperity to people of Europe. Ottoman Empire was paragon of justice and prosperity till 1600's but then it began to corrupt too and we payed the price with loosing all the lands.

Wow, I see the delusion runs deep. Thanks for the answer.

Turks there should become members of german community but should hold onto their identities too.

How is that mutually compatible?
 
Knowing that you founded your country essentially by destroying another - one which had existed there for a thousand years
Winner, you must know your history better then that. Byzantium imploded as a result of external pressures from both sides as well as internal pressures. Muslims and Christians then spent the next 200 years trying to see what they could grab off of the Byzantine Empire. (I would also like to point out that at a few times in their history, the Byzantines and Ottomans were allied. Indeed, an Ottoman Prince and his guard fought on the Byzantine side at Constantinople.)

Regardless, you might as well rant against the Brits, Russians and the French for carving up the Ottoman Empire given your strongly-held opinions on the carving up of the Byzantine Empire (and I expect a bit more condemnation of the French, Genoese, Venetians, Serbs, Bulgarians, and Slavs who carved up the Byzantine Empire as much as, perhaps more, then the Ottomans).
 
Wow, I see the delusion runs deep. Thanks for the answer.
Insan's answer is the same thing you hear from those living in former British Empire, Spanish Empire, French Empire, Habsburg Empire...all of these countries did very bad things but also had some positive contributions. That's not delusion, whether or not this justification is adequate. As always, singling out Muslims as the Only People Who Did Wrong, that's delusion.
 
Do turks think that a war against greece is a possibility in the near future?
 
How do you feel about the Turkish imperial legacy/any kind of obligation by Turkey to provide an example for the rest of the Middle-East/do you consider that line of thought bunk?
 
Why is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan so popular?
 
How do Turks learn history? I mean, do you learn history of the turkish tribes prior to Seldjuks? Do you learn about history of Anatolia / Thrace / Armenian Plateau / northern Syria / Cilicia prior to turkish conquests? about islam? The history of Greece and Rome is veeeeeery much emphasised in Europe... Even in Poland, although it's really not our history, you know. Yet we have to go through details of ancient greek civ, antiquity is 1/4 of our historical education or so. How is it in Turkey?

What fascinates me is that Turks are one of few nations in Europe (well...) which can't claim being autochtonic even
in the smallest bit of its history. Hungarians are the other ones, but Panonian Slavs are extinct, while Greeks, Armenians etc are alive... and it happened a bit later, and more gradually, you know. In Poland (and probably elsewhere) autochtonism was very very much emphasised in historical aspect of state propaganda. i know it happened in Turkey as well (Turks as descendants of Hittites and Sumers), but well, it's a bit grotesque for me... I mean yes, surely, genetically Turks are mostly descendants of the indigenous cultures, perhaps some folklore traits still remain, but, in general, Mantzikert (Malazgirt) is your start... So the ethos of Turkey is probably that of conquest. Yet conquest is seen as something bad in modern culture. So how do Turks deal with that?

Are Turks proud of the history of their individual heimats prior to turkish conquests? For example, are turkish Trebizondians proud of the Trebizondian Empire? Or citizens of Selcuk of the glory of Ephesos? Or is it seen as alien history?

Edit: I see Winner asked a similar question. There's a difference, though.
 
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