Recent Blog Posts

Reader comment on:
Ataturk's Turkey Overturned

Submitted by Charles Bayard, Aug 10, 2007 09:14

The Ottoman Empire was an exemplary system that promoted people as diverse as Slavs, Greeks, Jews and Armenians to hold high rank positions within the Ottoman government and administration.

Merit rather than ethnicity or religion was the main driving criteria within the Ottoman system. Speculations on whether Ataturk was of Jewish stock or not is irrelevant: Through his unparalleled reforms, he was one of the greatest statesman that the world produced.

As to what you describe the 1915 events as "Genocide", evidences retrieved from the U.S., British, French and Russian archives (some of them recently discovered) all indicate that this terminology is not applicable in this case, at least not as per the criteria defined in the 1948 U.N. Convention on Genocide.


Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.

Other reader comments on this article

Comment By Date

Indeed he was a Christian, there are many evidences. He once said: "Being a jew is a good thing, but... [MORE]

Murat Yilmazer 

Mar 7, 2008 04:02

Mr. Halkin is absolutely righ: Kemal was indeed of partial jewish descent. He selected Ankara's as the capital because it was... [MORE]

anonymous 

Aug 27, 2007 10:09

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's father was a Macedonian Muslim. His uncle was Hafiz Mehmet Emin Efendi (with a nick name of... [MORE]

Marlene 

Aug 25, 2007 16:17

I found out within six months of leaving Turkey that not only Mustafa Kemal, but the entire upper echelons of... [MORE]

Mustafabey 

Aug 24, 2007 02:48

Atatürk had banned masonry. ?f he was a jewish why did it? [MORE]

zab?ta 

Aug 23, 2007 11:52

He had banned Masonry, Because first: Most of the Masons were member of Ottoman ?ttihad and terakki party and Ataturk... [MORE]

sabbatian 

Aug 23, 2007 16:07

The Turkish masonry was pulled by the political elite (who were mostly masons) politely to operate behind the scenes, nothing... [MORE]

Mustafabey 

Aug 24, 2007 09:53

Shalom Mr.Halkin, what exactly is your evidence that the father of Ataturk is Sabbatean? I have a Sabbatean family and... [MORE]

Istanbul SEVI 

Aug 11, 2007 18:48

The Ottoman Empire was an exemplary system that promoted people as diverse as Slavs, Greeks, Jews and Armenians to hold...

Charles Bayard 

Aug 10, 2007 09:14

Charles Bayard makes some absurd statements that need to be refuted here. The claim that Ottoman Turkish rule over conquered... [MORE]

Mike 

Jan 29, 2008 23:47

Mr. Halkin, a couple of points: - Ataturk's legacy will live as long as the Republic is alive. Having a mildly... [MORE]

Kurt 

Aug 8, 2007 15:25

Yes we already know that Ataturk has a Jewish origin... It is simply possible to know it from his works...... [MORE]

Um 

Aug 23, 2007 10:31

Turks will be leader of the world again. Don't forget it [MORE]

turk 

Aug 7, 2007 02:58

It is not at all far to believe that Ataturk has been like the other millions of today's non Jewish... [MORE]

Daveed 

Aug 3, 2007 16:05

Comment on Ataturk's Turkey Overturned

    Before submitting your comment, please provide a valid email address to complete the verification process.