| FROM BRITAIN... Could there be a less considerate Englishman than this? 16 January 2008 OSMAN STREATER* osman@acikgazete.com |
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You might say “Come on, there are lots of insensitive Englishmen, I’ve see them myself”.
You might add that there are loads of Englishmen who drink all day, vomit shamelessly in public, swear constantly, that these are all pretty inconsiderate people, and that too many such types come to Turkey anyway. You may ask “How can you pick one as the dimmest amongst all these?”
Let me help you. Such types are of course unpleasant, graceless and ugly. But there is a more doltish Englishman still. He is at the top of his profession. He earns a handsome salary. He has an impressive official residence.
This man is a Bishop. That is, a priest of priests. You know Gibraltar, the little British colony at the bottom of Spain. He lives in England, but his title comes from there – the Bishop of Gibraltar.
Just like governors with their provinces, bishops have a certain geographical zone of authority. This Bishop of Gibraltar’s zone stretches right from the English Channel to Turkey, the whole of Europe and the Mediterranean. The Bishop is like an emperor within his zone. He can appoint priests, and can play not just with the careers of priests, but, as last Saturday, with their very lives as well.
Yes, it was this fellow who was on Istiklal Street last Saturday. And his intentions were not at all propitious for British people who live in Turkey, love Turkey, and just want to be left alone.
Because that day, this dolt of an Englishman ordained Engin Yildirim, a Turk who converted to some kind of Christianity in America, and who has had Turkish ears ringing ever since with his fanfares.
But he did not do this in an Anglican church. He couldn’t, because all 6 of Turkey’s Anglican churches shut their doors to the Bishop. Only a small church at the Dutch Consulate and not used by them was made available, and he performed his stunt there.
Anyway, I shan’t go on. Otherwise, you might ask “So what does this mean to me?”
Well dear reader, let me explain what this means to you. The significance and awfulness of this news is that it endangers the consideration and respect that Turks have shown to other religions throughout history.
This consideration has been shown to the British in Turkey for some 430 years. The authorities of both the Ottoman period and modern Republican Turkey have always treated Brits who visit Turkey, work in Turkey, or who love Turkey and choose to live in Turkey, with great respect.
This consideration has generally been one-sided. Although Britain has never condescended to grant Turkey any land for an Embassy in Britain, The Turks have historically granted Britain first in Istanbul, then in Ankara, the most valuable real estate in the city for their Embassy – currently right next to the Presidential Palace in Çankaya – free of charge.
Nor did they neglect religious matters. In Istanbul, land was given to the church so that they might follow their own religion on their own property. Priests were even given diplomatic status.
Of course there is another side to this. Indeed, there has always been a reciprocal side throughout these 430 years. It was never written, as everyone understood it.
There is a reciprocity to all this help, land, diplomatic status and other help given to the British and other foreigners, which is understood by everybody except this insensitive Bishop, and it is this: “Us Turks, will offer you every assistance. But in return, don’t ever interfere with our people! Don’t aggravate the Turks! Otherwise, you will in effect be declaring a kind of war. And you will never win such a war on our territory.”
That is the crux of this Bishop’s lack of understanding. But if you point this out to him, of course he still won’t understand it.
I could not reach the Bishop himself, but there is a Suffragan Bishop, an Arab called Hamid, and in London last summer I was able to ask him why they were doing such things in Turkey. “What kind of question is that?” he asked, “Of course we’ll do such things. We withdrew from Africa and transferred the African churches to Africans. Why shouldn’t we withdraw from Turkey? Why shouldn’t we do the same in Turkey?”
So these chaps are setting out on this path with good intentions.
And they think they are doing us a favour by regarding Turkey as an African country.
Please let me point something out.
The 6 Anglican churches in Turkey were made for the British, and are a great help to the British.
For example, one of the most significant reasons for the decision of Victoria Short, widow of Consul-General Roger Short, murdered in the brutal bombing of the British Consulate in 2003, to spend her involuntary retirement in Istanbul, apart from her love of Istanbul and the Turkish inhabitants of the city, was the limitless help, support and companionship shown to her by the Anglican Chaplain Ian Sherwood and the entire church community.
All this is placed in peril by this Bishop, who thinks Turkey is an African country.
I call this inconsiderate.
I say this is Britain’s most inconsiderate person.
And, God Forbid, if as a result of this Bishop’s actions in Istanbul, a new Malatya event, or Trabzon event, or Izmir event, occurs or - God forbid - another Hrant Dink event – then this Bishop may find my curses, and I hope the handcuffs of the Istanbul Police Force, awaiting him.
* Our correspondent is a descendant of Namık Kemal
