Render unto `Akdamar' the things which are Ahtamar's

It was a good step to reopen the Ahtamar Church, but it is only
a half step. The Armenian community should be allowed to worship
and organize services in the church, as Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan
has demanded.

Mustafa Akyol
One of the commonly used quotes from Jesus Christ is his words that
put an equal share between the divine and temporal authorities.
`Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's,' he said according
to the New Testament, `and unto God the things that are God's.'

Some political theorists think that this particular phrase in the
gospels opened the way for the separation of church and state in the
West. The state, which we finance by our taxes and serve us in return
with earthly goods and services, can have our material loyalty. But
it has neither the power nor the right to interfere in our spiritual
beliefs and practices. It should, in other words, simply respect the
church, the synagogue or the mosque.

This seems to be quite a fair division. However it is not always
observed. Sometimes people who act in the name of this or that
religion tries to dominate the state and that's what we call
`theocracy.' It is bad, because it leads to tyranny in the name of
God, about whom we have very different sets of beliefs.


The trouble with Libido dominandi:

But sometimes tyranny comes from the other side. Sometimes states
try to dominate the religious sphere simply because they love to
dominate everything. One of the early church fathers, St. Augustine,
in his classic, `City of God,' termed this desire as
`libido dominandi,' or the `lust for power.'

Unfortunately, unlike the tolerant and grown-up Ottoman Empire, the
young Turkish Republic has inhibited a very dense libido dominandi
since its beginning. It tried to dominate virtually every sphere in
society, which included, of course, religion of all kinds. Islam was
completely taken under control and independent Islamic institutions
like the Sufi orders were closed down. Some major Christian Churches
like that of the Greek Orthodox and the Armenian have been given
some limited space with the Treaty of Lausanne, but even that has
been shrunk gradually over time.


The `Akdamar' story:

Some of the weird things that took place around the re-opening of
the Ahtamar Church will be better understood within this context.
It is of course a kind and nice move to restore and open the 1000
year old sanctuary, but the steps taken in order to Turkify - and
de-churchify - it are absurd. First, it was renamed in Turkish
as `Akdamar. 'Second, it was opened not as a church but as a
`museum. 'It was also denied the right to have a cross at the top.
In the opening ceremony, giant posters of Atatürk and huge Turkish
flags were more visible then any thing else. No wonder some
Armenians have felt unhappy about all that.

Why do we feel the need to show our dominance on a little building?
How do we have the right to define it as a `museum,' whereas it was
built in order to worship God? And what do we gain by all that?

These are questions the Turkish authorities should ask themselves.
It was a good step to reopen the Ahtamar Church, but it is only a
half step. The Armenian community should be allowed to worship and
organize services in the church, as Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan has
demanded. Again, as he demanded, the Turkish Foreign Ministry
should return the cross of the temple to its original place.

We should understand that Ahtamar is not a government building; it
is a sanctuary built to worship God and by people who were living
in this land many centuries before the Turkish Republic ever existed.
It should be treated as such.


Future of Akdamar wrapped in the word 'maybe'
VERCÝHAN ZÝFLÝOÐLU - VAN

The opening of the historic Armenian Holy Cross Church on the island
of Akdamar, near Van in southeast Turkey, is intended as an exercise
in good will, an effort to show Turkey bears no ill will toward
Armenians despite many political problems, says Culture and Tourism
Minister Atilla Koç.
Koç's comments to the Turkish Daily News came in a wide-ranging
interview aboard his charter plane as he and his entourage returned
from the ceremony, Thursday, which brought Turks and Armenians
together in a rare and unusual forum.

As was much discussed in the press this week, the restoration and
opening of the `Surp Khaç' church left many questions unresolved.
Will it be allowed to eventually have its restored cross again placed
on its roof? Might it actually function as a church one day, even if
only for one service a year? Might the celebration have benefited had
such a prominent Turkish-Armenian as world-renowned composer Sirvart
Karamanukyan been invited to stage his opera `Ah Tamar' at the event?

Perhaps so, said Koç, conceding the project remains a
work-in-progress and the event might have been improved upon, and
perhaps a way can be found to actually let the church operate as a
church.

`I have many Armenian and Greek friends from my school days and I
am close to the culture,' Koç said. `We have no problems with the
Armenians of Turkey, our problem is with the Armenians of the
diaspora.'

Koç's frequent use of the word `maybe,' reflected the treacherous
politics that surround the restoration of the historic church at a
time when the U.S. Congress and others are pressuring Turkey to
accept as `genocide' the deaths and deportations of much of the
ethnic Armenian community of Ottoman Anatolia. That the opening
followed by just two months the assassination of Armenian-Turkish
journalist Hrant Dink, a murder now with many questions unresolved,
only added to the undercurrent of tension.

A small demonstration by nationalists in Van preceded the ceremony.
Everyone acted as if it had not occurred. Some Turkish officials
appeared distressed when dignitaries from Armenia, which Turkey does
not have diplomatic relations with, entered the church wearing small
Armenian flags. There were a few strange looks when some of the
Armenian guests crossed themselves at the end of the ceremony, placed
dozens of candles from Armenia in various parts of the church and lit
incense. And when the regional governor offered his remarks, his lack
of a word of welcome to the Armenian Minister of Culture Gagik
Gürciyan and Turkey's Armenian Mesrop Mutafyan, was lost on no one.
And the fact that none from the Armenian delegation were asked to
speak at the ceremony was bit of silence that rang in everyone's
ears.

But if there were a few awkward moments, Koç made it clear that he
is doing the best he can to highlight Turkey's diverse heritage and
traditions and to keep the sacred distinct from politics.

`We will stand by our cultural wealth, regardless of which religion
it belongs to,' he said.

He noted that Turkey is spending and has spent sizeable resources
on the restoration, while equivalent restorations of Mosques and
other Muslim sites in Greece remain stalled. He noted that Turkey has
successfully worked to preserve the so-called Ani ruins, a historical
Armenian site near Kars, despite dynamite used in the stone quarry
across the border in Armenia which threatened their stability.

Koç in particular defended his ministry which is currently
conducting work on 806 ancient theaters and archeological sites which
include many ruins from Armenian and Greek cultures.

`All religions and religious sites are important to me,' Koç said.