Turkish and Turkic American Grassroots Organizations
Express Concern on Racist Regime of Legislation
On June 25, 2012, the Presidents of America’s leading Turkish and Turkic American grassroots organizations, including the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), Federation of Turkish American Associations (FTAA), Turkish American Community Centers (TACC), Azerbaijani-American Council (AAC) and Azerbaijan Society of America (ASA), which represent over 500,000 Turkish Americans and 300,000 Turkic Americans nationwide, submitted a joint letter to Congress expressing their grave concern regarding ten racist, anti-Turkish and anti-Muslim resolutions that are before both chambers of the American legislature.
The combined effect of the remarkable number of hostile resolutions presently pending is to evince an element of racism and anti-Turkish and anti-Muslim biases. These resolutions, which recur with increased frequency in successive Congresses, are replete with inaccurate and misleading clauses, degrade with a paternalistic tone, and are openly promoted by, if not drafted by, anti-Turkish and anti-Muslim ethnic lobbies. Indeed, there is a tremendous overlap of original sponsors from districts with large Greek and Armenian constituencies. We find these resolutions disturbing and threatening to Americans of Turkish and Muslim heritage, and offensive to Turkey, which is peculiarly the most criticized U.S. ally on Capitol Hill. This is not the way Congress should treat a key American heritage community — Turkish Americans — and a key global partner of the United States — Turkey.
The virtues of a diverse society, and American justice and fairness cannot be fully upheld when Congress permits itself to pit ethnic groups against each other. Legislators must stand for higher principles and take notice of and discourage this alarming regime of anti-Turkish legislation.
Racist Regime of Anti-Turkish Legislation
1. H.Res. 180: Illegal proposition, unethical and provocative. Forces Turkey to interfere in an ecclesiastical matter in contravention of the Establishment Clause of the Turkish Constitution, and in favor of one denomination of Christianity and/or one religion over others in Turkey.
2. H.Res. 304: Prejudicial, malicious and reckless in its disregard for the truth. Convicts without trial, Turkey and people of Turkish and Muslim heritage of the crime of genocide.
3. S.Res. 399: Prejudicial, malicious and reckless in its disregard for the truth. Convicts without trial, Turkey and people of Turkish and Muslim heritage of the crime of genocide.
4. S.Res. 392: Malicious and reckless in its disregard for the truth. Falsely accuses Turkey and Turkish people of destroying Turkey’s Christian heritage.
5. H.Res. 506: Moot and reckless in its disregard for the truth. Needlessly criticizes a policy that has already changed in favor of opening the Halki seminary.
6. S.Res. 196: Moot and reckless in its disregard for the truth. Needlessly criticizes a policy that has already changed in favor of opening the Halki seminary.
7. H.R. 2597: Prejudicial. Selectively modifies US law to benefit a tiny group of Greek Cypriot Americans who claim property on the island of Cyprus, and reverses existing American judicial precedent.
8. H.Res. 676: Prejudicial and reckless in its disregard for the truth. Falsely accuses Turkey and Turkish Cypriots of colonizing the island of Cyprus.
9. S.Con.Res.47: Prejudicial and reckless in its disregard for the truth. Denies Turkish Cypriots their ethnic, religious and sovereign rights.
10. H.R. 3131: Malicious. Disingenuously implies that Greece recognizes Israel’s right to exist, but that Turkey does not, meanwhile ignoring the deaths of nine civilians, including one American, in a botched anti-terror operation aboard a cruise ship on the high seas.
