Sinan İlhan, TRT coordinator for multi-language broadcasts, sees this initiative less as an apology and more as an attempt by the state to redress an error. "This is an indication of wisdom. If people, institutions or states can retreat from their mistakes, this is a sign of self-confidence," he says.İlhan notes that in the beginning, what they saw was a mental confrontation from people who do not want to see positive developments in Turkey. "These groups want existing problems to be further complicated or new issues to be added to existing ones so that they can benefit from the atmosphere."
Speaking to Sunday's Zaman, İlhan underlines the fact that while they are being criticized by extreme Turkish and Kurdish nationalists, they are turning a deaf ear to such criticism and continuing with their initiative. "In a polyphonic chorus, there are female voices, there are male voices and there are voices of diverse regions. Harmony results when all these voices sing together. Banning the Kurdish language in Turkey was a sign of disruption of harmony. We are just trying bring this harmony back."
I saw İlhan as a humble and frank person who does not allow his knowledge and experience to be a burden on other people. However, he speaks in a well-controlled manner -- perhaps due to his being a bureaucrat. In the examples he chooses when explaining the trouble he had run into in the past as a person whose mother tongue is Kurdish and in talking about the ongoing denial by some public organizations of the truth now accepted by state television, he uses a carefully selected style. I am sure he does this not out of a lack of courage, but in order to not cause any disruption in the ongoing positive developments. In my opinion, the most positive development of 2008 was the TRT's launching of Kurdish language broadcasts. The TRT has taken a revolutionary step that will make its impression on the coming years. We hope this will inspire other institutions that still insist on putting obstacles in the paths of people speaking Kurdish.
You were appointed head of multi-language broadcasts. You speak five languages and are from the Foreign Ministry. You have also worked for the intelligence services. Are these the reasons you were appointed to this position?
My relations with the media are not new. I worked for the Anatolia news agency between 1986 and 1987. I worked as a report in both the foreign and domestic news departments. At the time I took the Foreign Ministry exam. The general manager at the time, Hüsamettin Çelebi, called me and asked, "Do you have a passport?" As you may know, it was very difficult to obtain a passport back then. "No," I replied. "Go and get a passport," he told me. "We will be flying to Tehran to establish a branch there." When I came home, I received a telegram saying: "You passed the Foreign Ministry exam. Come to the office to begin work." These events took place on the same day. It was an unbelievable coincidence.
Why did you choose diplomacy over the media?
I consulted the senior journalists and asked them what I should do. They told me to work with the ministry, noting that a public position would be better. You cannot know what will happen in the future here [with the media] and the Tehran office may be closed down, they said. With that, I started working for the Foreign Ministry.
Why did they assign you to the intelligence and research department?
Completely by coincidence. You pass the exam and are appointed to any department. I was appointed to the intelligence and research department, which to me was no different than the other departments. I was a graduate of philology and studied Arabic language and literature.
In other words, you started working for the Foreign Ministry knowing you would never be an ambassador?
Yes, I would not become an ambassador, but there are a limited number of people who know the languages of the region in the ministry. I might help more by accepting this position, I thought. As for the intelligence and research department, I am as much an intelligence expert as those working for the intelligence office of any newspaper.
So you say the intelligence work you were involved in was not like the kind done by the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) or the military?
No, it was not in that vein. I worked there for two years, then went to Jeddah, the place of my first assignment. That was all the time I worked for the intelligence department. I then worked for the administrative and financial affairs department.
When I came back, I also worked for the administrative and financial affairs department. I was then invited to take office as Turkey's special envoy to Iraq, and I assumed that office.
So, it isn't correct to say that "an intelligence expert has been appointed as the head of Kurdish TV"?
No, this is wrong. This is actually a claim voiced by people who do not want good things to happen in Turkey or extremist groups from both sides. It has nothing to do with the truth. I worked at the Foreign Ministry for 20 years. I worked in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. When I worked at embassies and consulates, I always dealt with the media and cultural affairs even though I was an administrative consul. This was because I was proficient in the language and had an interest in the region. For this reason, I had close relations with the media. I watched TV stations broadcasting in Arabic, Farsi and even in English.
How did you manage to learn so many languages?
I am from Şanlıurfa. I did not know Turkish until the age of 7. I learned it while in second grade. My mother tongue is Kurdish. I learned Arabic, Farsi and English at university. When I was appointed to Israel, I attended Hebrew courses, though my Hebrew weakened when I was appointed to Arab countries, where Web sites in Hebrew are blocked and Hebrew radio stations and newspapers banned. This has led to my being less and less proficient in Hebrew.
Are you a white Kurd? Are you a light Kurd?
It is true that my hands are white due to a disease called vitiligo, but I fail to see what white Kurd or light Kurd means.
I think you understood what I meant.
These are claims made by abusive groups. There is freedom of speech in this country, and everyone can speak this mind freely unless they resort to violence.
You are a member of the Şeyhanlı clan. Was you father a clan leader?
No. The Şeyhanlı clan has many branches. We belong to one of them. Our elders generally have an interest in Sufism. They seek wisdom.
What is the secret behind your putting together the Kurdish station in as short a time as 45 days?
Well, 50 percent of achievement comes from belief, self-confidence and self-sacrifice. When our general manager turned to us and assigned this task, we worked hard. This is the result of the combined efforts of all of my colleagues, not only my personal sacrifice.
What kind of trouble did you face in connection with the Kurdish language in the past?
It was the year 1966 or 1967. I was 6 or 7 years old and living in a village called İlhan. We were traveling from the village to the town and something happened which left an impression in my memory. At that time, transportation was not as advanced as it is today. There was a village postal service -- nothing more than a truck. The people from the villages near the Euphrates River would get on it. It would finally come to our village and passengers would get on it to go to town. Our village was 30 kilometers from the town. There was a small hill near Karaköprü, in Şanlıurfa. There was a checkpoint there.
At that time, there was no terrorism in the area. But as we approached that checkpoint, the people on the truck warned us that there were gendarmes ahead and that everyone should be prepared. The preparation was nothing more than our fathers' having to remove their poşu (headdress) from their heads.
That is very sad.
Now think about it. When you are a kid, your father is a hero in your eyes. But your father has to remove his poşu. Everyone quickly removed their poşu and hid them. They [the gendarmes] came and checked whether anyone was wearing one. This is my childhood memory. In Şanlıurfa there was no discrimination concerning language. Everyone spoke Kurdish. But there was serious pressure on us not to listen to Kurdish songs. We listened to Kurdish tapes in secret.
Were you allowed to give Kurdish names to your children?
No. This was not allowed. Even today we are unable to give our children Kurdish names. In other words, Turkey has always been maimed by meaningless and useless bans.
When you were preparing the Kurdish TV station, which amounts to ending 85 years of denial, what hardships did you face?
In Turkey, it is difficult to build anything new. We first faced mental intimidation. We were criticized by extreme Turkish and Kurdish nationalists. They still criticize us. The nationalists from two opposing extremes came to a common point. They say we should cease our broadcasts. We have turned a deaf ear to such criticism and continue on with our work. This was a process of testing people and institutions. We have been able to observe whether the advocates of unobstructed broadcasts and the free use of this language are really sincere in their words. We know people and institutions; there are people who do not want to see positive development in Turkey, and there such people in both camps. These groups want existing problems to be further complicated or new issues to be added to the existing mix so that they can benefit from this atmosphere.
It is revolutionary for Turkey to launch a Kurdish TV station. Can this be regarded as a sort of apology from the state?
It can be seen less as an apology, but more so as an attempt by the state to redress an error. This is an indication of wisdom. If people, institutions or states can retreat from their mistakes, this is a sign of self-confidence; one does not need to fear it. Consider the peoples living together in one area. In a polyphonic chorus, there are female voices, there are male voices and there are voices of diverse regions. Harmony results when all of these voices sing together. Banning the Kurdish language in Turkey was a sign of the disruption of this harmony. We are simply trying to bring this harmony back. Unfortunately, this language was prohibited for quite some time. A Turk loves his language, and no one can question this or say that your love for your language will divide the state or you are engaging in ethnic separatism. In the same vein, a Kurd has the same level of love for his language. In other words, people do not become Circassian, Turkish, Arab, Laz, Iranian or American of their own will. This is a divine gift. What is important is human values. Because of the pressures or bans on the Kurdish language, there are few people who are proficient in this language. This was the biggest hardship we faced. But we did not voice this hardship much so as not to frustrate ourselves.
Do you require background checks from applicants?
Whatever is required by other state institutions is required by us as well.
Sırrı Sakık has said, "You cannot find a single Kurd without a prior conviction."
Why not? It is not a pleasant thing to state such accusations about Kurds. I do not agree with him. You cannot say that Kurds are more criminal than Turks.
Do you have plans for other stations to broadcast in Greek or Armenian?
I have no specifics on that. If the relevant authorities see it to be fit, we will act accordingly. I favor broadcasts in all languages spoken in Turkey. People should be able to express themselves freely. I do not support any bans.
Will the TRT's Kurdish station be helpful in lifting all bans on Kurdish?
This is a political issue. I cannot say anything about it. But a word to the wise is enough. This is a political decision.
Many restrictions remain. The use of Kurdish for names of people and locations in correspondence is banned. People may be prosecuted for sending each other cards.
Clearly this TV station will relax things a bit. We hope Turkey will normalize and see a relaxed atmosphere. This is what we wish for.
The Supreme Election Board (YSK) banned election materials written in Kurdish.
It is not appropriate for me to say anything about this. This can be solved in harmony with all segments of the state. If we are alone in this initiative, it may fall short of achieving its target. If these initiatives are supported by other public institutions and if there is consensus, Turkey will relax and peace and stability in the country can be secured.
You use the letters q, w and x in your broadcasts. But the ban is still in place.
This is a broadcasting language. We do not engage in correspondence. We use it only in our broadcasts. When you remove q, w and x from broadcasts in the English language, what happens? Moreover, the ban on the use of q, w and x is an unsettled issue in Turkey. You know, all lavatories are labeled "WC." Should we ban this as well? The names of some TV stations contain q, w or x. How are they allowed to use them? In sum, these are baseless bans. I cannot understand the rationale behind these bans. They will be removed in time, and this is our hope.
Will TRT Şeş be the state's tool for propaganda or brainwashing?
Our station is like TRT 1 in format, mainly broadcasting entertainment and family-centered programs. Is it reasonable to spread propaganda through such a station? Today, official ideological views cannot be imposed on people. No one pays heed to Soviet-style or US-style brainwashing. The US targets Arabs with its al-Hurra TV station. No one watches it because you only see programs talking about how the US has been doing good things in the region. The station runs such programming 24 hours a day. And it fails to attract an audience. You cannot attract anyone with such ideological discourse.
Will you be in competition with Roj TV or similar stations?
No, not in the least. We do not intend to be alternatives to or the rival of any other station. We will tread our own course. We are a public station. It is unreasonable for us to compete with others. We air programs with the assumption that the Kurdish audience is likely to enjoy what the Turkish audience likes. We will not push any official ideology or discourse. We will not be used for this purpose.
