Public Opinion of Turkey in Bulgaria

Overview

• Ottoman history– Oppression– Retaliation

• More recent history• Stereotypes and prejudice• Politics• Similarities & Solutions

Bulgaria & Ottoman Empire

Occupied from 1390’s until 1878

This has led to several claims

• The Turks tried to wipe out our culture;• The Turks tried to turn Bulgaria Islamic;• The Turks destroyed churches and monasteries;• Turkish soldiers allegedly raped many Bulgarian women, creating uncertainty among Bulgarians about the purity of their blood.

Bulgaria & Ottoman Empire

But then came retaliation

• NY Times reported on atrocities committed on local Muslim population• Huge amounts of Turkish people fled or left Bulgaria

Robert Kaplan’s 1985 report:

“It usually happened in the middle of the night. The number of army half-tracks and the blinding glare of searchlights would disturb the sleep of an ethnic Turkish village. Militiamen would then burst into every home and thrust a photocopied form in front of the man of the house, in which he was to write the new Bulgarian names of every member of his family. Those who refused or hesitated, watched as their wives or daughters were raped by the militiamen. According to Amnesty International and Western diplomats, the militiamen beat up thousands and executed hundreds. Thousands more were imprisoned or driven into internal exile.”

Turkish reaction

• Protests– Some violent

• Terrorism– Allegations of Bulgarian Secret Service false flag

operation

• The Big Excursion– 360,000 people left to Turkey on tourist visa’s,

many forced deportations

Stereotyping

• Stressing Bulgarian identity created big feeling of “otherness” regarding Turkish identity– Led to segregation and stereotyping

• “Turkish women are not treated as equals”

PoliticsBulgarian Nationalists:

AtakaTurkish “Movement for Rights

and Freedoms”

Movement for Rights and Freedoms

• Formed as The Turkish National Freedom Movement in 80s

• Promote human rights• To fight injustice

• Most Bulgarians feel they promote primarily Turkish minority’s interests

Ataka

• “To get back what was stolen”

• Awakens feelings of nationalism

• 4th biggest part in Bulgaria• “Turkish people abuse

their position as an ethnic minority to get rights even normal Bulgarians don’t have”

Similarities & Solutions

• Rather stubborn mentality at both sides could make solving the situation tough, but…

• Religion is important for both groups, especially for the older generations;

• Similar food tastes;• Turkish & Bulgarian popfolk;• Both groups have a painful past.

Example: Balkan Youth Festival

• Festival in South West Bulgaria

• Uniting young people from Balkans, Turkey and rest of Europe

• Informal education• Cultural exchange

Concluding

• A long way to go…• During Ottoman occupation Bulgarians had to struggle

to keep their cultural identity and to revive and awaken it again afterwards;

• Turkish culture is seen by some as a threat that has to be contained;

• Bulgarians have to grow more confident about the stability of their cultural identity;

• Or have to start attaching less importance to it…

For now, food and music can go a long way ;-)