İsmail Kulakçıoğlu
When the ‘’Do not befriend Jews and Christians’’ flyers that were posted in Konya, based on a verse from the Quran, came to light, different reactions were given from different parts of the community. Although The Anadolu Gençlik Derneği (Anatolian Youth Association) and the Milli Gençli Vakfı (National Youth Foundation) who posted these flyers, said ‘’we were misunderstood’’ it is difficult to say that this satisfied the people who value Human Rights and those who are disturbed by these hate sentences. The reason for the reaction against this message, is that the message is not only related to Jews and Christians but also related to all those who do not shy away from befriending Jews and Christians and who see community peace as a national interest. Those who live in this community are well aware of the answer they will get if they show this flyer pictured bellow to a hundred people (or a thousand) and ask ‘’what is the message given in this flyer?’’
Photograph: https://t24.com.tr/haber/konya-da-otobus-duraklarina-yahudileri-ve-hristiyanlari-dost-edinmeyin-yazili-afisler-asildi,844776 (03.11.2019)
What is Hate Crime?
Hate crime is a crime conducted against the corporeal-spiritual presence of an individual/s directly or indirectly through preconceptions which destroy the rights that humans have, just because they are human. A hate crime causes discrimination and corporeal-spiritual violence as a result of preconceptions. When this definition is considered, this flyer aims to;
A) Ostracise,
B) Marginalise,
C) Generally cause people to unconsciously become ‘’cruel’’ towards,
D) Embarrass and abuse Jews and Christians due to their national and religious identities.
The TR Constitution Article 17 states that; ‘’everyone has the right to life and the right to protect and improve his/her corporeal and spiritual existence.’’ and the Universal Deceleration of Human Rights Article 1 states that; ‘’All humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights.’’ They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards each other in a spirit of brotherhood.’’ In such a case, according to the TR Constitution, the ‘’corporeal and spiritual existence’’ and according to the Universal Human Rights Deceleration the ‘’dignity and equality’’ of Jews, Christians and those who befriend them are neglected… The spirit of brotherhood has not been shown towards those who befriend Jews and Christians, who share the same land and who share human relationships.
The Definition of Jews and Christians in the Bible
Judaism (and Israel) in the Bible, do not carry the same meaning as the Jews and political Israel today. Judah means ‘’praise God’’; it is the name given to the fourth son and the descendants of Jacob (Yaakov), the grandson of Prophet Abraham (Avraam). In further years, it was used for the descendants of Prophet Abraham and Jews-Judaism historically became the name given to the nation that declared God as their Lord.
According to God’s promise, both those who are the physical descendants of the Prophet Abraham and those who are the spiritual descendants through ‘’faith’’ will be blessed:
‘’And I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you and make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and him who dishonours you I will curse,
and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
(ESV. Gen 12:2-3).’’
The blessing through Prophet Abraham (Avraam) is two dimensional. The first of these dimensions is that Jesus Christ, who will save those who believe in Him by taking on the punishment of their sins, will come from Abraham’s descendants. The second is, Jews which were defined and became significant at the time of Prophet Moses (Moşe), were going to be a witness of faith as God’s people to the idolatry nations around them.
Christian means those who follow Christ. The disciples of Jesus Christ were called Christians for the first time in Antioch (Acts 11:26). The Greek version of the word is Hristianos; which means those who belong to Hristos (Christ). As the Bible clearly states, the core of the Christian belief is: ‘’Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…’This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’ (ESV 1Cor 15:3-4, Acts 1:11)’’ According to the promise of God, Jesus Christ will return again as a judge to resurrect the creation that has been ruined.
Christians, accept the Bible (Good News) according to the commands of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ Himself, begun the first act of accepting through his words; “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” And He appointed His disciples by commanding them; ‘’ All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (ESV. Mat, 28:18-20)”
The Meaning and Advice on the Term ‘’Hate’’ in the Bible
The word hate is mentioned 156 times and the word disgusting 119 times in the Bible. These words were used for;
A) Replacing God with other beings (e.g. The first of the Ten Commandments)
B) Actions that go against the order of God (e.g. Sacrifice children, humans going against their biological and spiritual state by having sexual relations with animals, having same sex intercourse and other such traditions carried out at the temples of idols of the time),
C) Sin,
D) Deep ostracism which should not be present in human relationships.
The relationships in the bible are not based on hate, but are based on acceptance, mercy and love. Exodus 23:5 states; ‘’If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.’’ The nice thing about this verse is that it encourages people to leave their hatred to one side and work together while also showing mercy to the burdened donkey.
Hatred is accepted as a very negative approach in the teachings of Jesus Christ within the Bible and in many ways, that is not seen in other beliefs and other religions “[…] You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? […] And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (ESV Mat 5:43-48)’’ these verses replace hate with unconditional love.
For Christians, to tell people about the Bible, is not an act of hatred against Muslims, it is an act of obedience towards the commands of Jesus Christ. The givers of Good News or the Accepters of the Bible, accept the commands of Jesus Christ as a religious responsibility, and want everyone to hear the Good News of salvation and for those who trust in Jesus Christ to have eternal life.
It is an unwanted situation for the loyalty of the givers of Good News to cause a phobia or hatred against Christians.
Result
As stated at the beginning of this article, the interpretation of the Quran has been left to the Muslim scholars and the focus has been solely on how the message is understood. In the way that it was portrayed, the ‘’Do Not Befriend Jews and Christians’’ suggestion provokes a deep sense of ostracism and hatred against Jews and Christians. It is also against the human rights and freedom mentioned in the T.R Constitution and the Universal Deceleration of Human Rights.
The community that were provoked with the words ‘’they are making fun of Muslims’’ two days before the Sivas Massacre; took action on the 2nd of July 1993 with the slogan ‘’Sivas will be a grave for the secular’’. Towards the evening the show turned into disorder and the Madımak Hotel was burned down, becoming a grave for five valuable people… When we consider that the murderers of Necati, Tilman and Uğur who cut the bodies of their victims into pieces on the 18th of April 2007 by saying ‘’ God bless our soul, Hopefully our religion will reach the following generations’’ shows that the message of ‘’do not befriend Jews and Christians’’ written on the flyer is a lot more serious than it may seem.
Many cities and villages in Turkey have the potential to carry out massacres such as the ones in Sivas in 1993 and in Malatya in 2007. The addressers of the flyers making a public announcement of ‘’we were misunderstood’’ without an ‘’apology’’ ensures that the message of ‘’Do not befriend Jews and Christians’’ continues to be an expression of hate.
In light of the fact that the population in Turkey have unravelled the secret of living with different nations, and that they will not lose their good will unless raged, means that the conscientious prosecutors, judges, politicians, media workers, non-governmental organizations, businessmen, clergymen and muhtars have the serious responsibility of ensuring that ‘’people from all walks of life are embraced with love.’’
Christians must continue to live a righteous life by following the example of Jesus Christ who opened the doors to eternal life.
