Changing Face of Racism in Turkey
1973 cover of Turkish satire magazine Akbaba depicting the 1973 oil crisis as a group of Arabs who have turned Europe into a bellydancer
Recently the Arab population in Turkey has increased significantly. Mostly in the South of the country. But also in Istanbul; Turkey’s cultural/economic capital. It’s not just Syrian migrants, but also Arab tourists from the Gulf, and other Arab countries. A significant percentage of leftist/liberal Turks are generally not fond of Arabs whether they are refugees, immigrants or even tourists who have become more visible due to the wave of Syrian immigrants over the past several years.
A recent article on the Independent talks about the “changing face of tourism” in Turkey and how it supposedly “burnt a vital bridge between East and West.” In the article, Şebnem Arsu writes about the recent hike of Arab tourists; basically freaking out because some Arab shops have opened instead of Turkish ones and because European tourists have become less visible. Arsu claims that Arabs are more interested in shopping than they are in cultural tourism as if they have to comply with a set of rules in order to become worthy tourists in the first place. This assumption is also purely anecdotal since I myself have visited those attractions many times, and so have all the Arabs I know. However, a simple explanation for her making this misguided observation is that a lot of Arab tourists are frequent visitors to Turkey, or they are just living there, hence they would naturally spend more time in more urban areas as they have already visited famous attractions. Among Aksu’s accusations against Arab tourists is that they are responsible for replacing bookstores with hookah cafes, as if Amazon or the internet, in general, does not exist. Aksu’s riffing on the “millennials are ruining everything” theme would have been amusing if it did not have real hurtful consequences for some of the most vulnerable communities in Istanbul.
There are two reasons that cause this agitation towards Arabs. One of those reasons is directed towards Syrian refugees; claiming that they will hurt the Turkish economy. This theory is supported by widespread rumours that the government is giving Syrians free money. When it comes to Syrian refugees in particular; how are they doing anything but make the country boom economically? Turks who carry this racist sentiment are simply not aware of how many factories in north Syria ended up in South Turkey in cities like Gaziantep, Mersin, Killis, etc; and how these particular cities exploded with construction work. Needless to mention how they are using their airlines, hotels, restaurants, clubs, cafes, schools and universities. Syrians, Arab migrants and tourists are contributing to the Turkish economy.
The second reason plays a deeper role than the economy, which is Arabs’ cultural influence on Istanbul. It goes past Syrian refugees/immigrants as Istanbul has always been a cultural hub between East and West. As a Syrian/American myself this is one of the main reasons I love this city. Arabs who enjoy this melting pot of many cultures have been flocking to Istanbul for decades and consequently have had a role in revitalising Istanbul’s cultural diversity, especially around neighbourhoods like Istiklal Avenue. Even though the phrase “bridge between East and West” has become a wearisome cliché, commentators like Arsu still misinterpret this imagery as a one-way bridge for Westerners to consume the East in a sterile environment.
Democracy is one of the ideas some liberal Turks like to bring up when pushing anti-Arab rhetoric. According to this logic: “Arabs will undermine democracy in Turkey.” For someone to make such a bold statement must be ignorant of the fact that many Arabs who have come to Turkey have been trying to get away from authoritarian regimes. Some have even fought those regimes and have been exiled for demanding Democracy and yet they must face racist backlash from pro-Democracy “liberals”. Complaints about things like Arabic street signs are not just weapons in Turkey’s two-hundred-year-old culture war, it has immediate consequences for immigrants in the entire country.
During the local election campaign in Istanbul, Both the CHP and the AKP have capitalised on anti-Syrian sentiments. AKP candidate Yıldırım said: “Istanbul residents should know that Syrians are not here to stay. And we will not allow them to engage in illegal activities while here. Zero tolerance. We’ll grab them by the ear and throw them out”. The opposition CHP, however, are also associated with populist anti-Syrian sentiment. Even though the CHP is often characterized as the left-wing and progressive party. Many CHP supporters referred to as “White Turks” are known for marrying their aspirations to Western culture with a toxic anti-Arab sentiment. İmamoğlu’s victory at Istanbul’s local election was hailed as a triumph for democracy, a check on the power of President Erdogan, but it has also emboldened racists in Turkey. Tweets using the “Syrians **** off” hashtag appeared, some of them in English
Arsu reflects the sense of embarrassment some progressive-minded Turks feel when they are confused for Arabs in front of the European gaze. Anyone who genuinely cares about democracy or human rights would have been more embarrassed by the fact that the AKP administration has recently deported over 1000 refugees, some of them minors, and risk being detained and tortured.
I personally grew up on both sides of the world and I’ve seen how both cultures have both good and bad sides. The only fools here are the ones making racist generalizations, putting everyone in the same boat and arguing that everything western or eastern is bad. Alienating people based on race and fueling hatred that will in no way solve any cultural issue or protect Democracy.
A lot of my Syrian friends and family avoid identifying as Syrian so they won’t be profiled in their daily lives, and some even adopt Turkish names. Not even Palestinians have been spared as Nasreen Amirah, an aspiring Palestinian artist told Haaretz: “Anti-Arab racism is everywhere. I am looked at with loathing on the Metrobus. I wonder why they want to be so hurtful.” This racist spillover towards Palestinians is no surprise as the White Turks’ “leftist party” won the Istanbul election. Since then they have come out in numbers to defend the Western values they love so much by creating an increasingly racist fiasco that spares no one and actively burns the “bridge between east and west” that they claim to defend.