Cyprus: an English textbook of the second grade that depicted the butcher Kemal has been withdrawn

The decision was taken when a reference to the military and leader of Turkey was found on page 36 of the book, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, entitled: «Turkey's greatest hero». On the same page, there were references to Mexican artists. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera presented as «heroes of the art world».

The text on Atatürk notes, «He showed leadership qualities from a very young age, attended military school and then joined the army as a marshal. When his country went to war, he was courageous in battle but was never reckless. When he helped establish the modern country of Turkey, he was a moral leader who stood by the people. He was selfless in his work to create a new democracy.».

Teachers report that they were instructed by email to remove (tear up) the offending page before it was distributed to students.
A few hours later, the Ministry of Education issued the following statement: «It has been discovered, just yesterday, a reference in an English textbook used in B’ Lyceum, through which Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is praised and promoted as a model of «leadership».

The name of Atatürk and the Young Turks is identified with crimes such as the Armenian Genocide, which is unequivocally condemned both by our country and by major democratic countries such as the USA, France and many others. As even with the genocide of the Pontian people and Assyrian, but also the criminal «cleansing» of Hellenism in Smyrna and Asia Minor in general. 

Therefore, it is not possible to accept in textbooks references that promote or even glorify his personality and «leadership». All the more so in view of the anniversary, in 2022, 100 years from the Asia Minor Catastrophe and the persecutions against Hellenism.

The modern school, which is based on respect for human rights and the rights of peoples, is not compatible with attempts to embellish such historical crimes. After all, the English language course does not offer nor is it expected to deal with such themes or even have room for critical analysis.

Regardless of the public comments heard today or the tendencies of some uncritical and/or superficial «internationalism», there is no room in the education of semi-occupied Cyprus for neglect or even implicit acceptance of Turkey's heinous historical crimes against the peoples of the region.

For these reasons, the book, as far as this completely inappropriate and unacceptable - even peripheral - passage is concerned, is deemed inappropriate and is temporarily withdrawn until a solution is found.».

The issue will be taken up personally by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth of Cyprus, Precursor, when he returns from Greece where he is.

The usual hollow threats Chelik

Turkey's ruling party spokesman Omer Çelik responded with threats to the decision of the Nicosia authorities to withdraw the second grade English textbook which dealt with Kemal Atatürk.

»Those who do not respect Atatürk will always find Turkey and the Turkish nation against them,» Celik said, adding that no one can erase Atatürk from history by tearing up textbooks.

In a post on his twitter account, Celik said that «the order of the officials of the ‘e/q administration’ to tear down the page where reference is made to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is an expression of hostility towards our values represented by Atatürk. We condemn this disrespect to the Turkish nation and the founder of the Turkish state».

According to Chelik, «this hostile attitude is an anachronistic attitude towards the ’peace at home, peace in the world’ approach represented by Atatürk. This barbaric approach of the officials of the E/C administration’ is a clear indication of the E/C's unwillingness to live together with the TCs. It is a historical fact that the leader of Greece, Venizelos, who was defeated in the war, nominated Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the winner of the war, for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934.».

Reminding Greek and Greek-Cypriot leaders of this historical legacy, he said, “we call on them to face it. Those who do not respect Atatürk will always find Turkey and the Turkish nation against them. No one can erase from history Atatürk, who was the inspiration of oppressed nations by tearing up textbooks.”.