AJC to Turkish Government: Condemn 'Inflammatory and Malicious' TV Program

AJC to Turkish Government: Condemn 'Inflammatory and Malicious' TV Program

NEW YORK, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC today sent the following letter to Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, expressing profound concern over anti-Israel incitement in a program on state-run television -- part of a disturbing pattern of encouraging anti-Jewish sentiment in Turkey.

October 16, 2009

Dear Minister Davutoglu:

We write on behalf of the American Jewish Committee to express our profound concern over the content of the television program "Ayrilik," aired on the national network TRT1.

As you know, the program presents the situation in the Middle East as a religious war. It portrays Israeli soldiers as cruel and inhumane, committing cold-blooded acts of murder, while ignoring the violence of Hamas against fellow Palestinians. This wildly distorted picture is not merely offensive, but may also constitute incitement against Israel and its citizens - and, we fear, may affect the Turkish public's perception of Jews generally. That it was aired on a state-run network and was not condemned by Turkish officials is deeply disturbing.

We take note of your comments that the network is autonomous in its programming choices and that Turkey does not practice censorship. Yet the question remains whether, in the view of your Government, it is appropriate for an organ of the state to broadcast such inflammatory and malicious content.

When we recently met, Excellency, you spoke of Turkey's pride in its history of religious tolerance and in the accomplishments of its Jewish community. We also celebrate this heritage, which is central to perceptions of Turkey in the United States. We fear, however, that it is being jeopardized by the encouragement of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiment--a distressing pattern in which this program is simply the latest incident.

Thank you for your consideration of this important matter.

Respectfully,

Richard J. Sideman
David A. Harris

Source: American Jewish Committee

CONTACT: Ben Cohen of AJC, +1-212 891 1385, cohenb@ajc.org

Web Site: http://www.ajc.org/

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