Turkish cultural week in Lebanon began on Monday, 27th of April, 2009, organized by the Turkish Embassy in Beirut. The week’s events aim to strengthen cultural ties and richness between the two countries.

But what kind of cultural ties and richness is this all about? May be the memory of the Lebanese is short of what Turks have done in Lebanon during World War I. Unfortunately, Turkey’s so-called culture still penetrates in the Lebanese community. We would like to inform those of you who forgot what Turks have done in this country to our ancestors.

During World War I, the Turkish government appointed Jamal Pasha, as the commander in chief of the Turkish forces, in Syria and Lebanon, with discretionary powers.

The Turks also committed mass murder by commandeering Lebanon's food supplies which caused hundreds of thousands of deaths from widespread famine. Furthermore, the Turkish Army cut down trees for wood to fuel trains or for military purposes, and it was the huge Cedar forests that suffered the most.

Jamal lost no time in dealing with Lebanon. In 1916 Turkish authorities publicly executed 16 Lebanese of various religions in Beirut, for alleged anti-Turkish activities. The date, May 6, is commemorated annually as Martyrs' Day, and the site in Beirut has come to be known as Martyrs' Square.

The aim of having Turkish cultural week in Lebanon at this time of the year is to shift our memories. It’s no coincidence that Turks have launched this campaign a week prior to Lebanese Martyrs’ Day, and following the week of commemorating the 94th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide. Their culture is based on denying the past for a better future …


ARF Lebanese Youth Association