Texas Drops Greek Patriarch Bill

In a decision welcomed by Turkish Americans in Texas and religious freedom advocates alike, Texas decided to drop Concurrent Resolution SCR No. 4 which called for ecumenical status for the Greek Orthodox Church in Istanbul, Turkey.  The bill's sponsor, Texas Senator Joan Huffman, and Lt. Governor David Dewhurst announced their decision not to take the measure to a floor vote on February 2, 2011.

 

In a joint letter to Texas Lt. Governor, President Gunay Evinch of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) and President Kaya Boztepe of the Federation of Turkish American Associations (FTAA) expressed that the bill interfered with US - Turkish foreign affairs; discriminated against Turkish Muslims, Jews, and Christians who are not Greek Orthodox; and dangerously advocated against the secular democracy of Turkey which is based on European law and traditions.  While ATAA Regional VP Sibel Pakdemirli and Trustee Kursad Dogru lead state efforts, local chapters including TURANT Dallas lead by Saduman Gurbuz, ATA-Houston led by Gurcan Gulen, and the faith-based Turquoise Council lead by Kemal Oksuz ensured tremendous grassroots impact.  One of Texas' leading businessmen, Demir Karsan, who also heads Turkish PAC, mobilized hundreds of activists to visit their senators.  Given extremists are readily eager to sneak through anti-Turkish resolutions, ATAA and FTAA and their local chapters will continue to monitor this and similar anti-Turkish efforts.

 

On January 12, US Ambassador to Turkey, Francis Ricciardone, accepted ATAA for a special meeting at the Department of State.  Trustee Esma Akin and Capital Regional Vice President Demet Cabbar joined President Gunay Evinch.  President Evinch expressed that ATAA supports the Turkey - Armenia Protocols on a parallel track with the ending of the Armenian occupation of western Azerbaijan and the safe return of over one million Azeri refugees to their homes.  ATAA expressed that on the island of Cyprus, ATAA supports a bi-zonal, bi-communal state solution based on the equality of the two island communities and the easement of the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, or in the more realistic alternative, the recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.  ATAA expressed that in the Aegean Sea, ATAA supports six-mile territorial seas and air space, in order to maximize the benefits of Aegean waters and skies for both Turkey and Greece, along the lines of the Torres Straits compromises between New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.  ATAA welcomed recent U.S. court decisions against PKK terrorism, and emphasized ATAA's universal application of the term "terrorist" to all organizations which engage in political violence against civilians and countries.  ATAA further expressed ATAA's concern that an Ecumenical status for the Greek Orthodox Church would run counter to European secular democracy, particularly in Turkey where religion is traditionally private and in the Balkans and Middle East where religion can be volatile.  Finally, ATAA affirmed ATAA's policy to lead mainstream Turkish Americans based on the principle of solidarity within diversity in support of an empowered Turkish American community and ever stronger US-Turkish relations. 

Çatı dernekler Ricciardone onuruna resepsiyon verdi

Türk Amerikan çatı dernekleri, ATAA, FTAA ve TA  Ankara'ya tayin olan Büyükelçi Francis Ricciardone için büyük bir resepsiyon düzenlediler.

 

Washington'un en güzide bir mekanı olan Cosmos Club'ta üye olan ATAA Mütevelli Heyeti Üyesi Profesör Doktor Esma Akın'ın yardımıyla düzenlenen resepsiyona Washington'dan ATAA BaŞkanı Gunay Evinch ve Washington, Maryland, Virginia dernek temsilcileri New York'tan FTAA BaŞkanı Kaya Boztepe ve New York ve New Jersey den  Türk dernek temsilcileri, ve Turkic Alliance BaŞkanı Faruk Taban ve dernek temsilcilerinin bulunduğu toplantıya Büyük Elci Namık Tan, Askeri AtaŞe Tuğgeneral Murat Yıldırım ve eŞi, yeni TRNC Temsilcimiz Dilek Yavuz Yanık, AFOT BaŞkanı eski Büyükelçi Alan Lukens, eski Büyükelçi Henrik Liljegren, eski İstanbul Konsolosu Sharon Wiener, Makedonya, Yahudi, Kuzey Kıbrıs, Azeri toplumlarının liderleri ve gazeteciler katıldılar.

 

Büyük Elçi Namık Tan Türk toplumunun birleŞik bir Şekilde çalıŞmasından cok memnun olduğunu belirtti. Yeni Büyükelçi Ricciardone'yi çok eskiden tanıdığını  ve ona Ankara'da çok verimli ve baŞarılı bir görev süresi dilediğini söyledi.

 

Büyükelçi Riccardione de Türk Amerikan  iliŞkilerinin iki memleketin kendi çıkarlarına öncelik veren bir politikayla daha realist ve olgun bir devreye girdiğini belirtti.

The Fourth Annual Turkish Canadian Youth Congress

 

ATAA's Turkish American Broad Advocacy Network (TABAN) grassroots training program attracted over 50 Texan Turkish activists in Houston, including local leaders and volunteers, and strong student representation from Dallas.  ATA-Houston President Gurcan Gulen organized the event, working closely with ATAA Grassroots Coordinator Yenal Kucuker, Regional VP Sibel Pakdemirli, and ATAA Trustee Chairman Kursad Dogru.  ATAA President Gunay Evinch opened the program with a presentation on the ever strengthening and effective Turkish American public advocacy network, which today includes three separate fields of expertise and independent activity, including public education, campaign financing, and law.  Evinch stated that ATAA was proud to be a leading national organization in the field of public education on issues that effect Turkish Americans and US-Turkish relations.  Evinch expressed that ATAA was working in solidarity with two other major Turkish American national membership organizations, the Federation of Turkish American Associations (FTAA) led by President Kaya Boztepe and the Turkic American Alliance (TAA) led by President Faruk Taban.  Evinch stated that the expertise and grant support of the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA), led by Lincoln McCurdy, was invaluable.  Evinch expressed his gratitude to the Turkish American activists:  "The brunt of a community's interest is defended and promoted generally by less than 5% of the population of that community -- we call this the critical mass.  You are the Turkish American critical mass in Texas, and the community is forever grateful to you.  ATAA is at your service and thanks you."  

 

 

 

 

 

As a part of the ATAA's  Community Information Service (CIS), the ATAA Executive Committee has decided to run the ATAA StarTURK program to recognize and commend successful Turkish Americans in the sciences, medicine, arts, business, literature, politics, sports and general vocations.  We invite the Turkish American community to participate in this program by writing to assembly@ataa.org regarding successful Turkish Americans in your communities.  

Our beloved elder, Frank Ahmed, died in Fairfax Virginia on January 21 at the age of 86.

According to the Washington Post, "He is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Mary Lou Ahmed, and children Ann Marie MaCauley, Robert Frank Ahmed, Alison Ahmed-Regen, their spouses, nine grandchildren, and his brother George Ahmed of Salem MA and family. Service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Friends of the Salem Public Library, 370 Essex St., Salem MA 01970."
 
Well before the founding of the ATAA, Frank was a strong voice in the Turkish American community.  Turkish Americans have been inspired and strengthened by his insights and guidance. His solid American patriotism and openhearted internationalism was in the finest tradition of the Turkish immigrants who have worked to adapt and apply the best of their ancestral heritage to the enrichment and strengthening of our American life.
 
Frank's father, Yakup Ahmed, immigrated from Harput, roughly 50 miles east of the Euphrates River, to the United States as the Armenian Revolt sought to create an ethnically, religiously and politically homogenous Armenian state in eastern Ottoman Anatolia.    He married Frank's mother, Olive LeMount, a French-Canadian immigrant. They settled in Salem, Massachusetts.
 
In 1993 Frank published TURKS IN AMERICA: The Ottoman Turk's Immigrant Experience (Library of Congress Call Number: E184.T9 A38 1993; LC Control No 00321635. Published by Columbia International, Greenwich CT: 1993) regarding early Turkish American immigration and his family's personal experiences.  In various places, the book also provides readers with a general description of the basic teachings and principles of Islam. 

As a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, Frank - and his family - spent three years in Turkey (1968-71).  The American and Turkish Veterans Association (ATVA) recognized Frank's military service in 2006.  The November theme page includes a photo of Frank taken during the World War II Battle of Bougainville, where he received a Purple Heart while serving with the United States Army's 23rd Infantry Division, the "Americal Division."

We can judge Frank's humanitarianism by the fact that he began his book's Preface with a quotation by another American patriot, Thomas Paine, who wrote:  "In the following pages I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments and common sense; and have no other preliminaries to settle with the reader, other than that he divest himself of prejudice and prepossession for themselves; that he will put on, or rather that he will not put off, the true charter of man, and generously enlarge his views beyond the present day." (Common Sense, 1776)

Frank's sentiments are embodied in the work of ATAA. Thank you Frank.  May God keep your soul in peace, and bless your widow, children and grandchildren.

  

Contact Information:

President: Orhan H. Suleiman
Address: P.O. Box 762,Columbia, MD 21045
E-mail: info@atamd.org 
Website:www.atamd.org

For more Information: khojaly-dc.eventbrite.com 

Turkish American National Leadership Conference
Empowering Turkish Americans
March 17-19, 2011
Washington, DC
For more information: www.ataa.org