New york’un Müslüman asıllı belediye başkanı Zohran Mamdani’nin, X zozyal medya hesabından 24 Nisan’da Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nu, Ermeniler’e Soykırım Uyguladığı yönündeki paylaşımı, Amerika’daki Türkler arasında tepkiye neden oldu.
Diğer birçok ABD’li siyasetçi gibi tarpıtılarak Sözde Soykırım iddiaları geleneğini Zohran Mamdani'nin de sürdürmesi Türklerde derin üzüntü ve kırgınlık meydana getirirken, tepkiler bir mektupla New York Belediye Başkanına iletildi.
Uzun zamandır ABD’de ikamet eden Türk Aktivist İbrahim Kurtuluş, Zohran Mamdani'ye mektup yazarak yanlış bir iddiayı sürdürmesinin incitici olduğu hatırlatıldı.
İbrahim Kurtuluş, Mamdani’ye hitaben yazdığı mektupta, “1915 olaylarını "Ermeni soykırımı" olarak nitelendiren son açıklamanızla ilgili samimi endişemi ve hayal kırıklığımı ifade etmek için yazıyorum. New York şehrindeki Türk-Amerikan topluluğunun birçok üyesi için, ben de dahil olmak üzere, bu terminoloji derinden tartışmalı ve son derece incitici olarak algılanmaktadır” denildi. Kurtuluş mektubunda “Saygıyla, gönderinizi kaldırmanızı ve bir dahaki sefere bu hassas konuya denge ve ihtiyatla yaklaşmanızı rica ediyorum” ifadelerine yer verdi.
İBRAHİM KURTULUŞ’UN MEKTUBUNUN İNGİLİZCE METNİ ŞÖYLE:
Letter to Zohran Mamdani
Mayor Zohran Mamdani
City Hall – New York
April 24, 2026
Dear Mayor Mamdani,
I write to express my sincere concern and disappointment regarding your recent statement characterizing the events of 1915 as the “Armenian genocide.” For many within New York City’s Turkish American community, myself included, such terminology remains deeply contested and is experienced as profoundly hurtful.
The events of World War I brought immense suffering to numerous populations within the Ottoman Empire, including Muslims, Turks, and others. While the hardships endured by all communities during this turbulent period must be acknowledged with empathy and dignity, the classification of these events as “genocide” continues to be the subject of significant scholarly and legal debate. Unlike other historical cases adjudicated by competent international tribunals or human rights courts, this matter has not been conclusively resolved through a binding legal judgment.
Respected historians, including Bernard Lewis and Guenter Lewy, have argued that the historical record does not definitively establish an intent to systematically destroy an entire people. Instead, they point to the broader wartime context, marked by internal conflict, insurgency, and the collapse of imperial structures.
Furthermore, the European Court of Human Rights, in its December 17, 2013 judgment in Perinçek v. Switzerland, underscored that differing interpretations of the 1915 events fall within the bounds of freedom of expression. The Court also emphasized that such historical characterizations remain open to debate and should not be imposed through legal or political means.
When elected officials adopt definitive language on matters that remain historically disputed, it risks politicizing history and alienating entire communities. Your statement has caused genuine distress among Turkish Americans, as it appears to dismiss an important perspective without sufficient consideration.
I respectfully urge you remove your post and next time to approach this sensitive issue with balance and prudence. Questions of historical interpretation are best left to scholars and impartial academic institutions, where evidence can be rigorously examined. A more measured and inclusive approach would contribute to fostering dialogue, mutual understanding, and ultimately reconciliation.
Our shared objective should be to promote truth, fairness, and unity rather than division shaped by contested narratives.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Respectfully,
Ibrahim Kurtulus
Community Activist
