Politurca

As we speak, many Turkish soldiers are fighting a heroic war against terrorists in North Iraq. They are triumphing in the war in the face of cold and knee-high snow. Some are falling, and their falling is breaking our hearts.

As I watch the funerals of the fallen soldiers, I am reminded again that injustice is very deeply ingrained in this society. As the clips keep playing, we see and hear more than the mourning of the families and children; we see poverty and neglect in these people who are proud to have raised and sent to the front a son to keep this country safe. We see people who are the backbone of this country; who have always been there to protect this country. We see the real face of this country. We see women in headscarves, we see barefoot Gunes’s (pictured below in her uncle’s arms at her father’s funeral). We see people who have nothing else but their lives to give for this country.

We never see in these clips wealthy people crying over the fallen body of their sons shipped from the front. You never see in these shots a parliamenter crying over the body of his/her son slain by cowards. You never see a celeb (no matter how spoiled) crying over the body of a son s/he raised with doting care.

We don’t want to see anyone crying over the body of their sons or daughters. We don’t want any mothers to go through that pain. But we want justice in this country, not the mere talk of it. We want equality, democracy, and hope which will come only and only if we all share the burden together.