A group of Turk intellectuals, writers, academicians and artists have issued a joint statement criticizing Turkish history textbooks.

This year’s textbook includes expressions instilling enmity and hatred against ethnic and religious minorities, particularly the Armenians.

The more than 50 intellectuals having signed under the statement have viewed teaching with such textbooks a “big shame”, reports the Turkish T24 news portal.

The intellectuals have called on removing those history textbooks from the curriculum and apologizing to Armenian schoolchildren.

Talking about the intellectuals’ statement, historian Taner Akcam has mentioned the following: “This call reminds us how important it is to develop these textbooks and how important it is to promote peace, fraternity and coexistence, not hatred between ethnic and religious groups and present truth, not lies.”

The statement has been signed by Ahmet Hakan, Ali Nesin, Ali Bayamoglu, Baskn Oran, Fatih Aken, Hasan Jemal, Murat Belge, Orhan Pamuk, Taner Akcam and others.

 akunq.net