THE TURKS’RIGHT NOT GIVEN TO THEM

Although some of the Turk’s cultural rights were seem to be given there were many troubles in practice.Moreover,Government wanted to see the Turks as Iraq and Arab citizens and didn’t find sutiable to give their rights.Turks were determined to protect their national existence actually the Government’s efforts weren’t in favour of becoming Arab.

In fact ,After Musul had been given to Iraq they were already accepted to live as Iraq citizens.On the other hand,Turk citizens whose aims were to have some cultural and political right such as being educated in their own language ,publishing newspaper and magazine,and taking part in government according to their population rate,were deprived of these rights by the Iraq Government.Even Iraq government was applying many different sanctions to assimilate the Turks living in Iraq.In spite of the contrats were made among the Govermrnts,in 1930-1931 school year Iraq Government forbade Turkish education in primary schools out of the Kerkuk’s City Centre.In few schools left in Kerkuk.Turkish wasbeing thought as a foreign language for one hour once a week.But Management of Baghdad abolished this lesson as well.Besides, not only civil servant,having Turk origin were being employed but also civil servants,soldiers,policemen and gendarmes having either Arab or Kurd origin were insisted to be employed.

Kerkuk where Turks lived was under the Government’s intensive pressure.Turk teachers and intellectuals living there, were both sent into exhile and forced to be assimilated. For that reason they weren’t satiofied in this stiuation.

The Government exhiled Turk civil servants andteachers to the South of Iraq Areas.

This exhileswere repeated. in 1936 and 1941.Cultural rights given Iraq Turks were began to be abolished gradually.In1936 The vizier Mahmut Şefket Pasha’s brother Hikmet Süleyman one of the Kölemen Turks became President as a result of military coup.Two years later Hikmet Süleyman resigned then it was seem that the rights given Iraq Turks were began to be abolished.