I have started to question more and more the function of dual nationality, and tried to understand the responsibility that comes with adopting a dual nationality, whilst witnessing the Gezi Park protests that erupted in Istanbul and now have spread across Turkey. For me, it was very interesting to observe from the first day of the protest spontaneous reaction of many of the nearly 5 million Turks living abroad. Within an hour of the protest starting some Turks based in London, immediately created a group page on Facebook, in support of the events unfolding in Turkey. And shortly thereafter, many more social media pages and updates followed. This was observed not only in London, but in many more cities around mainly Europe where Turks reside and work for the last sixty years.
This sudden urge to try to show solidarity with and do something political (whether supporting the Government’s vision of Turkey or not) for their country of origin is a remarkable and positive sign for Turkey’s policy of the Turkish diaspora worldwide. Many Turks rapidly organised themselves around Europe and wanted to do something in support of their fellow citizens in Turkey.
Suddenly, the diaspora discovered their voice through organising their own protests across European cities and above all on the key question of identity, the protesters outside Turkey, proved by taking part in protests across the worldwide cities, that they still see themselves as belonging to Turkey. From a sociological perspective, this is a very important phenomenon as over the many decades of ‘Turkish Migration to Europe’; we have not witnessed a public show of defiance and a reaction like the one we are witnessing a fortnight ago. Here, it is important to mention that, what has been observed, those taking part in protests in the major Capitals of Europe and the USA in the past 15 days are not only the first generation of migrants from Turkey, but significantly, also taking part are the second and third generation (majority of who were born or brought up in Europe), in support of Gezi Park. This fact is now something the Presidency for the Turks Living Abroad must take into account by reviewing its policies, for all its citizens living abroad. Especially in the question of ‘Belonging’ there are more research required .
The responsibility that comes from being a citizen of two countries and holding dual nationality is not always going to be easy. If any similar environmental protest or related event takes place such as Gezi Park, in a European city, it should also have the same impact on those people who went on the streets to protest in solidarity with Gezi Park protestors. That means they have the same responsibility towards the country they migrated to (or were born to migrant parents) and towards the society they live in. Otherwise, the challenge of full integration into the wider society will not be fully satisfied. To be clear, I am not discussing here the integration policies but only trying to link the complexity of dual citizenship and its role with major events occurring in Turkey.
Role models are required in all sections of society, and indeed it is important to have some people who can come forward and demonstrate that the responsibility of dual citizenship doesn’t need to be to complex and can be handled easily.
In the UK, the politicians of Turkish origin or background democratically elected to public office and living in Europe can play a major leadership role. Whether supporting a political cause or not, they can be the role models and a voice for those who elect them. Only by listening to the electorate they can sometimes help to demonstrate that their voices have been heard and acted upon. That builds confidence between the political leaders and their constituents, which lays the foundations for a good civil society.
Unfortunately in case of London, I have not seen much of any form of political leadership (unless I missed some of it?). All the elected politicians and majority of them seek the votes of Turkish Speaking Communities have so far not shown any public interest or made any comment on the events surrounding Gezi Park. The political statements from politicians are not entirely important, it is symbolic to show some form of reaction or show some respect for the feelings of their electorate. Many people now question, why they have put themselves up for public office as Turkish politicians or politicians with ethnic background have let them down and have disrespected their votes. Again, it is important to mention here, that politicians get elected to represent everyone in their constituency, and that should be the case. But if some of them come forward and make a big voice in the Turkish media and in the Turkish Community during election time, then they have to take the responsibility of making sure that their electorate voices has been heard, too.
Whether politicians or individuals with dual citizenship, the benefit are clearly more than just carrying another passport and the umbilical cord remains connected to Turkey, and with all the responsibilities that come with that. And this will be the case as long as the politicians continue to try gaining the votes of the Turkish Speaking Communities, and especially, if they promise they will listen to them.
Not to forget; the responsibility of being duo citizen comes with its benefits and also with its responsibilities.
Copyright Semra Eren Nijhar – All rights reserved
Semra Eren-Nijhar 