Hatay Silk and the Winds of Sectarian Politics

Hatay is at the center of silk production in Turkey. While many people think of Bursa when silk is mentioned, the truth is that silk production in Bursa has long been a thing of the past.
 
Neither cocoons nor silk are still produced in Bursa; products sold as “Bursa silk” these days are actually produced in China.
 
In Hatay, though, cocoon and silk production are thriving. Production also continues is in Antakya, Yayladağı and Samandağ. A silk worm fed on mulberry leaves can complete a cocoon in just two months. In Hatay, silk boiled for an hour in a big pot is referred to as “şantuk.” It looks a bit like cotton. Silk that has been boiled for four hours is called “sadakor.” This, too, looks soft and silky. Once the silk has been boiled for eight hours, it is called “filatör,” and it looks delicate, thin and shiny. The more silk is boiled, the thinner it becomes and the more delicate and shiny it appears. Silk does not attract static electricity. True silk looks grey, smoky and greenish. It cannot be a dark primary color; in fact, silk casts off darker primary colors.
 
In the Middle East of the past, there was brotherhood among the peoples, religions, sects and different belief groups. There was also great respect for different beliefs, languages and cultures. The conditions in which people lived allowed for general freedom, even when they were part of communities that numbered only a few hundred. Now all of this has become a dream. The seeds of hatred have been sown, with people looking at each other in hostility, always calculating. Processes of polarization and destruction are under way.
 
First, the peoples were separate from one another. Later, the religions were. And now it is the sects. What has emerged is a kind of a human being who cannot stand even the most minor differences in his neighbor. What has begun to be constructed in the Middle East are “monolithic regions” wherein there is just a single language, religion, sect and culture.
 
The Turkish city of Hatay is one of the last remaining representatives of the old Middle East. In Hatay, different ethnicities join together in celebrating the religious festivals and holidays of different sects and religions. The presence of different cultures is seen as a source of wealth. People unite and share in efforts to heal wounds and problems.
 
Similarly, communal joy is shared, which only multiplies it. People do not give in easily to provocations, and they act with awareness. Of course, this whole atmosphere of brotherhood did not come around overnight in Hatay. Like the silk cocoons boiling away in large pots, this atmosphere was made over thousands of years. Silk achieves its real shine only after hours of boiling. And in Hatay, there is a silky shine that has also been achieved after thousands of years of peoples and cultures living together. In the wake of the civil war turmoil in Syria, though, serenity is getting harder and harder to find in Hatay.
 
All sorts of urban legends pertaining to the opposition and Sunni refugees have sprung up and multiplied. The Syrian refugees have become open targets; they are constantly insulted and efforts are being made to make people forget that they, too, are human. All sorts of violent videos and photographs to this end are being shared on social media sites. The Republican People's Party (CHP) deputies in Hatay have helped to increase these fears. They have helped portray the Syrian Sunnis as guilty, holding them responsible for all the big problems that have emerged in Syria and Hatay. In the meantime, Alevi youth and small leftist political parties and civil society organizations under Alevi control continue to put forward the theme of “no to war” and “support [Syrian President Bashar al-]Assad” at festivals, at conferences, on social media and in the streets.
 
And so the sense of balance that had prevailed in Hatay has been overturned, with sectarian politics gaining speed and force. When the bombs exploded in Reyhanlı on May 11, and with the events that started on May 31 in İstanbul's Gezi Park, anger and turmoil have poured into the streets of Turkey. The atmosphere of tension grew with the funerals that were held.
 
Now, though, is the time to set aside the whole “who is responsible for which sins” type of calculations and to instead produce new policies that focus on preserving a shared future. We need to do everything we can to prevent further isolation and polarization.