"Allah u Akbar, Allah u Akbar" shouted the government census official in Midyat (Turabdin) Turkey, 'Esat Erdem' continued; "Islam is being ruined!", Islam is being dishonored!".
Suddenly the municipal hall in Midyat became crowded with hundreds of fanatical Muslims who rushed immediately to beat up the Assyrian 'Sabri Altunkaya', who was there to receive his marriage license and identity documents for himself and his newly wedded wife, 'Rukiye Altunkaya'.

Sabri was nearly lynched. He was kicked and hit with sticks and stones. By mere coincidence the chief of the police and the deputy public prosecutor were in the building at that time, and they managed to rescue his seemingly lifeless body away from the crowd. Sabris' wife, Rukiye, escaped to the police headquarters across the street from the municipal hall. Sabri was also taken there.

The fanatical Muslim crowd surrounded the police headquarter and demanded the couple to be handed over to them. They became even more hostile when the chief of the police known as "kaymakam" (the district governor) arrived. Though the station was under siege for several hours, the kaymakam asserted that there was nothing to be worried about and asked the couple to leave the police station voluntarily. But, they refused because they knew they would be killed if they stepped out of the police station.

The crowd forced its way into the station and the policemen who did not care allowed them to beat Sabri with clubs and stones. Rukiye tried to protect her husband by shielding him with her body but she was pulled away by the crowd, and carried away by the fanatics. The rest of the crowd continued to beat on Sabri until he laid seemingly lifeless. During the entire incident  the police watched passively without interfering.

Later a taxi driver took Sabri to the hospital. His 18-year old wife, Rukiye was in the hands of fanatics with the consent of the authorities who had refused to arrest anyone for the savage beating of Sabri and kidnapping of his wife. This episode took place on January 31, of 1971. Soon the news reached the Assyrian community in Turabdin. On the following days, the kaymakam, the police officials, the leaders of the military forces and the public prosecutor went about their business as if nothing had happened.

Sabri's parents asked the authorities to investigate the beating of their son, and to find a way to rescue the kidnapped Rukiye but the Midyat authorities were not interested in helping.. In desperation they appealed to the highest official in Mardin, 'Celal Kayacan', the vali (city governor). He came to Midyat accompanied by a number of high ranking officers, stayed for a while but disappeared without having helped.

One evening suddenly it seemed that the whole hell had broken loose. The Christian sector of Midyat was under attack by heavy artillery. Groups from the Muslim section were shooting at the Christian quarters for several hours without the police, or the military interference. The Assyrians/Syriacs, who were always eager to cultivate peaceful relations with their Moslem neighbors asked for help from the police but they were ignored.. At dawn the next day the city of Midyat was under siege. No one could leave or enter it.

When it became obvious that the authorities are openly supporting the attackers, Christians of Midyat prepared for the worst case scenario. They equipped themselves with axes, knives, clubs and whatever available to defend themselves and their homes in case the attackers invaded their neighborhood in an attmpt to kill them - only few had guns. No one went to work - all businesses were closed and children could not attend school.

When Sabri's' parents realized that athorities had no intention of helping them they invited the parents of the one-week-old-bride to come to Midyat. The mother of the bride, an Armenian woman married to a Turkish man, an Alewite, reported her daughter kidnapping to the authorities, but police department refused to be of any help.

While the Muslim siege of the Christian in Midyat continued Assyrian/Syriacs in other parts of the Turabdin were being beaten up in public. Anyone who complained to the police was arrested and accused of being instigator.

What Was The Reason For all This Violence? 

Sabri Altunkaya (Dinyike) had for some years lived in Heidelberg, Germany, where he met the Gökce-family who had come for a visit from Malatya Turkey. Sabri and Rukiye fell in love and decided to marry and the girl's family had no objection to it.. The wedding ceremony took place in Malatya and Sabri went to Midyat to register his marriage according to the law of the land.

'Esat Erdem", an official in the city council, realizing that the bride was [half] Muslim marrying a Christian contended that the girl was underage and Sabri must have forced her into marriage.. He asked him to bring his wife with him the next day so that he could question her in person. Meanwhile Esat Erdem had informed the mufti (the highest Islamic official) in Midyat of the situation and asked his help in punishing the offending Christian and stopping the marriage. The Mufti organized the crowd and gathered them near the city hall. They had to wait until they were given the signal. When the state official cries; "Allah u Akbar, Allah u Akbar" they should leap into action.

A month after this episode the bride was still missing. Assyrian/Syriac representatives sent telegrams to the highest officials in Ankara, asking the authorities to interfere, but nothing helped. Meanwhile the daily attacks on the Christians of Midyat continued.

On the 20th of February, 'Mehmet Ali Arikan' a famous parliamentarian, and lawyer presented a legal authorization from Rukiye to the local court in Midyat asking for the annulment of her marriage and introducing Mehemt Ali as her representative. The mother of Rukiye, Fatma, went to the police asking the lawyer to be intorigated to find out where her daughter is. Police had no intention of doing that.

On the 1st of March, Rukiye's mother wrote the Vali of Mardin in a note, stating if it was forbidden for her daughter to marry the Assyrian Sabri, then she should be let free so that she can take her to Germany. This was also ignored by the authorities.

By June Rukiye was still missing and Sabri had returned to Germany. The Assyrian/Syriacs community presumed that the girl had disappeared for good. But on one hot night, as people slept on the flat roofs of their home under the dark blue sky, once again the hell broke loose. Bullets began flying into the Christian quarters of Midyat from all directions. In the morning the rumors were that Rukiye had escaped from her captors which later were proven to be true. She had arrived in Midyat in the middle of the night and had knocked on "the right door" and had asked for help.

On the flowing day the military, the police and the fanatic Muslims were acting like "maniacs". The police made a thorough search of the city looking for Rukiye but did not find her. The daily attacks against the christian quarters continued at night. The cultivated fields and gardens belonging to the Assyrian/Syriacs were trampled and destroyed.

To get Rukiye out of the city and stop the madness the Assyrian community leaders asked for help from their loyal friends the Yezidis. They were known for being brave and trustworthy. (During the world war one massacres of the Christians the Yezidis helped the inhabitants of the Assyrian/Syriacs village of Aynwerdo when they were surrounded by the Turks and Kurds determent to annihilate them. They provided them with food, ammunition and other necessities to make their survival possible)

One day after midnight the Yezidis arrived with their horses and took away Rukiye, out of the town through their villages to the city of Batman where an Armenian taxi driver was waiting to take her to Istanbul. Form there with the help of false documents Rukiye was able to leave turkey and get to her husband in Heidelberg.

During this period several Moslem families helped the Christian residents of Midyat among them were the; Lahdos, Esat Rhawis and the Yokens. They made it clear to the fanatics that they were ready to defend the Christians by any means possible.

This was another example of how Turkey's state officials responsible for insuring law and order and protecting the innocent from the tyrani of religious fancaticism looked the other way when the Assyrian community was under siege and how easy it was for a small minority to be subjected to oppression even when it had done nothing wrong. Ilhami Soysal, a brave journalist, who reported this incident in the Yeni Ortam newspaper, described it as; "Shame on Turkey's Democracy".

Södertälje the 9th of November 2002