Who is martyred more?

In Turkey, every male citizen who reaches the age of 20 is obliged to perform military service. Military service is one of the most important elements forming the bond of citizenship in Turkey. It is a registration of the explicit or implicit contract made between the state and its citizen. Even if a person who does not join the military is not always deemed to have rejected this contract with their state, they have failed to fulfill its requirement and are considered an "incomplete citizen." Although the right to "conscientious objection"—that is, the right to refuse military service because one finds it contrary to their beliefs and values—is being discussed in the process of accession to the EU, it has not yet granted exemption to anyone. Ultimately, the citizenship contract in Turkey obliges everyone to join the military for the "defense of the homeland."

The state may not be fully fulfilling its duties arising from the contract with the citizen. It may not fully ensure the security of the citizen's faith, lineage, intellect, and personality. Indeed, when the time comes, it may forget that its sovereignty rests upon a contract and, acting like an "absolute sovereign," put its citizen in the place of a subject, attempting to rule over their attire, mind, soul, and honor. But still, the awareness of the contract, if it exists, requires the consciousness that all these practices are temporary—and even the awareness that when these temporary states pass, an account will be demanded for these transgressions.

Because the citizen pays taxes and fulfills military service, they acquire the right to demand the services offered by the state equally with everyone else. In exchange for the military service and taxes it receives, the state commits to securing its citizen's freedom of belief, personal integrity, and the safety of life and property. Yet, it performs these tasks through the participation of its citizens.

Every Turkish citizen who joins the military can fall under the scope of "duty casualties," participate in operations within military activities, and become a "martyr" or a "veteran." There is no discrimination among citizens in this regard. Certain segments of society do not become martyrs any more than other segments.

Many aspects of the military service system as well as the concept of military service itself can be criticized, but as of today, it does not deserve criticism regarding its non-discrimination among citizens and its contribution to establishing the concept of equality. Even citizens who are treated as second-class citizens in many matters and subjected to overt discrimination join the military equally and can die. It may sound a bit strange, but by fulfilling their duties without receiving their rights, they at least become creditors to the state.

Since the possibility of becoming a martyr does not discriminate against anyone, there is no justified ground to turn the concept of martyrdom into a matter of political gain for some. Despite this, it is believed that every martyr's funeral should boost MHP's votes even higher. MHP treats martyr funerals as a vote-harvesting ground, almost an area of opportunity. However, those who vote for MHP in Turkey do not become martyrs in greater numbers. Voters of CHP, DYP, and AKP, party members and non-partisans, the rich and the poor, all join the military and fall as martyrs.

MHP offers nothing different to the relatives of martyrs or to those who are not martyrs but whose relatives have a possibility of becoming one. On the contrary, the language of violence rising in parallel with the surge of nationalist resentment ultimately brings more "martyr funerals."

This is a strange equation.

What MHP does are not the actions expected of a movement whose strategy is built on "reversing" or eliminating separatism. Every statement and every action makes separatism a more real threat in Turkey.

What the PKK does are likewise not the actions of a Kurdish movement whose strategy is to ensure the "brotherhood of peoples." For whenever a step is taken toward genuine brotherhood, a striking action by the PKK targeting this brotherhood occurs. Every action it performs inflicts incurable wounds upon brotherhood.

Let us hope that all these actions carry no meaning beyond a mere lack of strategy.