How Should We Read Sales of ‘Mein Kampf’ in Turkey?

The article about the popularity of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” in Turkey (“Hitler Finds an Audience in Turkey,” March 16) causes one to speculate about the sudden rise of anti-Semitism in Turkey.

One reason could be that with anti-Semitism rising again in Europe, the Turks, who have desperately sought entry into the European Union, are only trying to fit in with Europeans. Another could be that Hitler’s genocidal policies dovetail quite nicely with Turkish history. Let us not forget that the Turks popularized modern genocide when they killed up to 1 1/2 million Armenians during World War I. Not only won’t the Turks apologize for their heinous crime, they won’t even acknowledge it. The Turks also have long denied the rights of ethnic Kurds who live in Turkey. The Turks are so hateful of Kurds that they will not even allow a Kurdish state to be born outside of Turkey’s borders.

Josh Baker

San Francisco

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Reported sales of “Mein Kampf” in Turkey in no way reflect public attitudes there. Rather, Turkey -- like America -- has enjoyed a long history of friendship with the Jewish people that extends to the present day.

Over several centuries, Jews fleeing persecution throughout Europe found refuge in the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey. In 1949, Turkey became the first Muslim-majority nation to recognize the state of Israel. These two democracies, striving for peace with their respective neighbors, expanded relations in the 1990s to an unprecedented degree that continues today.

Last week, Turkey’s justice minister attended the opening of the new Holocaust history museum in Jerusalem. The only representative of a Muslim nation to participate, Minister Cemil Cicek said, “Anti-Semitism is a perversion ... rooted in the depths of evil and no resurgence of it can be tolerated.” These words -- and the long historical record -- accurately reflect Turkey’s views. Sales of this book do not.

Engin Ansay

Turkish Consul General

Los Angeles