Pan Turanianism Takes Aim at Azerbaijan
A Geopolitical Agenda
Dr. Kaveh Farrokh
Manuvera@aol.com

Part Three

Chapter Three: The Gray Wolves
Chapter Four: The Promotion of Discord
Chapter Five: Grey Wolves and Failure in Azerbaijan

Chapter Three: The Gray Wolves

The Grey Wolves of Turkey are perhaps the most actively racist pan-Turanian organization in existence today. Europe has had first hand exposure to Grey Wolf violence: the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) on May 13, 1981 in Rome's St. Peter's Square (below left photo taken seconds after incident) by Grey Wolf activist Mehmet Ali Agca[i] (below right photo - taken during his arrest by Italian police):

L. Pope Shot
R. Mehmet

Another example is Colonel. Iskander Hamidov, a member of the Azeri chapter of the Grey Wolves, whose brutality against Armenian civilians (esp. 10 April 1992) is legendary (see also Part IV, item 2).

In reality, it is the Turks who have suffered most at the hands of the Grey Wolves. During much of the 1970s, the Grey Wolves murdered hundreds of distinguished public figures, trade union activists, lawyers and human rights advocates, journalists, and students. For more information, kindly refer to Martin Lee's article in the Web References.

(1) Who are the Grey Wolves?

The origins of the Grey Wolves may be possibly traced to 1968, when they were apparently built up by certain elements in Turkish intelligence (as well as Suleiman Demirel) mainly as a counterweight to left-wing Communists (?) and possibly student activists. They derive their name from the Grey Wolf legend and use their hands to mimic the heads of wolves (Part I, item 2b). The Otuken website provides further insight into BozKurt (Grey Wolf) ultra nationalism (see Web references).
There are three Grey Wolf mottos worthy of mention:

(1) The Nation of Turks is neither Turkey nor Turkestan, but the great nation of all Turks, the great and immortal kingdom of Turan (see Matini, 1989 in references, p.448)

(2) Our aim is to unify 100 million Turks into a single nation (see Gokalp 1952 - esp. p.28 & 1959 in references)

(3) All things are for the Turks and for the benefit of Turks (see Matini, 1989 in references, p.448).

There are surprising parallels between the above statements and the beliefs of Nordic Nazism. The first two mottos resemble the pan-Germanic philosophy of creating a vast Germanic super state from the shores of the Atlantic to the borders of Siberia. The third motto bears the echoes of the Nazi "Aryan superman" or "ubermensch", in which the Nordic-Germanic race (HeerenVolk) is to tower above all others by ruling and enslaving them.

No longer confined to the lunatic fringes of Turkish society, Grey Wolf-ism is now emerging among mainstream politicians. Note the photo of Turkish politicians Devlet Bahtseli in Turkey (below left) and Alpsalan Turkes at a rally in the Republic of Azerbaijan (right)

L. Delvet Bahtseli
R. Alpsalan Turkes

Mr. Turkes has been reported as being fully supportive of Grey Wolf anti-Iranian and anti-Armenian activism in the Republic of Azerbaijan. He has been described as a fanatic racialist. Given these circumstances, the translation of Nazi literature into Turkish and its mass distribution should be viewed as an alarming development (Part IV, item 1).

There are also disturbing reports of Grey Wolf expansionist ideology spreading among the highly educated Turkish elites. On the 6th of February 2001, Meral Aksener, a strident pan-Turanian activist who was Interior Minister during the Tansu Ciller-Mesut Yilmaz government (1994-1996), openly advocated to media outlets for the union of the Republic of Azerbaijan with Turkey[ii]. This is chillingly similar to Nazi Germany's Anchluss (re-union) demands with Austria in 1938. Aksener's statement appeared to have the blessing of the Turkish armed forces (TAF) and National Intelligence Agency (MIT)[iii].

Perhaps most tragic is the appeal of the Grey Wolf movement among the youth of Turkey (note photo of a youth wing of the Grey Wolves):

Grey Wolves

It is the youth who are the future. Most important of all is the question of their views with respect to Greeks, Armenians, Iranians and all others who are seen, one way or another, as "obstacles" to the dream of a "Greater Turan"…

(2) Supporting Mr. Chehreganli

There are unofficial reports that certain prominent Turks are working with Mr. Chehreganli and other separatist organizations to dismember Iran as a sovereign state. The Turks are simply being used and misled by Mr. Chehreganli, a man who at the very least, fabricates information and falsifies history to suit his own ambitions. Chehreganli's assertions of full Turkish support for his schemes appear to be validated by the following undated photo with Mr. Mohsun, a Turkish government official.

Mohsun

Imagine the fury that would be felt across Turkey if Iran officially invited and hosted the leaders of the PKK organization to Tehran, complete with photo-ops, full media and TV coverage, foreign correspondents and publicized meetings with top Iranian and foreign officials. Such an action would correctly be viewed as highly provocative by Ankara. The Turks have accused the Iranians of supporting the PKK in the past (Part VI, item 9).

(3) Operations in Foreign Countries

Many officers of the Turkish army with Grey Wolf leanings have served in the Caucasus fighting Armenians and Russians (in the CheChen war)[iv]. There are unconfirmed reports of Turkish officers training Grey Wolf activists to operate inside Iran. Recall the earlier discussion of Grey Wolf activists inserting themselves into the annual Babak Khorramdin celebrations in Iran's Bez Mountain (Part II, item 6).

Grey Wolf tactics at information dissemination in Iran are identical to contemporary neo-Nazi organizations in Europe. As noted before Pamphlets and Grey Wolves literature are regularly distributed throughout Iranian Azerbaijan (Part II, item 6; Part IV, item 2). It is also interesting that photos of Mr.s Pishevari and Chehreganli as well as a variety of "Azerbaijan" flags are also actively displayed in the Babak rallies. Like the European fascists, Grey Wolf activists display flags and pictures to deliberately inflame racialist passions and confrontation.

Pan-Turanian activists are working very hard to use the Babak celebrations as a tool to create a violent incident that would pit Azerbaijanis against "the racist Persians" (see also Part VI, item 6b). As in the former Yugoslavia this "incident" would then be widely reported by media outlets serving as the mouthpieces of geopolitical-petroleum lobbies (Part VI, items 1-4, 7), and of course attract the attention of Human Rights organizations (Part VI, item 2b).

Grey Wolves activists have already been sending thousands of their followers into foreign countries to interfere in their political, cultural and social events. A little noticed report by Mezopotamya Radio on January 26, 2005, noted that:

"…Thousands of Turkmens have been sent to Iraq by the Turkish authorities, aiming to give the pro-Turkish Turkmen Front a better position in the Iraqi elections…several coach drivers…confirmed that they have been involved in transporting Turkmens from Turkey to South Kurdistan via the Xabur border…"
[January 26, 2005 - see also web references]

Interestingly, western media outlets are silent with respect to Grey Wolf activities in Iran, the Caucasus, Iraq and the Balkans. Western media and academics make no reference to Grey Wolf complicity in generating the "800,000 Azerbaijani votes" that Mr. Chehreganli continually claims to have collected. Western silence has allowed pan-Turanian activism inside foreign countries to go virtually unhindered and unnoticed.

(4) Grey Wolf Miscalculation: Greece

Greece is not exactly on the Grey Wolf hit list either. As noted in Part I (item 2d), Grey Wolf "historians" claim to have "proven" that ancient Greece (esp. Minoan Greece) was Turkish. Meanwhile, the Greeks have long complained of Turkish jets violating their airspace.
Strangely, Anglo-American media outlets have remained surprisingly silent with respect to Greek complaints. Anglo-American silence is partly due to the successful lobbying of the virtually unknown but powerful Turkish American Council (ATC) in Washington (see Part VI, item 4a).
Greek frustration and concern with Grey Wolf activities in Albania and the former Yugoslavia and Skopje (re-named by Communist activists as "Macedonia" to apply geopolitical pressure on Greece - see Part VI, item 5) go largely unreported in the Anglo-American press.

Ironically, the Grey Wolves have succeeded in creating one of histories greatest ironies: thanks to their rhetoric and activities, the Grey Wolves have succeeded at creating the first ever military alliance between Greece and Persia.

Greece initiated a military alliance with Iran in the June of 1998. This alliance also includes Armenia. Russia, also concerned with Grey Wolf activities and ambitions in the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Balkans, and "Tataristan" in the Crimea, also provides covert support to the Greek initiated alliance. Greek Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos (photo below) flew to Tehran on June 29, 1999 and met with Iranian officials to hammer out the final details of the historical alliance.

Akis

Footnotes

[i] The pope officially forgave his would-be assassin in the December of 1983.

[ii] Olson, Robert, 2004, p.108-109. Citation from Hurriyet, 6 February 2001.

[iii] Olson, Robert, 2004, p.108-109.

[iv] Robins, Philip, 2003, Suits and Uniforms, p.78-79.

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Chapter Four: The Promotion of Discord

(1) Translating Nazi Literature to Turkish

Perhaps the most alarming development in the Republic of Azerbaijan and Turkey are attempts by Grey Wolves and pan-Turanian ideologues to spread racialist hate literature. There are strong indications that modern-day pan-Turanian ideologies (the Grey wolves in Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan in particular) are "discovering" Adolph Hitler's manual of racial hate entitled "Mein Kampf" (My Struggle). Note the original "Mein Kampf" in German by Hitler at left and the recent Turkish translation (KavGam) at right.

L. Mein Kampf
R. KavGam

Sales of the book are reputed to be high according to Associated News writer James C. Helicke (see web References). To be fair, the reasons for its interest among Turks go beyond simple pan-Turanian expansionism. According to Helicke, many Turks are feeling the frustration with growing pan-Kurdish separatism and are critical of Israel, the United States and the European Union. To the observer this would appear strange, since on the surface at least, Turkey is an ally to both Israel and the west. Helicke quotes Umit Ozdag (writer of the Turkish daily, Aksam):

"Turks feel ill-treated by the West…Turks think they are being exploited. They are angry with the demands of the European Union and United States. But those who anger them the most are Kurdish nationalists…Turks who think they are being stabbed in the back read Hitler. That is a ... very dangerous development."

It is precisely in this climate of distrust and conspiracy mills that racist hate literature may be able to prosper, as it did in 1920s Germany. Like Nazism, Pan-Turanianism depends on the constant repetition of its false ideology to spread and solidify its messages.

The Turkish Republic is a parliamentary democracy, and as such, freedom of speech thrives in Turkey. However, creeds of hate, if allowed to expand, have the potential to spread like a malignant cancer. This is a problem every democracy (including Turkey) faces. The question to be asked is: how motivated are the grey Wolves and their ideological kin to create animosity between Turks and their Armenian, Greek and Iranian neighbors? What could possibly be the benefit of promoting or even contemplating hate literature?

It was on March 26, 1998, when the President of Azerbaijan, Heidar Aliev (1923-2003), issued his "Decree on the Genocide of the Azerbaijanis". This "decree" is essentially a call for hatred against Armenians, Iranians and non-Turkish speaking Azerbaijanis. What is disturbing is how little attention this has received in western media outlets. This is mainly due to the very anti-Iranian attitudes prevalent in the western world (Part VI, items 7-8), as well as the drive to access the rich petroleum deposits of the Caucasus and Central Asia (Part VI, items 1-3).

(2) Anti-Armenian Literature.

Perhaps the most shocking element in aforementioned March 26, 1988 decree is the statement that:

"Armenia is a fictitious state created on Azerbaijani land ..."

This was published in most governmental newspapers in the Government of Azerbaijan at the time. The decree is said to be accessible in English as well. The text was reputedly written by the fanatically anti-Armenian and anti-Iranian, Vafa Guluzade (Photo below), an ex-KGB agent who is now a "born-again pan-Turanianist":

Vafa

It is worth noting that Mr. Guluzade, and other individuals who share his outlook, are now actively courted by western officials.

(a) Similarity to Nazi Propaganda.

There are striking similarities between present-day Grey Wolf anti-Armenian literature and the anti-Jewish Nazi literature of the 1930s. This is the cliché "stab in the back" theme in which the evil swarthy Armenian is the culprit (below left). Note the similarity of this poster to the Nazi-depicted "cowardly Jew" who "stabs the valiant German warrior in the back" (below right). It is no secret that hate groups create despicably false images of the "other" to disseminate their poisonous agenda.

L. Armen Cartoon
R. Jew Cartoon

(b) Mr. Talaat Pasha & The 1915 Armenian Tragedy.

Then there is the Ottoman Grand Vizier, Mehmed Talaat Pasha (1874-1921), himself reputedly of Bulgarian and Jewish descent (see photo below). Mehmed Talaat Pasha was responsible for the elimination of over one million Armenians.

Talaat

As Minister of the Interior Talaat was entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring Ottoman Turkey's domestic capabilities to wage war and support the military.

It was Talaat's office that ordered the Armenians to be systematically deported from the eastern provinces of the Ottoman Empire. The Armenians were generally deported to Syria and Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) in the April of 1915. Most never survived the "long march". Some of the survivors (along with numbers of Pontic Greeks who had also suffered killings) crossed the Iranian border where some 50,000 (or more) were given shelter by Iran's Azerbaijani population and the government in Tehran. The rest escaped to Russia, Syria/Lebanon, Cyprus, Europe, Canada and the United States.

This is history's first case of mass genocide. Although estimates vary, most agree that over one million Armenians perished as a result of the policies of Talaat Pasha's office. Many Pontic Greeks perished as well. Talaat's subsequent denials of knowledge or involvement were generally disregarded by the majority of contemporary observers at that time and at present.

But history is not so easily dismissed: there is simply too much archival corroboration regarding this tragedy. Note some highlights from a telegram dated July 16, 1915, sent by US Ambassador to Ottoman Turkey, Henry Morgenthau to the Secretary of State in Washington:

"…Deportation of and excesses against peaceful Armenians is increasing and from harrowing reports of eye witnesses it appears that a campaign of race extermination is in progress under a pretext of reprisal against rebellion…Protests as well as threats are unavailing and probably incite the Ottoman government to more drastic measures as they are determined to disclaim responsibility for their absolute disregard of capitulations …Suggest you inform belligerent nations and mission boards of this."
[United States of America, National Archives and Records Administration Record Group 59, Records of the Department of State Decimal File 867, Internal Affairs of Turkey
Decimal File 860J, Internal Affairs of Armenia; See also Rawlinson in references; see Armenian Genocide in Web References]

The photo below is a sample of the tragedies of the time. For further archival information on the tragedy, see Nazer and Kloian in References.

Armenian Genocide

But there is another non-Turkish angle to the Armenian genocide - the role of some Ottoman Kurds. Many of these were levies in the Ottoman Empire. These had a role in the massacres of both Armenian and Assyrian Christian communities in Eastern Anatolia and modern Northern Iraq. The photo below of Ottoman Kurdish levies in 1917 Anatolia is of interest as it shows officers dressed in Ottoman uniforms, with regular soldiers in their traditional Kurdish attire (Nicolle in References)

Ottoman Kurds

Nevertheless, the Armenian tragedy remains a contentious one among today's Turks. The term "Genocide" is simply not acknowledged. Modern Turkish historians seem to be divided into two camps. The first camp seems to deny the veracity of the entire episode, and the other explains the events as atrocities committed by both sides. They point to previous Armenian cooperation with the Russians and allege an Armenian role in brutalizing Turkish and Kurdish civilians.
Many modern Turks also complain of the "Yellow Journalism" of the time in addition to a continuing general anti-Turkish bias amongst Europeans. This certainly cannot be discounted, given the very negative reactions by much of European popular opinion against the long-standing Turkish application to enter the EU.

These observations however fail to explain why so many untold numbers of apolitical innocent civilians were liquidated by the offices of Mr. Talaat Pasha. Armenians cite pan-Turanian racialism as the real culprit of the tragedy.

(c) Forgotten Gallant Turks who Saved Lives.

One important fact has been forgotten by historians of all sides (including Turks): Many Turks risked their lives to save Armenian civilians and by doing so put their own lives in danger. Anti-Turkish sentiments typically portray all Turks as evil and barbaric. This is unfair and unjust, and shows a brazen disregard for historical balance. True, the savage murders were committed by Ottoman authorities, but the main impulse for these came from religious zealots and members of the earlier Young Turk movement. This author was told by a survivor of the tragedy (she has asked for her identity to be hidden) in no uncertain terms that:

"…there were many good self-sacrificing and courageous Turks…god bless them…many risked themselves, their families and their lives to save us from the hell hounds of Talaat Pasha…many perished…they were even treated worse than the Armenians if they were caught…"

(d) Political Influence and Re-Writing History.

A number of western outlets are seeking to downplay and/or deny the veracity of the Armenian genocide, and there are serious attempts to influence academic scholarship with regards to this issue. Note the statement by the late Mr. Sam Weems:

"This entire Armenian genocide claim is as bogus as a three-dollar bill and (they) know it!"
[See Tall Armenian Tale in Web references]

Mr. Weems' book "Armenia: Secrets of a "Christian" Terrorist State" (photo below - see References) purports a link between the Armenian Church and terrorism since the 1890s and rejects the historical veracity of the Armenian genocide. One can only imagine the uproar (and rightly so) if any one foolishly denied the Jewish holocaust at the hands of the Nazis. The Armenian holocaust is being sidelined in the interests of geopolitics and Petroleum diplomacy (see Part VI, items 1-3).

Armenia - Weems Book

It is worth noting that in Canada, publications that deny genocides (e.g. the Hebrew Holocause, the Armenian genocide, Stalin's mass murder of Ukrainians) are legally regarded as Hate literature.

There are strong allegations that certain members of the US government have been colluding with individuals who have pan-Turanianism sympathies. A scandal erupted when (former) FBI translator Sibel Edmonds accused the FBI of covering up clandestine communications and financial dealings (or payoffs?) between certain Turkish nationals and the office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert (see Website References). According to Reporter David Rose:

"One of the Turkish targets of these wiretaps claimed that the price for getting Dennis Hastert to withdraw the (Armenian Genocide) resolution would be $500,000. Now, I do emphasize there's no evidence at all that he received such a payment, but that is what is said to have been recorded in one of the wiretaps".

No actual proof has been produced of Hastert ever receiving a payoff: there simply is no "smoking gun". However, Hastert has noted that he withdrew support for the resolution due to a letter written to him by President Clinton who had noted that such a resolution would not be in the interests of US-Turkish relations. There have nevertheless been numerous other instances of such allegations. The issue is the use of funding and political influence to alter historical information. There is plenty of evidence that this is in fact happening (see Part VI, item 4a).

Nevertheless, political pressures and alleged funding appear to be having their effect. Simply put, there appears to be an alternative history to the Armenian massacres, one that proposes that

[a] the Armenians "started it"

[b] the Ottomans are not responsible for what took place

Professor Justin McCarthy of Louisville University states that:
"On 26 May 1915, the government gave orders to relocate the Armenians…the only actual documents on the deportation show a soliticiousness for the welfare of the deportees-instructions on properly selling property, defending columns of Armenians…caring for health and sanitation…"
[Justin McCarthy, The Ottoman Peoples and the End of Empire, London: Arnold & Oxford University Press, 2001, p.110-111]

Perhaps the Professor has chosen to ignore the virtual libraries of memos and archives already in place. But why is the Professor selectively ignoring information regarding Talaat Pasha and his office? History is being literally re-written as a result of successful political lobbying - facts which were beyond dispute are now open for alteration by the highest bidder.

There certainly are powerful lobbies supporting attempts to sway popular attention away from the Armenian tragedy. In 1989, a US Senate resolution marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Armenian genocide was blocked as a result a result of successful Turkish lobbying.

(e) The Role of Mr. Chehreganli & SANAM.

And then there is Mr. Chehreganli and his support for the anti-Armenian Grey Wolf agenda. The man is very anti-Armenian in his views. Mr. Chehreganli is now advancing the fraudulent notion that Armenians have always been the enemies of the Azerbaijanis. It is also very interesting that Chehreganli makes no mention of how supportive the Armenian Social Democrats were of Sattar Khan's movement. The Armenians stood by him in Tabriz, both during the siege and even after the Russians arrived. The valiant heroism of the Armenians in Tabriz during the brutal Imperial Russian occupation (Part II, item 5c) is all but forgotten: the Armenians risked their lives and families to protect Azeri civilians from Russian atrocities (see Chaqeri, p.165 in references). See photo below of Iranian Armenian supporters of the Persian Constitutional movement (see Chaqeri in references).

Yephrem Khan and Armenian Iranian Constitutionalists

As noted in Part II, item 5b, Sattar Khan was tragically and fatally wounded in Tehran's Atabak Park during an apparently bungled disarming operation. As noted by Chaqeri (p. 165) the Armenian role (Yephrem Khan) in the Atabak Park tragedy has been grossly exaggerated by the "Stalinist School of Historiography on Iran". Both Armenians (esp. Republic of Armenia) and Azerbaijanis (esp. Republic of Azerbaijan) appear to have a biased view of those events. Pan-Turanian activists have again used a selective view of those events to further instigate Armenian-Azerbaijani friction.

Armenians and Azerbaijanis have fought side by side numerous times in history, the Constitutional Movement of Persia being only one example. There is a long history of friendship, trade, cooperation and intermarriage between the two peoples. This was especially evident during the long Safavid-Ottoman wars. Relations between the Armenians and the Arranis (now Republic of Azerbaijan) soured after the Russians sponsored some of the latter against the former to commit atrocities, after the failed 1905 Russian revolution.

Mr. Chehreganli's SANAM website now has two anti-Armenian links entitled "Azeri Genocide" and "Armenian Terror". He produces pictures of dead Azeris at Armenian hands in the Nagorno-Karabakh tragedy (see below left) as well as a new link (with a single photo) of the (alleged) victim of "Persian chauvinism" (see right):

L. Azeri Child
R. Shehid

What Chehreganli does not mention are the Grey Wolf fighters in the Caucasus who have engaged in the brutal ethnic cleansing of Armenian civilians. See Hrair H. Khatcherian's photo below of ruins of Horek (Talish) which was destroyed and its Armenian residents massacred.

Horek

Mr. Chehreganli also fails to mention that the late President Elchibey's Grey Wolf paramilitary gangs were responsible for the massacre in the Nagorno Karabakh town of Khojally (Xocalli). The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has seen extremities committed by both sides, truly an unnecessary tragedy that must be resolved by fraternal dialogue.

Chehreganli has also ordered his supporters to promote anti-Armenian views within Iran as well. SANAM-Grey Wolf supporters regularly appeal to the tragic Karabakh issue in an anti-Armenian racialist fashion during the Babak rallies (see below photo):

Anti Armen Protests

The Grey Wolf salute in the above photo would chillingly remind any Armenian of the wider pan-Turanian Grey Wolf agenda at work here. Note the photograph of Chehreganli being held aloft behind the yellow Karabakh banner.

Chehreganli is again re-defining issues in very simplistic and racialistic terms. He denies that the Armenian-Azeri disputes are mainly territorial and political in origin. Not so, according to Chehreganli - he narrates the disputes as a race war between "Azeri-Turks" and "treacherous Armenians". This is all music to the ears of Grey Wolf racist ideologues.

The photo of the alleged victim of "Persian chauvinism" is interesting as well. Has the photo been deliberately planted for provocation? The point to be made is that of context. Perhaps the dead man was a victim of political violence, perhaps not. The question (like the Armenian issue) is this: how (and why) does the photo provide "conclusive proof" of a Persian-Azeri race war?

Chehreganli has been working tirelessly to create a Persian-Azeri conflict, and given his history of deception, false historiography and racialism, this photo appears to be simply another tool in that quest. He is now an equal opportunity hate-monger: he despises his nation of origin (Iran), as much as he does Armenia.

The Armenians state clearly that they have been the victims of pan-Turanian ideology and have repeatedly warned the international community of the dangers of pan-Turanian ideology to Greece, the Balkans, the Orthodox Slavic world, Iranian peoples (Persians, Azeris, Kurds, etc.), the Caucasus as well as the Near East. It would seem that these warnings are being simply ignored, in the name of good old fashioned economics and geo politics.

(3) Anti-Iranian Literature.

Anti-Iranian literature can be traced as far back as 1918, when Mr. Amin Rasulzadeh in support of his friends in the Musavats, re-wrote history in 1918 by re-naming Arran as "Azerbaijan". Mr. Stalin's and the former Soviet Union's services to pan-Turanianism by way of document falsifications and invented historiography (e.g. Vatan Dili), have been duly noted (Part II, item 1c).
A number of people in the Republic of Azerbaijan (and some of their supporters in Iranian Azerbaijan) truly believe that Mr. Pishevari was a hero, and seem oblivious of his support by Mr. Stalin and Communist Russia, and the role of oil in that crisis. The late Dr. Elchibey's hate literature and speeches against Iran are cherished as absolute truths. Mr. Chehreganli is portrayed as the representative of "the national re-awakening of South Azerbaijan". Persia's national heroes such as Babak Khorramdin (Part II, item 6) and Sattar Khan (Part II, item 5) have long since been re-narrated into the pan-Turanian cause.

Recall the late Abulfazl Elchibey's speech (already cited in Part II, item 4) in which he openly called for Iran's destruction. Many of the Republic of Azerbaijan's opposition parties in Baku openly call for "an expanded Azerbaijan, exclusively and only for ethnic Azeris".

There are efforts at teaching Elchibey-ism and much of Grey Wolf ideology in general, to students in the elementary, secondary and post-secondary curricula in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Books are also being published, with the explicit aim of encouraging Iranian Azerbaijanis to question their historical links to Persia. The wife of the late President Heidar Aliev is reputed to have published a book in which much of the history of Azerbaijan has been de-Persianized. This writer has also been informed by Fatema Soudavar Farmanfarmain of a book by a certain Chingiz Qajar, which was published in Turkey (no date, publisher's citation, ISBN or copyright). The glossy cover and pages are reported as providing illustrations of monuments in Iran and Central Asia. The book predictably cites historical figures such as Queen Tomyris, and Babak Khorramdin, prophet Zoroaster, Soharavardi, Rashid-al-din, Shaikh Safi, Mir Ali Tabrizi (the calligrapher), Nezami, Khaqani, Baba Kuhi of Shiraz (because he came from Shirvan), Nasir-al-din Tusi, as well some of the Safavids as well as the Qajars as "Turkish". At least the author acknowledges that the Ottoman invasions of Azerbaijan obliged many of the local talents to flee to Ghazvin and Isfahan.

The South Azerbaijan (Iran) human rights website (see Web References) has adopted an interesting and confrontational anti-Iranian logo (see photo):

Anti Iranian Hate Logo

Within Iran, Mr. Chehreganli and SANAM are hard at work. Thanks to generous foreign support (Part VI, items 1,4,6-8), anti-Iran pamphlets are being deliberately and systematically placed in many parts of Iran's northwest. Note photo below of a roadside pole:

Anti Iranian Flyers

The top picture on the pole depicts the symbolic pan-Turanian Grey Wolf - on the bottom is what appears to be a portrait of Jafar Pishevari. As noted repeatedly in this commentary, the Grey Wolf legend lacks any historical basis, and as a mythology is thoroughly alien to the region. Mr. Pishevari's real credentials have been duly discussed in Part II, item 1e.

The Grey Wolves are engaged in their usual pastime of re-writing history: they wish to convey the false narrative that Pishevari represents the "historical aspirations of the Azerbaijani people". This is analogous to stating that Vidkun Quisling (1887-1945), a Norwegian politician who betrayed his nation for the Nazis, was a man who truly represented the people of Norway. History is not so easily re-written.

Pan-Turanian activists and their western supporters are loathe to admit that the Azerbaijanis resented Pishevari's separatist tendencies. They continue to insist that Azerbaijan is "under Persian occupation" and make no mention of the foreign sponsorship of Pishevari, as well as today's "neo-Pishevari" movements (Part VI, items 1-4, 6-8, 10). More interestingly, they fail to take into account the true feelings of the vast majority of the Azerbaijanis of the Pishevari period and especially today (Part V).

Referral to the aforementioned contents of this article as well as Mr. Chehreganli's SANAM website provides sufficient information on the anti-Iran dimensions of this Grey Wolf pan-Turanian movement.

(4) The Status of non-Turkic speaking Azerbaijanis.

The Republic of Azerbaijan has a large number of Iranian speaking citizens, notably the Talysh and the Tats, who are said to be underrepresented and often downplayed in census statistics. Pan-Turanian ideologues may see them as a nuisance because they:

[a] contradict the thesis that all Azerbaijanis (in Iran and Arran) speak Turkish

[b] are a reminder of the region's Iranian linguistic, anthropological and cultural legacies.

Ironically, pan-Turanian attempts at inciting separatism within Iran have backfired in the Republic of Azerbaijan. This is due to the extremely anti-Persian Grey Wolf ideology which has begun to alienate Azerbaijan's non-Turkish speaking minorities. There is now a Talysh Independence Movement, a dynamic which makes the young Republic of Azerbaijan highly vulnerable (see article by Turkish writer Asim Oku in Web References).

The non-Iranian Lezgians (who speak three related non-Iranic Caucasian dialects) have also expressed their distinctiveness, especially in the mid 1990s. Interestingly, Western (mainly English speaking) media outlets, Human Rights organizations and academic platforms have been silent with respect to these developments.

Azerbaijan was also reputed to have had a large Armenian community, especially in Baku. This is of course no longer the case, thanks to the bitterness and animosity that has been brewing as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts.

It is still unclear how these minorities will fit into pan-Turanian ideology, especially with respect to attempts at creating a "united Azerbaijan" (Republic of Azerbaijan and Iranian Azerbaijan).

(5) Racialism and Fanaticism: Cancer at an International Scale

Two important points need to be made. First (as noted repeatedly before) the majority of Turks in Turkey as well as the inhabitants of the Republic of Azerbaijan do not embrace Grey Wolf activism and seriously question much of the racist ideology of pan-Turanianism. It is important to again re-iterate how highly educated and cosmopolitan many Turks are. Again, many Turks today favor dialogue with Greece and Armenia to help amicably resolve the tragic historical disputes between them.

The second point relates to the first. Racialism is a cancer that threatens every race, creed and religion today, and the potential for that cancer resides in us all, regardless of our race, nationality, religion or language. Groups advocating hate are literally mushrooming across the Western World, the Near East and Asia. They are all surprisingly similar in that they all wish to narcissistically worship their "race" and/or religion while cultivating a dogma of hatred against the members of the "other". Below are only a few shocking examples.

Perhaps Europe's most absurd hate group today is the Russian fascist movement which has adopted pan-Nordic neo-Nazi ideology alongside its infamous Hitler salute (see below).

Russian Nazis (an oxymoronic organization)

Russian neo-Nazis are an oxymoronic organization. These gentlemen have conveniently "forgotten" Hitler's brutal and barbaric invasion of Russia on June 22, 1941, a war which cost the lives of over 20 million Russian men, women and children. Hitler's Nazi ideology ranked Slavic peoples such as the Russians among the inferior Untermenschen (Subhumans) "slave races". Millions of Russian prisoners were murdered in cold blood by the Nazis - in flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention (see "Aryan" German officers executing a Russian soldier):

"Aryan" German officers executing a Russian soldier

The Russian Nazi salute is as absurd and self-deprecating as the Azerbaijani (from the Republic or within Iran) who engages in the Grey Wolf salute (Part II, item 6).
Racialist philosophers glorify the literature of narcissistic race-worship, perpetuate hatred and division, and as such represent the most repugnant element of the human psyche. Their ideologies only lead to bitterness and confrontation, and like all fascist movements, ultimately end up defeating themselves.

History has already seen the likes of Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855-1927), one of the founders of West European and Nordic racism (and ultimately Nazism) (see photo at left) or Joseph Arthur Comte de Gobineau (1816-1882), who in addition to his Chamberlain-style Nordicism, also helped originate Persian Aryan chauvinism (see photo at right).

L. Chamberlain
R. Gobineau

Gobineau's "Aryanism" has led a number of Iranians to the simplistic and erroneous view that Arabs are to blame for all of Iran's social, cultural and political ills. These same individuals also believe in the cultural superiority of their "Aryan" heritage (Persian and Kurdish) over those of the "non-Aryans" of Western Asia and the Near East.

There was even a pro-Nazi "Kaboud" movement in Iran (late 1930s-early 1940s); below photo depicts one of their secret fascist gatherings in the early 1940s. Today that Aryanist movement has resurfaced as the virtually unknown SUMKA (see Web References, see also "Neo Nazi in Iran" in Web references). One of their mottos is: "Iran Bartar az Ham-e" whose approximate translation is: Iran superior to All. Fortunately, few Iranians have even heard of SUMKA and would reject much of their nonsense. But imagine if certain western lobbies, harboring a geopolitical/economic agenda, decided to promote and fund this tiny organization by hosting multitudes of websites, hiring "professors", setting up radio/television programs, and propelling "human rights" and political advocacy platforms?

Persian Nazis - SUMKA Party

Greece has long been known for her traditions of democracy - a term of Greek origin (Demos = people & Kratus = government). She too is now home to a very small xenophobic neo-Nazi style movement that identifies with west European racist organizations. This is the "Chryssi Avgi" (Golden Dawn) movement which is vehemently racist, shown demonstrating below in central Athens (April 30, 2002):

Greek Nazis

For the first time in its history, Greece has seen the appearance of an organization that contradicts much of what the ancient Greeks have given to the world. There are neo-Nazi organizations in other non-Nordic European countries such as Italy (see the Furozo Nuevo [The New Force/Power] in Rome's Risorgomento Square, December 2000 - below) and also in Spain, Spanish neo Fascists in Madrid salute the portrait of Franco.

Italian Fascists

By aping the Neanderthal behavior of Nordicists, Spanish, Italian, and Greek neo-Nazis are rejecting their proud Mediterranean heritage - conveniently forgetting the crucial role that the Mediterranean has played in the foundations of western civilization. Racism obliges its adherents to engage in moronic, barbaric and self-deprecating behavior.

In Japan there is a fringe Pan-Turanian organization known as the National Socialist Japanese Workers and Welfare Party (NSJWWP) founded in 1982 (see flag below). They essentially combine Nazism and Pan-Turanian ideology.

National Socialist Japanese Workers and Welfare Party (NSJWWP) Flag

Although the NSJWWP is a very small organization, there are a number of Japanese who deny any responsibility for war crimes committed in China during the 1930s and 1940s. In turn, many of these individuals view China as a nation that entertains historical grievances to extract political gains from Japan.

Mr. Chehreganli's SANAM organization (see their Grey Wolf rally at Babak castle in Iran below - note Chehreganli's photo held aloft) is a fringe Nazi-style racist movement (note again their Grey Wolf salute in photo below). SANAM denies this of course in its website, stating that they wish for the "peaceful" attainment of their aims. Mr. Chehreganli has yet to explain how he proposes to achieve Iran's dismemberment by "peaceful means"? These fascists are the proverbial (Grey) wolves in sheep's clothing: how ironic that they accuse their critics of fascism!

Grey Wolves - SANAM

Western patronage and support is seeking to portray dangerous and racist movements such as Chehreganli's SANAM and the Grey Wolves as legitimate "human rights" and "national awakening" organizations. As will be noted in Part VI, item 2b, the same type of organizations were mobilized to dismember former Yugoslavia.

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* * *

Chapter Five: Grey Wolves and Failure in Azerbaijan

(1) Grey Wolf Public Relations Failures.

Despite massive funding from organizations within Turkey as well as generous American and now Israeli support (Part VI, items 1-2), pan-Turanian Grey Wolf activists have not been successful at swaying the majority of Iranian Azerbaijanis to their separatist cause. This was dramatically illustrated when Olympic gold medallist, Naim Suleimanoghlu (himself a Bulgarian Turkish migrant - see photo at left) asked Hossein Rezazadeh (Iran's heavy weight Olympic gold medallist - photo at right) to renounce his Iranian nationality, accept Turkish citizenship and join the Turkish Olympic team. Among the rewards promised to Rezazadeh were 10 million dollars in cash and luxury automobiles. Suleimanoghlu's offer was made in public to Rezazadeh in the November of 2002, who had arrived at Istanbul airport. Rezazadeh responded to Suleimanoghlu's offer with the following statement: "I am an Iranian and love my country and people."

L. Naim SuleimanOghlu
R. Hossein RezaZadeh

For a full detailed report refer to Payvand News Website:
Suleymanoglu offers Rezazadeh Turkish citizenship
http://www.payvand.com/news/02/nov/1114.html

This event has perhaps been one of the greatest public relations disasters ever faced by the Grey Wolves, as it has undermined the very basis of their beliefs and racism. Put simply, Rezazadeh's response was not exactly what they wanted to hear. Many "Grey Wolves" activists were reportedly "shocked" at hearing this news.

It is reputed that a very large number of English speaking media outlets and academics (see Brenda Shaffer, Part VI, item 4c) were hoping that Rezazadeh would accede to Suleimanoghlu's request, as this would allow for the commencement of an anti-Iranian separatist campaign in the western media. Similar tactics were deployed against the Federalist State of Yugoslavia to encourage its destruction in the 1990s (Part VI, item 2b).

Failures like these have been consistently hushed up by the Grey Wolves and their supporters in the western world who remain committed to recruiting prominent Iranian Azerbaijanis to their cause. What is interesting is the inability of these activists to accept the fact that the vast majority of Iranian Azerbaijanis, like Rezazadeh, not only reject separatism, but are also offended by such actions.

(2) Hostility to Grey Wolf Activism among Iranian Azerbaijanis.

Undeterred by the cool reception of the majority of Iranian Turcophones in general, the Grey Wolves are adamant to "support the aspiration of our Turkish kin in occupied Azerbaijan (meaning Iran)". These efforts are doomed to failure for the simple fact that history and scholarship is not on the side of the pan-Turanian activists. Most important of all however are the opinions of the Iranian Azerbaijanis themselves.

Keyvan Valizadeh, an Iranian Azeri, graciously gave permission for excerpts of his earlier statements to be published in this commentary. His e-mail (dated 21/09/2005) to me stipulated that:

"…The link between Chehregani and the Pentagon is a thing that the Azaris also don't know, the hatred and fights between Ottoman Turks and Iranian Azaris are also ignored!…Thank you and don't forget that it is not a fight of Azaris alone but of the Iranian Nation as a whole against pan-turkism."

Excerpts from Mr. Valizadeh's earlier messages aptly summarize how many Iranian Azerbaijanis and people of Iranic Caucasian descent feel about Mr. Chehreganli, his Grey Wolf allies and western Geopolitical supporters in particular:

"…Years before in Maragheh (were I am from) the pan-turkists gave me leaflets that said the "first Azeri hero that fought the Persians for their independance was Babak Khorramdin". I was now shocked because I knew it was false. I knew that Babak (whose name I noticed was not Turkish) was fighting the Arabs and not the Persians and wanted to restore the glory of Persia and the ancient religion of the Persians. And I distanced myself from them Because I hated their ocean of lies…

Mr. Valizadeh then quotes Persian poet Hafez to vividly describe Grey Wolf activism:
Do not consider the intestinal conflicts of sects
For, not having found the truth, they went to the invention

The following quote by Mr. Valizadeh is also significant, as it summarizes the feelings of the majority of Iranian Azerbaijanis:

"…Many of the Azaris I spoke had discovered the Truth too and were glad to say that their ancestors were Cyrus or Dariush (Darius) and not the Mongols the Turks claim to be their ancestors…"

(3) Tepid Reception in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Despite claims to the contrary, Pan-Turanianism has also failed to make major inroads in the Republic of Azerbaijan. As with all racialist movements, the followers of the Grey Wolves in the Republic constitute a minority at best. There are also unconfirmed reports stating that many of the residents of the Republic of Azerbaijan view Grey Wolf ideology with cynicism. Many in that state are cognizant of their past historic links to Persia.

Dr. Brenda Shaffer of Harvard University (see part VI, item 4c) claims to have "proven" that the majority of the people of the Republic of Azerbaijan dislike Iran. In fact, this is untrue (see discussion of Professor Zia Boniyadov in Part VI, item 4c).

Then there is the unfolding drama within the Republic of Azerbaijan itself. The Republic of Azerbaijan is a new nation state whose inhabitants have been robbed of their thousands of years of association with Persia, making them extremely vulnerable to tough questions regarding their national and ethnic origins. The deformities and vulgarities of racism have the potential to tragically complicate Azerbaijan's nation-state building efforts and seriously undermine democracy in the country. Nevertheless, the Republic is moving towards a healthy democratic model, barring geopolitical interference of course. A democratic process allows for the full expression of a wide spectrum of opinion. It is in such an atmosphere of healthy debate that the modern inhabitants of the Republic of Azerbaijan will be made fully aware of their historical links with Persia.

Finally, Persian culture remains firmly rooted in the Republic of Azerbaijan, despite powerful attempts by Stalinism, pan-Turanianism and present western geopolitical and petroleum lobbies to stamp it out. The Iranian Nowruz is celebrated every year in the Republic, as seen by these girls in Baku dressed in traditional Iranian attire reminiscent of Sassanian times (left photo by Hamid Zargarzadeh). Below right is another Persian tradition of the Nowruz 7-Sin in Baku - the "Sabzeh" (recall Part I, item 2i):

L. Persian New Year (Nowruz)at Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan
R. Persian New Year 7-Sin at Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan

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Part Four
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