12 Aralık 2016 Pazartesi

The New Rhetoric of Martyrdom in Turkey



I am confused and troubled by the use of the word 'martyr' in the current Turkish politics and mainstream media. Anyone who is a victim of a terrorist attack is announced and repeatedly referred to as martyr. This might serve to some people as a consolatory tactic but not to all. 

Here is the definition of the word according to Oxford English Dictionary:
A person who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce faith in Christ or obedience to his teachings, a Christian way of life, or adherence to a law or tenet of the Church; (also) a person who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce the beliefs or tenets of a particular Christian denomination, sect, etc.

In extended (esp. non-religious) contexts: a person who undergoes death or great suffering for a faith, belief, or cause, or (usually with to; also with of, for) through devotion to some object.
http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/114474?rskey=WGkqms&result=1&isAdvanced=false#eid

What if the person who lost the loved one is not affiliated with any religion or simply chooses to stick to the old and traditional definition as we know/knew it? Who has the right to judge or lynch this person and on which grounds?

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