Publisher's Synopsis
There have been many tragedies throughout the history of humanity; many influential individuals have resorted to despotic methods to fortify their power. They have slaughtered thousands or millions without hesitation, aiming at the lives of innocent people. Millions of people who became imprisoned in their homeland had to take refuge in foreign lands to be protected from the persecution of these despotic regimes. Thus, it is appropriate to say that history has been written with the blood, tears, and lives of the communities that have been tyrants' victims.
However, the masses - dragged into poverty, misery, nothingness, and death - have become the actors of a resurrection saga each time, rising from their ashes like a phoenix. Every society that built a civilization has always had a story written with pain. But many of these stories were the beginning of happy endings or the harbinger of great births. In the Republic of Turkey's hundred-year history, rulers who turned to despotism have focused on polarization and witch hunts. They tagged and segregated the society based on people's religious and ethnic affiliations, such as secular, atheist, Alevi, minority, Kurdish, leftist, rightist, or socialist. These innocent people were oppressed, had their freedoms stolen, and were ostracized because of their beliefs, identities, and dissident views. The modern version of this persecution tradition occurred when the coup attempt happened on July 15, 2016. People whose hearts were full of patriotism and who would not hesitate to sacrifice their lives were declared traitors overnight. Hundreds of thousands of innocent people who had nothing to do with the coup were purged from public service; their property was confiscated, and they were imprisoned and subjected to severe torture. A modern witch hunt began with the rule of law was put aside. Many innocent people, including pregnant women, newborn babies, thousands of children, and seniors with disabilities, were targeted without any grounds. All the while, the institutions of the state collapsed, its resources were plundered, and the people were condemned to poverty. This book will express the author's steadfast support and sympathy for all innocent people who fell victim to these acts of discrimination. The author firmly believes they will rise from their ashes, and his story will serve as a harbinger of the dawn of a new era. This book will, hopefully, also shed some light on how the ties of the heart run more profound than the ties of blood, with great examples of human solidarity among nations of different languages, colors, and religions. The author, who has suffered the same fate as many of the persecuted citizens of Turkey - his homeland- believes this empathy and solidarity is one of the best ways to end these acts of discrimination and segregation. It will also turn all human differences into a new kind of wealth to reach better days under peace, tranquility, democracy, and law. As a soldier who has served his country and the cause of world peace for twenty-four years, the author hopes that this book, based on his life and the events he has witnessed, will be the voice of millions of people who have been wronged. Hopefully, one day, this dark period will dissipate with the first light of the expected dawn, and the sun of truth will rise with all its brightness... one day.
