The anon from Tomarzatsi. I'm sorry if you feel like I've talked over you. I'm not a Bulgarian Turk, but I know many people whose families migrated to Turkey in early 20th century and they tend to be very proud of their heritage and they consider themselves "muhajirs". I don't know the official stance of Turkey on this and I don't know what Turks living in Bulgaria think about this, but that's what I've previously known.
First of all, it is important to state that the Ottoman emery’s territory before the Balkan wars was much larger, bigger and it was around the half of the Balkans. A little part of contemporary Bulgaria was still under Ottoman occupancy.
The independence of Bulgaria was declared in 1908 and the first Balkan war was started in 1912. I am prompted to ask you how these Turks who settled in Turkey throughout these years felt entitled to Bulgarian nationality? Just for four years where there were even considered as wealthy, rich families with significant privileges living in ex-ottoman territories. Even Ottoman Emery encouraged most tukrs living in these areas not to leave their homes in hope of regaining Western Thrace.
If you like to call any of them Bulgarian Turks, me as I Bulgarian Turk doesn’t consider them one of us. There are different patterns of historical heritage we carry. When I hear somebody saying Bulgarian Turk I think of the systematic assimilation of Turks living in Bulgaria which started back in 1956 with the embarking of long-term assimilation policy towards the Turks in Bulgaria, which was routinely pursued with more or less intensity until the end of “Communist” rule. When I hear the term Bulgarian Turks I think of my family which was forced to changed their names to Bulgarian ones, I think of how Turkish community in Bulgaria was not allowed basic human rights. I think of how turkish language was banned, turkish dresses were banned. I think of a process of bulgarification of a community with different religion, language, culture, ethnicity, customs and traditions. I think of the end of the Revival Process when Bulgarian Turks were made to leave the Bulgarian state if they didn’t feel entitled t Bulgarian identity. I think of the huge fights between Bulgarian police and the Turks where there was thousands of people who were wounded or killed. I think of people who were sent to the concentration camp in Belene. I think of people who were called muhajirs after they entered Turkey. Turks who were blamed of bringing the west culture with themselves. People who were never considered truly Turks.
