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Parnag Shishigyan is a heroic Zeytountsi who retrieved hundreds of Armenian orphans from Arab families in the Syrian desert after the Armenian Genocide. His name is not known to most Armenians. Therefore it is worthwhile to focus attention on his life and his good deeds. He is buried in the little town of Hovdashad, a few miles outside of Yerevan.

Last month, Zarmik Sargsyan from Yerevan posted on her Facebook page a very moving tribute to Parnag Shishigyan after visiting his grave. The only reference to his unique accomplishment is a booklet published 30 years ago by Hagop Jghlyan whose family he had rescued. The book was aptly titled, “A Life Left in the Shadows.” Sargsyan attempted to take Shishigyan’s life out of the shadows and present him to the public at large.

From April 10 to May 18, 1915, the heroic town of Zeytoun in Cilicia was depopulated. The men were herded into the infamous Ottoman Turkish “Labor Battalions.” On the road to Deir Zor, Syria, 14-year-old Parnag, ignoring the snakes and scorpions around him, spent days cuddling the corpse of his mother who was killed by the sword of a Turkish soldier. He was rescued by a Bedouin Arab from the Shammar tribe, who, after digging a grave in the sand for Parnag’s mother with his dagger, placed the young boy on his horse and took him to his home.

Young Parnag who already knew Armenian, German and Turkish, soon also learned Arabic. Besides herding sheep and camels, Parnag, renamed Ahmet El Jezza, taught the tribesmen how to write in Arabic. He became very popular in the region because of his diligence, humility, and serious demeanor.

Soon, in the course of herding sheep, Parnag came across in the desert many Armenian children adopted by local Arabs. He reminded them of their Armenian heritage and began to write down their names and places of residence in a notebook.

In 1924, 23-year-old “Ahmet”, as a trusted and literate young man, was asked to deliver a herd of sheep bought by wealthy Arabs from Aleppo. Once in Aleppo, he was surprised to see Armenian signs on store fronts and people speaking in Armenian. He was offered a job and a place to stay by local Armenians, but he turned down the offers, saying he had a family in the desert and could not abandon them. He then showed to an Armenian shoemaker his notebook listing the names and places of Armenian children living in the desert with Arab families. He had promised himself to gather these Armenian children, help them marry each other and find their relatives, if still alive. It was a very difficult task. Most of the children, having lived with Arab families for several years, did not remember their heritage and did not know that there were other Armenians still in existence. But Parnag persisted despite the obstacles.

The shoemaker Panos, President of the Rescue Committee of Armenian orphans from Arab and Kurdish tribes, was stunned. During the last few months, the Committee had barely rescued a couple of children, and now Panos was seeing an entire notebook full of Armenian names.

After returning to his tribe, Parnag kept sending list after list of Armenian children to Aleppo. The Rescue Committee would then go to the desert, pay off the tribesmen and take the Armenian children to Aleppo or Beirut.

Eventually, the Syrian government allocated two villages in the desert to Armenians. Parnag got married to an Armenian woman by the name of Wadha who later changed her name to Siranoush. Respecting their adoptive Arab parents, they agreed to have the marriage ceremony performed by a Muslim Sheikh. The couple planned to have an Armenian wedding later on. Parnag’s four Arab “brothers” were not happy that he was leaving them to go and settle in the new Armenian village of Tel El-Brak. They divided the family belongings into five. Parnag took with him 100 sheep, five camels, a horse, a rifle, and household items.

Parnag brought the hundreds of Arabized Armenians to his village, gave them Armenian names and arranged their marriages. He organized the young men of the village to collect the bones of Armenian martyrs from Deir Zor, Raqqa, around the Euphrates and Khabour rivers and the tragic cave of Sheddedeh. Parnag held a memorial ceremony for the souls of the deceased!

The two Armenian villages in the desert soon prospered. They formed a sports organization and a music band. In 1947, when Parnag became aware of the mass migration back to Soviet Armenia he decided to return to the homeland! He left all his possessions behind except for one thing, his Arabian horse, which he donated to a horse ranch after arriving in Armenia.

Parnag’s family settled in Hovdashad, a village near Echmiadzin where he worked as a farmer. His wife, Siranoush, had five more children in Armenia. Even though Parnag had retrieved hundreds of Armenian children, he always thought of the hundreds of other children who were not, including his wife, Siranoush’s sister.

In the Hovdashad cemetery, there is a statue of Parnag in Arabic attire. The house that Parnag built in 1956 in that village is now like a museum, where his clothes and his photos are displayed. Facebook writer Zarmik Sargsyan recalls that Parnag’s great-grandson Hagop was married in Los Angeles on April 17, 1997, in the presence of his seven siblings. It is ironic that the descendants of the man, who had sacrificed so much to rescue Armenians and moved to the homeland, now live far away from Armenia, in Los Angeles!

Armenians both in Armenia and the Diaspora should visit the village of Hovdashad and Parnag’s grave to pay tribute to the man who retrieved hundreds of Armenian orphans and returned them to their heritage.

A major controversy erupted in Turkey last week after a pro-Erdogan Turkish Islamist magazine “Gercek Hayat” (Real Life) claimed that the controversial Turkish Imam Fethullah Gulen had written a letter on May 6, 1965 acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. The letter is included in a special 176-page edition of the magazine which belongs to the editorial group of the pro-government newspaper “Yeni Safak,” owned by the family of the Turkish president’s son-in-law.

Gercek Hayat’s article also accused of collaborating with Gulen, the Chief Rabbi of Istanbul Isahak Kahleva, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, former Armenian Patriarch of Turkey Shnorhk Kaloustian, the CIA, NATO, Zionists, Hillary Clinton, Pope John Paul II, and former Turkish leaders Ismet Inonu, Bulent Ecevit and Suleyman Demirel.

Gulen escaped to the United States in 1999. Later on, he and President Erdogan became antagonists after a lengthy collaboration during which Erdogan had used Gulen’s contacts and resources to come to power. In 2016, after the attempted coup d’état in Turkey, Erdogan accused Gulen of being the mastermind of the coup. Erdogan jailed and fired tens of thousands of Gulen’s followers. Since then Erdogan has made repeated requests to the U.S. Government to have Gulen extradited to Turkey, where he faces certain death. The United States rejected Erdogan’s requests. Even those accused of associating with Gulen, who were living outside of Turkey, were kidnapped by Erdogan’s secret agents and brought back to Turkey to face harsh charges.

Under these circumstances, when a pro-Erdogan magazine accused the leaders of religious minorities and others in Turkey of associating with Gulen, they became rightly concerned about their physical well-being and possible attacks on their religious and cultural institutions.

Regarding Gulen’s letter, published by the Turkish magazine, addressed to the former Armenian Patriarch, it has been published several times before by the Turkish media.

Here are excerpts of Gulen’s May 6, 1965 letter: “I have known Armenian families and individuals during my childhood and working positions. I will not stop cursing the Great Genocide committed against Armenians in 1915. I know that among the people killed and massacred were many highly respected individuals, for whose memory I bow with respect. I curse with great grief the massacre of the sons of the Great Prophet Christ by ignorant individuals who call themselves Muslims.”

The Turkish magazine reported that in response Shnorhk Patriarch thanked Gulen, stating that the country needs preachers like him: “We believe that the fraternal ties will remain intact in our sacred country where there are valuable and fair-minded preachers like you.”

Gulen’s purported 1965 letter is typed on a paper that appears yellowish, making it look authentic. In 2013, while in the U.S., Gulen issued another statement which said: “The Ittihadists committed the wrong policy. It is up to us to correct the wrong policy of the Ittihadists. That is why we should be in a very good dialog with Armenians and other nations. For the sake of a dialog, we should use every opportunity in the best possible way.”

The good news is that the religious leaders of minority communities in Turkey had the courage to harshly criticize the Turkish magazine. The Armenian Patriarchate issued a statement in which it “regretted the false accusations against Shnorhk Patriarch. Such writings under the umbrella of freedom of the press cause pain to us and can lead to horrible consequences. These falsehoods are worrisome to the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey and the Armenian community. Racist manifestations, as elsewhere, also seen in this country, make it impossible to escape from their consequences…. Such baseless mud-slinging is unacceptable to us. We believe that the relevant authorities will stop this injustice and hope that the rules will be enforced, taking the necessary steps against the authors.”

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate also condemned the Turkish magazine calling the published information “completely false and biased…. The publication of these claims cause distress among Christians, Jews and Muslims and are particularly serious and irresponsible, because they undermine the unity of our people…. Such information is extremely dangerous and could be the cause of dangerous acts of racism and intolerance. The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew feels very bitter and resentful for the accusations that have been made against him, despite his efforts for the good of our country.”

The Jewish community in Istanbul also criticized the Turkish magazine: “We condemn the discrimination and provocation caused by these publications, with baseless accusations against our Chief Rabbi. These hate publications are damaging Turkey. For our part, we hope for an immediate restoration of the truth against these publications of hate — through correct information and legal means — as they influence our Turkey, of which we are an integral part.”

Meanwhile, the Armenian member of the Turkish Parliament, Garo Paylan, referred the controversy to the Parliament by writing to the Vice President of the country, Fuat Oktay: “Can’t the expressions of hatred used periodically by the news media close to the Turkish President result in crimes based on hatred?”

I would like to conclude with three key points:

1) Fethullah Gulen was the ally of Erdogan before the latter asserted his dictatorial powers. The publications close to Erdogan, rather than blaming the leaders of minority religions and others, should first of all blame Erdogan for his long years of association with Gulen!

2) If Gulen’s letter is authentic, he has done nothing wrong. He has simply acknowledged the truth about the Armenian Genocide. Erdogan is the one to be blamed for lying about the Armenian Genocide!

3) The minority communities in Turkey are terrified by the article in the Turkish magazine because they know that there are plenty of extremists in Turkey who will resort to horrible acts of violence against Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks, Jews and Kurds. Their fear is justified. These minority community leaders should be commended for boldly speaking out against the threatening article in the Turkish magazine.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic which is killing hundreds of thousands of people around the world, including in Armenia, and paralyzing the economy and societal life as we know it, the biggest controversy these days in Armenia and the Armenian communities in the Diaspora has become a statement issued by His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians, and the harsh reaction by various Armenian officials and some members of the media.

Unfortunately, such a confrontation was not unexpected. Ever since the Velvet Revolution which brought Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to power in Armenia, there has been a tense atmosphere prevailing in Armenia and the Diaspora regarding those supporting Pashinyan’s government and those opposing it. While there is nothing wrong to be on the opposite sides of a political issue, the confrontation is so heated that often insults, cuss words, and even physical threats are exchanged, particularly on social media. In an earlier interview with the Armenian media, I had urged that Armenians should not treat those who disagree with them as enemies! I had said that “we can disagree without being disagreeable.”

It is understandable that most Armenians viewed the previous leaders as oppressors under whose unjust rule the Armenian people suffered tremendously. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians emigrated to Russia, Europe and North America not just because of economic hardships, but also due to social inequalities. Therefore, to a degree, it is natural that the majority of Armenians would harbor such toxic feelings toward the previous regimes.

However, I suggest that Armenians should focus on rebuilding the economy of Armenia rather than being consumed with hatred for the rest of their lives. Those who abused their positions and enriched themselves should be tried in courts and properly punished for their misdeeds.

Turning to the latest episode of the current acrimony, Catholicos Karekin II issued a statement to News.am last week, suggesting that former President Robert Kocharyan’s detention in prison be changed. Here is the translation of the statement by the Catholicos:

“Under the circumstances of this pandemic, we are seeing that in various countries of the world special attention is being paid to individuals who are detained in prisons, welcome steps are being taken toward releasing those who do not pose a danger to society or changing the terms of their detention, in order to protect them from this virus. In such issues the position of the Church is based on the divine message of love, care, and compassion, and in this context, our counsel is that the authorities of our homeland continue to take the necessary steps in this direction. Regarding Robert Kocharyan, the second President of Armenia, being informed of the expert opinions of doctors about his health, we consider it important that along with implementing justice all preventive means and measures be taken, including the changing of the method of detention, in order to protect his health from future complications during this pandemic period.”

The next day, Alen Simonyan, the Deputy Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, a member of the ruling party, wrote in his Facebook page the following harsh response to the Catholicos:

“Today Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II said that he considers it important to change the terms of detention of Robert Kocharyan. Let me say that thousands of citizens of Armenia have already for a very long time considered it important the issue of changing the All Armenian Catholicos. I think citizen Ktrij Nersessian [the layman’s name of the Catholicos] who has been continuously silent, silent and silent for decades, today, under the new conditions, can freely be the guarantor of citizen Robert Kocharyan, and for that sufficient funds can be found.”

Also reacting to the Catholicos was Mane Gevorgyan, spokeswoman of the Prime Minister. She curtly stated that the government does not intend to comment on the “hopes and desires” of the Catholicos. The spokeswoman also recalled that Priest Vahram Melikyan, spokesman of the Mother See of Etchmiadzin, had presented a guarantee that if businessman Samvel Mayrapetyan is released from jail and goes to Germany for treatment, he would return to Armenia, but has not done so since January 2019.

To make matters worse, the Deputy Primate of the Diocese of Yerevan, Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan was charged by the Armenian government last week with fraud and money laundering. The National Security Service [NSS] claimed that Archbishop Kchoyan had colluded with an Armenian businessman to defraud a third person. The NSS announced that Kchoyan owned 33% of an offshore company. Archbishop Kchoyan’s lawyer denied the accusation.

Etchmiadzin reacted by urging government officials and the media to respect Archbishop Kchoyan’s presumption of innocence. The Church headquarters also stated that it is “bewildering” that the NSS announced the charges one day after Catholicos Karekin II called for a change in the detention terms of former President Robert Kocharyan. Several high-ranking clergymen also criticized the officials who had attacked the Catholicos.

We hope that the mutual accusations will cease as Armenians would become more respectful of everyone’s freedom of speech, without insulting those who disagree with them. At a time that the pandemic is taking many innocent lives and Armenia’s economy is in peril, it would be wiser to concentrate on resolving the grave issues facing our nation.

Unique Virtual March on April 24

Since public gatherings are banned in most countries, the HyeID non-profit organization is suggesting a unique way of commemorating the Armenian Genocide this year from the comfort of your homes.

During the week of April 24, please go to the weblink: April24.hyeid.org and click “join,” indicating your agreement to the following statement: “We have to stay home this April 24, but we join the on-line march… We demand Justice for Turkey’s Genocide of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915.” Your agreement will be shown on the worldwide map on screen, indicating the number of those who have joined the on-line march in each country.