Tag: Armenian Question

Obama vs Romney: Armenian American Community Pressures Candidates to Recognize 1915 Genocide by Ottoman Turkey

Ninety-seven years ago, when the wholesale massacre of Armenians was taking place in Ottoman Turkey, the United States turned to be the most active supporter of suffering Armenians. Over 130,000 Armenian orphans were sheltered in American orphanages that were established in Armenia, Greece, Cyprus and elsewhere. President Woodrow Wilson and the U.S. Ambassador to Ottoman Turkey Henry Morgenthau were personally involved in coordinating the aid activities.

The New York Times alone published 145 articles in 1915, describing the horrors Armenians went through.

Ninety-seven years later, the U.S. Armenian community supported by the Congressional Armenian Caucus, its friends in various states are still struggling to finalize the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the U.S. government. Contemporary Turkey is a NATO ally, although some annalists like Daniel Pipes of Middle East Forum or Ariel Cohen of Heritage Foundation would often claim Turkey is not truly the same ally anymore. Ankara skillfully uses its geopolitical importance and various connections in order to resist any attempt of Genocide recognition by America, Europe or elsewhere. However, 21 countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, and others have adopted resolutions labeling the events of 1915 as Genocide and calling on Turkey to do the same.

Interestingly, the United States, a country that was extremely active in helping Armenians almost a century ago, today is somehow uncertain. Ankara and its lobby groups have consequently placed an incredible pressure on the Administration.

The paradox is that countries like Slovakia, which did not even exist in 1915, or like Venezuela, widely seen as much less democratic nowadays, were able to stand up to Turkish pressures and adopt relevant resolutions about these horrible events and gross violation of human rights.

A lesser-known fact is that America has in fact recognized the Armenian Genocide. Forty-three out of 50 states of America at various times adopted commemorative resolutions on this subject. The House of Representatives twice (1975 and 1984) adopted genocide resolutions and President Ronald Reagan qualified the events as genocide in April 1981. However, later on, U.S. policy on this issue became more evasive resulting in calling back the U.S. ambassador John Evans from Yerevan for calling the events as genocide in May of 2006. This harsh action was taken by the administration of Bush junior (although, Bush himself had promised to recognize the genocide while he was a presidential candidate in 2000).

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), an Armenian lobby group in Washington, DC, issued a statement calling on presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney to make their position clear on this and other issues.

Harut Sassounian, President of the United Armenian Fund and a newspaper publisher from California, a state which hosts the majority of over one million Armenian Americans, stated: “Pres. Obama has about 30 days to make good on his pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Otherwise, Armenian Americans will not vote for him for a second term.”

President Obama, as a senator, qualified the events of 1915 as genocide. As president, he stated, “he hadn’t changed his views.” “My interest remains the achievement of a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts”, Obama said. However, he did not use the G—-word while in the Oval room, but qualified the events of 1915 as “Medz Yeghern.” The president has skillful advisers: “Meds Yeghern” is the Armenian equivalent of genocide, the same way Shoah in Hebrew stands for the Jewish Holocaust. Barack Obama got pretty close to doing what in fact already another U.S. president had done about three decades ago.

However, the community is waiting for clarifications from the President. At the end of the day, “Meds Yeghern” is meaningless for most Americans, and does not have a judicial meaning.

via Obama vs Romney: Armenian American Community Pressures Candidates to Recognize 1915 Genocide by Ottoman Turkey.

September 30, 2012
Genocide? What Genocide? Turkish Minister Says ‘Turkey Doesn’t Know What Genocide Is’

Genocide? What Genocide? Turkish Minister Says ‘Turkey Doesn’t Know What Genocide Is’

Turkey EU-Affairs Minister Egemen Bagis is a notorious Genocide denier

ANKARA—Notorious Genocide-denying Turkish Minister of EU Affairs said Tuesday that Turkey doesn’t know what Genocide is, claiming, once again, that there was never a Genocide in Turkey’s history.

Egemen Bagis comments came during the opening ceremony of an educational facility, where he also expressed his opposition to a decision in France to include the Armenian Genocide as part of French public school curriculum.

“If only all countries’ past had been simple and transparent just like Turkey’s past. No genocides have occurred in Turkey’s history. What’s genocide? Turkey doesn’t know what genocide is,” Bagis told the Milliyet daily.

Bagis claimed that Turks are proud of their history and forebears.

France announced that it has included a chapter about the Armenian Genocide in secondary school textbooks, which will be used across the country.

Bagis was quick to voice Turkey’s “strong protest” over this decision urging Paris to not test bilateral relations “once again,” reported the Hurriyet newspaper.

“I call on the French authorities to intensify efforts to resolve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in the framework of OSCE Minsk Group rather than distort the historical facts,” Bagis said.

Turkish Education Ministry officials said they will first need to examine the book and see if it “includes phrases that incriminate Turkey and they will respond in line with international law through diplomatic channels.”

Today’s Zaman reported that the chairman of the Turkish Parliament’s powerful education committee accused the French government of planting the seeds of hate with its move to include the Armenian Genocide in history and geography books.

Nabi Avcı, chairman of the National Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Commission, told Today’s Zaman in a phone interview on Monday that “the erosion of French culture and moving to the radical right in French politics that started with [former president Nicolas] Sarkozy continues to have a negative impact on the French education system.”

“I just hope that sensible French intellectuals will raise their voices against this kind of provocative move that will plant seeds of hate into minds of young people in France,” he added.

via Genocide? What Genocide? Turkish Minister Says ‘Turkey Doesn’t Know What Genocide Is’ | Asbarez Armenian News.

August 30, 2012
EXPECTATION FOR A DISASTER –

Ömer Engin LÜTEM

Turkish Forum Advisory Board member, E Buyukelci

Harut Sassounian is an American columnist of Armenian origin. He is known for always supporting extreme nationalist views and showing great reactions towards events, rebuking from time to time Turkish, Armenian and American statesmen and politicians and giving advice to them. Thus, due to these qualifications he is highly admired and frequently read by the Diaspora Armenians. He is a person who must be taken seriously due to his influence over the Armenian Diaspora rather than the value of his writings.

In one of his articles last week entitled “Frequently Asked Questions on Armenian Demands from Turkey”, he expressed that with 2015 approaching, he will respond to some fundamental questions regarding Armenian territorial demands from Turkey.

One of these questions was “Isn’t it a Fantasy to expect that Armenians will ever Regain Western Armenia (Eastern Anatolia)?” In response, he said that Turkish leaders will not voluntarily hand over to Armenians a single inch of land, therefore Armenians have to wait for unforeseen developments to occur in and around Turkey—such as civil war, global or regional conflict, revolution, Kurdish insurrection, natural disaster, or nuclear catastrophe— that bring about a power vacuum and possible border changes in that part of the world. In response to another question on “If Western Armenia is freed, wouldn’t the overwhelming majority of the population and elected officials be Kurds and Turks, making Armenians a small minority in their own homeland?”, he stated that demographic changes resulting from unforeseen circumstances in the region shall determine how many Kurds, Turks, or even Armenians remain in the area. Therefore, one cannot automatically conclude that Armenians would become a minority in Western Armenia.

In short, Sassounian expects that a great development (civil war, global or regional conflict, revolution, Kurdish insurrection, natural disaster or nuclear catastrophe) will occur making it possible for border changes to take place in and around Eastern Anatolia. He expresses and hopes that this development will to a great extent cause the Turks and Kurds to be killed and therefore, the Armenians will be able to gain the majority and Eastern Anatolia could then unite with Armenia.

Of course this is only a fantasy. Currently and in the discernible future there is not a single indication that such a development could occur in and around Eastern Anatolia. On the other hand, there is also no explanation to why such a development will not affect Armenia and the Armenians; in other words, why the Armenians will survive while the Turks and Kurds are killed. However, apart from these, expecting and even hoping for some disasters to take place and for Turks and Kurds to be killed just to gain territory creates a serious ethical question. This kind of idea could only be the result of a deep racist hatred.

Although it could have an affect over the Diaspora, it could be thought that not too much importance should be attached to these kinds of insane delusions of a columnist. However, this kind of mentality is very common among the Armenians and even though indirectly, is actually embraced by high-level Armenian statesmen. We will only provide two examples.

In 2005, in response to a question concerning the territorial integrity of Turkey, Robert Kocharyan, who was President from 1998-2008, had said that the foreign policy of the Government mainly entails the recognition of the Armenian genocide and that the Armenian presidents and politicians in the future should be concerned with the legal consequences of the recognition. According to the Armenians, since the legal consequences of recognizing the genocide allegations is the returning of properties to the relocated Armenians, compensation being paid to them and territory from Eastern Anatolia being given to Armenia, with his statements Kocharyan had indirectly claimed territory from Turkey, but had said that achieving this is up to the statesmen of future generations.

Current President Sarkisian carries the same view on this issue as his predecessor. Last year in July, in response to a student’s question on whether Western Armenia, including Mount Ararat, will ever unite with Armenia, Sarkisian had said that “everything depends on the young generation. Every generation has some goal to achieve”. Since this response means that future Armenian generations must work towards uniting Eastern Anatolia, including Mount Ararat, with Armenia, the Turkish Foreign Ministry had condemned this statement and expressed that giving advice to the youth and the future generations in a way that will provoke an ideology of hostility and hatred among societies is an extremely irresponsible behavior.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Erdoğan had said that statesmen ought not to inculcate enmity and hatred in future generations and that Sarkisian’s behavior is incitement, therefore it will lead Armenia’s youth into darkness and their outlook will always be through dark glasses. By also expressing that what Sarkisian meant was to say `Now you got Karabakh from us. In the future you will occupy Ararat` and that this means `Armenia could from now on enter a war against Turkey as it wants`, he had said that there can be no such diplomacy and statesmanship and that Sarkisian has made a serious mistake and must apologize for it.

As could be seen, territorial claims of the Armenians from Turkey are not recent and although in an indirect manner, still exist and are even addressed on the presidential level. Therefore, there is nothing new in Sassounian’s statements. He has tried to address under which conditions these claims could be achieved and has reached the conclusion that only if a disaster occurs and a majority of the Turks and Kurds are killed in this disaster will it be possible for Turkey to give territory to Armenia.

August 22, 2012
Fatwa on Armenian Massacres Attracts World Attention Despite Turkish Denials

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Last week’s column on the 1909 Fatwa issued by Egypt’s top Islamic cleric condemning Turks for massacring Armenians in Adana drew widespread attention. The article was posted on websites in many countries, including Pakistan, India, Israel, France, Russia, Lebanon, Armenia, and the United States.

Although my columns are often translated and reprinted in the Turkish media, last week’s article broke all records. It appeared in summary form in dozens of Turkish newspapers and websites. In addition, prominent syndicated columnist Taha Akyol wrote a lengthy rebuttal published in Hurriyet, CNN-Turk, and others publications. Akyol is a right wing journalist who switched his allegiance from the ultra-nationalist Alpaslan Turkes, leader of the Grey Wolves, to Pres. Abdullah Gul and his ruling Islamist AKP party.

Akyol describes me as “one of the Armenian Diaspora’s fiercest leaders,” and “a Tashnak militant.” To prove to his Turkish readers that I am a “radical” Armenian, Akyol quotes from an earlier column in which I had stated that Armenians could regain Western Armenia someday when unexpected developments take place in that region, creating a power vacuum. Akyol was joined by former Turkish Ambassador Omer Engin Lutem in denouncing my views on Western Armenia. While calling me an “extreme nationalist,” Amb. Lutem depicted me as someone “highly admired and frequently read by Diaspora Armenians. In addition to the value of his writings, he is a person that must be taken seriously because of his influence over the Armenian Diaspora.”

In his article, Akyol uses standard denialist tactics by reducing the number of Armenian victims in Adana and mischaracterizing the killings as a clash between Armenians and Turks. In reality, 30,000 Armenians were killed by Turkish mobs which had been whipped into frenzy by Ismail Hakke, the Mufti of Bahce, a town near Adana. Akyol’s gross misrepresentation of the facts is contradicted by the July 31, 1909 decree of the Council of Ministers of Ottoman Turkey which placed sole responsibility for the massacres on the shoulders of provincial Turkish officials.

In a vain attempt to make his distorted views more credible, Akyol reports that he consulted Prof. Kemal Cicek, Director of the discredited Turkish Historical Society, who “had published a book last month titled, ‘The Adana Incidents of 1909 Revisited.’” In fact, the book was published a year ago, and Cicek is not the author, but editor of a volume consisting of papers presented at a 2009 Ankara conference. In response to Akyol’s question as to whether the Turkish Mufti had issued a Fatwa, Cicek reportedly stated: “I studied the Adana court records. Armenians had made such claims at the time, but no such documents or witnesses were found. There is absolutely no such Fatwa.”

Contrary to Cicek’s claims, there are a number of references confirming that Ismail Hakke, the Turkish Mufti, did issue a Fatwa to legitimize the atrocities. Dr. Ali Osman Ozturk, Professor at Canakkale’s “March 18 University,” wrote the following in the Milli Folklor Journal (2009): “The government hanged the Mufti of Bahce in Dortyol because of the Fatwa he had issued, stating that ‘Armenian blood and property are helal [religiously sanctioned].’” Historian Raymond Kevorkian also mentions the Turkish Fatwa in his monumental book, “The Armenian Genocide, a Complete History,” by referencing two sources: Z. Duckett Ferriman’s “The Young Turks and the Truth about the Holocaust at Adana, in Asia Minor, During April, 1909,” and the Turkish parliamentary commission’s report by Judges Fayk Bey and Haroutioun Mosdichian. Dr. Vahakn Dadrian also refers to several Fatwas issued by Muftis in various Turkish towns, including the Mufti of Bahce, who “surpassed in intensity and scope the atrociousness of the rest of his colleagues.” Dadrian then quotes the German newspaper Berliner Tageblatt which reported the eyewitness account of German engineers: “The Mufti had excited and agitated the fanatical and criminal rabble of Bahce and its environs.”

To his credit, Akyol does not deny the Fatwa issued by the noble Egyptian Grand Sheikh Salim al-Bishri of al-Azhar. Akyol admits the possibility that the Arab Sheikh had issued such a Fatwa. I can assure him that such a Fatwa exists, since I have in my possession a photocopy of the document, excerpts of which were published in translation in my last week’s column. Akyol also acknowledges that the Turkish Mufti of Bahce was in fact hanged for his crimes in Adana!

Over a 100 years later, the Fatwa of Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar remains a most valuable document, particularly in these turbulent times. Copies of this righteous Fatwa along with the compassionate Decree issued in 1917 by the Sharif of Mecca should be disseminated by the Armenian Republic, church leaders, and civic groups to all Muslim states, their Ambassadors, media, and mosques worldwide, particularly in Turkey, Azerbaijan, and the Arab world.

August 21, 2012
Frequently-Asked Questions On Armenian Demands from Turkey
The approaching Centennial of the Armenian Genocide in 2015 raises some fundamental questions, particularly on Armenian territorial demands from Turkey. In the weeks and months ahead, this column will address these issues by presenting the rationale for these demands and provide answers to frequently-asked questions.

Question 1: Is it true that all claims arising from the crime of genocide become invalid after one hundred years?

Answer: Not true! On November 26, 1968, the UN General Assembly adopted “The Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity,” which includes the crime of genocide. Article 1 of this Convention states that “No statutory limitation shall apply to [these crimes] … irrespective of the date of their commission.” Therefore, no matter how much time has elapsed, war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide, can still be prosecuted. However, for logistical reasons, it would be wise to refer such crimes to the courts as quickly as possible.

Question 2: Isn’t it a fantasy to expect that Armenians will ever regain Western Armenia?

Answer: No one should be under the illusion that Turkish leaders would voluntarily hand over to Armenians a single inch of land, let alone the territories of Western Armenia. Peaceful transfers of land are extremely rare in the practice of international relations. All too often, land is taken by force. Since Armenia is not militarily more powerful than Turkey, and is not expected to be so anytime soon, Armenians have to wait for unforeseen developments to occur in and around Turkey, such as civil war, global or regional conflict, revolution, Kurdish insurrection, natural disaster or nuclear catastrophe, to bring about a power vacuum and possible border changes in that part of the world. Meanwhile, Armenians have to keep alive and transmit their territorial demands to future generations until the opportune moment when they can claim their lawful rights.

In the meantime, it is unwise for Armenians to make minimalist demands from Turkey. Since Turkish leaders are not willing to make even the smallest territorial concession, there is no point in telling them that Armenians would be satisfied by the return of only Ararat or Ani. Armenians should ask for nothing less than “Armenia from sea to shining sea” (dsove-dsov Hayastan)! Rather than minimizing their demands, Armenians should claim the maximum, so that they can end up getting a portion of what is rightfully theirs. As all good Armenian businessmen know, you don’t start negotiating from your bottom price!

Question 3: If Western Armenia is freed, wouldn’t the overwhelming majority of the population and elected officials be Kurds and Turks, making Armenians a small minority in their own homeland?

Answer: Yes, that would be true if Western Armenia was handed to Armenians today! However, this is not likely to happen. As explained earlier, before Armenians have the opportunity to regain their historic lands, calamitous events must first occur in that part of the world. No one knows the impact of such developments on the local population. Demographic changes resulting from unforeseen circumstances in the region shall determine how many Kurds, Turks or even Armenians remain in the area. One cannot simply assume that the status quo will remain unchanged forever. Therefore, one cannot automatically conclude that Armenians would become a minority in Western Armenia.

Question 4: If someday Western Armenia is liberated, would Armenians be willing to leave their comfortable homes in the West and resettle on those inhospitable lands?

Answer: The issue here is the right of Armenians to settle in their historic homeland. Once these lands are returned, it is up to each Armenian to decide whether to relocate. This should not be a Turkish concern! Do all Jews live in Israel? Since most Lebanese, like Armenians, live outside of their homeland, do people question the reason for the existence of Lebanon as a state? Someday, when Western Armenia is freed, most Armenians who live in nearby Middle Eastern countries will probably choose to relocate there. However, there is no problem if every single Armenian from around the world does not head for the homeland. Those who remain in the Diaspora will surely play a critical role in strengthening the newly-established country economically and politically, just as Armenians worldwide are currently assisting their compatriots in the Republic of Armenia!

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14 Responses

for “Frequently-Asked Questions On Armenian Demands from Turkey”
1. eseksiksian says:
  
  August 7, 2012 at 5:17 pm
  
  4. When will the Republik of Armenia disappear?
  
  We have now to wait until Syrian and Lebanese armenians will disappear. This will be in the coming two month.
  
  After that, Iran will have regime change. This will be in 2013.
  
  So it is possible earliest in Summer 2013, or start in the Winter of 2013. After armenia will be in the ring of fire, the Russians will leave the boat, as they left Assad this week.
  
  The reconquista of Turkish Land and the Unity of all Turan will be finished in 2 weeks after the start of the liberation.
  
  All armenians will live in Russia in 2014.
  
  Reply
  - George says:
    
    August 8, 2012 at 11:35 am
    
    eseksike, This is called a wishfull thinking
    
    Reply
2. Hovhannes says:
  
  August 7, 2012 at 6:45 pm
  
  Dear Mr Sassounian, I disagree with you concerning question No 3. If Western Armenia is freed, Armenians won’t be a small minority in their own homeland, because Turks and Kurds must leave, evacuate our lands, just like happened in Gharapagh. There’s no one Azerbaijani left in Gharapagh today. The same must be the case with Turks and Kurds in Western Armenia. Only Armenians should be allowed to live in Western Armenia.
  
  Reply
3. Hovhannes says:
  
  August 7, 2012 at 7:00 pm
  
  Dear Mr Sassounian, I like to point out that, concerning question No 2, you failed to mention the legal border between Armenia and Turkey is the one determined by the treaty of Sévrès, and, regarding territorial claims, we have to mention the treaty of Sévrès again and again. We don’t minimise or maximise our demands. We are asking for the legal border between Armenia and Turkey to be re-established. And, finally, each time you get the chance, dear Mr Sassounian, remind American officials, congressmen, senators, that the legal border between Armenia and Turkey was established by US President Woodrow Wilson.
  
  Reply
  - Varmik says:
    
    August 8, 2012 at 3:02 pm
    
    Politically speaking, you are right. But that is only in politics. In reality, it is not enough for us Armenians. Wilsonian Armenia is only a fraction of our lands. Dikranagert and Cilicia aren’t even part of the Wilsonian Armenia. If we were to demand our land from a political point of view, we would ask the one determined by the Treaty of Sevres. But we all know that Turkey will never give an inch of land without war. That’s why when Turkey is weakened is the right time to get our lands back.
    
    Reply
4. Stepan says:
  
  August 7, 2012 at 7:18 pm
  
  Thank you Harut for bringing to light what many Armenians think about. The general topic of reparations is just beginning to emerge as the core of our justice equation. For too long our public discussions have centered around “recognition”. The heart of the reparation issue is the territorial demands of the Armenian nation.
  It is critical that we integrate Western Armenia into all educational processes and curriculum to give our emerging generations a working knowledge of the history and geography of this element of Armenian civilization that was horrifically altered by the Genocide. Camps, churches, schools and educational forums should ensure that our children maintain an identity with this land while the wheels of justice turn.
  I would also suggest that try to define western Armenia in the context of the maximum” approach. It is obviously more than the Wilsonian award from the Sevres Treaty. Is it including historic Cilicia? Sepastia? With the resurgence of our efforts in the last 20 years, defining these areas of reparations is fundamental. It begs the question of how will this be determined. RoA is not in a political position to lead such an effort. The time for the diaspora to unify and resolve these types of issues has arrived!!
  
  Reply
  - Varmik says:
    
    August 8, 2012 at 4:47 pm
    
    I agree with you. Armenia can’t have such demand from Turkey. It is up to us Diaspora to lay such claims. Politically speaking, Sevres Treaty is easier to claim because it was legally bound at that time. But we all know Wilsonian Armenia is not enough. We need much more like Cilicia and the other Eastern Anatolian parts. I would even go as far as to say to get lands that didn’t really belong to us in the past like the whole Central Anatolia and some Western Anatolia parts. Why not? We deserve a little more than we used to, because of all the sufferings Armenians endured all those centuries. We should think of enriching ourselves even more. If we get victorious, we get to keep all those lands.
    
    Reply
5. Kevork says:
  
  August 7, 2012 at 9:35 pm
  
  Best article, ever! Let’s keep in mind that who lives on Armenian territory now in present day eastern Turkey is irrelevant as far as Armenians are concerned. When the time comes, that will be dealt with appropriately. It is better to have all our lands back, regardless if other people are living there. Once the terrorist Turkish government is toppled, the rest can be dealt with peacefully. However, let’s keep in mind something very important.
  
  Can a nation commit genocide, deny the victims a future, deprive them of multiplying, steal their lands, populate the stolen lands with its own kind, then after bribing governments and denying genocide for 100+ years claim that those people living there must stay? HELL NO! Just like Turkey populated Armenian lands with the terrorists who committed genocide, it must depopulate them in the same way when the time comes. *THAT IS TURKEY’S RESPONSIBILITY*.
  
  Turkey is an expert country with moving its citizens around like cattle. Case in point: Cyprus. In north Cyprus, the so called “Turkish Cypriots” there are mostly settlers from the mainland, compliments of the Turkish government.
  
  Also, I wholeheartedly believe that all the governments involved in WWI are just as responsible as Turkey is. If anything, they re-armed the Turks after WWI thereby allowing them to continue the genocide, and illegally invading Armenia as well – supposedly a “war of independence” (in reality both the western governments and the Soviet Union, opposing each other and wanting Asia Minor, armed Turkey, thus all together they created a terrorist state which is in existence today, currently dominated by the US for the purpose of checking the power of Russia.) No one in their right mind would believe that after just losing WWI, destitute, starving and without an army, Turkey miraculously recovered in one year by itself and came back to take over all the lands it currently occupies. Baloney!
  
  Reply
6. bigmoustache says:
  
  August 8, 2012 at 7:23 am
  
  great points, all armenians should remember this.
  ww3 is an opportunity if it should involve russia, turkey and the kurds. we should start establishing ties with the kurds. if they ever decide to fully rebel and fight the turkish govt then armenia could provide much needed military equipment and logistics (we as a developed nation have those assets).
  the result is we share the spoils
  
  Reply
  - Varmik says:
    
    August 8, 2012 at 5:17 pm
    
    I can see your point. I don’t think it really benefits us Armenians for a number of reasons. Personally, I don’t really trust the Kurds for the following reasons:
    
    1) Kurds helped the Turks commit the Armenian genocide.
    
    2) Kurds claim Western Armenia as Kurdistan
    
    3) Kurds are Muslims.
    
    Let’s not forget Kurds helped the Turks commit genocide. They are responsible as well for the genocide. Kurds also claim Western Armenia as Kurdistan. If we arm them, they may later use it against us for their own benefit as they want their Kurdistan in our lands. That’s the main reason why I oppose arming Kurds. They may turn against us and stabs us. I don’t really trust Muslim populations. They sometimes act as traitors against us Christians and stabs us in the back.
    
    It’s time for Anatolia to be ruled by Christians.
    
    Reply
7. Karen Mkrtchyan -India says:
  
  August 8, 2012 at 8:04 am
  
  I always read HARUT SASSOUNIAN’S articles with pleasure. Thank you so much Mr.Sassounian for calling upon all Armenians to believe that one day Western Armenia will be liberated.
  Very informative and educative write up.
  Waiting for more on this topic.
  
  With best wishes and regards,
  Karen.
  New Delhi
  India
  
  Reply
8. balyarak says:
  
  August 8, 2012 at 11:21 am
  
  I am grateful that Harut has finally found a way to dealt with the Western Armenia stuff. I am sure Turks are cowards and they will disappear to allow the brave Armenians to occupy the land
  
  Reply
9. George says:
  
  August 8, 2012 at 11:38 am
  
  Inteligent Article, We waited 100 years we can wait more, who can’t wait is Turkey, PATIENCE, PATIENCE, PATIENCE,
  
  Reply
10. Varmik says:
  
  August 8, 2012 at 11:38 am
  
  Great article!!! I’m looking forward to that day when Western Armenia will belong to us Armenians. The land of Azerbaijan will belong to us as well. Armenia will stretch from sea to sea. It will border Caspian sea, Black sea and Mediterranean sea. From Caspian sea to Phrygia in Central Anatolia, Armenia will be. Western Anatolia will belong to Greece.Central Anatolia and Eastern Anatolia will belong to Armenia. Of course, that is wishful thinking, I’m not a prophet, so I can’t predict what will happen. Let’s just hope God will give us all that land, because He will decide which land will belong to who.
  
  Reply
August 7, 2012
Role of gender in Armenian Genocide topic of Istanbul conference

From left: Arlene Avakian, Doris Melkonian, Anna Aleksanyan, Hourig Attarian, and Ay?e Gül Alt?nay.

Istanbul, Turkey – The “Gendered Memories of War and Political Violence” international conference in Istanbul, Turkey, featured a panel devoted to the Armenian Genocide, titled “Gendering the Armenian Genocide.”

The May 22-23 conference was organized by Prof. Ay?e Gül Alt?nay of Sabanci University and Prof. Andrea Petö of Central European University as a joint academic initiative between their two universities.

Over 40 academics from around the world (Australia, Israel, Poland, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Finland, Netherlands, Greece, Canada, United States, and Armenia) gathered in Istanbul to present their latest research findings on women’s memories of war and political violence. Papers examined genocides and political violence in Cambodia, Vietnam, Congo, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Serbia, Israel-Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Turkey.

Keynote speaker, Prof. Cynthia Enloe of Clark University, set the tone for the conference, posing the question, “Which wartime women are remembered in post-wartime and which forgotten?” Enloe underscored the importance of paying tribute to women’s memories of political conflict, recognizing that stories remain untold as women live their lives in post-conflict silence.

As Doris Melkonian of the University of California, Los Angeles said during her presentation, quoting Professor Kamala Visweswaran, “If we do not know how to hear silence, we will be unable to understand what is being said.”

The conference papers were grouped into nine panels which included: “Gendered Memories of War in Literature and the Arts”; “Women’s Narratives of War and Soldiering”; “Sexual Violence: Silence, Narration, Resistance”; “Gender, Sexual Violence and International Law”; “Gendering the Armenian Genocide”; and “Reflecting on Feminist Memory Work.”

The panel devoted to the Armenian Genocide consisted of (in order of presentation): Doris Melkonian (United States), Anna Aleksanyan (Armenia), Hourig Attarian (Canada), and Ay?e Gül Alt?nay (Turkey), with Arlene Avakian (United States) serving as discussant.

Doris Melkonian (doctoral student at UCLA) presented a paper co-authored with her sister Arda Melkonian (doctoral student at UCLA) titled “Armenian Women and Men Narrating Sexual Violence During the Armenian Genocide.” Drawing upon the UCLA Collection of Armenian Genocide Survivor Memoirs, Melkonian analyzed gender differences in survivors’ use of language when retelling stories of rape and sexual violence. Melkonian’s close reading of the narratives underscores the importance of not only analyzing language but also paying close attention to the silences. While rape was a common occurrence during the Armenian Genocide, very little scholarly research has been conducted on this topic. Through their research, the Melkonians strive to fill this void.

Anna Aleksanyan (researcher at the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute in Yerevan) presented the complex post-Genocide situation of Armenian women who had converted to Islam. Her paper, “The Gender Issue: The Dilemma of Re-Armenianization of Armenian Women after the Genocide” dealt with the difficult task of bringing Islamized Armenian women back into the Armenian community and to their roots. Aleksanyan highlighted the role of Danish missionary, Karen Jeppe, who worked relentlessly towards this end in Aleppo, Syria. Despite efforts to rescue Islamized Armenian women, many chose to not return to the Armenian community and to remain with their Arab/Kurd/Turk husbands due to the intense shame they felt.

Hourig Attarian (post-doctoral fellow at Concordia University) shared her research on Armenian women who led double lives after the Genocide. In her paper, “Storying Narratives of Silences and Secrets in the Aftermath of Genocide,” Attarian incorporates material from the AGBU central archives in Aleppo. Marginal notes written after each ledger entry provide insight into these women’s lives. Attarian wove into her presentation moving accounts of her own family members, describing the joy, and later, anguish they experienced as they found, and then lost touch of an aunt.

Ay?e Gül Alt?nay (professor at Sabanci University) discussed Armenian Islamized women in Turkey in her presentation, “Gendered Silencing of Islamized Armenians.” Altinay estimates that there were as many as two hundred thousand Armenian women who had been Islamized after the Genocide. Unfortunately, there is scant research on this subject, partly because Islamized Armenian women were considered “lost” and therefore, no longer Armenian. The grandchildren of Islamized Armenians are now surfacing in Turkish society, and thus, challenging notions of ethnic and cultural identity for both Turkish and Armenian nationalists.

Arlene Avakian (retired professor at the University of Massachusetts), discussant for this panel, highlighted the unifying themes in each of the papers, seamlessly connecting the papers to each other.

via Armenian Reporter:.

July 28, 2012