Archive for February, 2006

Turks to Return Makaravank? You Wish!

Do you recall the naïve news about Cypriot Turks returning the looted Armenian monastery of Makaravank to the Armenian community?

Well, here you go.

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Turks deny plan to return Armenian monastery
[24 Feb 2006]
By Simon Bahceli

RUMOURS the Turkish Cypriot authorities are about to return the Sourp Magar monastery in the north to its Armenian owners were refuted yesterday by Turkish Cypriot ‘foreign ministry’ advisor Kudret Akay.

“We have contacts with the Armenian community in Cyprus and are considering allowing them to use the monastery on religious days,” Akay told the Cyprus Mail. He denied that the building would be handed over to the Armenian community, but said they would likely be consulted over repairs due to take place on the building on the northern sloped of the Pentadaktylos mountains.

Rumours of the handover first appeared in Istanbul-based Armenian weekly Agos, which reported earlier this week that Turkish businessman Ulus Sonmezler was planning to sue the Turkish Cypriot authorities because it had annulled a 49-year lease he signed on the building in 1997.

Sonmezler said he believed his contract was annulled because the Sourp Magar monastery was included in a list of historical buildings the north was planning to hand over to the Republic of Cyprus. Akay, however, denied the existence of such a list.

Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005

source: http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=24545&cat_id=1

Turkish Response for Azerbaijani Vandalism

Once upon a time I wrote about the denialist response of Azerbaijanis and Turks regarding the destruction of the Armenian heritage in Azerbaijan and in Turkey.

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It is, indeed, unfair to stereotype people. Indeed, there are some individual Azerbaijanis and Turks who have different approaches.

Alas, I have not encountered an Azerbaijani who would condemn the recent destruction of the Armenian cemetery in Nakhichevan. But I certainly have to share a recent letter by Turkish Professor Ali Kazancigil (who has worked for UNESCO for 30 years). After watching a video of the Azerbaijani destruction at www.julfa.cjb.net, Mr. Kazancigil wrote in a personal communication:

I have great sympathy for the Enlightenment philosopher Condorcet
who believed that human progress was possible and humans would become
better through reason and education. On the face of such horrors,
I have to sadly admit that his prediction has not come true, not yet
at least. Let's keep our optimism, it helps…

Inquiring Azerbaijani Vandalism

According to www.forum.nedarm.nl, “the Dutch MP C. G. van der Staaij of the SGP (Reformed Political Party) faction has submitted Written Questions to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and to the Secretary of State for Education, Culture and Science on the destruction of Armenian cross stones (khachkars) of Old Jougha in Nakhichevan by the Azerbaijani soldiers.”

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As a reminder, the European Parliament has recently adopted a resolution condemning the mid-December (2005) Azerbaijani destruction of the ancient Armenian cemetery in Old Jougha (Julfa), Nakhichevan.

22 February 2006

1. Is the report correct that by the order of the Azerbaijani authorities in December 2005 graves of particular historic and cultural significance were destroyed and desecrated at the Armenian cemetery in Djulfa in Nakhichevan? Could you inform us of the precise state of affairs?

2. Could the government confirm whether the destruction is related to the dormant conflict of Nagorno Karabagh?

3. To what extend has Azerbaijan been sensitive to international criticism to similar destruction in past years?

4. Is the Dutch government prepared to back the EU statement by condemning the events and reminding Azerbaijan over her obligations vis-à-vis her membership of the Council of Europe and participation in the European Neighbourhood policy.

Manouchian: Tlaxcala Patron

A group of mostly Spanish cyber pals established “Tlaxcala, the network for linguistic diversity” on 21 February 2006. The literary group also launched its official website, http://www.tlaxcala.es.

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According to TLAXCALA'S MANIFESTO, “All languages of the world must, and do contribute to the brotherhood of mankind. Contrary to what many people used to believe, a language is not only a grammatical structure, a set of interconnected words, in agreement with a syntactic code, but also, and especially, a creation of meaning based upon our senses. Thus we observe, interpret and express our world from a specific personal, geographical and political context.”

The group intends to unite writers and translators from around the world. Tlaxcala’s birthday, 21 February, was chosen for a specific reason: “During the years of the 50's, 60's and 70's, 21 February was celebrated as the world anti-colonialism and anti-imperialism day.” Tlaxcala has adopted two civil rights heroes as patronages: Missak Manouchian and Malcolm X, both of whom were killed on 21 February.

It is not a coincidence that we have chosen the date of 21 Februry to make our Manifesto public. During the years of the 50's, 60's and 70's, 21 February was celebrated as the world anti-colonialism and anti-imperialism day.

On that day in 1944, Paris awoke with its walls covered with big red posters that announced the execution at Mount Valérien of 23 “terrorist” members of the Snipers and Partisans-immigrant workers, the first organization of resistance to Nazism in the French territory. The leader of the group, Missak Manouchian, a 36-year-old Armenian, was a survivor of the Armenian genocide, an immigrant. To the French collaborators who attended his summary trial before the Nazi military court, and who labelled him a métèque, Manouchian answered: “You inherited French citizenship, I earned it.”

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Nazi poster in France calling upon the destruction of the "the army of crime" (the Manouchian group that mostly included Frenchmen of Armenian, Jewish and other background) and ironically asking "The Liberators?" Chief de Bande" is Missak Manouchian, who was born in Turkey and lost his father during the Armenian genocide. They were captured in November 1943 and executed on February 21, 1944 by the Nazis. (added by Blogian)

“The time of martyrs has come, and if I am one of them, it will be for the cause of brotherhood, the only thing that can save this country.” These were Malcolm X’s last words before being murdered during a meeting in Harlem on 21st February 1965 by three members of the Nation of Islam, which Malcolm had left in 1963 in order to create the Organization of the Afro-American Unity. In April 1966, his assassins were condemned to life imprisonment, but those who plotted his murder – the Masters of the Empire – remained, as in most cases, unpunished.

Malcolm X, alias El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, whose original name was Malcolm Little, was 39. He had returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca, where he discovered universality after meeting pilgrims of all origins. One of the reasons of his breaking with the Nation of Islam was that it had had contacts with the Ku Klux Klan to discuss the establishment of a black independent State in Southern USA, just as the founder of Zionism, Theodor Herzl, had done in requesting the support of the worst anti-Semites for his project of a Jewish State. For Malcolm, whose father had been a victim of the Ku Klux Klan, such collaboration was unthinkable.

On this day of remembrance we put Tlaxcala under the patronage of those two fighters for the struggle of peoples, Missak Manouchian and Malcolm X.

Letter from a Long Distance Armenian

Eddie Arnavoudian, a diasporan Armenian (born in Kenya!) who calls himself “longs distance Armenian,” wrote this moving letter after reading the issues of Shrjadardz. He calls on diasporan Armenians to support the magazine.

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There isan immense amount of stuff in Shrjadardz that I disagree with strongly,
and that is putting it mildly. But for all that reading it I felt joyfully at home.

Here is a magazine in which one could sense and feel
concern for the people of Armenia, for the future of the land, one could
get an inkling of the way in which existing power was undermining the
future and how the effects of globalisation and its Armenian agents was
acting against the interests of the Armenian people.

Reading these issues was akin to being in Armenia, living like Armenians instead of
just being Los Angelo-Armenians or other variants of vanishing
species. As I walked through the large hall, a transformed barn, that we
occupied my mind was buzzing with ideas Armenian, both from Shrjadardz
about the conditions of Armenia and its people today and from Charents,
the problems of early 20th century Armenian state formation as expressed
in Antranig's clashes with the leadership of the first Armenian
republic. And much else.

As I pondered and delighted in these issues that I so love to engage with I was also exchanging glances with the people I loved. But there was an abyss between these two loves. No one
in the hall aside from my two children (6 and 3) and myself were
Armenian, and no one, including my two children had the least concern,
interest, knowledge let alone love for the matters I was pondering. It
was an eerie feeling.

To be Armenian in the Diaspora is just too lonely sometimes, especially if one lives isolated from any Armenian community. But even if one lives in dense Diaspora communities we then
become not Armenians but Los Angelo-Armenians, Anglo-Armenians, or
Franco, or Lebano, or Irano or any other o-Armenians. But here the
Armenian is the secondary particle. The hyphen denotes the process of
transition and assimilation.

As an article in one issue of Shrjadardz put it, the only enduring things Armenia are those that are made and exist in Armenia. It is no good being a long distance Armenian…

One must be an Armenian or just a Los-Angelo-Armenian or any other type of
Armenian. One can remain an excellent and admirable human being in all
these forms of course. So no ill judgments on any one. Just a thought
this is, as we plough the fields of life hoping for rich returns for our
children and their children's children too.

Anyone able to help get Shrjadardz back into print will do a great deal of good, even if they
disagree with almost everything in it!
Eddie Arnavoudian

via e-mail communication

New Journal: Genocide Studies and Prevention

A press release from Zoryan Institute informs, “The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), headed by Israel W. Charny, President, and the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute), headed by Roger W. Smith, Chair, are pleased to announce that they have co-founded a new academic journal, Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal (GSP), published in partnership with the University of Toronto Press. GSP is the official journal of the IAGS.”

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GSP’s mission is to understand the phenomenon of genocide, create an awareness of it as an ongoing scourge, and promote the necessity of preventing it, for both moral and pragmatic reasons. It seeks to educate, inform, and encourage new generations of scholars to conduct research on genocide and provide a forum for those who wish to work toward preventing it. This interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal will stress that genocide is a universal human experience; to that end, it will publish scholarly articles and reviews on all aspects of genocide and will welcome, in particular, comparative analyses and articles on intervention in and prevention of genocide.

The twentieth century has been called “The Age of Genocide.” Some historians estimate that over 100 million lives were lost in the twentieth century as a result of violence associated with genocide. From the extermination of the Hereros in what is now Namibia, through the genocide of the Armenians during World War I and the Holocaust during World War II, to the genocidal killings of Khmer by Khmer in Cambodia and the horrible massacres Bosnia and Rwanda, governments around the world refused to intervene. It became clear that the attention of the world needed to be focused on the massive destruction of human life. To that end the International Association of Genocide Scholars was formed, and it has now created a new journal to help focus the world’s attention on the necessity of saving human life.

More info on the journal here and here.

Turks Who Risk Their Lives

One cannot believe Turkey’s official denial of the Armenian genocide. But there are some individual Turks, whose courage is unbelievable too. We all heard about Turkish world-known novelist Orhan Pamuk going to trial for referring to the Armenian genocide. But he is not alone. There are Turks who risk everything they have to speak about the Armenian genocide. Consider a recent article by Ayşe Günaysu, who, I don’t know, where is going to end up for writing this piece…


This Country Loved Its Ağcas Very Much

By Ayşe Günaysu

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The recent release of Mehmet Ağca from jail generated on different fronts a wide range of reactions. Yet Ağca is not the only member of a gang of murderers of his generation; like Abdullah Çatlı, İbrahim Çiftçi or Haluk Kırca, he is the descendant of a long tradition. This tradition is that employing for the interests of the motherland convicts to establish and use secret organizations, commit crimes, and ignore the execution of crimes. [With such precedence] the release of Agca is neither surprising nor unexpected.

This tradition goes all the way back to the days of the [Turkish] Independence Struggle. The Karakol organization, a continuation of the Union and Progress, was one of the most important organizations that prepared the independence struggle. This organization helped the CUP members who were wanted for the massacres committed against the Armenians and Greeks escape to Anatolia and join the independence struggle. Indeed, a significant proportion of the Nationalist Forces comprised of members of the Special Organization [Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa] who were mostly ex-convicts released from prisons in order to massacre the Armenians. The founders of the Nationalist Forces in the Marmara region included Dayı Mesut, Yahya Kaptan, Kara Arslan and İpsiz Recep who were pursued for their role in perpetrating the Armenian genocide and had therefore fled to the hills. The one who united these bands (çetes) was no other than Yenibahçeli Şükrü, a member of the Special Organization.

One of the heroes of the Black Sea region independence struggle, Topal Osman, owes his fame to none other than his massacres of the Kurds in Koçgiri, and Greeks and Armenians in the Black Sea region. Lieutenant Colonel Halit and Ahmet Barutçu from the same region are also members of the Special Organization and also participated in the Armenian massacres. Lt. Colonel Halit, later known as General Halit was being pursued by the authorities because of his role [as a perpetrator] during the Armenian massacres; he [therefore] had to lead his [military] division from his hiding place.

Celal Bayar, the leading person in the Aegean region who organized the national resistance against the Greeks, was likewise sought by the authorities in relation to his role in the actualization of Greek and Armenian deportations. Additionally, Colonel Avni Bey had been indicted due to his role in the Adana deportations [of the Armenians] and was in hiding. The members of the Special Organization, namely Captain Süleyman Sururi, Serezli Pehlivan, Kaymakam Köprülü Hamdi Bey, Izmir’s ex-police chief Hacı Muhiddin Efendi were all important characters of the Aegean Turkish national resistance. Taner Akçam, in his book “Human Rights and the Armenian Question, explains [the activities of] all these in great detail.

The historian Ahmet Refik’s book entitled Two Committees, Two Massacres contains a very interesting observation. Çerkez Ahmet, the “darling” in Ahmet Refik’s words of the Union and Progress, was one of the major perpetrators of the Armenian genocide. Because he had murdered Krikor Zohrab in Diyarbekir by crushing his head, he had, according to Cemal Pasha, gone “too far.” The former was therefore seized and sent to Istanbul. Ahmet Refik tells of his interview with him at the Eskisehir train station: “Brother,” [Çerkez Ahmet] said, “this situation hurts my honor. I served this country. Go and see. I turned Van and its environs into a desert. You can not find a single Armenian left there. I served the [Turkish] nation all the time. And then ruffians like that Talaat, while they drink cold beers in Istanbul, I am being transported like this. This is really so denigrating.”

The Turkish State has had [such] dark relationships and affairs in all its periods. The September 6-7 1955 events were started by false rumors that “the Greeks had bombed Atatürk’s house in Thessaloniki.” In reality, the bomb was planted by a Turk named Oktay Engin. This same Oktay Engin later assumed important positions at the MIT (Turkish Secret Service) and even served as governor at various Turkish provinces. It is also interesting to note that during an interview published in various magazines Retired General Sabri Yirmibeşoğlu boasted that: “the September 6-7 affairs were the work of the Special Combat Unit. It was perfectly organized and reached its goals.”

Yes, the tradition is ancient and still in existence. There is nothing to be surprised about.

Notes by Blogian:

Turkish original of this article appeared in Ozgur Gundem on 17 January 2006. English translation received through e-mail communication from a Turkish professor.

Last year alone, Azerbaijani and Turkish sources published information about several crimes committed by Turkish and Azerbaijani agents and terrorists that were done under ASALA’s (Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia) name.

Ironically, Ağca, a member of the Turkish terrorist Grey Wolves group, was also proclaimed “an Armenian terrorist” after he tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II (still many ignorant newspapers refer to Ağca as “Armenian”)

Denial Works!

I have good news for Turkish nationalists. Denial, accompanied with massive hate mails, does work.

I read an article on 4 February 2006.

I do not know why I did not post this at Blogian then, but I am definitely going to do it now, because the British article has an answer to a question that I had been asking myself for a long time.

The question is the following: why the heck British media use the term “Armenian massacres” by avoiding to say “Armenian genocide?” Are they being “objective” or is there something else going on?

Actually the Muslim protests of Danish cartoons brought up many skeletons from the closet. One reason is that European journalists this time really freaked out with the pressure they faced. Such pressure, indeed, has been around from many groups as long as media have been in existence. But the violent riots really brought up serious issues, and not only about Muslims.

Without further notes, here is an excerpt from Mathew Parris’s “So They Have Thin Skins. That Shouldn’t Stop Us Poking Fun at Them” article (Times, 04 February 2006).

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Muslims are not alone in this. I really hate the way some Israelis and their apologists become angry and rude whenever the state of Israel is criticised; the interviewees who jump down their interviewer’s throat the moment they dislike a line of questioning about Palestine; the readers who write — themselves offensively — to allege anti-Semitism when none was felt or intended, or bark at you if you talk about their “wall” rather than “fence”.

There is no doubting the result of this habit: we journalists are forever deleting a line here or a thought there because of the barrage of complaint we know would otherwise come from the Israel lobby. But does that lobby realise how much unvoiced hostility towards their cause this fans?

Many Turks react with similar aggression when the massacre of Armenians is mentioned. One takes care not to say “genocide” not because it wasn’t a genocide but because one cannot bear the prospect of all the furious letters from Turkish sympathisers.

Kids Take Action For Darfur

Emma Ellis, an eighth grade student from the Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood (New Jersey), has published a column about the genocide in Darfur with the support of her classmates. The group of these students, who are raising awareness about the Darfurian genocide, can be contacted at [email protected].

Emma writes in her first paragraph, “The Holocaust. Rwanda. The Armenian genocide. These words evoke thoughts of ineffable death and suffering. After these tragedies, the world vowed never again.’ Genocide is a problem of the past, right? But what about Darfur? Do you even know where it is?”

After briefly describing the genocide in Darfur, Emma continues, “The people of Darfur need help, and quickly. Currently, 10,000 people are dying each month.

Given these facts, how can people possibly remain silent? It does not seem possible that so few people know about this tragedy. Perhaps they don't care.

Indifference can kill as surely as a bullet.”

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(from http://platform.blogs.com)

This great eight-grader calls upon us to end the genocide in Darfur by telling us to follow the example of her classmates and herself, “There is something everyone can do to help the people of Darfur. My classmates and I are currently writing letters to our congressional leaders, educating our peers, and giving people postcards to sign and send to Washington. We are also going to raise funds to send to Darfur relief organizations.”

The entire article is available here.

Aram's Choice

According to Canadian novelist Marsha Skrypuch’s blog, her newest novel, Aram’s Choice, will be in print soon.

Ms. Skrypuch writes on 19 February 2006:

Aram's Choice
A few days ago, I got the page proofs for one of my upcoming books, Aram's Choice.

This is a very special book. It's a short novel — only 72 pages — but it will have full colour illustrations throughout. I have never written a novel quite like this before. It's actually harder to write a novel as short as this because you don't have the luxury of extra words.

The story itself is a simple one. It's about Aram, an Armenian orphan, who comes to Canada in 1923. But he doesn't simply arrive in Canada, he's rescued. The story of the first 50 Armenian children to be rescued by Canada is a remarkable one and also a story that has been shoved under the carpet of time. This story is actually the one that compelled me to begin writing books in the first place.

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The story is an emotional one. About a young boy who has already lost his mother and father and little brother because of the Armenian genocide in Turkey. But he now must choose to lose everything else that is familiar — his grandmother, the orphanage in Corfu that he considers home, and his beloved teacher — on the chance that he can gain freedom as a Canadian.

You'd think that because this story had been in my heart for so very long that seeing the page proofs would have no effect on me. After all, these are my own words.

But the page proofs include Muriel Wood's astonishing paintings. They are so real that I had tears pouring down my face as I read my own words. She got inside of this story and made it her own. The paintings are so realistic that Aram and his friends are heart-breakingly real.

I am proud of this novel and I am honoured to have Muriel Wood as my illustrator. And now, I wait anxiously until the final book is in my grubby little hands.

Here's the Amazon.ca page:

http://tinyurl.com/9mo9b

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