As my senior friend and Blogian reader Ara S. Ashjian informs from Baghdad (Iraq), “The Iraqi government decided to reconstruct the Armenian Orthodox church in the northern city of Mosul, which was targeted by a terrorist act in 2004.”

It is worth to note that before the Iraqi war Armenian churches of Iraq faced no vandalism or destruction. Ironically, Iraq becomes the second conservative Muslim country after Iran to reconstruct Armenian churches. In contrast, Armenian monuments in Turkey and especially in Azerbaijan are deliberately being destroyed or cleansed from their Armenian identity.

Mr. Ashjian continues:

The decision came after the Primate of the Iraqi Armenian Diocese H.E. Archbishop Avak Asadourian had met with the Iraqi president Jalal Al-Talabani and Prime Minister Ibrahim Al-Ja’fari and appealed to them to reconstruct the Church.
On Jan. 16, 2006, Iraqi Prime Minister’s office requested in a note addressed to the Financial and Reconstruction Ministers’ offices the allocation of the amount of money required and commencement of the reconstruction of the Church.
For the same reason, H.E. Archbishop Avak Asadourian has also met with the Iraqi Minister of Reconstruction Jasim Mohammed Ja’far. During the meeting, Ja’far said that his Ministry has estimated the costs and will begin the work after getting the approval of the Prime Minister, as the Iraqi Al-Sabah daily newspaper reported on Feb. 4, 2006.

I shared some stories about Armenia’s recent heavy snow. Apparently, even the local government not cleaning the snow is not that horrible. It turns out, as a photolure photograph in an AZG article testifies, some talented people are taking advantage of the surplus of snow in Yerevan!

There are usually two types of Turkish/Azerbaijani responses to the photos of destroyed/desecrated Armenian holy sites in Turkey and Azerbaijan. The first response says, “This is Photoshop® fabrication,” the second one: “What about Muslim monuments that Armenians destroyed?”*

Commenting to the first response would be the last thing I could do to waste my life.

Coming to the second response, I find it rational: rational, because many would expect Armenians to “avenge” Turks and Azerbaijanis for their desecrations against the Armenian heritage. Many would expect Armenians to do the same, but not me. Because I have always believed that MY PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT. Because if Armenians did the same to the Muslim heritage, I would never raise my voice to protest the destruction of Old Julfa.

Special thanks to Onnik Krikorian for sharing the photos below.

*There are, indeed, a few other responses, like “It is shocking…” as Taner Akcam reacted in Toronto.

Malibeyli around Kashatagh (Lachin) District, Azerbaijani cemetery in Nagorno Karabakh, 2001, © Onnik Krikorian

Azerbaijani cemetery around Askeran, Armenia (Nagorno Karabakh Republic), 2001, © Onnik Krikorian

After reading about the violent Muslim riots around the world protesting the Danish cartoon of Islam’s founder, I was wondering how these Muslims would react if the desecrations below happened to their holy entities.

The legendary Armenian monastery of St. Apostles in Mush (now Turkey) in the early 2000s. The monastery functioned for hundreds of years, and became the birthplace of the Armenian epic poem over a thousands years ago, until 1915. Photo by Hrair Hawk Khatcherian

Jesus entering Jerusalem. Fresco from the Kaymakli Armenian monastery of Trabizond (Turkey). Photo taken in 2004 by Dick Osseman

St. Gregory Armenian Church of Kayseri (Turkey) converted to a Sports Center. Photo by Hrair Hawk Khatcherian

What is left of the legendary Christian monastery Narekavank (now in Turkey) after its post-1950s destruction. Photo by Hrair Hawk Khatcherian

Medieval Armenian stone cross beheaded during the 2000 destruction of Old Julfa (Nakhichevan) by the Azerbaijani government. Photo from www.raa.am

Christ targeted on Holy Cross medieval Armenian Church of Akthamar, Van (now in Turkey). Photo used to be available at the website of the Van University

One doesn’t usually get hand-signed letters in America, but this one is signed. Today I received a letter from Colorado Community College System President Dr. Nancy J. McCallin congratulating me on my “selection to the 2006 Phi Theta Kappa All-Colorado [college] Academic Team.”

Photo: 2005 All-Colorado team (at least two of these students were volunteers for my Texas campaign. I did not get elected)

There will be a ceremony on March 8 2006: “a special honoring luncheon” and recognition at the State Capitol. I will also have another meeting at the Capitol in less than two weeks concerning higher education in Colorado.

Am I in the All-USA Academic Team? We will find this out before April 24, 2006.

p.s. There is another reason for , but I will share it later.

“Oh human justice, let me spit at your forehead”

These words have been said in protest to the Armenian genocide. Over ninety years have passed, but right now I feel these words with all my soul and with all my essence. I am not speaking about the Armenian genocide though. I am not speaking about genocide; I am not speaking about Armenians.

I just watched “Sex Slaves” on PBS, and with tears in my eyes I am writing this. The movie showed women from the Ukraine and Moldova trafficked to Turkey. At http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/slaves/, you can find some information on the film, including and excerpt from it, so I don’t want to write about details that can be found in that website.

Photo: Like the girl in the left, one could notice other Caucasian (from the Caucasus) looking girls in the footages.

The most shocking aspect of the film was the corrupted police both in Turkey, Ukraine and Moldova. One of the traffickers was set free in the court, though he had sold girls and women to sexual slavery. Another shocking story was that in Turkey a trafficking victim ran to the Police and asked for help…and the Police took her back to the pimp.

…If those of us who were reminded of these crimes – and who among us is not aware by now that such crimes take place – continue remain complacent and do nothing, then we deserve to be condemned. Its true that anyone of us could sell everything, change ourlives completely and devote ourselves to preventing suffering, and still diminish relatively little of the world's suffering – but to do nothing is not forgiveable. I'm a middle-aged student living on loans, and if I don't cough something up, I don't think I can feel much self-respect, not after the slap in the face of this program….
– D. Sherter, Chicago, IL
– from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/slaves/talk/

One thing that the movie lacked to mention was the name “United Arab Emirates,” a country where thousands of people are trafficked every year.

For those of you who were able to watch Frontline on PBS tonight, what you saw was exactly what Armenian trafficking victims are experiencing today and how the system in Armenia works.– Ara Manoogian, journalist who interviewed sex slaves in Dubai
– from a group e-mail

Tania’s story was the most devastating outcome of human trafficking that could ever happen. After she escaped the slavery, she voluntary went back to “work”… I know some people who have not seen the film will start crying “what a disgrace!” But hey, watch your words… Don’t judge people when you don’t know their story. It was Tania’s story that made me cry, especially when her efforts of saving her little brother’s life failed…

What a disgraceful world we live in. Human justice, let me spit at your forehead once again…


P.S. Those who would like to support the efforts of HETQ (Investigative Journalists of Armenia) in investigating human trafficking in the Middle East can donate to HETQ through http://hetq.am/eng/support/. If you donate to HETQ through Atlanta-based philanthropist Nader Rastegar (more about Rastegar at http://rastegaronline.com/archives/bio.htm), an anonymous donor will match your contribution.

Have you ever heard the phrase “powerful Armenian Diaspora?”

I have heard that phrase many times, of course from Turks and Azerbaijanis. These people blame on the “powerful Armenian lobby/diaspora” for the liberation of Artsakh, for the official recognition of the Armenian genocide in many countries and for the last European Union resolution accusing Azerbaijan in violating UNESCO convention for destroying the last remaining monuments of Old Jugha cemetery! Whenever there is something going on in the world, it is always the “Armenian lobby.”

If you ask this blogger about the Armenian lobby, I will say there is none. This comes from a person who knows many members of the Armenian “lobby,” especially the one in the United States. This comes from a person who has many friends among the Armenian “lobbyists” and from a person who has “lobbied” the Congress for Armenian issues.

Map: from Hewsen's "Armenia: A Historical Atlas"

If the Armenian “lobby” in the United States was powerful, once upon a time noted Prof. Armen Aivazian, the US administration would have recognized the independence of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh and would have dared to use the phrase “Armenian genocide.” An ANCA leader from the United States once upon a time told me over the phone about the “absurdity” of the “Armenian caucus” of the US congress. The caucus includes over 150 congressmen, but most “pro-Armenian” bills are struggling to get several co-sponsors. What does this mean? This means that the Armenian caucus is a BS, nothing more. Oh, something else. According to the same source, the most “pro-Armenian congressman George Radanovich (R-CA)” had sent staff members to other congressmen’s offices asking to vote against Rep. Adam Schiff’s H.Con.Res.195 resolution about the Armenian genocide…

If you do not agree with the above evidence that there is no Armenian lobby in the United States, you might have a point. But, please explain me why the US administration proposes $3.5 Million Foreign Military Financing to Armenia and $4.5 Foreign Military Financing to Azerbaijan. Is it because Armenia has nothing to offer to the United States? Perhaps. But that “nothing” also includes the powerful Armenian lobby…

The proposed 2007 military budget is as follows:

Foreign Military Financing (FMF)
$3.5 Million (Armenia) $4.5 Million (Azerbaijan)

International Military Education and Training (IMET)
$790,000 (Armenia) $885,000 (Azerbaijan)

The budget also includes $50 million in economic aid to Armenia, which is $25 million less from the total amount Congress allocated to Armenia in FY 2006.

-from AAA's "ASSEMBLY THIS WEEK" (6 Feb 2006) newsletter

Khatchig Mouradian sent this photo through Armenian-Turkish workshop. It is from
http://www.bendib.com/newones/2005/decembe…ust-Deniers.jpg.

I have decided to write about hatesites. As an Armenian, I will be evaluating anti-Armenian websites, but for non-Armenians it will be interesting to see how hate works.

So this is the first part of the hatesite entries. Let me note that, though Google contains a few search results on the word “hatesite,” I came up with this word on my own some time ago. Definition of the word: “Hatesite is an internet site that demonizes, dehumanizes and spreads hate about national, ethnic, religious or other social groups" (Blogian dictionary, 2005).

Being Armenian I might have trouble finding Armenian hatesites, but I am sure there are some. Nevertheless, generally speaking, Armennet (Armenian internet, another new word!) is clear of hate and dehumanization of others.

Why? I have a theory. I think the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Diasporas are checks and balances on each other. Since you cannot find any country in this world that Armenians have not lived or are not living in, politically speaking Armenians are very diverse. And Armenians like criticizing each other, sometimes to an extent that Armenians think they will never be united. I will write on this theory more…

But again, I think the diversity of Armenians is a mechanism of checks and balances on each other. So that’s the reason that I have not encountered Armenian hatesites, but I promise to share with you whenever I encounter one!

The “honor” of the first hatesite goes to www.tallarmeniantale.com, an epitome of human hatred against humans. This website is more known for denying the Armenian genocide, but it is not the denial that makes this website to a hatesite category!

I have said before that tallarmeniantale.com is a sick nationalistic bsite, which says that Ashkenazi Jews, Native Americans and others are Turks. It also says that the Renaissance and the Reformation was due the fact that Turks conquered Constantinople… Well, nationalism and revisionism does not make it to a hatesite either, so don’t think I don’t defend ones right to say that Turks are God-given creatures who always do the best!

So what makes www.tallarmeniantale.com a hatesite? Well, the “simple” fact of quoting an “unknown source” that “proves” Armenians are rodents… And then some people doubt whether Holdwater (the author of tallarmeniantale.com) is not the same Botas, who called Fatma Gocek, a Turkish professor admitting the Armenian genocide, a “fat lady.”

Armeni-lemmings identify with this rodent
– from http://tallarmeniantale.com/psychology.htm

Harut Sassounian’s latest “Boycott PBS Stations that Air ‘Balancing’ Panel on Genocide” editorial (California Courier, 9 Feb 2006) informs that PBS will be broadcasting a “panel discussion” on the Armenian genocide after showing Andrew Goldberg’s "The Armenian Genocide" documentary on 17 April, 2006.

Photo: This is Justin McCarthy. You will not believe, but the photo is from a Turkish website: actually, from a Turkish governmental website. I do not want to comment on this photo. It is self-explanatory enough (photo credit: www.byegm.gov.tr)

The discussion has already been taped earlier today (6 Feb 2006), featuring genocide deniers Justin McCarthy (whose Turkish payroll includes one-month family vacation in Cyprus) and Omer Turan, a professor from a Turkish university. The “Armenian side” is presented by Turkish professor from the University of Minnesota Taner Akcam, and Colgate University professor Peter Balakian (who has Armenian origin).

Photo: This is Omer Turan. Nothing special about him as a Turk, despite the fact that knows English pretty well (photo credit: eastweststudies.org)

Sassounian asks, “[s]ince PBS executives would never think of including neo-Nazis in a panel discussion following the airing of a Holocaust documentary, why would they do it in the case of an Armenian Genocide documentary?”

Photo: This is Taner Akcam, one of the “traitors” among the Turks who does not fear to say, “my country committed genocide against the Armenians.” One day I will write about Akcam more, since I have seen him every single day during my genocide course in Canada. You will be surprised to learn that he is not a traitor at all… (photo credit: Nisan Sarican)

I understand what Mr. Sassounian means, but I would not mind seeing a Holocaust denier “convincing” that there were no gas chambers, and then a historian showing what an idiot that person is.

Photo: This is Balakian. He is not as outgoing and modest in life as Akcam, but his writings are important in genocide studies. Akcam is one of the most charismatic people I have ever seen in my life. It is impossible not to love Akcam, well, unless you are a member of the Bozkurt fascist group… (photo credit: wwwlb.aub.edu.lb)

Coming to Akcam and Balakian, I personally know both of them (met Akcam in Canada and Balakian in Colorado) and both of them seem to be good enough to smash the deniers.

I actually would love to “debate” the Genocide with McCarthy! Perhaps it comes from my selfishness of laughing at idiots…

…As I had stated in an earlier review, Goldberg’s documentary is already excessively fair and balanced. It includes remarks by several Turkish revisionists. There is no need to further balance it by adding more denialists in a panel after the show. I suggest that all those who disagree with the PBS decision to provide a platform to genocide revisionists take the following actions:

1)Send an e-mail to Jacoba Atlas, Senior Vice President of PBS programming, asking her to cancel the airing of the panel discussion. Her e-mail address is: [email protected];

2)Contact your local PBS station and urge the programming director not approve the airing of the panel discussion (each station, independently of PBS, decides whether or not to air this optional panel discussion);

3)Advise your station manager that if he goes ahead with the airing of the panel discussion, you would neither watch nor financially support the station. Furthermore, you would urge the station’s corporate and foundation sponsors to cease their support;

4)If no satisfactory action is taken by PBS, then contact your Congressional representative, asking that Congress cut back the funding to PBS because of its insensitivity to viewers’ concerns;

5)If the panel discussion is aired, whenever PBS broadcasts a Turkey-related documentary in the future, demand that a panel discussion be held after each show to balance the Turkish propaganda.

All those who care about upholding the truth should not allow PBS to question the veracity of the Armenian Genocide under pressure from the Turkish government and its hired guns.