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ZEYNEP TOZDUMAN: 1915 ASURİSTAN VE KILDANİSTAN KIYIMLARI (SEYFO)

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ZEYNEP TOZDUMAN
 Tarihte ilk yazılı destan olan Gılgamış destanından kırıla, kıyıla
zamanımıza yolculuk eden bir halktır Süryani halkı. Gılgamış
destanındaki ölümsüzlüğü arayan bir kralın öyküsü adeta mezopotamya
topraklarında var olmanın dayanılmaz yokluğunu yaşayan Süryani halkı
tarih boyunca etnik, dini, kültürel kırımlar ve yıkımlar yaşamıştır.
Süryaniler 1915 soykırımına Süryanicede kılıç yarası anlamına gelen
SEYFO demektedirler.

Bilim adamlarınca Asya’nın Romalıları olarak adlandırılan Süryani
halkının uygarlık izlerini, onca yıkıma rağmen bu gün bile Suriye’de,
Ermenistan’da, İran’da,Mezopotamya’da, Asuristan’da, Kıldanistan’da
görmek olanaklıdır. Süryaniler; kurdukları yüksek okullar ve
üniversiteler (Antakya, Urfa, Nusaybin, Ktesifon) ile dönemin en
entellektüel halkı olmuştur.
‚’M.Ö 2334-2279’de Büyük Sargon Akkad İmparatorluğu’nu kurar.
Mısır’dan Irak’ın güneyine; Anadolu, Muş, Van Gölü, Kızılırmak boyu,
Malatya, Kayseri, Tarsus’a kadar…
M.S 166’da Urfa’da Abgar Krallığı Asurların son devleti olurken;
Asurlar, tarihte Roma, Pers, Bizans, Arap, Selçuk ve Osmanlıların
egemenliğine yaşadılar’’. (1)

Süryani halkı, 4.yüzyıldan 7.yüzyıla kadar Sasaniler tarafindan
kılıçtan geçirilmiş, sadece 200 bin civarındaki Asur-Kıldanileri,
4.yüzyılın ortalarına doğru Pers Kralı  Şapur“un hakimiyeti altında
katledmiştir. Asuristan’daki Bet- Sluh, Kerkük kentinde 20 bin
yaşayanla birlikte 155 bin kişi inançlarından vazgeçmeyip biz
Hristiyanız dediği için zincire vurulmuş üç gün boyunca 25 bin katolik
koyun gibi kesilmiştir. 7.yüzyılda Pers kralları yenilip yerlerine,
Arap kökenli İslam peygamberi Muhammed geçtiğinde de Asur
Kildaniler’in acı  ve zulüm dolu yaşantılarında hiç bir şey değişmedi.
Çünkü bu dönemde  halifeler de ellerinde kılıç ile zaptettikleri
topraklarda ulusları; ölüm ya da islamiyet seçiminde zorlamışlardır.
Zaman zaman insanlığı ağır basan halifeler dönemi de olmuştur; işte o
zaman kiliseler rahat bir nefes almıştır.

Halifeler döneminde yaşanan ölümlerden daha acı olan şey ise;
Hristiyanların ölülerini defnetmek için Müslüman kadılardan izin
belgesi alıp, defin işlerini yapmaları idi.
8.Yüzyila doğru Arap hakimiyetinin yerini hiç bir acıma ve hoşgörüsü
bulunmayan Cengiz Han ve halefleri önderliğinde Moğol ve Tatar
hakimiyeti aldı. Bunlar diğerlerinden daha vahşi ve kanlı olup; tüm
kentleri kılıçtan geçirip, en kalabalık kentleri yokedip, en kutsal
yapıları yıkıp, tamamen her yeri yakıp yıktılar. Bağdat ve Musul
arasında Dicle kıyısında kurulmus Tagrit kentinin tüm halkını kılıçtan
geçirenler Erbil kentinin tüm halkını katleden Tatarlar’dır.
Göçebelerin hakimiyeti altında yüzlerce Asur/Kıldani manastırı
yıkılmış, okul ve üniversiteler yok edilmiş, kiliseler ya yok olmuş ya
Camiye çevrilmiş, sayısız psikopos ortadan kaldırılmıştır.

Yaşadığımız bu çağda son dört yıldır Kıldanilerin yaşadığı Irak/
Ninova, Musul, Erbil gibi kentlerde İŞİD terör örgütü tarafından
manastır ve kiliseleri yine bombalanarak yerle bir edilmiş, sağ kalan
Kıldani halkına yine göç yolları görünmüştür. Dünyanın gözü önünde
yapılan İŞİD terörü yüzünden bu yüzyılın soykırımında ise en büyük
yarayı Ezidiler ve Süryaniler almıştır. Devlet olamayan Ezidi ve
Süryani halkının çığlığını ise dünya duymamaktadır. Yaralar henüz
sarılmadığı ve savaş devam ettiği için  bu gün bile bu kadim halkların
çığlığı yürekleri dağlamaktadır.

BIRINCI DÜNYA SAVASI SIRASINDA VE SONRASINDA ASUR SOYKIRIMI

Savaş zamanından önce, Asurlar’ın Van bölgesi, Hakkari alanında,
İran’ın Urmiye bölgesinde ve Mezopotamya’nin Musul bölgesinde oldukca
sık bir nüfusu vardı.Nüfusları yaklasik 1 milyon civarı idi.

Asya Türkiye’sinde yaşayan dağlı Asur’ların, Türk hükümeti tarafindan
yerel sorunları çözmek üzere görevlendirilen Patrik XXI: Mar Şamun
önderliğinde politik, askeri ve dinsel birliği vardı. Mar Şamun, yakın
ve Ortadoğu’daki bütün Doğu Asur( Nasturi) ulusunun dinsel ve politik
önderiydi.

1914 Ekim’nin ilk günlerinde Van valisi Dervis Efendi, XXI:Mar
Şamun’a, Türkiyeli bütün Asurlar için bazı iyileştirmeler icin söz
verdi, vermesine de, Jön Türkler’in parti kongrelerinde kabul
ettikleri program ise hiç öyle söylemiyordu. Şöyle ki Dr.Nazım adlı
bir komite üyesi gizli toplantıda şöyle konuşmustur “Katliam
kaçınılmazdır. Bu topraklarda yalnızca Türkler”in bağımsız davasını
istiyorum. Hangi milliyetten olursa olsun bütün Türk olmayan öğeler
yokedilmelidir.” (6)

News Week adlı bir Amerikan dergisine göre, Sultan II  Abdülhamid
1895- 1896 yıllarında 300.000 Ermeni’yi ve 55.000 Asur’u öldürüp
100.000’in üzerinde ( 245 köy) vatandaşı zorla osmanlılastırarak
Ermenistan’da ve Anadolu’da bir katliam yapmıştır. Ayrıca 100.000
kadın, kız ve çocuk Türk haremlerine alınmıştır.

Aslında Türkiye’de; soykırım yaşayan yerel halklar arasında birbirini
teyid eden bilgilere henüz sahip değildir. Bu nedenle örneğin Van
bölgesindeki Asur nüfusu icin kesin bir sayı vermek zordur. Asurlar
daha cok Türkiye, İran, Rusya, Hindistan, Çin ve Kuzey Amerika“da
yaşamaktadırlar. Ayrıca başka ülkelerde de dağınık halde
bulunmaktadırlar. 1904 yılında yapılan Vidal Kinne, Mayevski ve
Şelkovnikov (2) sayıma göre Asur Nüfusu

Türkiye“de       863.000
İran“da               76.000
Rusya“da              2000
Toplamda :   941.000 verilmektedir.
Dini inançlarına göre Asurlular
Nasturiler                                                    135.000
Katolik Kıldaniler                                         23.000
Süryani Ortodokslar (Yakubiler)                125.000
Lübnan Katolikleri- Maruniler                    525.000
Süryani Katolikler                                       100.000
Luter ve Protestan Kıldaniler                           1.000
Diğer Ortodokslar                                           32.000

Bu verilerden görüldüğü üzere Süryaniler 1915 öncesi Türkiye’de
sayıları 863.000 yaklaşık olarak 1 milyon civarındadır.. Bu gün yok
olmak üzere olan Süryani halkının ana dili Batı Süryanice’de bu
soykırımdan nasibini almış Unesco diller atlasında, kaybolmakta olan
diller grubundadır.

Bu dönemde 79.000 Asur,  Van bölgesinde yaşamaktadır. Bunların tümü
aslında Nasturi‘dir. Ve bölgenin değişik yerlerinde yaşamaktadır.
1915’de Enver paşanın kayınbiraderi ‚Van kasabı’ Cevdet bey zamanında
Saray ve Başkale yöresindeki Hristiyanlar yok edilmiştir. Bu gün ana
yurdu Turabdin olan yerde yaşatılan soykırımlar, asimilasyon, faili
meçhul cinayetler, ekonomik, kültürel  ve siyasal baskılar yüzünden ne
yazık ki sayıları 3000 civarındadır. Bir zamanlar Kayseri, Malatya,
Antep, Maraş, Adıyaman, Harput, Hakkari, Batman, Bitlis, Van, Muş,
Mardin, Diyarbakır, Tarsus, Antakya, Cizre, Şırnak’ta Süryaniler
yaşardı.İstanbul’da ise Asur/Keldani ve Süryani Ortodoks toplamı  kala
kala 15000 civarındadır.Bu toprakların en kadim halkı Süryaniler, bu
gün İstanbul haricinde sadece Midyat ve civarında yaşamaktadır.

1894- 1896 Hamidiye katliamlarının baş aktörü Kızıl Sultan
Abdülhamid‘in düşüşünden sonra yerine geçen Jön Türkler‘de Hristiyan
kanı içmeye devam etti. 1915 yılının ilk günlerinde Rus birliklerinin
çekilişinden hemen sonra katliamlar İran ve Türkiye’de başlamış;
Salmas ve Urmiye kentlerinde Asur/Kıldaniler‘e ait tüm mallar yağma
edilmiş, evleri yakılmış, köyleri yakılıp, yıkılmış kadınlar ve 8
yaşından büyük kız çocukları kaçırılarak ırzına geçilmiş, 12.000 insan
katledilmiştir.

Yalnızca Mustafa Kemal 1919 ile 1923 arasinda 750.000 Rum’u ve 300.000
Asur’u öldürtmüştür. Bu insanların tamamı Hristiyandı. (8)

1915 Mayısından itibaren Asurlar Türk askerleriyle ağır carpışmalara
girdiler; bu gönüllüler Patrik Mar Şamun ve General Aga Petrus Eliya (
Elov) tarafindan yüreklendiriliyordu. Mar Şamun Rusya’dan hiç bir
zaman destek alamadı. Bundan yararlanan Türk hükümeti Asurlar üzerinde
bir katliam gerçekleştirdi.

Patrik Samun’un ölümünden sonra yerine geçen Surma Xanım, Aga Petros’a
Sin kaleyi gitmeyi, İngiliz’lere hosgeldin demeyi emretti.  Aga Petrus
gitmeyi reddetti, ancak Surma Xanım onu ikna etti ve gitmek zorunda
bıraktı.

Yakup Mar Melik İsmail, 2000 askerin yokluğunu ve Aga Petros gibi bir
liderin bulunmayışını farketti. Ayrıca ön hat da kesilmişti.
Asurlular. Hala düsmanı kontrol etmek için savaşacak durumdaydılar,
ancak ordu techizat deposunu ateşe vermeyi emreden Surma Xanım,
Urmiye’yi terk edip Sin Kale’ye gitmişti.Bu savasta 17000 Asur ve
Ermeni insanı  can verdi. Yerli halktan 10.000 kişi, yerli müslüman
akıncılar tarafından esir alınmış ve bir daha kendilerinden haber
alınamamıştı. Erkekler öldürülmüş, kadın ve çocuklar götürülmüştü.
Kalan Asurlar, sonunda Sin Kale’ye ulastıklari zaman, İngiliz
destekçilerini yanlarında bulmak istediler, ama maalesef bulamadılar.
İngiliz yetkilileri, Mezopotamya’daki Bakuba Kampı“ndan olan Asur
temsilcilerinin Barış Konferansında hazır bulunmalarına izin
vermediğinden, Dr. Malik Yonan tüm Asur ulusunu temsil etmek
zorundaydı. Dr.Malik Yonan, Paris’te Amerikan delegasyonu başkanı
Albay House ve İngiltere delegasyonu baskanı Llyod Ggeorge ile
buluştu. Bu buluşma iyi geçmedi. İngiltere’nin  sözünde durmayacağını
anladı.

Dr. Yonan’ı ikna edemeyeceğini anlayan İngiltere, Sürma hanımı devreye
soktu. Sürma Hanım, Dr. Yonan’a derhal geri dönmesini gerektiğini
talep eden bir yazıyla Orta ve Yakındoğu’da 2 milyon Asur’u sefil bir
yaşam sürmek zorunda bırakmıştır.

25.000’den fazla Asur, hiç bir zaman İngiliz söz ve planlarına
inanmadılar, güvenmediler. Bunun için yollarını diğerlerinden
ayırarak, dağlara çıkıp, Tebriz’e yerleştiler. Aralarında Baskan Dr.
Malik Yonan’ın da bulunduğu AUK ( Asur Ulusal Konseyi’nin çoğunluğu
vardı. Yonan, Paris Barış Konferansı’nda kendileri adına konuşmakla
görevlendirilmiş, Asurlar’ın Tebriz’de seçtikleri kişiydi.

Osmanlıdan günümüze Süryaniler için devlet; hep en sadık teba sözünü
diline plesenk etmiş ama her katliamda vurulan halk olmuştur. Aslında
özde ne Osmanlı ne de TC Süryani halkına hiç güvenmemiştir.

Süryaniler; Hindistan, Avrupa ve ABD hariç  hep  islami iktidarların
egemen olduğu topraklarda Irak, Suriye, Lübnan, Türkiye, Mısır,
İran’da sırf Hristiyan inançlarından ötürü etnik ve dini soykırım
yaşamışlar/yaşamaya devam etmektedirler.

Kısacası Süryani, tarihi katliamlar ve göçler  tarihidir.

Takvim yapraklarında tarih hala 1915’i gösteriyor. Hesap sorulmayan
her soykırım takvim yapraklarında asılı kalır. Belge yayınlarından
çıkan 13 günlük cehennem ‚Bote’ adlı eserinde Papaz Abraham Garis
‚’Ben din adamıyım, benim halkıma bunları yapanları affediyorum. Bir
din adamı olarak benim görevim affetmek diyen bir insana; soykırıma
bulaşmış halkların da diyeceği tek şey olabilir resmi özür diletmek de
bizim görevimiz.
Soykırımla yüzleşmek bir insanlık borcudur. Bu borç mutlaka ödenmesi gerekir.

ZEYNEP TOZDUMAN

Kaynakça:

(1)Temel Demirer ( Kırık Mozaik ) 12.01.2017, Sol Diyalog
(2)Newsletters From Caucasian Military District, 1904, nos 3-4
(6)Mevlanzade Rifat, Osmanian Revolution of young Turks, ( Jön
Türkler’in Osmanlı Devrimi) Beyrut, 1938, s. 159- 162.
(8) News Week, May 1988.

Paris: Arc de Triomphe, ceremony of remembrance to Armenian veterans

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Is part of the 102nd commemoration of the genocide of the Armenians, ANACRA, chaired by Antoine Bagdikian, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to France, Viguen Tchitetchian, Representative of the Republic of Artsakh Hovannès Guevorguian, representatives of The Republic of Cyprus, the Assyro-Chaldeans and Kurds, and dozens of elected officials and representatives of municipalities, traveled up the Champs Elysees and deposited the sheaves of remembrance to the former Armenian combatants who died for France during the wars 1914-18 and 1939 -45. An event that was followed by the many Parisians and tourists present on the premises, massed around the Arc de Triomphe in the Place de l’Etoile Charles de Gaulle.

On this occasion the ambassador revived the flame of the Unknown Soldier, as well as the various personalities present, under the music of the Republican Guard and the Armenian and French hymns interpreted by Arnaud Khatcherian.

 

Rally in Amsterdam to commemorate the Armenian Genocide anniversary

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Armenian organizations of the Netherlands held a protest march on Saturday in Amsterdam to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

As the Facebook page “Diary of the Netherlands” reports, the event kick-started from Amsterdam Centre Stopera and marched through the city central streets. Participants of the rally observed a moment of silence to honor the victims of the Armenian genocide.

According to the source, representatives of Turkish, Kurdish, Assyrian as well as Armenian and Dutch public and political figures attended d the commemorative event.

Turkey: Paylan Calls for Research into Armenian Deportation Law of 1915

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ISTANBUL/ANKARA (ArmRadio)—Armenian member of the Turkish parliament Garo Paylan presented a research proposal to the Presidency of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for the examination of the results of the Provisional Relocation Act enacted on May 27, 1915, Istanbul-based Agos news reported on Friday.

The Member of Parliament proposed to investigate the responsibilities of the government and public officials during that time, as well as the daily effects of the deportations.

“Following the Temporary Relocation Act, the Armenian population living in the Ottoman Empire was subjected to deportation, leading to devastation in the Syriac, Keldani, Ezidi and Greek peoples,” a part of Paylan’s proposal read. “Although the results of this law have not been investigated by the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) for more than 102 years, it has been known that a large number of casualties have been experienced due to the Deportation Law.

“A lot of cultural assets and property have been seized or confiscated. The exploitation of the responsibilities of the government and civil servants of the period, the day-to-day effects of the consequences of the deportation, the benefits of confronting the past and the truth in ensuring social peace as a whole in our country, in accordance with Article 98 of the Constitution, Articles 104 and 105 of the Constitution in order to contribute to the uncovering of ‘truth’ in order to prevent abuse and to provide more opportunities for future generations to live together in Turkey freely and peacefully I would like to offer and propose to open the survey.”

Paylan noted during the parliamentary meeting that Talat Pasha, the Ottoman Empire’s Interior Minister and one of the three main organizers of the Armenian Genocide, personally documented the 1915 deportations.

“The destruction of the forded population, the investigation of the responsibilities of the government of the period and the public officials, the day-to-day effects of the consequences of the deportation, the benefits of confronting and confronting the truth and truthfulness of social peace in our country, I would like to open a Parliamentary Survey in order to make contributions, to give future generations more opportunities to live in Turkey together freely and in peace. “

Turkish trolls reportedly behind ticket scams/hacks against “The Promise”

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Social media users across Facebook have come to complain about ticket scams and hacks they experienced when trying to purchase tickets for the Armenian Genocide-themed movie “The Promise”, a representative from the Armenian National Committee of America said in a Facebook post.

The war drama centers on a love story involving a medical student (Oscar Isaac), a journalist (Christian Bale), and the Armenian woman (Charlotte Le Bon) who steals their hearts. All three find themselves grappling with the Ottomans’ decision to begin rounding up and persecuting Armenians during the first genocide of the 20th century.

“Theaters in Boston, Framingham and Racine are experiencing in-advance sales, followed by late refund requests by purchasers of these sales, resulting in half-empty venues,” Aram Suren Hamparian said.

“Troubling, but not surprising, given Ankara’s shameful legacy of denial – from Capitol Hill all the way to Hollywood,” Hamparian said, suggesting that Turkish trolls are behind the scams.

One moviegoer said all the best seats were sold out as he was trying to buy tickets one week before the actual screening.

“I bought seats along the sides of the theater for my family. At the movie, every single one of the best seats were empty when we got there. When we asked the theater why a sold-out movie would have every single one of its best seats empty, they simply told us ‘it seems like those seats were purchased and refunded at the request of those who bought them.’ This way, people who want to see the movie cannot see it, yet the record will show at the end of the day that the movie was only barely half-full,” Dikran Kherlopian from Framingham said in a Facebook post.

As reported earlier, the picture appeared to be the target of a concerted campaign by Turkish cyber trolls who hoped to destroy it before it is widely released in cinemas.

The film currently has more than 120,000 reviews on IMDB.com, the online movie ranking website. That is almost double the number of reviews for Beauty and the Beast, which was released last month and seen by millions around the world.

Related links:

Aram Suren Hamparian’s Facebook

U.S. Wyoming State recognizes the Armenian Genocide

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Wyoming Recognize armenian Genocide

Wyoming Recognize armenian Genocide

U.S. Wyoming State has recognized the Armenian Genocide, thus becoming the 45th U.S. state to accept the 1915 events as a genocide.

In a letter dated April 21 and addressed to the Armenian National Committee of America Western Region (ANCA-WR), Wyoming Governor Matthew H. Mead has recognized the Armenian Genocide and praised the work of Armenian American grassroots.

“The atrocities of both the Armenian and Jewish Holocausts were unimaginable,” reads Governor Mead’s letter, “but it is important for all to remember—history must not repeat itself,” Wyoming Governor noted in his letter, according to a report by the Armenian Weekly.

Matthew Mead also praised the activities of the Armenian National Committee of America, concluding his letter with the following statement: “My thoughts are with you as you gather for the Colorado State Capitol Armenian Genocide Commemoration.”

The news of Wyoming’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide also received praise by elected officials and activists in the state.

Jennifer Lopez joins #KeepThePromise campaign #ArmenianGenocide

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World-famous singer and actress Jennifer Lopez has joined the #KeepThePromise campaign.

“We should all care about the human rights, helping the refuges and children. My name is Jennifer Lopez and I vow to keep the promise to never forget,” the singer says at a video released on the social networks.

“The Promise” has also received the support of Elton John, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sylvester Stallone, Don Cheadle, Barbra Streisand, Cher, George and Amal Clooney, and other world-famous stars.

The director of “The Promise” is Oscar-winning director Terry George. The film stars Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac. It tells about the deportations and massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in the period of the First World War.

“The Promise” follows a love triangle between Michael, a brilliant medical student, the beautiful and sophisticated Ana, and Chris – a renowned American journalist based in Paris.

 

Canada’s Prime Minister: We pay tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims

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Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau has released a statement on the occasion of the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Horizonweekly.ca reports.

“On this day, we solemnly gather to commemorate the tragic loss of life among the Armenian population, which took place over a century ago.

In 2015, the House of Commons unanimously passed a motion declaring April 24th as Armenian Genocide Memorial Day.

This day honours the memory of those who unjustly lost their lives and suffered during the genocide. We pay tribute to them and their descendants, many of who now reside in Canada.

On this occasion, Canadians – regardless of faith or ethnic background – stand together in solemn remembrance and reaffirmed dedication to ensuring that we never stand indifferently in the face of hate or violence in any form,” reads the statement.

Geoffrey Clarfield: Armenian genocide was in many ways Adolf Hitler 1939, rehearsal for the Holocaust

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Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”
Adolf Hitler, 1939

Geoffrey Clarfield, Special to National Post |

Genocide is a 20th century word, coined by Polish Jewish lawyer Rafael Lempkin. He invented it to describe what the Nazis had tried to do to the Jewish people during the Second World War, wipe them from the face of the earth. Lempkin was instrumental in the creation of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, which defines genocide as comprising five elements:

(a) Killing members of the group;

(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;

(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

And so, as we commemorate the Armenian genocide this week, we seek to better understand what happened and how similar events must be prevented, as almost all of the above apply to what happened to the Armenians.

In the early 19th century, much of Asia was divided between two multi-ethnic empires, that of the Orthodox Christian Tsars of Russia and the Sunni Orthodox Muslim Ottomans of the Near East, Asia Minor and the Balkans. The Russians and the Ottomans had fought many wars during the 18th century as they each tried to maximize their territory and subject peoples. One of the fault lines between these two empires was in the Caucasus and what is now Eastern Turkey/Western Armenia, on the plains near Mount Ararat.

The Russians saw themselves as the protectors, or potential protectors of the Orthodox Christian communities in the Ottoman Empire such as the Balkan Slavs, as well as the Greek and the Armenian subjects of the Ottomans, whereas the Ottomans saw themselves as the protectors of the Muslim peoples of the northern and southern Caucasus who were coming under Russian authority.

During the 19th century the Europeans invented nationalism and Europe became a continent of nation states each defined by a national language, a territory and very often a dominant religion. Soon these ideas began spreading around the world. And so, newly defined nations such as the Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbians, Croatians and Hungarians broke off from the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman response was legal and political reform called the Tanzimat. Instead of Islamic law the Ottoman Empire declared all Muslims and non-Muslims equal before the law, in theory if not in practice.

In the second half of the 19th century the Armenians of what is now Eastern Turkey hoped for deliverance from the Ottomans by the Russians, and indeed in the 1870s Russia and Turkey went to war, with Russia temporarily occupying much of what is now Eastern Turkey.

The Armenians, an ancient nation with a 1,600-year history of Christianity, believed their time for national liberation had come and it was time to revolt against the Ottomans. Many took up arms against the Turks.

When the Turks went to war with the Germans against the allies, they declared their participation in the First World War as a jihad or holy war against the infidel

After 1900 as the turbulence on Ottoman Turkey’s eastern frontier with Russia became worse, the Ottoman Sultans lost control to radical secularists called the Young Turks who took over the government and the military. They began to redefine Muslim Ottoman identity as a Turkish national identity and therefore Turkish speaking Greeks and Turkish speaking Armenians of the Christian faith were now seen as fifth columnists and national enemies.

And so began what we now call the Armenian genocide. The prelude was the murder of hundreds of thousands of Armenian men, women and children that took place over two years, 1894-1896.

This was just a rehearsal. When the Turks went to war with the Germans against the allies, they declared their participation in the First World War as a jihad or holy war against the infidel. The government began mass arrests of Armenian intellectuals and professionals, killing and hanging many. In eastern Anatolia they planned systematic death marches where Armenian men were killed, and the surviving few men, and thousands of women and children, were marched into the desert to certain death. It is estimated that over one million people died or were killed en route.

No Turkish government has ever admitted this was a planned extermination of a specific ethnic group, including taking surviving orphans, converting them to Islam and raising them as Muslims. The Turkish government and its supporters have consistently argued that the Ottomans were engaged in a “civil war” with rebellious minorities.

Source: http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/lessons-from-a-genocide-annihilation-of-the-armenians-was-in-many-ways-a-rehearsal-for-the-holocaust

From sojourners to citizens, the Armenian-Canadian experience spans more than a century

Trump administration unlikely to recognize Genocide – Richard Giragosian

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In an interview with Tert.am, Director of the Regional Studies Center Richard Giragosian shared his expectations of regional developments in the run-up to the Genocide anniversary and the possible use by US President Donald Trump of the right legal wording in his April 24 address.

Mr Giragosian, with April 24 drawing near, Armenians are again beset with the question whether or  not [President] Trump will say “genocide” after all. Most think he will not, as he never spoke about that, and also because [US ] has [common] interests with Turkey. Certain analysts, however, find that Trump is an unpredictable [political] figure who may be expected to do absolutely anything, and even use ‘genocide’.
It is very unlikely that the Trump Administration will recognize the Armenian Genocide on 24 April. While Washington is likely to keep the same wording as previous White House statements, there are two factors suggesting that there will be no change in US policy. First, President Trump is planning a new more friendly strategy to engage Turkey in the fight against ISIS and over operations in Syria. This is also evident in Trump’s very quick message of “congratulations” to President Erdogan, despite even what the State Department saw as a flawed and tainted referendum. A second factor is, of course, Trump’s past business ties to Turkey, which seems to determine his policy preferences, in a negative way ad to the detriment of US interests.
The Armenian organizations in the United States were earlier reported to be trying to establish ties with Trump and his administration, but to the best of our knowledge, they haven’t yet succeeded in their efforts. What reasons do you think prevent them from doing that, and what are your predictions?
I have no idea. I have been living in Armenia for over 10 years, and I do not know what is going on in the Diaspora.
The US-Russia relations have entered a new phase of crisis; moreover, the Russian TV channels seem to be heralding the Third World War. With this in mind, to what extent do you think that [first President Levon] Ter-Petrosyan was realistic in his analysis that Russia has given the west it “Blessing” to settle the [Nagorno-]Karabakh conflict, with only a couple of issues remaining unsettled.

Of the many shortcomings in the former president’s analysis, his most serious error is to place too much hope and far too much power in the assumption that Russia will unilaterally determine the agenda in the region. Even for Putin, he has to be more careful, and the situation is not as basic as Ter Petrosyan seems to believe.
With Turkey’s new Constitution giving an increasing power to Islam, what hazards do you see for Armenia as a neighbor?
President Erdogan will still struggle to manage a growing set of challenges. With an economy in crisis, as unemployment is at a seven-year high, tourism has sagged, and the currency has weakened by one-fifth in less than a year, Erdogan also faces a triad of threats, comprised of a mounting internal military campaign against the Kurds, a difficult cross-border military intervention in Syria, and an ever-present terrorist threat. And with the largest Syrian refugee population in the world, the outlook for the Turkish leader, no matter how powerful, remains as discouraging as it is daunting.


At a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Iran’s minister of defense expressed hope that the Karabakh issue will be resolved without a third power’s intervention. Do you think it was a hint warning Turkey against intervention, or did he mean a third country?  

Clearly, Iran is pressing to exclude both Turkey and Russia from more active engagement in this region. And despite this message, Iran is not ready to fully or forcefully return as a regional player powerful enough to stand against either Moscow or Ankara, however.
What expectations do you think we should have from the Tsarukyan Alliance [the second majority party elected to parliament]. Is it likely to declare itself an opposition political force, and if so, will it be a radical opposition or just try to offer “an alternative” as did its predecessor [the Prosperous Armenia party].
It is still too soon to say, but there is an interesting scenario, whereby the 30-seat Tsarukyan Alliance is pressured and persuaded to enter into a new “national unity” coalition. Under both options, the Republican Party would still retain the primary position. And even based on the second option, the inherent vulnerability of Gagik Tsarukyan, the oligarch leader of the alliance whose own sources of wealth could always be justifiably used by the state as grounds for a tax audit or criminal investigation, grants the Republicans important leverage. For that reason, it is also highly unlikely that the Tsarukyan Alliance would continue to pose as an opposition force, especially as the political risks for its leader would be too high to forego the obvious benefits of returning to government.

 

Anush Dashtents