California Courier Online, September 29, 2005

1 – Commentary

Turkish Society Split on Genocide,
The EU, and Many Other Issues

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The Califorrnia Courier

2 – Catholicos Aram I Will Visit L.A.
Armenian Evangelical Community
3- Louisiania’s Armenians Devastated
By Hurricane Katrina and Aftermath
4 – Musa Dagh Resistance Featured
At Sept. 29 Lecture at Merdinian
5 – Paul Krekorian Takes Big Lead in
California State Assembly Race
6 – Hamazkayin Hosts Cultural Event Marking
1600th Anniversary of Armenian Alphabet
7 – Catholicos Will Visit
Montebello Armenian
Martyrs Monument
8 – St. James Ladies Society Plan
Fall Luncheon, Country Store
9 – Despite Court Challenge, Scholars Hold
Meeting in Turkey on Armenian Genocide
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1 – Commentary
Turkish Society Split on Genocide,
The EU, and Many Other Issues

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

For 90 years, Turkish officials have denied the reality of the Armenian
Genocide. During the past weekend, for the first time in Turkish history, a
conference was held in Istanbul during which Turkish scholars challenged
the revisionist position of their own government on the Armenian Genocide.
This was not an easy accomplishment. It came about after the organizers
struggled to overcome a series of almost insurmountable legal obstacles and
physical attacks.
The conference was originally planned for last May. However, Justice
Minister Cemil Cicek caused its cancellation at the last minute by accusing
the participating Turkish scholars of being “traitors” and “stabbing Turkey
in the back.”
Embarrassed by stinging criticism from many European officials, Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan quietly urged the organizers to reschedule
the conference for Sept. 23-25, just days before the planned start of talks
for Turkey’s EU membership. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul even promised to
deliver the opening remarks at this unprecedented gathering of Turkish
scholars.
However, just hours before the start of the conference, an Istanbul court
issued an order suspending the gathering. The judge gave the organizers 30
days to respond to a series of bizarre questions on the qualifications and
selection of the scholars as well as the financing of their travel and
lodging expenses.
This eleventh-hour postponement of the conference stunned not only the EU
officials but also most of the Turkish public, including the overwhelming
majority of newspapers and TV stations in Turkey. Both the Prime Minister
and Foreign Minister saw the court order as an attempt to derail Turkey’s
EU membership drive. The judge, petitioned by ultra-nationalists, clearly
exceeded his jurisdiction by interfering in the internal affairs of an
academic institution.
The conference, titled “Ottoman Armenians During the Decline of the Empire:
Issues of Scientific Responsibility and Democracy,” was finally held during
the past weekend after changing its venue to Bilgi University. The
organizers either took or were allowed to take advantage of a loophole in
the court order that had specifically banned two of the three co-sponsoring
universities (Bogazici and Sabanci), but not the third – Bilgi University.
Ultra-nationalist groups and retired military officers had urged all
“patriotic” Turks to converge on the conference site and disrupt the
proceedings. They called the participating Turkish scholars traitors.
Despite the presence of a strong police force to protect the university
from attacks by extremists, the protesters managed to pelt the participants
by eggs and rotten tomatoes. A few trouble-makers even managed to sneak
into the hall and attempt to disrupt the discussions.
Once they passed the gauntlet, scores of scholars presented their papers
over a two-day period. Most of them carefully avoided the use of the word
genocide, due to their fear of being hauled into court and charged with
“denigrating” the Turkish nation. Some of the participants were also weary
of being accused of siding with Armenians on this emotionally-charged
issue. The scholars made it clear, however, that Ottoman officials had
organized the mass deportations and the subsequent killings of hundreds of
thousands of Armenians.
Even though there were very few new revelations on the topic of the
Armenian Genocide during the course of the conference, the significant
aspect of the gathering was the fact that it took place at all. This is the
first time that a group of Turkish scholars, facing the wrath of many of
their radical compatriots and a legal ban, had dared to challenge the
official revisionist position of the Turkish establishment on this issue.
Of course, the proximity of the date of the planned start of Turkey’s EU
membership talks on Oct. 3 played a considerable role in winning the tacit
and reluctant support of the Turkish government for this conference.
Neither Erdogan nor Gul were probably motivated by their “deep seated
beliefs” in academic freedom to support the holding of such a conference in
Turkey.
Turkish society still has a long and uphill battle in deciding its future.
There are powerful conflicting forces within Turkey tearing the country
into two divergent directions: one looking to Europe and the other to an
ultra-nationalist, Islamist, and pan-Turkist orientation.
Before the Turks worry about whether the Europeans would allow them to join
the EU, they themselves would have to decide the direction of their own
society. When millions of Turks are still fanatically clinging to their old
authoritarian mentality, no matter which new laws their government adopts
and which agreements their leaders sign, at the end of the day, these
documents are meaningless pieces of paper. Prime Minister Erdogan’s saying
that his country should be a part of Europe does not make it so. True
reform must first take place in the hearts and minds of the people, before
it can be adopted as a legal code. Such reforms cannot be imposed from
outside. They have to come from within Turkish society.
How long would it take to reform Turkish society is a question to which no
one knows the answer. When millions of Turks are still adamantly opposed to
the most basic values shared by Europeans, it is clear that they are
neither ready now nor would they be ready anytime soon to join the EU.
Turkey should neither be rejected right away nor accepted into the EU in
the foreseeable future. Turkey should not be admitted now because it’s not
and would not be ready to join the ranks of civilized European nations nor
should it be rejected outright for fear of setting completely loose a
monster that would be a clear and present danger to its immediate
neighborhood!
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2 – Catholicos Aram I Will Visit L.A.
Armenian Evangelical Community
LOS ANGELES – Catholicos Aram I, of the Great House of Cilicia, has
accepted an invitation to visit the Evangelical community of Southern
California during his upcoming Pontifical visit to the region, Oct. 5-19,
the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America announced last week.
The Evangelical Church will welcome the Catholicos on October 7, at 3 p.m.,
at the United Armenian Congregational Church located at 3480 Cahuenga Blvd.
West, in Los Angeles.
A reception will follow at the adjoining Ayvazian Hall.
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3 – Louisiania’s Armenians Devastated
By Hurricane Katrina and Aftermath
NEW ORLEANS, LA – Twenty-six Armenian families’ homes and businesses were
severely destroyed and damaged by Hurricane Katrina and its devastating
aftermath. During this period of reconstruction and recovery, many of these
families are faced with an unforeseeable future.
The Armenian community of Louisiana is a unique community – unique in size
and spirit. The first Armenians settled here over thirty years ago hailing
from Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Armenia and Iran. In 1984, a few community
leaders gathered and decided the community needed to start a parish and
hold church services in Armenian. In an attempt to foster growth in the
community, Fr. Nersess Jebejian was appointed by the Primate, Archbishop
Torkom Manoogian of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church, as the
mission parish priest to hold services in churches in both New Orleans and
Baton Rouge. The name St. Garabed Armenian Church of Louisiana was given to
the mission parish.
In January 2005, after months of fundraising, planning and construction,
St. Garabed Armenian Church of Louisiana opened its doors as the first
Armenian Church in Louisiana. This debut was a big step for this community,
which has progressed slowly over the years, but nonetheless progressed.
Now many of the Armenians living in the New Orleans Metropolitan area have
been devastated, as many of their homes and businesses have been damaged.
The Armenian community in both LaPlace and Baton Rouge has reached out to
the affected community members by opening their homes to them, providing
them comfort and consolation. Many of the community’s students –
elementary, high school and college/university students – have been
displaced and are either registered elsewhere or absent this semester.
Faced with the daunting task of rebuilding their homes and businesses, as
well as the shocking sights in the area, it will be a long time before some
will be able to move back home. It will be months before they sense or
establish normalcy; and, even when these families are able to move back
home and businesses are repaired and reopened, the uncertain economy will
still create obstacles and challenges.
Hurricane Katrina uprooted more than trees, homes and buildings, it
uprooted lives and divided families. It has, most definitely, divided the
Armenian community. Armenians nationwide have reached out to the community,
sending donations to the affected community members. The Diocese of the
Armenian Church, under the leadership of the Primate, Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian, has sent money to the affected community members. Numerous other
donations have arrived from individuals and organizations around the
country as well.
Donations may be sent to: St. Garabed Armenian Church of Louisiana, 6208
Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70806. Any questions or comments should be
directed to Fr. Nersess Jebejian, the pastor, at (727) 545-0380 or Parish
Council Chairman Vasken Kaltakdjian at (225) 413-4620. You can also e-mail
the Parish Council at stgarabed@yahoo.com.
Soon, these “Cajun Armenians” will celebrate Mardi Gras, host their
crawfish boils, and cheer on the Saints, but until then faith and community
will prevail.
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4 – Musa Dagh Resistance Featured
At Sept. 29 Lecture at Merdinian
SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. – Dr. Vahram Shemmassian, professor of Armenian
Studies at the California State University, Northridge, will present a
lecture on “Musa Dagh Genocide Resistance in Light of New Evidence,” on
Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m. at the Merdinian School Auditorium, 13330 Roverside
Dr., Sherman Oaks.
The presentation is co-sponsored by the ARPA INSTITUTE and the Moussa Ler
Association of California.
“Musa Dagh” is a household name among Armenians and “rings a bell” among
other people. In July 1915, during the early phase of the Genocide, about
6,000 Armenian highlanders living near the biblical town Antioch were given
deportation orders by the Ottoman government. About one-third heeded the
order and was exiled to the Syrian town of Hama, but the majority decided
to take arms and resist.
No published study exists regarding the fate of those who were dispatched
to Hama. Memoirs published in recent years and archival materials not used
before will be cited to shed new light on certain aspects of the
resistance. A replica of the cross and pictures will also be presented.
Prof. Shemmassian holds a Ph.D. in History from UCLA. His doctoral
dissertation, entitled “The Armenian Villagers of Musa Dagh: A
Historical-Ethnographic Study, 1840-1915,” is currently being revised for
publication.
Dr. Shemmassian has taught Armenian History, Armenian Language, Sociology,
and Western Civilization at the National University, Fresno, CA; Pasadena
City College, Pasadena, CA; and Los Angeles Valley College, Van Nuys, CA.
In 1989-1990, he was the Chair of the Armenology Department at the
now-defunct American Armenian International College, La Verne, CA. As
such, in addition to teaching Armenian subjects, he organized a one-day
symposium on “Armenian-Genocide Issues, 1915-1990.”
He has conducted extensive research in some 30 governmental and
non-governmental archival repositories in the United States, Europe, and
the Middle East, gathering data on such areas of interest as the Armenians
of Musa Dagh and northwestern Syria in general, as well as Armenian
Genocide survivors in the Middle East at the end of World War I. He has
published several scholarly articles, delivered lectures at community
events and in universities, and participated in symposia and conferences.
Dr. Shemmassian has also served as principal of three Armenian day schools
in the greater Los Angeles area, namely, Chamlian School, A.G. Minassian
School, and Merdinian School.
There will be traditional Musa Ler Food/deserts/snacks, at the end of the
lecture.
For information, call Dr. Hagop Panossian at (818)586-9660.
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5 – Paul Krekorian Takes Big Lead in
California State Assembly Race
GLENDALE – Burbank School Board President Paul Krekorian, the leading
candidate for California State Assembly in the 43rd District, has taken a
huge lead over his opponents in fundraising in the race. Krekorian has
already raised well over $100,000 for the campaign, and his nearest
competitor has raised less than half that amount, according to the records
of the California Secretary of State.
“This campaign continues to gain momentum every week,” Krekorian said. “I
am deeply honored to have earned the confidence of so many supporters in
our community, and I am grateful to everyone who has generously provided
the vital resources we need to win this election. I will continue to work
hard to earn that support and to fight for the interests of our community
when I am elected to the Assembly.”
Krekorian easily surpassed the $100,000 mark with only three fundraising
events. His nearest competitor was former Assemblyman Scott Wildman, who
is seeking a return to his old seat in the Assembly. According to the
Secretary of
State’s records, however, Wildman has raised a total of only about
$49,000.
Glendale City Councilman Frank Quintero has not reported raising any
campaign funds at all and begins his campaign at a significant
disadvantage.
A poll of likely voters taken earlier this year already showed that
Krekorian is the leading candidate. Krekorian has also garnered by far the
most endorsements from elected officials, including Glendale Mayor Rafi
Manoukian and Burbank Mayor Jef VanderBorght. Now, the Krekorian campaign
also has the clear advantage in fundraising.
Krekorian is the only Armenian-American ever elected to public office in
the history of Burbank. He is running for the State Assembly seat
currently held by Assemblymember Dario Frommer, who will be leaving the
office because of term limits. The district includes the communities of
Glendale, Burbank, North Hollywood, Silver Lake and Los Feliz, and is home
to the largest
Armenian-American community in the United States. The election is set for
June of next year.
To make a contribution, call campaign manager Adrin Nazarian at
818-512-4045.
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6 – Hamazkayin Hosts Cultural Event Marking
1600th Anniversary of Armenian Alphabet
GLENDALE – In celebration of the 1600th anniversary of the Armenian
alphabet, the Hamazkayin Educational and Cultural Society is organizing a
free public cultural event on October 2, 6 p.m., at the Alex Theatre in
Glendale, Calif..
S. Peter Cowe, Professor of Armenian Language and Culture at UCLA and Dr.
Stephan Astourian, Director of Armenian Studies at UC, Berkeley will be the
featured keynote speakers.
The event will be hosted by Ani Hovannisian-Kevorkian and Manoug
Seraydarian.
The event will feature musical performance by Lark and Element.
Hamazkayin’s Ani Dance Ensemble will perform and the evening will include
an original performance, written and directed by Elly award-winning
director Aram Kouyoumdjian.
The year 2005 marks the 1600th year of the birth of our precious Armenian
alphabet, a joyous occasion celebrated by all Armenians around the world.
Sixteen long centuries have passed since the miraculous day that St. Mesrob
Mashdotz of Hatzegatz, created the 36 letters of the Armenian alphabet.
Translated by holy Fathers into the newly created Armenian letters, hymns
and prayers served to preserve and protect the Armenian church from outside
intervention, and thus served to protect the culture.
For more information on the October 2 event, call 213-278-2020 or write to
USAwest@hamazkayin.net.
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7 – Catholicos Will Visit
Montebello Armenian
Martyrs Monument
MONTEBELLO, Calif. – Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia will
conduct a special Memorial Service at the Armenian Genocide Monument in
Montebello on Oct. 8, at 10 a.m.
The Pontifical Service will be followed by a brief program which will
include as guests members of the Montebello City Council, elected officials
and Armenian-American community representatives.
The event is being organized by the organizing Committee of the Pontifical
Visit under the auspices of Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian
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8 – St. James Ladies Society Plan
Fall Luncheon, Country Store
LOS ANGELES – The ovens are hot, the kitchen is bustling with activity, at
St. James Armenian Church where the members of the St. James Ladies Society
are preparing for their annual Fall Luncheon and Country Store to be held
Oct. 29, beginning at 11 a.m.
As crowds wait for the doors to open, they are greeted by a vast array of
home baked pastries, breads, delicacies, as well as jams, tourshi and other
Armeniab favorites.
Guests will enjoy a gourmet luncheon and musical program as part of the
afternoon’s festivities. Barbara Neshanian, Chair of the Ladies Society,
reports that this luncheon continues to be one of their most successful
events.
“We are fortunate to have a committee that, year after year, devote their
time, talent and energy towards its success,” she said. Luncheon Committee
chairs are Shirley Moore and Dorothy Carvello.
St. James Church Pastor, Avak Kahana Fr. Arshag Khatchadourian commends and
applauds the members of the Ladies Society for their hard work and
dedication to the church and the Armenian faithful.
While shopping at the Country Store, guests can enjoy a Champagne reception
hosted by Susan and Pierre Pipponian. Arlene Roupinian and Jean Barsam
chair the Raffle prizes. Alice Gondjian, Chair of the Country Store,
expresses her pride at the wide variety of home baked pastries, as well as
Armenian gourmet specialists, prepared by the Ladies Society. Simit and
Khadayif are prepared by Arpi Barsam and her committee. Tourshi is made by
Ann Vaznaian and her committee, and Alice Gondjian’s celebrated choreg will
once again delect many palates.
Program chairman Anne Mills has brought the husband and wife duo of
violinist Samvel Chilingarian and pianist Lucine Nargizian, to perform the
music of Khachadourian and other Armenian composers.
Other Committee members include Lucille Bogosian, Marion Hovivian, Anna
Kachadorian, Naomi Edison, Jeanette Rakoobian, Madeline Taylorson, Stella
Marashlian, Leann Stepanian and Emma Dionysian.
For ticket and information, call Virginia Dulgarian (310) 377-0833, or
Alice Yacoubian (310) 546-3703.
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9 – Despite Court Challenge, Scholars Hold
Meeting in Turkey on Armenian Genocide
By Benjamin Harvey
ISTANBUL (Associated Press) – Demonstrators throwing rotten tomatoes and
eggs and shouting protests again greeted scholars debating the killings of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks early in the 20th Century on the second day of
their conference on Sunday.
The passionately opposed conference is the first public discussion in
Turkey about the massacre of Armenians, and the European Union said it
would be seen as a test of freedom of expression in Turkey, which is a
candidate for EU membership.
The group of about 20 protesters outside the conference venue was smaller
than the hundreds who showed up on Saturday, and organizers of the
conference say Turks have been surprisingly supportive of their efforts,
despite some panelists suggesting that Ottoman Turks committed the first
genocide of the 20th Century.
Discussing the mass killings of Armenians has long been taboo in Turkey,
and scholars who use the word genocide can be prosecuted under a clause in
the Turkish penal code on insulting the national character.
The academic conference had been canceled twice, once in May after the
justice minister said organizers were “stabbing the people in the back,”
and again on Thursday when an Istanbul court ordered the conference closed
and demanded to know the academic qualifications of the speakers.
“This is a fight of ‘can we discuss this thing, or can we not discuss this
thing?”‘ Murat Belge, a member of the organizing committee, said at the
conference opening. “This is something that’s directly related to the
question of what kind of country Turkey is going to be.”
The Armenian issue stirs deep passions among Turks, who are being pushed by
many in the international community to say that their fathers and
grandfathers carried out the first genocide of the 20th century.
“There are so many documents in hand with respect to the destruction of
Armenians,” said Taner Akcam, a Turkish-born professor at the University of
Minnesota, and author of books on the subject including, “A Shameful Act:
The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility.”
On Saturday dozens of officers in riot gear kept hundreds of shouting
protesters at bay. Some protesters pelted arriving panelists with eggs and
rotten tomatoes.
Inside, the audience of more than 300 people was restrained, as only those
invited by the organizing committee and preapproved members of the media
were allowed past security.
The issue has been a taboo for many years in Turkey, with those who speak
out against the killings risking prosecution by a Turkish court. But an
increasing number of Turkish academics have called for a review of the
killings in a country where many see the Ottoman Empire as a symbol of
Turkish greatness.
With the more than 350 participants once again assembled in Istanbul, the
conference’s organizers decided that “we can either do this now or we
cannot do it all again,” said Fatma Müge Gocek, an associate professor of
sociology at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor who was on the
meeting’s advisory committee.
Organizers had selected Bogaziçi as the venue for the meeting precisely
because it is a public institution, but they decided they had no choice but
to relocate to Bilgi. The rectors of all three sponsoring universities
welcomed the participants, who met in marathon sessions to condense into
two days a program that was to have been spread over three.
Because the conference had received so much attention in the Turkish news
media, participants did not even need to be notified of the change, said
Ms. Gocek. Opponents were also aware of the new location, and about 100
protesters showed up on Saturday to heckle participants and pelt them with
eggs and tomatoes, she said.
As the conference concluded, Ms. Gocek said she felt a real “paradigm
shift” had occurred. “We had lots of Turkish journalists there who said
they are not going to use the word ‘alleged’ from now on, in terms of
talking about the genocide. They may refer to ‘genocide claims,’ but they
will no longer talk of an ‘alleged genocide,'” she said.
Papers from the conference will be published immediately in Turkish, which
was the working language of the gathering, and as soon as possible in
English, Ms. Gocek said.
Several governments around the world have recognized the killings of as
many as 1.5 million Armenians in the late Ottoman Empire as genocide.
Turkey vehemently denies the charge, admitting that many Armenians were
killed, but saying the death toll is inflated and that Armenians were
killed along with Turks in civil unrest and intercommunal fighting as the
Ottoman Empire collapsed between 1915 and 1923.

After the conference was shut down Thursday, Turkey drew condemnation from
the European Commission.
The court-ordered cancellation Thursday was an embarrassment for the
country’s leaders, who are set to begin EU negotiations on Oct. 3.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul lamented that “there’s no one better at
hurting themselves than us,” and sent a letter wishing the organizers a
successful conference. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also condemned
the court’s decision, saying it did not befit a democratic country.
The participants were all Turkish speakers and included members of Turkey’s
Armenian minority like Hrant Dink, the editor in chief of Agos, a weekly
Armenian newspaper in Istanbul.
“Ittihat and Terakki Party (Party of Union and Progress) had a plan to
purify whole Anatolia from the non-Turks, starting from the Aegean Region,
before the World War I, and this plan was carried out in entire Anatolia
during the years of the war
(World War I)”, argued Associate Professor Taner Akcam of Minnesota
University.
Taking the floor on the second day of the conference titled “The Armenians
during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire” held at
Istanbul’s Bilgi University, Akcam said that the relocation decision was
made at the end of long discussions and debates.
“The Ottoman documents indicate that the decision to relocate the Armenians
was made to end a deeper problem defined as the ‘eastern problem’ and to
end the dissolution process of the Ottoman Empire. This decision was not a
result of a need that erupted during the war. There are many documents in
hand with respect to the destruction of Armenians,” claimed Akcam.
On the other hand, Dr Ahmet Kuyas of Galatasaray University referred to the
four members of the Ittihat and Terakki Party, and said that a serious
massacre was made those days. According to Kuyas, the architect of this
massacre was Enver Pasha. Kuyas expressed his view that the other three
people who were responsible for these massacres were Talat Pasha, Dr
Bahattin Sakir and Dr Nazim.
Also speaking at the conference, Professor Baskin Oran of Ankara
University’s Political Sciences Department said: “Concept of class,
criticisms of Ataturk, Cyprus, socialism, communism and Kurdistan are no
more taboos in Turkey. There was only one taboo left, and it was Armenian
issue. Now, it is no more a taboo.”
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress