Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Feb 10 2007

Mt. Musa Armenians express concern over Stallone movie

The only Armenian village in Turkey, Vakýflý in Hatay province, has
expressed concerns over the destruction the peace and tolerance that
dominate their lives because of a proposed movie on the so-called
Armenian genocide.

American actor Sylvestor Stallone recently announced plans to make a
movie based on the book "The Forty Days of Musa Dag" written by
Austrian Franz Werfel in 1933. He wants to film the movie at Mt.
Musa, which rises next to Vakýflý. "We will only approve the plan if
the movie underlines the environment of peace and tolerance in which
we live. But if it undermines that, we are against this movie,"
Vakýflý local administrator Berç Kartun said as he expressed
conditional approval.

Kartun added that they have lived at Musa Dagh in peace and tolerance
for centuries. "The theme of the movie belongs here — right where we
live. Mt. Musa is next to us. It is all right for us if someone wants
to make a movie here about the book ‘The Forty Days of Musa Dag.’
There are also beautiful things in that book. If those things will be
used without starting a controversy, the movie will be welcome. The
movie should tell about the tolerance here. Then it will be
beneficial for introduction of Turkey, our village and Hatay. People
should come and see the mountain and our life here. Nobody has the
right to ruin our peace," he said.

‘The Forty Days of Musa Dagh’

The book is about the forced emigration of Anatolian Armenians in
1915, with a group of them taking shelter on Mt. Musa, south of
Ýskenderun. They clashed with Ottoman soldiers in Hatay and were
taken to Egyptian refugee camps by French ships.

10.02.2007

MEHMET DENER HATAY

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress