CALL IT WHAT IT WAS: GENOCIDE
By Ashley Sholer
Assyrian International News Agency
Nov 12 2007
I want to first clear the air and say I understand Turkey is a
valuable ally of the United States in the war efforts in Iraq. Under
no circumstances do I want to see the Turkish government take away the
U.S. military’s necessary route into Iraq. That would be unpatriotic
and not the focus of this argument.
The primary reason I write to you is to inform the student body of the
reactions of many Armenian-Americans as well as Assyrian-Americans. The
event went into history as the Armenian Genocide, but other
Christians living in the Ottoman Empire, such as the Assyrians,
were also massacred.
Though it is hard to tell, I am of Armenian and Assyrian decent and
have seen the impact of the genocide in my family.
The massacre of the Armenians, which will be referred to as genocide
in this article, which began in 1915 and ended in 1923, it was
a persecution of Armenians and Assyrians for being Christian in a
Muslim nation. Many families, including my own, fled for their lives
and lost loved ones.
On Jan. 30, 2007, Adam B. Schiff, the Democratic Representative of
Burbank, presented House Bill 106, which plans to "ensure the foreign
policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding
and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic
cleansing and genocide documented in the United States record relating
to the Armenian Genocide," according to the Los Angeles Times. On
Oct 10. 2007, House Bill 106 had 225 sponsors and passed in the House
Foreign Affairs Committee with a vote of 27 to 21.
Turkish newspapers stated if the House passed the bill, "our military
relations with the United States can never be the same." This was a
direct attempt to scare the United States Congress. In this case it
worked. Just a few days later, to the disappointment of many affected
by the genocide, it was decided that the bill will be brought up when
"the timing is more favorable."
Meanwhile, the United States refuses to "accurately characterize
the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians
as genocide," according to Rep. George Radanovich (R-Mariposa). I
understand that if this bill is passed, the Turkish government will
not be happy.
I do not think anything should be done to jeopardize the safety of
the U.S. Military or government. However, the United States is more
powerful than Turkey and needs to come up with a solution that does
not anger the Turkish government or offend the Americans affected by
the genocide.