GUEST COMMENTARY: TURKS, AMERICANS LEAVE GENOCIDE BY THE WAYSIDE
By Lisa Kirazian

The UCSD Guardian Online
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A pril 21 2008
CA

Imagine being a 93-year-old man who has been ignored and isolated all
his life. His family and friends are gone. No one looks him in the eye
as he hobbles down the street. No one knows his name or acknowledges
that he even exists. Nobody stops to chat. Everyone rushes right past
him, saying and doing nothing — for nearly a century.

The Armenian Genocide is that lonely old man, still aching to have
his story told, his existence acknowledged, his soul healed and put
to rest.

The Armenian Genocide of 1915, commemorated every April 24 by Armenians
around the world, was the systematic destruction by the Ottoman Empire
of more than 1.5 million Armenians. The Ottoman government’s desire
at the time to "cleanse" minorities and create a Pan-Turkish state
has been well documented. Records from then-U.S. Ambassador to Ottoman
Turkey Henry Morgenthau, from German missionaries and even from Turkish
officials reveal that the Ottoman Empire was particularly intent on
annihilating the Armenian race, which had become so successful within
the country — a country with much territory previously belonging to
ancient Armenia.

Government archives in Turkey and around the world have proof of
these goals. Yet Turkey still denies that an Armenian Genocide ever
occurred, and many countries still side with Turkey when it claims
that the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians were merely the result of a
variety of World War I skirmishes and Armenian insurgencies impossible
to pin on the government.

Fortunately, France, Italy, Switzerland and other enlightened
nations refuse to give into this lie, recently passing resolutions
and legislation acknowledging the Armenian Genocide — the first
genocide of the twentieth 20th century, one that Adolf Hitler studied
in preparation for his own Jewish Holocaust.

Andrew Tarsey, former Director of the Anti-Defense League of New
England, was essentially fired last year for his comments acknowledging
the Armenian Genocide but has inspired Jews and Armenians alike with
his uncompromised integrity on this issue.

Momentum is shifting in other ways as well: U.S. House and Senate
Resolution 106 acknowledging the Genocide, New York Life’s settlement
of insurance-policy reparations to descendants of Armenian Genocide
victims, more and more countries passing genocide legislation as
mentioned, the Los Angeles Unified School District incorporating
a new Armenian-Genocide curriculum into the schools. These are
important steps.

Some Turkish scholars and artists, like historian Taner Akcam of the
University of Minnesota, are now speaking out about the Armenian
Genocide and acknowledging that it did in fact happen — even
dialoguing with their Armenian counterparts at academic conferences
and panels.

Perhaps Turkey does not recognize how much more respect it would gain
worldwide if it did finally admit to the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian
Genocide — perhaps its bid to join the European Union would even be
helped. But Turkey also knows full well that the admission would result
in a doling-out of financial reparations that could nearly bankrupt
the country. So, admitting the truth is too embarrassing and costly.

Yet Turkey apparently doesn’t mind throwing millions of dollars
at lobbyists and politicians worldwide to secure its anti-Armenian
goals. Neither those efforts, however, nor vehement denial, can change
the truth of history. Sadly, many Turks believe that the Armenian
Genocide is a lie; saddest of all, younger generations of Turks are
entirely ignorant of this period in their country’s history.

Some would say the aftermath of the genocide has even continued
with a young Turkish nationalist’s assassination of beloved
Armenian-Turkish journalist/editor Hrant Dink last year, seemingly
for his pro-Genocide views. His son Arat Dink, assuming leadership
of his father’s newspaper, was also convicted (like his father) under
Turkey’s Article 301 of the penal code, for the "crime" of insulting
Turkishness. Never mind insulting the truth.

Only an enlightened people are brave enough to explore and admit
their mistakes and sins. Only an enlightened people are brave enough
to be persecuted for their beliefs. And Armenians everywhere will
keep fighting until the truth sets the world free.