Pasadena Star-News
By Dan Abendschein, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/29/2008 10:49:55 PM PDT
A centuries-old dispute between Armenians and Turks is playing a part
in the race for the congressional seat that represents most of
Pasadena.
In recent weeks, Republican challenger Charles Hahn picked up
thousands of dollars at a fundraiser thrown by a Turkish-American
businessman who runs a Web site denying the World War I-era Armenian
genocide took place.
"I want to bring all sides of the issue to the party: Armenians,
Turkish-Americans, the Turkish and Armenian governments," said
Hahn. "We need to all work together in solving the problem."
The fundraiser was put together by Ergun Kirlikovali, an Orange County
businessman who runs several Web sites, including
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The ideology represents a sharp contrast to bills sponsored by
incumbent Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena. Over the past two years, Schiff has
sponsored legislation that would put the U.S. government on record as
officially recognizing that the genocide took place.
Schiff, who has been strongly supported by his Armenian-American
constituents, brought the fundraiser to the attention to the local
Armenian-language media because he considers the Kirlikovali’s views
troubling.
"This is a pretty narrow special interests group that is devoted to
eradicating the memory of genocide," said Schiff. "This is a way of
sending a message and pushing back against that idea."
Schiff’s legislation has been controversial. The American-allied
Turkish government has steadfastly claimed that the deaths of
Armenians in the break-up of the Ottoman Empire during World War I
were part of a civil war with casualties on both sides. Armenians and
most historians have characterized it as a concerted government effort
to eliminate Armenians from a new Turkish nation.
Hahn raised about $5,700 from the fundraiser and from other
contributions from Kirlikovali. All of the people contributing at the
fundraiser listed addresses outside Schiff’s district, with two
listing addresses in Maryland and New York.
Hahn also received $2,300 from the national Turkish Coalition USA
Political Action Committee, which opposed Schiff’s legislation. The
total contributions make up more than 10 percent of his total
fundraising.
Schiff’s bill failed in the 2007 congressional session, but was
reintroduced this year and approved by the House Foreign Affairs
Committee. If it does not pass in the general session this year Schiff
plans to reintroduce it again next year.
Hahn said he does not deny that the Armenian genocide took place, but
says he would not have supported Schiff’s legislation. He said he
would like to introduce legislation that would be approved by Armenian
and Turkish-American groups alike, though he would not say what
specifically the legislation would say or accomplish.
He said the fundraiser’s attendance was not exclusively members of the
Turkish-American community.
Kirlikovali said the main reason he and others at the fundraiser are
supporting Hahn is because they dislike Schiff’s legislation. However,
he is also a registered Republican and agrees with Hahn’s tax
policies, he said.
"I find Schiff’s stand racist and dishonest," said Kirlikovali. "I’d
like to support someone who can defeat him."
He said he does not deny that Armenians were killed in great numbers
during World War I but said that Turks were killed in greater numbers.
"I lost most of my grandparents’ family on both sides," said
Kirlikovali. "It is the same for other Turks … just because we sit
quietly and grieve instead of making noise about it does not mean we
haven’t suffered."
He added that Schiff had introduced the legislation without regard for
Turkish-American relations just to "appease some radicals in a
California city," a likely reference to Glendale, which has a large
population of Armenians.