The Arab Council of Australia has added its voice to the campaign calling on Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government to recognise the Armenian Genocide.

The council is a secular, not-for-profit organisation representing Australians from 22 Middle Eastern countries. Its CEO Randa Kattan said in a letter to Mr Morrison, “The act of formally recognising events of mass atrocity as experienced by the victims affords them dignity.”

Randa Kattan, CEO of the Arab Council of Australia, said formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide will afford the victims dignity

She continued, “This acknowledgement of history supports the healing of a community and is inclusive of those many generations living with inherited trauma.”

Between 1893 and 1923, some 1.5 million Armenians were killed in the Ottoman Empire in a policy of extermination of Christian minorities. In addition some 2.25 million Assyrian, Greek and Syriac Christians were also killed within Ottoman territories between 1914 and 1923, making a total of 3.75 million Christians killed.

The Australian-Jewish community has increased calls on the governments of Australia and Israel to recognise the terrible slaughter of a century ago.  “It is our moral duty as Jews and as supporters of Israel to be tellers of truth in matters such as these,” said Jeremy Leibler, president of the Zionist Federation of Australia.

In a statement on Armenian Remembrance Day, 24 April, this year, US President Joe Biden became the first president of the United States to officially recognise the genocide and warned of the need to prevent such violence from happening again.

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, International Director of Barnabas Fund, wrote to President Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier this year urging them to make this recognition, and called on countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Israel to follow suit.

Please sign our Barnabas Fund petition calling for the UK government to recognise the genocide by going to www.barnabasfund.org/armenian-genocide/