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The Armenian Weekly; Volume 73, No. 34; August 25, 2007
Commentary and Analysis:
1. The ADL Must Decide: Will they Serve the Truth or Will They Serve Turkey?
By Michael G. Mensoian
2. So Much Is Happening
By Garen Yegparian
3. Letters to the Editor
***
1. The ADL Must Decide: Will they Serve the Truth or Will They Serve Turkey?
By Michael G. Mensoian
The belated backtracking of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in
acknowledging the planned, systematic massacre of 1,500,000 Armenian men,
women and children as ".tantamount to genocide." is discouraging. Tantamount
means something is equivalent. If it’s equivalent, why avoid using the term?
For the ADL to justify its newly adopted statement because the word genocide
did not exist at the time indicates a halfhearted attempt to placate
Armenians while not offending Turkey. Historians use the term genocide
simply because it is the proper term to describe the horrific events that
the Ottoman Turkish government unleashed on the Armenian people.
Andrew H. Tarsy, the New England regional director of the ADL, was dismissed
for publicly acknowledging the Armenian genocide. He could no longer in good
conscience support the ADL’s position that rejected the objective evidence.
Bravo to any man that allows the truth to be his guide.
For the ADL to have maintained such a position was immoral and indefensible.
And then as a sop to assuage Armenians, they have said that they will
continue their efforts to have Turkey ".do more to confront its past." Does
the ADL really believe that their exhortations are seriously received by
Turkish leaders? Turkey has had nearly 100 years to confront its past, but
instead has decided to follow a policy of denial and historic revisionism.
Prominent Turkish scholars are now beginning to confront this dark period in
modern Turkish history. Unfortunately, within Turkey these intellectuals are
viewed as pariahs.
If the ADL doesn’t have the courage to properly acknowledge the crime that
has been committed against the Armenian nation, any intercession on behalf
of the Armenian Cause is neither desired nor worthwhile. Their position does
a disservice to the Jewish people who have a long and well-documented
history of fighting injustices. This is precisely why there was an immediate
ground swell of opinion within the Jewish community denouncing the ADL’s
untenable position when it was exposed to the light of day.
Unfortunately for the ADL, when it had the opportunity several days ago to
revisit the issue of the Armenian genocide, the very best their leaders
could do was to say that the planned systematic killing of over 1,500,000
Armenian men, women and children that took place between 1915 to 1918 was
"tantamount to genocide." Not exactly genocide mind you, but equivalent to
genocide. Either the ADL recognizes the Armenian genocide or it doesn’t.
There can be no equivocation on this most important issue.
How do the leaders of the ADL believe that any meaningful dialogue with
Armenians can occur when they have studiously avoided recognizing the
Armenian genocide? Then for the ADL to say that they will continue to oppose
the resolution being debated in Congress clearly indicates their true
position with respect to the Armenian genocide. Shame on the leadership of
the ADL.
There are many parallels between the Armenian people and the Jewish people,
both of whom have a large diaspora. The Jewish people fully understand the
suffering and the hurt that the Armenian people have experienced. It should
never be forgotten that the ease by which the Armenian genocide was
perpetrated by the Ottoman Turkish government-and just as easily forgotten
by a complacent world that lacked moral fortitude-only invited the Nazi
German government to plan the "final solution of the Jewish Question" just
as the Ottoman Turkish government planned the "final solution of the
Armenian Question."
The sterling credibility of the ADL has been severely tarnished. Double
shame on their leadership for having allowed that to happen.
—————————————— ————————————————– —–
2. So Much Is Happening
By Garen Yegparian
Turkey’s next attempt to choose a president, an election conducted by the
country’s parliament, is slated for August 20. By the time you read this,
chaos might already be present in Turkey. You see, the religiously based AKP
that won the parliamentary elections a few weeks ago has had the temerity to
put forward one of its own, Abdullah Gul, who’s served as Foreign Minister.
You’d think that’d be fine, right? Not in Turkey. There, the military is
graced (largely by itself and as a holdover from the murderous dictator
Ataturk’s days) with the mantle of "defender of secularism" in an otherwise
largely primitively religious country. So there’s a clash brewing.
Who wins and under what circumstances may effect Turkey’s (non)entry into
the European Union. It could also impact genocide recognition and overall
Armenian issues.
And speaking of those issues, the Treaty of Sevres, much vilified and
denigrated by Turkey, was celebrated at an August 12 event. This is our way
of bringing to the fore our irridenta with Turkey. As I’ll never tire of
stressing, raising the question of our lands from any and all angles is
crucial. Otherwise, what’s the point of all our efforts regarding genocide
recognition? Some pathetic sense of historic satisfaction? A feeling of a
debt paid to our predecessors so we no longer feel guilty? Bah, humbug! All
that is meaningless and actually wrong, since the murderers would have won,
or more importantly, we would have lost that which made our ancestors and us
what we are.
That’s why it is also heartening to see a new front being (re)opened. You
probably noticed the news item about holding the third congress of heirs of
genocide survivors. The first two were held nine decades ago. This angle is
great because it presents an unassailable set of claimants to what we lost.
I would have inherited what my parents would have inherited from theirs, had
they/we not been driven off and/or murdered. So this assemblage of the
injured can truly speak for those who require restitution. It’s exciting.
But let’s be sure to keep this congress on track so it doesn’t become a
mealy-mouthed organ for spineless bureaucrats, be they diaspora or homeland
dwelling.
All this is evidence of our growing political maturity and ability to flex
our political muscle even under less than ideal circumstances. If you have
any doubts, check out Lebanon’s recent by-election to replace two murdered
members of parliament. In one of the districts, Armenians had a lot of
numerical, voting, clout. The winner did so by a narrow margin. More
interesting is the loser, a former president of Lebanon. He was on the slate
of those supporting the current government. The ARF has been on the other
side of the fence while the other two Armenian political parties have been
with the government. The ARF’s efforts paid off and, by all accounts, we
made a real difference.
There’s even some societal humor in this. The losing side is astonished by
the ARF’s actions. What part of being in the opposition and party to the
anti-government demonstrations of the last two years could have led someone
to believe any other political course would have been taken, especially
since attempts by our side to come to some agreement had been rebuffed right
down to the last minute? For some years now, we had not been taken seriously
enough by other sectors in Lebanese life, partly because of the exodus of
our community over the last three decades. That will probably change now.
Within the Armenian community, too, there’s humor. I was told a story of one
family member presenting the above argument to others who supported the
non-ARF side. Upon doing so, this person was branded as a Tashnagtzagan. Who
knew it was so easy to become one?!
However, let’s not start riding too high. We could be attacked from any
number of angles. For example, Karl Rove, known as the so-called president’s
brain, has left the White House claiming he’s going to spend more time with
his family (probably won’t) but won’t work on a Republican candidate’s
presidential campaign (he just might). He probably will write some memoirs.
Let things cool off and blow over. Remember, he’s one of the key architects
of a pointless, destabilizing war that has already cost the U.S. Treasury
half a trillion (that’s a lot of zeroes) dollars. He’ll allow the
well-established American penchant for quickly forgetting anything from the
past to kick in, then he’ll be ba-ack.
Why is this of concern to us? He could easily be picked up as a lobbyist for
Turkey, and his network of vermin, er friends, in D.C. would make him a
formidable adversary. He might not even wait very long to do this, just work
behind the scenes. Look at Dick Gephardt: It took barely over a year for him
to sell out his principles to lobby against the genocide resolution. How
long would it take for someone like Rove with hardly any ethical inhibitions
to jump into the fray?
Of greater concern is something more insidious. I was recently party to a
discussion wherein Rove’s gifts as a strategist were noted as an example of
the type of talent we need within our organizations. I hastened to point out
that such skills, disengaged as they are in Rove’s case from principles, are
not something to be emulated. I recall Rove being quoted as saying that he’d
switch to the other side if he thought his "revolution" was complete. So he
admitted being a hired gun. Is that what we want to encourage among
ourselves?
Let’s keep engaging more members of our community in the struggle for the
three R’s-recognition, reparations, return of lands. Let’s also start
widening our web of activists to non-Armenian individuals and groups. Let’s
savor our victories, learn from them and our defeats, and avail ourselves of
every opportunity to decently advance our cause, all while keeping an eagle
eye out for any forces that might align to counter or deter our struggle for
justice.
—————————————- ————————————————– —
3. Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
We just had to write to you to tell you how much we enjoy Knarik O.
Meneshian’s articles in the Armenian Weekly. The stories of the day-to-day
existence in Armenia are so close to our hearts, and they do make us sad.
In her article in the July 28 edition of the Weekly, she mentioned listening
to Shahmuradian’s record, and what memories that brought back…
We were raised in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Shahmuradian stayed with us for 10
days in the 1930’s. He would do his vocal exercises every morning around 7
a.m. Then he’d practice the songs he was to sing at a concert, to raise
money for him. He was really in dire straits. He died in Paris in the same
institution that Gomidas Vartabed had died in.
That was our generation. We were lucky enough to know at least some of our
Armenian leaders. What a God given privilege.
God bless you, Knarik. We’re looking forward to the next installment of your
story.
Vartkes and Zepure Jamgochian
Altamonte Spg., Fla.
***
To the Editor,
Congratulations to Harry Koundakjian, master photojournalist, on the
occasion of his retrospective exhibition in Beirut.
Project SAVE Armenian Phtoograph Archives was pleased in 2004 to work with
Harry to create this exhibit. Project SAVE served as curator, which included
selecting photos, researching and writing captions, and purchasing
exhibit-quality photo enlargements.
The exhibition premiered in the exhibit gallery of the Armenian Library and
Museum in Watertown, Mass., with Harry and his lovely wife Aida and daughter
Lola present for the opening. During the exhibit’s run, Harry also
participated in a public program with journalist Steve Kurkjian of the
Boston Globe and photographer Garo Lachinian, formerly with the Boston
Herald.
Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives extends its best wishes to Harry
and Aida.
Ruth Thomasian
Executive director, Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
