TURKISH SPEECH CANCELED
Will Sommer
The Georgetown Voice, DC
turkish-speech-canceled
Sept 27 2007
Georgetown’s Woodstock Theological Center postponed a speech by
Patriarch Mesrob II Mutafyan of the Armenian Church in Turkey because
of security concerns, according to one of the event’s co-sponsors.
"The Patriarch got messages from the Armenian Diaspora that there would
be some protests at the school, and he informed me about that, and he
was scared a little bit about this," said Dr. H. Ali Yurtsever, the
president of the Rumi Forum, an organization that co-hosted the speech.
Yurtsever said Georgetown was unable to provide enough security guards
before the event.
Mutafyan’s scheduled lecture was controversial because he does not
believe Turkey committed genocide against Armenians in World War I,
according to Yurtsever, who shares Mutafyan’s opinion.
Paul Brooks, Woodstock’s Director of Advancement, confirmed that
security concerns played a role in the postponement, though he also
cited an inability to find space for the lecture on campus and the
short time to plan the event.
Brooks said he was not contacted by any Armenians before the lecture.
Neither Brooks nor the Woodstock Center has a position on the alleged
genocide, he said.
According to Yurtsever, the Patriarch has received death threats in
Turkey because of his views. While he didn’t receive any while in the
United States, "Since they [Armenians] are everywhere, he is scared,"
he said.
"I’m certain that Armenians did weigh in with Georgetown," Aram
Hamparian, the executive director of the Armenian National Committee
of America, said. Hamparian’s organization did not contact Georgetown,
though they did send a letter to members of Congress explaining the
Patriarch’s position, Hamparian said
"It’s very hard to speak about Armenian issues in Turkey," Hamparian
said, explaining why he thinks the Patriarch, who lives in Turkey,
doesn’t speak publicly about the genocide.
Brooks said he didn’t know when the postponed lecture would be
rescheduled.
Armenians at Georgetown said they disagreed with Mutafyan but thought
he should be allowed to speak on campus.
"I wasn’t against him speaking," Sevan Angacian (SFS ’08), the
president of Georgetown’s Armenian Student Association said. "I wasn’t
one of those people who was calling Georgetown a million times."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
