St. Louis Dispatch
Inconvenient atrocities
By Joe Leicht
Wednesday, November 7, 2007 2:19 AM CST
In Washington, one of the seemingly countless arguments raging is one
that-were it not for politics-would seem a cut-and-dry question of
right and wrong.
The issue: A resolution that condemns the deaths of an estimated 1.5
million Armenian Christians at the hands of the Islamic Turkish
government in 1915 as a historical genocide.
For decades, U.S. lawmakers have debated the horrific event that gave
rise to the term "starving Armenians," but geopolitical considerations
always kept Congress from issuing an official condemnation.Last month,
a U.S. House Committee passed the resolution, but it never reached the
entire floor, as the resolution was tabled at this time.
President George W. Bush, while expressing sympathy for the suffering
of the Armenians, nonetheless has urged Congress not to pass the
symbolic act as it could damage U.S. relations with Turkey, a key ally
in the "War on Terror."
Melanie Maksudian of Smithton, a retired Belleville West teacher and a
member of the Metro East’s close-knit Armenian-American community,
said she has mixed thoughts on the debate.
"I would love to see it pass, that would be my number one outcome,"
she said. "But I don’t want to put others at risk, whether it be our
soldiers in that region or a backlash against the Armenians still in
Turkey."
Maksudian, 59, said the story of the brutal oppression the Ottoman
Turks inflicted on the Armenians and the flight to America is
something Armenian-Americans are raised with.
"My grandparents came here fleeing the Turks," she said. "My
grandmother was pregnant with her first child on the boat coming over
here. Growing up, it was something that often was discussed. It was
always there."
The Armenian Churches in the Metro East-St. Gregory’s Apostolic
Armenian Church in Granite City and Holy Virgin Mary Shoghagat
Armenian Church in Swansea-anchor the ethnic community and help keep
the memory of the 1915 outrage alive.
"We have a brick garden and memorial at our church," Tamara Cluck, 41,
of Smithton, who worships at Holy Virgin Mary, said. "I knew about the
genocide growing up.
"My grandmother (Zaroohy Chavooshian Norsigian) escaped with her
mother when she was 7 years old. Her father and three brothers were
all killed."
Cluck recalled dining at a friend’s family home. The host dropped the
line about "starving Armenians," referring to anticipation of the
meal.
"She didn’t know I was Armenian," Cluck said. "I know she didn’t mean
anything by it. But it shows people don’t really know what happened."
Maksudian’s great grandfather-"Deravedisian"-was a priest who she
recalls telling the family of when he hid guns in the basement of the
church during the time of the oppression.
Cluck said she was disappointed the resolution to condemn the
atrocities did not pass in October.
"I was disappointed to see it come that close," she said. "Hopefully
one day, it will pass. If my grandmother were here, it would make her
so happy. I want it to pass for her."
Source: 007/11/07/news/sj2tn20071106-1107ent_armenians.ii1 .txt