Genocide 90 Years ago – and Denial
By Garbis Krajian
Addis Tribune
April 29, 2005
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As a form of introduction, I was born in Ethiopia from Armenian
parents. My family’s history in Ethiopia goes back over 150 years. From
my father’s side, I am fortunate to trace my genealogy back five
generations. From my mother’s side, I am only able to go back as far
as my grandfather. Nonetheless!
I grew up in the Arat Kilo region and still remember many of my
childhood friends. I became fluent in Amharic and loved doing
everything a child would do in our neighborhood. Ethiopia became
my home country and home to almost all Armenians who live in
Ethiopia. Right after the fall of the Emperor I left Ethiopia for
Canada.
After living abroad for thirty years, I have returned to Ethiopia
as an educator. Upon my arrival I learned that the once vibrant and
prosperous Armenian community that numbered around 1,500 has dwindled
to less than one hundred. The remaining twenty families still run
the community school, a club and a church.
On April 24th, like it has been done for the last 90 years, I also
went to my church to pray for the soul of my ancestors.
It is estimated that over ten million Armenians and friends in one
hundred fifty-two countries gathered in churches, community centers,
and national assembly halls to commemorate the 90th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide. I was one of sixty Armenians who congregated
at St. George Armenian Church to pay tribute to my ancestors who were
victims of the atrocities committed by the Turkish Ottoman Empire
during the First World War. Needless to say, I could not think of
being anywhere else in the world at this particular moment than this
sacred place in Addis which is still situated in the same setting
where I regularly prayed as a child until I was 19 years of age. This
was the same site, where every year, on April 24th, a thousand or so
Armenian-Ethiopians gathered to remember their ancestors, the children,
and the elderly who were slaughtered by the Ottoman Army. In fact,
what makes my conviction so much stronger is that I am the grandchild
of one of the Forty Orphans, the “Arba Lijoch,” who survived the
genocide and escaped to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, these forty orphans
were given shelter at the Armenian Monastery later to be adopted by
Emperor Haile-Selassie. The Emperor brought them to Ethiopia, where
they made this lovely country their home. These forty young men,
who were a band had impressed the Emperor with their musical skills.
Upon their arrival to Ethiopia, they were commissioned, under the
directorship of Noubar Nalbandian, uncle of Nerses Nalbandian, to
compose the National Anthem of Ethiopia. It remained as the anthem,
“Teferi Marsh” or “Ethiopia Hoy,” until the arrival of the Dergue.
Before I move to the topic of my immediate concern, I pay much
gratitude to all Ethiopians, present and past, for giving the Armenians
a home for the last 100 years.
Now let me take you to the main issue, the Armenian Genocide. The
main intent of the Genocide was the extermination of the Armenian
population from Turkey. This massive atrocity was committed on the
Armenian population living on their ancestral homeland sometime around
the beginning of the last century. In those ten years, 1905-1915,
over 1.5 million Armenians mostly children women and the elderly
were systematically eliminated and expelled into the deserts by the
Ottoman Government.
Summary of the Genocide
Arguably, according to Turkish historians, Armenians and Turks lived
for centuries in relative harmony during the Ottoman Empire. However,
this historic perception portrayed to the world is far from the
truth. In fact, the systematic extermination of Armenians had started
long before the First World War. In the 1890s hundreds of thousands
of Armenians were killed by Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
Around the turn of the last century, the situation began to change for
the worse. Nationalism, a new force in the world, spread its tentacles
from Europe to the Ottoman Empire. As other Christian minorities within
the Ottoman Empire gained their independence, the Armenians became more
isolated as the only Christian minority. Some Armenians began to call
for independence. Turks envisioned a new Pan-Turkic empire spreading
all the way to Turkic speaking Central Asia. Armenians were the only
ethnic group in between these two major pockets of Turkish-speaking
people. A plan was in the works to cleanse the region and settle
the Armenian issue, once and for all. A new force was emerging to
undertake this task.
A coup led by ‘progressive’ Young Turks in 1908 replaced Sultan
Hamid II. Turkish nationalists who called themselves the “Young Turk
Revolutioneries” took control over the government. Among the most
notorious of the new governing junta were Enver, Jemal and Talat
Pasha. These young Turkish leaders masterminded a plan to completely
eradicate the Armenian race as they found them to be a stone in
their shoes that would hinder their plan for a larger Turkic Empire
stretching from Istanbul all the way to Turkmenistan.
Once the decision was made by the Young Turks to exterminate the
Armenians, events unfolded fast. A decision was made to relocate
Armenian villages, towns and cities on the pretence of public
safety. All-able bodied men were drafted to join in the wartime
effort. These men were either immediately killed or were sent to
join the army. The relocation plan commenced with vengeance and
the remaining residents were then escorted by Turkish Gendarmes on
death marches.
The deportation of the Armenians resembled the movement of large
herds of cattle, in search of pasture and water. Unfortunately in
this case, the exodus was planned for extermination. On the journey
to death, the Armenians were raped, starved, dehydrated, murdered,
kidnapped and were deliberately drowned in the Euphrates river. Only
a few fortunate ones such as my grandfather managed to escape. It is
so ironic, learning from my grandfather, that it was a young Turkish
shepherd who saved his life by hiding him in the sheep barn. Both
were 12 years old at the time A few weeks later the parents of the
shepherd discovered the young boy hiding in the barn.
The Turkish family immediately took him to their house, fed him,
gave him clothing and provided him with a comfortable bed. As it was
considered to be a criminal act to harbor an Armenian, the little boy
was given to a trusted merchant who masked him as his son, sat him on
a camel, and took him all the way to Palestine. Like my grandfather,
those that survived and escaped received assistance from those who
have come to be known as “Good Turks.” In fact, many Turks risked
their lives by saving some Armenian victims and it would be a serious
error to treat all the Turkish people as perpetrators of the crime.
Ninety Years Later
Survivors of the Armenian Genocide, children, grand-children and
great-grand children, are scattered in over 150 countries. Few
Armenians ever fail to commemorate the Genocide on April 24th. However,
important this might be for them, it has also received international
prominence as this event marks one of the first genocide of the
last century.
Some well regarded scholars argue that there have been as many as
fifty such genocides committed in the last century. Others say that
only four really meet the criteria set out in the 1948 UN Genocide
Convention, the Extermination of the Herero in Namibia, the Armenians
in the Ottoman Empire, the Jews in Europe and the Tutsis in Rwanda.
Does this categorization of genocide types and forms matter when
still many countries in the world, including the present and all past
Turkish governments since the genocide, have denied the TRUTH? Would
recognition of the genocide, perhaps, appear as an evil notion? NO,
not at all. It would only make Turkey come to terms with its past
and address the dark side of history~@¦. in a human manner as others
have done in civilized nations like Germany.
It is believed that Hitler was encouraged by the atrocities committed
on Armenians by the Ottoman Empire and the indifference shown by
the civilized world. This is what Hitler said before exterminating
six million Jews in Europe: “Who, after all, speaks today of the
annihilation of the Armenians?”
What about the Rwandan Genocide? What about the Congo, the Sudan? What
about Srebrenica? Where will all these atrocities take us if past
genocides are denied? What about the Future? How many more genocides
would be committed? Just think about it seriously! Therefore, I urge
Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey and his friends to deal with the issue
of the Armenian Genocide once and for all. Many Turkish historians and
the public have urged the Turkish Government to recognize the Armenian
Genocide instead of continuing to deny that it ever happened. Many
countries like France, Italy, Germany, and many others have formally
recognized the Armenian Genocide. Few others like Britain and the
United States are being pressured by their citizens to formally accept
this atrocity as lending support to Turkey in this matter can only
be interpreted as complacency.
By recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Turkey has much to gain and
possibly nothing to lose. First of all, it is the right thing to
do as justice always prevails. Second, in order for reconciliation
happens between these two people, acceptance of guilt, asking for
forgiveness and receiving forgiveness has to take place. Third, the two
neighboring nations will live in peace and prosper together. Fourth,
it will bring Turkey amongst the ranks of civilized nations like
Germany which accepted responsibility of the atrocities of the Nazi
and formally apologized to the victims and the State of Israel. Fifth,
it will give Turkey a better chance of joining the European Union
as some countries like France have made recognizing the genocide
a prerequisite before Turkey joins the EU. Sixth, as an Armenian,
I would like to put all these issues to rest and offer forgiveness
to a Nation whose citizens are still told by their government that
the real perpetrators were the Armenians. Last but not least, allow
me to recall Reverend Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech,
borrow a short paragraph that I love and adopt few changes and make
it relevant to the issue which has preoccupied both Armenians and
Turks for the last century.
It reads as follows:
I have a dream that one day little Armenian boys and girls will be
able to join hands with little Turkish boys and girls as sisters
and brothers without having to bring up the past. I hope one day,
my daughters Sara and Ani will be able to play with the children of
my very good Turkish friend Serdar, without even going there~@¦there
~@¦there, to the past, a very sad past that is inevitable to surface
when an Armenian and Turk meet.
G. Korajian is a Graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government
He teaches Ethics Courses. His current assignment is in Ethiopia
and Zambia.
He can be reached a:
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