McCarthy is a professional denier
By Ton Zwaan
de Volkskrant (Dutch newspaper)
Forum
June 14, 2005
Even though the term “genocide” was invented later, the Turkish act
in 1915 against the Armenians was most definitely a genocidal process,
says Ton Zwaan.
Under the tendentious title “Term ‘genocide’ for Turkish act
demonstrably incorrect” (Term ‘genocide’ voor Turks handelen
aantoonbaar onjuist), an article by the American historian Justin
McCarthy was published in de Volkskrant (Forum, June 9).
In a groundless, hazy and disorderly argumentation replete with
half-truths and complete untruths, McCarthy attempts to persuade his
readers that an Armenian genocide never transpired in the Ottoman
empire in 1915 and 1916. For the benefit of your readers, I would
like to point out that in serious circles of scholars, a consensus
has existed for quite some time of the main facts.
In the years involved an estimated one million members of the Armenian
minority in the Ottoman Empire became victim of a meticulously planned
and large-scale persecution, deportation and massacre.
This systematic persecution and destruction transpired with the
initiative and under the leadership of the central government at that
time in Istanbul. Even though the term ‘genocide’ did not exist then
(it was only used for the first time in 1944), there can be no doubt
that this involved a genocidal process.
The space here lacks to extensively examine McCarthy’s argumentation,
but contrary to what he claims, there was not a “terrible war between
Turks and Armenians”, nor a “great rebellion” by Armenians. He also
cites the genocide-convention of the UN incompletely and falsely and
confuses the terms “war” and “genocide”.
His claim on the brilliant and brave Turkish author Orhan Pamuk is
undoubtedly libelous and his remarks on the Turkish denial policy and
their reports in American newspapers are silly and wholly unfounded.
Whoever wants to be informed of the true course of events can read
recently published good studies, such as:
Donaid Bloxham: The Great Game of Genocide. Imperialism, Nationalism
and the Destruction of the Ottoman Armenians (Oxford University
Press, 2005);
Jay Winter (red.): America and the Armenian Genocide of 1915 (Cambridge
University Press, 2003);
H.L. Kieser en D. Schaller (red.): Der Völkermord an den Armeniern
und die Shoah (Chronos, 2003).
For a summary review in Dutch:
‘De vervolging van de Armeniërs in . het Ottomaans-Turkse rijk,
1894-1922’, in: Ton Zwaan, Civilisering en decivilisering (Boom, 2001).
Among bona fide historians McCarthy is known as one of the professional
deniers, subsidized by the Turkish government.
The printing of an article such as that without further comment does
not grace de Volkskrant.
Ton Zwaan is affiliated with the Center for Holocaust and Genocide
Studies of the NIOD and the University of Amsterdam.
PHOTO: Armenian refugees, crowded in boats, looking for rescue on a
French ship before the Syrian coast, October 1915. FOTO CORBIS
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