Canberra Times Webpage
Aug 6-8 2005
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The article about armenian man shot the Pope
Houry Aguilian
Monday, 8 August 2005
Dear Rosslyn,
I wish you would have investigated a little bit more before writing
this article of yours, the man who shot the Pope is turkish not
armenian, and if you know a little bit of history you will know that
Turks and Armenians are 2 enemies till this day. I would suggest you
search the google or any documentary before writing any article, to
avoid such huge mistakes.
Regards
;opinion_id=100894
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Error in Pope John Paul II Article!
Marie Injeyan
Monday, 8 August 2005
Dear Editor,
Recently your paper published an aritcle “Pope shot by Armenian
gunman” (Canberra Times – Australasia; Aug 04, 2005), which
identified the man who attempted to asassinate Pope John Paul II as
an Armenian. This is an undeniable error!! The man who you identify
in your article was a Turk, born January 9, 1958 in Yesiltepe,
Turkey. It pains me, as a Canadian Armenian, to discover such errors
in a reputable paper such as yours. Please correct this statement to
clarify the details of this important moment in history.
Thank you kindly,
Marie Injeyan
Toronto, Canada
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Mehmet the Armenian
John Avedian
Monday, 8 August 2005
Dear Editor,
A journalist at your esteemed organization, Ms. Rosyln Beeby made a
very critical error in her August 4th article “Pope shot by Armenian
gunman”. The Gunman Mr. Mehmet Ali Agcam is, has been, and always
will be Turkish in origin, blood and citizenship. Armenians, as well
as Bugarians, Serbs, Macedonians and Greeks were second class
citizens in the Ottoman Empire. As the first Christian nation in the
world in 301 c.e. Armenians have always been victims of Turkish
brutality, culminating in the Armenian Genocide of 1915 in which
1,500,000 Armenians perished, 8 of whom were my relatives.
Recently, Pope John Paul II was in Armenia celebrating the 1700
anniversary of Christianity (2001) and visiting a dear friend of his
at Holy Etchmiadzin, Armenia – his Holiness Catholicos of all
Armenians – Garekin II.
Even the most elementary research (such as a google query) would have
presented Ms. Beeby with a wealth of information attesting to Mehmet
Ali Agcam’s Turkish identity.
By overlooking a most standard form of journalistic integrity, Ms.
Beeby has deeply concerned our Armenian Communities in Lansing, MI
and abroad.
We expect an explanation and an apology.
Regards,
John Avedian
Armenian Community Leader
Michigan State University
Lansing, Michigan
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“Pope shot by Armenian gunman”
Joe
Sunday, 7 August 2005
Could you please provide a piece of evidence or a proof how can a
person by the name of “Mehmet Ali Agca” can be an Armenian?
How could you publish such a piece of garbage?
;opinion_id=100849
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Amernian error
Ron Boyadjian
Sunday, 7 August 2005
I wonder how the editor of a famous (?) paper can avoid such error.
It’s a obligation to write in your same editorial page to correct
your professional error and say that Ali Akca is nothing but a muslim
turk, may be closer to Australians than to Armenians, because all
Armenians are christians, but not all Australians. This country
collect more and more muslims and give them australian nationality,
unfortunately as they do in Europe and North America !!!
;opinion_id=100846
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Have your say
B.Batmanian
Sunday, 7 August 2005
Rosslyn Beeby needs to replenish her knowledge of history and change
the sources of her informations before making any elementary and
serious mistakes in her articles.
Your paper owes an apology to Armenians concerning this matter.
Regards
;opinion_id=100845
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Not an Armenian
Caroline Simon
Sunday, 7 August 2005
Regarding your article “Pope shot by Armenian gunman”
The gunman was a Muslim Turk. The name ” Mehmet Ali Agca” is a Muslim
name. Armenians are Christians. How many Christians do you know that
go by “Ali”? Your editors can’t distinguish between the two? The
gunman had absolutely no Armenian ancestry. This is a horrible
mistake to make!
;opinion_id=100843
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No Armenian
Artin Arzoumanian, MD
Saturday, 6 August 2005
In your August 4, 2005 issue, the article “Pope shot by Armenian
gunman” raises a serious concern about the integrity of your
columnist Rosslyn Beeby. Even the simplest layman anywhere in the
world would know that a Turkish born man named Mehmet Ali Agcam
cannot be an Armenian, let alone the journalist of a prestigeous
paper in a civilized country. But the disturbing question is, why
does Ms. Beeby bring up now the subject of the late Pope John Paul
II’s shooting incident 24 years later? What is the occasion? If this
is a new discovery, what is the evidence? Who is behind this blatant
racist remark?
Artin Arzoumanian, MD
Montreal, Canada
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Outrageous Armenian claim
Seb Z Tashjian
Saturday, 6 August 2005
Your article:Pope shot by Armenian gunman of 4 Aug.05
Dear editor,
How can a renowned paper such as yours print such an outragious and
offending article. Beeby should have done her homework much better
and how come this article was passed through the editing section?
Mehmet Ali Agca is a Turk and not a christian Armenian. His name is
screaming that he is a muslim. Please correct this article asap and
print an apology to the Armenians.
Awaiting your correction,
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ignorant correspondent
ARPIE MARGORIAN
Saturday, 6 August 2005
Dear Editor:
Re: article “Pope shot by Armenian gunman” by Rosslyn Beeby (Aug 4).
How can your correspondent be so ignorant? She does not know the
difference between a Turk an Armenian? For your correspondent’s and
your readers’ information Mehmet Ali Agca is a Muslim name. Mehmet is
the Turkish equivalent name of Mohammad , the prophet of all Moslems.
Not exactly a Christian name. Is it?
Again for your and your readers’ information
Armenia was the first nation in the world to adopt Christianity in
301 A.D. and no
Armenian child is named Mehmet or Mohammad.
You owe an apology to all Armenians who are outraged by this
disgraceful error .
Arpie Margorian
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Pope shot by Armenian gunman
Arsen Kalaidjian
Saturday, 6 August 2005
Yes, everyone knows that Armenians shot JF Kennedy, crucified Jesus
Christ, genocided 1500000 turks and shot John Paul II
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Armenian or Turk? know your facts!!
Vartex Nicolian
Saturday, 6 August 2005
We’re still waiting for a public apology by The Canberra Times to
Armenians for the article about Pope’s assassination attempt, and an
acknowledgement about the shameful error on the publication.
;opinion_id=100828
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Armenian disgrace
Maria Boyadjian
Saturday, 6 August 2005
In reference to your article “Pope shot by Armenian gunman”, any
decent journalist would have checked the facts before printing such
an important information….
Armenians cannot be called Mehmet or Ali…
This journalist is a disgrace to her profession…. I wonder what
would her professor say….
;opinion_id=100814
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Congratulations
Marc MARDIROSSIAN
Saturday, 6 August 2005
I would like to congratulate you for your article about the
assasination attempt of the Pope by an Armenian.
“Pope shot by Armenian gunman”
We must never forget this kind of teachery by people from a country
that pretends being the first christian country of the world.
regards
Marc Mardirossian
;opinion_id=100811
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Armenian mistake
Kiffer Louise
Saturday, 6 August 2005
There is a big mistake in your article “Pope shot by Armenian gunman”
Australasia Aug. 4th 2005
Mehmed Ali Agca was not Armenian.
He was Australian, everybody
will know that.
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A grevious error!
Dennis R. Papazian, Ph.D.
Saturday, 6 August 2005
On August 4, 2005, your esteemed newspaper published an article by
Roslyn Beeby carrying the libelous title, “Pope Shot by Armenian
Gunman.”
A modicum of research would show Ms. Beeby that Mehmet Ali Agca was a
Turkish national and a Turkish citizen. All contemporary reports
presented that factual information.
Mehmet Ali Agca is a Turk and a Muslim. He is not Armenian nor is he
a Christian. 99.999% of Armenian are Christians, and 99.9% of Turks
are Muslims.
The editor who let this grevous error remain in the story owes the
public a correction, and Ms. Beeby owes Armenians an apology!
Sincerely,
Dennis R. Papazian, Ph.D.
Professor of History
Director, Armenian Research Center, The University of Michigan,
Dearborn.
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Article: Armenian Shot The Pope
Albert Peltekian
Saturday, 6 August 2005
In your August 4, 2005 issue you have a ridiculous article that the
man who shote Pope Paul II was an Armenian.
Armenians became Christians in 301 AD and the name Mehmet is a
derivative of the name Mohammed, the prophet of Islam. No Armenian
could carry two distinctive moslem names, “mehmet” and “Ali”. The
whole World knows that Mehmet Ali Agca is Turkish, but the exception
seems to be your own journalists.
Please correct the mistake; an apology to the Armenian people would
be quite in order.
;opinion_id=100804
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Respect to your readers demands journalistic integrity
Dickran Malatjalian
Friday, 5 August 2005
In the story “Pope shot by Armenian gunman”, Canberra Times, August
4, 2005, your reporter rosslyn.beeby made a serious error by
identifying Mehmet Ali Agca as an Armenian. You owe it to your
readers to publish informed and accurate facts. The names “Mehmet”
and “Ali” are Islamic names pure and simple. Armenians are
Christians, and they have been so since Armenia became the first
nation to adopt Christianity as the official state religion in 301
AD. No Christian, whether Armenian, Australian, Italian, or Lebanese,
would use the names “Mehmet Ali”. Memhet Ali had been identified as a
Turk ever since the incident with the Pope John Paul II.
“rossyln.beeby” is the first and only person to erroneously referred
to him as “Armenian”. This might have been be a simple ignorance on
her part, but it might also have been a malicious act to discredit
Armenians. Ignorance is not an excuse for lack of journalistic
integrity, and if for any reason she dislikes Armenians please make
sure not use your media to disseminate falsehoods against them.
Dickran Malatjalian, MD
Halifax, Nova Scotia,
Canada.
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