ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MAY BE INCLUDED IN DUTCH TEXTBOOKS
PanARMENIAN.Net
02.11.2006 15:28 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenians of Holland intend to include the topic
of the Armenian Genocide in textbooks. Minister of Immigration and
Integration of Holland Rita Verdonk, known for her strict policy
regarding foreigners, along with Armenian organizations has proposed
to include the topic of the Armenian Genocide in textbooks, as well
as to introduce a punishment system for websites, which would deny
Armenian Genocide, reports the Yerkir.
Representatives of the Federation of Armenian Organizations in
the Netherlands (FAON) met today with Minister of Immigration and
Integration Rita Verdonk.
As the FAON told the PanARMENIAN.Net earlier, the reason for this
meeting was connected with the commotion after the removal of three
MP candidates of Turkish descent from the candidates’ lists of CDA
(Christian Democrat Party) and PvdA (Labor Party) for publicly
denying the Armenian Genocide. In response to that Minister Verdonk
underlined that in the international context the Dutch government
has raised the Armenian question repeatedly, both in EU framework
and in the bilateral contacts with Turkey and will continue to do
so. The Armenian Federation, that got the ball rolling on the matter
of the MP candidates through a letter to the CDA, expressed concern
towards the minister on the one-sided way in which particularly Turks
in the Netherlands are informed about this episode of the history,
which hampers their integration into Dutch society. Moreover, because
of current Turkish legislation, it is in fact impossible for Turks,
also those living in the Netherlands, to give other opinions on the
Armenian Genocide than the official Turkish point of view. The FAON
for this reason urged the minister to adapt the education program
on this subject. By means of objective material, attention should
be paid to this history on different levels, as is the case in
neighboring countries, in one package together with the Holocaust and
other genocides. The Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies in
Amsterdam can play an important role in this matter. Minister Verdonk
promised that she will transmit the request of the FAON concerning the
adaptation of the history curriculum on this subject to her colleague
of Education, Culture and Sciences. The minister subscribes to the
need of sound provision of information on the matter.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
