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WASTED THREATS
The Brown Daily Herald, RI
April 9 2007
Students without ties to the Armenian Students Association or the
Turkish Cultural Society may not have even known the groups were
planning a concert for Friday night, much less that it was canceled.
But the joint effort represented the Brown student organizations'
attempt to contribute to a larger effort to reconcile historic
divisions between Turkish and Armenian communities over past
injustice. The concert's cancellation in the face of threats and
opposition represents the loss of an opportunity to take a step
forward that would have been meaningful for the local Turkish and
Armenian communities.
We know it is naive to think this joint effort at Brown - and dialogue
alone - might help mend the rift between the two groups on a larger
scale. The heated tension, stemming from mass killings in the early
20th century that are increasingly described in this country as
the "Armenian genocide," will cool only gradually over time, if at
all. Still, despite the enormity of the global tensions, there is
hope that Armenians and Turks can come to understand each other on
an individual and local level, within their own communities.
The concert slated for Friday was just such an effort. Dedicated to
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink - who was slain by a Turkish
nationalist earlier this year, while the concert at Brown was still
in its planning stages - it was a well-intentioned endeavor to promote
dialogue between the Turkish and Armenian communities here on College
Hill and in the surrounding area. As a member of TCS told The Herald,
"I think this was an honest effort on both sides aiming at nothing
but to enjoy common music and food and make friends regardless of
views on the past."
Threatening those involved in this attempt at dialogue and,
ultimately, forcing its cancellation helps no one and merely injures
the well-intentioned efforts of students seeking to make a small
difference.
The Brown Daily Herald, RI
April 9 2007
Students without ties to the Armenian Students Association or the
Turkish Cultural Society may not have even known the groups were
planning a concert for Friday night, much less that it was canceled.
But the joint effort represented the Brown student organizations'
attempt to contribute to a larger effort to reconcile historic
divisions between Turkish and Armenian communities over past
injustice. The concert's cancellation in the face of threats and
opposition represents the loss of an opportunity to take a step
forward that would have been meaningful for the local Turkish and
Armenian communities.
We know it is naive to think this joint effort at Brown - and dialogue
alone - might help mend the rift between the two groups on a larger
scale. The heated tension, stemming from mass killings in the early
20th century that are increasingly described in this country as
the "Armenian genocide," will cool only gradually over time, if at
all. Still, despite the enormity of the global tensions, there is
hope that Armenians and Turks can come to understand each other on
an individual and local level, within their own communities.
The concert slated for Friday was just such an effort. Dedicated to
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink - who was slain by a Turkish
nationalist earlier this year, while the concert at Brown was still
in its planning stages - it was a well-intentioned endeavor to promote
dialogue between the Turkish and Armenian communities here on College
Hill and in the surrounding area. As a member of TCS told The Herald,
"I think this was an honest effort on both sides aiming at nothing
but to enjoy common music and food and make friends regardless of
views on the past."
Threatening those involved in this attempt at dialogue and,
ultimately, forcing its cancellation helps no one and merely injures
the well-intentioned efforts of students seeking to make a small
difference.