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ENOUGH OF THE WORD GAMES
Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian journalist. He was born in Jerusalem in 1955
Washington Post
Princeton, NJ
Oct 15 2007
The whole issue of word usage must be revisited. "Terrorism" (and the
so-called war against it) has been overused and abused at the expense
of innocent civilians. It is ironic that an Armenian woman in Iraq
became the latest victim of an overzealous private security firm on
the very same day that Congress voted to recognize what happened to
the Armenians.
"Genocide" is another word that is often used for political purposes.
We are told that the Sudanese are committing genocide; the world's
Jews have hijacked the Holocaust (a term coined by an American Jewish
professor) at the expense of others, with the term now being kicked
around like a football by this side or that side, often for political
expediency.
I am no historian and I have no idea what the scientific definition
for genocide is, nor whether what Turkey did to the Armenians falls
under that definition. But as a person who grew up in the Middle East,
I have known many Armenians whose families escaped the killings by
moving to different parts of the world. I know Armenians who have
had to move to Jerusalem, Amman, Aleppo, Cairo and Beirut to escape
the brutality that was wrought upon their people. Ironically, many
Armenians who have moved to Palestine have adopted the Palestinian
cause (some have also married Palestinians and other Arab Christians)
as they have seen and felt the suffering of Palestinians, who are
also refugees from war, violence and ethnic cleansing.
Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian journalist. He was born in Jerusalem in 1955
Washington Post
Princeton, NJ
Oct 15 2007
The whole issue of word usage must be revisited. "Terrorism" (and the
so-called war against it) has been overused and abused at the expense
of innocent civilians. It is ironic that an Armenian woman in Iraq
became the latest victim of an overzealous private security firm on
the very same day that Congress voted to recognize what happened to
the Armenians.
"Genocide" is another word that is often used for political purposes.
We are told that the Sudanese are committing genocide; the world's
Jews have hijacked the Holocaust (a term coined by an American Jewish
professor) at the expense of others, with the term now being kicked
around like a football by this side or that side, often for political
expediency.
I am no historian and I have no idea what the scientific definition
for genocide is, nor whether what Turkey did to the Armenians falls
under that definition. But as a person who grew up in the Middle East,
I have known many Armenians whose families escaped the killings by
moving to different parts of the world. I know Armenians who have
had to move to Jerusalem, Amman, Aleppo, Cairo and Beirut to escape
the brutality that was wrought upon their people. Ironically, many
Armenians who have moved to Palestine have adopted the Palestinian
cause (some have also married Palestinians and other Arab Christians)
as they have seen and felt the suffering of Palestinians, who are
also refugees from war, violence and ethnic cleansing.