Tweet
The Washington Times
Being heard on campus
By Tulin Daloglu
September 25, 2007
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at Columbia University
made me think about freedom of speech on America's college campuses.
Mr. Ahmadinejad - who represents a country the State Department calls
a state sponsor of terror, who represents a country that helps Iraqi
militias to kill American troops and who denies the Holocaust and
calls for Israel's destruction - was allowed to speak at one of
America's most prestigious campuses. But Archbishop Mesrob II
Mutafyan, the Armenian patriarch of Istanbul, was denied the same
privilege last week at Georgetown University's Woodstock Theological
Center.
When the archbishop first visited the United States in April, he spoke
at Southern Methodist University, and said something
Armenian-Americans never question. Last Thursday, Harut Sassounian,
the publisher of the California Courier, a weekly English-language
Armenian newspaper based in Los Angeles, explained that Mr. Mutafyan
had challenged the notion that Armenians were innocent victims of the
Ottomans during its last days. "Did some Armenian political parties
promote armed rebellion in the Armenian community?" the archbishop
asked in his April speech. "They did. In some areas, did armed
Armenian gangs work together with the Russian army? They did. But the
government of the Committee for Union and Progress, being in charge of
the country, is chiefly responsible for the painful events that
occurred and the great suffering that was endured." He charged both
Armenians and Turks with making peace with their past and acknowledged
that Armenians must also clarify their history.
Mr. Mutafyan is voicing an unheard split within the Armenian community
as support grows in the House for congressional legislation
recognizing the Armenian genocide. If he could have spoken at
Georgetown, he would have been able to say that "[w]e have to change
the mentality shown by some Armenian historians who still see the
Turks as uncultured barbarian emigrants from Central Asia." But the
Armenian American lobby is determined to keep that perception of
Turkey in the United States.
The Armenian National Committee of America quoted Rep. Adam Schiff,
California Democrat, the lead sponsor of the House Armenian Genocide
Resolution, as saying, "In order to perpetuate its campaign of denial,
Turkey seeks to intimidate all Armenians worldwide, but especially the
Armenians in Turkey who must live with daily threats." Mr. Schiff said
that "[t]he editor of the... Armenian language newspaper in Turkey,
Hrant Dink, was assassinated for writing about the genocide this year,
and a popular video now being circulated in Turkey celebrates his
killers and threatens Armenians." Mr. Schiff did not acknowledge that
the assassination of Mr. Dink, a beloved Armenian-Turkish journalist,
was a crime - and has been treated as such. And while that disturbing
video exists, there is another, even more popular video, which calls
for unity and shows the protests by thousands of Turks against
Mr. Dink's murder.
Mr. Schiff can cherry-pick examples to criticize Turks and Turkey, but
he neither shows the whole picture nor acknowledges the society's true
nature and values. Mr. Mutafyan, however, admits that there is much
unity in the gray areas. Nearly 40,000 Armenians work in Turkey
illegally; surely they would not if they felt they were in constant
peril. "trategists sin by...turning the youth of the two countries
against each other," he has said.
The Armenian National Committee of America, in a letter circulated
last week to members of Congress, said that "Patriarch
Mutafyan... lives in constant fear of acts of discrimination and
retribution by a Turkish government that actively persecutes those who
speak freely" in recognizing genocide claims. So it blocked his
speech. Mr. Mutafyan's "political statements are made under Turkish
pressure and do not reflect his true views on the Armenian genocide,"
says Sassounian. However, when I interviewed the archbishop, he said,
"It is all lie. I am here with my own free will." But he was sad. "I
learned that the speech is cancelled due to threats to my
security... America should have been the country of freedom, but
things do happen here, too," he said.
There is an admirable elegance in the way the Armenian-Americans
promote freedom of speech in Turkey, but one has to wonder whether
they really believe in total freedom of speech. Is it so outrageous to
think that the Armenian patriarch of Istanbul would sincerely call
upon all parties - Turks, Armenians and others - to consider looking
for "new primary sources?" What if he really believes that both sides
will heal by strengthening today's relationships and assuring
tomorrow's friendships? What if he believes that the House resolution
will only please the Armenian diaspora? Finally, Turkey is no
Iran. It is a NATO ally and has started full membership accession
talks with the European Union. If the archbishop could have spoken, he
would have suggested constructive solutions to bring people
together. What's more, American colleges and universities derive their
strength from their students' ability to think critically and ask
questions. If Mr. Mutafyan were not to speak his own mind, they would
have easily discredited him.
Last but not the least, if Mr. Ahmadinejad can speak at Columbia,
certainly Mesrub II Mutafyan, the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul,
deserves a chance to be heard.
Tulin Daloglu is a freelance writer.
Being heard on campus
By Tulin Daloglu
September 25, 2007
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at Columbia University
made me think about freedom of speech on America's college campuses.
Mr. Ahmadinejad - who represents a country the State Department calls
a state sponsor of terror, who represents a country that helps Iraqi
militias to kill American troops and who denies the Holocaust and
calls for Israel's destruction - was allowed to speak at one of
America's most prestigious campuses. But Archbishop Mesrob II
Mutafyan, the Armenian patriarch of Istanbul, was denied the same
privilege last week at Georgetown University's Woodstock Theological
Center.
When the archbishop first visited the United States in April, he spoke
at Southern Methodist University, and said something
Armenian-Americans never question. Last Thursday, Harut Sassounian,
the publisher of the California Courier, a weekly English-language
Armenian newspaper based in Los Angeles, explained that Mr. Mutafyan
had challenged the notion that Armenians were innocent victims of the
Ottomans during its last days. "Did some Armenian political parties
promote armed rebellion in the Armenian community?" the archbishop
asked in his April speech. "They did. In some areas, did armed
Armenian gangs work together with the Russian army? They did. But the
government of the Committee for Union and Progress, being in charge of
the country, is chiefly responsible for the painful events that
occurred and the great suffering that was endured." He charged both
Armenians and Turks with making peace with their past and acknowledged
that Armenians must also clarify their history.
Mr. Mutafyan is voicing an unheard split within the Armenian community
as support grows in the House for congressional legislation
recognizing the Armenian genocide. If he could have spoken at
Georgetown, he would have been able to say that "[w]e have to change
the mentality shown by some Armenian historians who still see the
Turks as uncultured barbarian emigrants from Central Asia." But the
Armenian American lobby is determined to keep that perception of
Turkey in the United States.
The Armenian National Committee of America quoted Rep. Adam Schiff,
California Democrat, the lead sponsor of the House Armenian Genocide
Resolution, as saying, "In order to perpetuate its campaign of denial,
Turkey seeks to intimidate all Armenians worldwide, but especially the
Armenians in Turkey who must live with daily threats." Mr. Schiff said
that "[t]he editor of the... Armenian language newspaper in Turkey,
Hrant Dink, was assassinated for writing about the genocide this year,
and a popular video now being circulated in Turkey celebrates his
killers and threatens Armenians." Mr. Schiff did not acknowledge that
the assassination of Mr. Dink, a beloved Armenian-Turkish journalist,
was a crime - and has been treated as such. And while that disturbing
video exists, there is another, even more popular video, which calls
for unity and shows the protests by thousands of Turks against
Mr. Dink's murder.
Mr. Schiff can cherry-pick examples to criticize Turks and Turkey, but
he neither shows the whole picture nor acknowledges the society's true
nature and values. Mr. Mutafyan, however, admits that there is much
unity in the gray areas. Nearly 40,000 Armenians work in Turkey
illegally; surely they would not if they felt they were in constant
peril. "trategists sin by...turning the youth of the two countries
against each other," he has said.
The Armenian National Committee of America, in a letter circulated
last week to members of Congress, said that "Patriarch
Mutafyan... lives in constant fear of acts of discrimination and
retribution by a Turkish government that actively persecutes those who
speak freely" in recognizing genocide claims. So it blocked his
speech. Mr. Mutafyan's "political statements are made under Turkish
pressure and do not reflect his true views on the Armenian genocide,"
says Sassounian. However, when I interviewed the archbishop, he said,
"It is all lie. I am here with my own free will." But he was sad. "I
learned that the speech is cancelled due to threats to my
security... America should have been the country of freedom, but
things do happen here, too," he said.
There is an admirable elegance in the way the Armenian-Americans
promote freedom of speech in Turkey, but one has to wonder whether
they really believe in total freedom of speech. Is it so outrageous to
think that the Armenian patriarch of Istanbul would sincerely call
upon all parties - Turks, Armenians and others - to consider looking
for "new primary sources?" What if he really believes that both sides
will heal by strengthening today's relationships and assuring
tomorrow's friendships? What if he believes that the House resolution
will only please the Armenian diaspora? Finally, Turkey is no
Iran. It is a NATO ally and has started full membership accession
talks with the European Union. If the archbishop could have spoken, he
would have suggested constructive solutions to bring people
together. What's more, American colleges and universities derive their
strength from their students' ability to think critically and ask
questions. If Mr. Mutafyan were not to speak his own mind, they would
have easily discredited him.
Last but not the least, if Mr. Ahmadinejad can speak at Columbia,
certainly Mesrub II Mutafyan, the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul,
deserves a chance to be heard.
Tulin Daloglu is a freelance writer.