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Pontian Greek Society Of Chicago Holds Public Lecture
Knarik Meneshian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2010/06/04/pontian-greek-society-of-chicago-holds-public-lecture/
Fri, Jun 4 2010
On Sat., May 15, the Pontian Greek Society of Chicago presented a
public lecture titled "Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing: The Fate of
the Christian Populations of the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of
Turkey" at the Duke Realty Corporation Auditorium in Rosemont, Ill.
Upon offering the benediction by His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos of
the Greek Orthodox Church of Chicago, words of welcome were said by
various Greek dignitaries. Anastasia Skoupas, president of the Pontian
Greek Society of Chicago, read Charles Aznavour's poem "They Fell."
The vice-consul general of Greece in Chicago, George Tsonis, then
introduced the lecturer, Richard Hovannisian, professor of Armenian
and Near Eastern history at UCLA.
Richard Hovannisian (Photo by George Mavropoulos) "It was the month
of May... The Pontus Greek story began in May... Today, Greece is in
financial crisis, Armenia is in political crisis... Our memory is who
we are; it is a part of us... Three peoples are remembered today,
the Assyrians, the Armenians, and the Hellenes of Asia Minor and
Pontus..." So began Hovannisian. He stated that the Ottoman Empire was
not egalitarian; that the above-mentioned people had to accept their
second-class status in the society; that they were inferior and they
were gavoors. Thousands upon thousands were forced to renounce their
Christian religion. Some, at first, pretended to convert to Islam,
but eventually they became Turkish-speaking Muslims.
Following the Greek wars of independence at the end of the 19th
century, three hostile Turkish regimes attempted to rid the republic
of its Christian population. As a result, several million people
were killed, many were forced to leave, and their churches and
businesses were destroyed. Finally, by the 1920's, only a small
Christian population remained. During the genocide of these people,
immeasurable wealth was transferred to the Turks from the Armenians,
Greeks, and Assyrians. Though shielded ever since behind a veil of
steadfast genocide denial, and fostered by the Kemalist strategy
that the "survivors will die, and their children won't care," the
Turkish government's policy of genocide denial is, at long last,
being challenged. "Mass killings have taken place throughout history,"
continued Hovannisian, "but regimes involved in genocide do this as
an act of constructing a new state or, according to the peasant mind,
to 'serve a higher goal' and so this killing process is OK. The Turks
had this type of mindset."
After Hovannisian further described the dreadful events during this
period in the history of the Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians, he
mentioned ways to bring one's cause to the spotlight. "We must do our
homework and learn the means of using the political process. Make it
known, and others will join you," he said. "I was pushed into this
field because I came from genocide survivors. Now, non-Armenians are
studying the Armenian Genocide. The Greeks and the Assyrians need to
do the same."
He then described his visit to Turkey, where he saw large Greek
churches remodeled for the purpose of deriving income from tourists,
and the intentional cultural destruction of others, particularly
the Armenians with their 3,000-year history on that land. Hovannisian
concluded his lecture by stating, "Memory against forgetting reinforces
our struggle. Our struggle now is of memory against forgetting
From: A. Papazian
Knarik Meneshian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2010/06/04/pontian-greek-society-of-chicago-holds-public-lecture/
Fri, Jun 4 2010
On Sat., May 15, the Pontian Greek Society of Chicago presented a
public lecture titled "Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing: The Fate of
the Christian Populations of the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of
Turkey" at the Duke Realty Corporation Auditorium in Rosemont, Ill.
Upon offering the benediction by His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos of
the Greek Orthodox Church of Chicago, words of welcome were said by
various Greek dignitaries. Anastasia Skoupas, president of the Pontian
Greek Society of Chicago, read Charles Aznavour's poem "They Fell."
The vice-consul general of Greece in Chicago, George Tsonis, then
introduced the lecturer, Richard Hovannisian, professor of Armenian
and Near Eastern history at UCLA.
Richard Hovannisian (Photo by George Mavropoulos) "It was the month
of May... The Pontus Greek story began in May... Today, Greece is in
financial crisis, Armenia is in political crisis... Our memory is who
we are; it is a part of us... Three peoples are remembered today,
the Assyrians, the Armenians, and the Hellenes of Asia Minor and
Pontus..." So began Hovannisian. He stated that the Ottoman Empire was
not egalitarian; that the above-mentioned people had to accept their
second-class status in the society; that they were inferior and they
were gavoors. Thousands upon thousands were forced to renounce their
Christian religion. Some, at first, pretended to convert to Islam,
but eventually they became Turkish-speaking Muslims.
Following the Greek wars of independence at the end of the 19th
century, three hostile Turkish regimes attempted to rid the republic
of its Christian population. As a result, several million people
were killed, many were forced to leave, and their churches and
businesses were destroyed. Finally, by the 1920's, only a small
Christian population remained. During the genocide of these people,
immeasurable wealth was transferred to the Turks from the Armenians,
Greeks, and Assyrians. Though shielded ever since behind a veil of
steadfast genocide denial, and fostered by the Kemalist strategy
that the "survivors will die, and their children won't care," the
Turkish government's policy of genocide denial is, at long last,
being challenged. "Mass killings have taken place throughout history,"
continued Hovannisian, "but regimes involved in genocide do this as
an act of constructing a new state or, according to the peasant mind,
to 'serve a higher goal' and so this killing process is OK. The Turks
had this type of mindset."
After Hovannisian further described the dreadful events during this
period in the history of the Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians, he
mentioned ways to bring one's cause to the spotlight. "We must do our
homework and learn the means of using the political process. Make it
known, and others will join you," he said. "I was pushed into this
field because I came from genocide survivors. Now, non-Armenians are
studying the Armenian Genocide. The Greeks and the Assyrians need to
do the same."
He then described his visit to Turkey, where he saw large Greek
churches remodeled for the purpose of deriving income from tourists,
and the intentional cultural destruction of others, particularly
the Armenians with their 3,000-year history on that land. Hovannisian
concluded his lecture by stating, "Memory against forgetting reinforces
our struggle. Our struggle now is of memory against forgetting
From: A. Papazian