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Armenian Martyrs Day remembered by millions

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  • Armenian Martyrs Day remembered by millions

    The Illinois Leader, IL
    May 4 2004

    Armenian Martyrs Day remembered by millions

    - by Lee Enokian, guest columnist from Times Newspapers of Northwest
    Indiana

    The Malkasian Family, 1911 - Dikranaket (Diarbekir)
    Only the children in the front & the young woman standing at the left
    survived

    All of the others were killed in 1915.

    Photo courtesy of Antranig Tarzian

    OPINION -- Amid the chaos and bloodshed of World War I, the Islamic
    "Young Turk" government of Turkey organized and executed the first
    large-scale genocide of the 20th Century. Approximately 1.5 million
    Armenians and thousands of Greeks and Assyrian Christians died as a
    result of the systematic violence.

    For several years, Illinois has recognized the wanton destruction of
    the Armenian people through executive proclamation. Governor Rod
    Blagojevich continued this responsible tradition on Saturday, April
    24, 2004.

    Part of this year's proclamation reads, "The Armenian community, as
    well as the global community, remembers the Armenian genocide, which
    occurred 89 years ago; and during this tragic historical period
    between the years of 1915 and 1923, Armenians were forced to witness
    the genocide of their loved ones, and the loss of their ancestral
    homelands; and this extermination and forced relocation of over 1.5
    million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks is recognized every year."

    Massacres and deportations affected the Ottoman Turkish empire for
    many years. The situation in Anatolia became truly bleak after the
    Young Turk movement took power. Their ethnocentric and nationalistic
    philosophy grew more extreme as World War I progressed and a scheme
    to expand a greater Turkish empire developed. Ethnic minorities were
    viewed as a stumbling block to this ambition.

    Prior to 1915, ethnic Armenians constituted the largest minority in
    Anatolia. This situation was exacerbated by the fact that they were
    Christian and their culture, dating back 3,000 years, was
    significantly different from that of the Ottoman Turks who originated
    in Central Asia.

    Having been converted by St. Gregory the Illuminator in 301 A.D.,
    Armenia holds the distinction of being the first Christian nation. As
    such, it steadfastly resisted conversion to Islam. It remains the
    only Christian nation in the Middle East.

    The Ottoman government sought to solve this "Armenian Question" by
    simply removing the Christian minority from their ancestral homeland.
    As a result of the Genocide, more Christians died for their faith
    during the 20th Century than in any other.

    Wealthy and educated Armenian cultural leaders were among the first
    to face execution. Easily identifiable as Christians within an
    obsessively nationalistic Muslim nation, their names appeared on
    organized hit lists. The ability to organize a cohesive resistance
    was removed by these initial surgical strikes. Subsequent
    deportations and massacres within the greater genocide were generally
    poorly coordinated and quite messy. It has been a commonly held
    belief that Hitler used the "final solution of the Armenian question"
    as a basis for his extermination of the Jews, Poles, Roman Catholics,
    Gypsies and other "undesirables" within the Nazi sphere of influence.

    On May 24, 1915, the allied nations of France, Great Britain and
    Russia issued a joint declaration in opposition to the genocide
    through the United States Department of State. The American embassy
    in Constantinople delivered the short telegram because it had not
    become involved in World War I and was still a neutral nation.

    "For about a month the Kurd and Turkish populations of Armenia have
    been massacring Armenians with the connivance and often assistance of
    Ottoman authorities," the telegram read. "Such massacres took place
    in middle April (new style) at Erzerum, Dertchun, Eguine, Akn,
    Bitlis, Mush, Sassun, Zeitun, and throughout Cilicia. Inhabitants of
    about one hundred villages near Van were all murdered. In that city
    Armenian quarter is besieged by Kurds. At the same time in
    Constantinople Ottoman Government ill-treats inoffensive Armenian
    population. In view of those new crimes of Turkey against humanity
    and civilization, the Allied governments announce publicly to the
    Sublime-Porte that they will hold personally responsible (for) these
    crimes all members of the Ottoman government and those of their
    agents who are implicated in such massacres."

    Thousands of Armenian refugees found shelter in the United States,
    many settled in Illinois. They quickly learned the language, became
    responsible members of the community and prospered through the
    freedoms offered by the American way of life. Approximately 8,000
    ethnic Armenians live in Illinois today.

    The genocidal murder and deportation of over 1.5 million men, women
    and children of Armenian ethnicity will not be forgotten in Illinois,
    the United States or overseas. No matter where they reside, ethnic
    Armenians live with resolve in their hearts; ‘Never Again'. Thank you
    Gov. Blagojevich for acknowledging our loss.

    Used by permission.

    [Lee Enokian is a regular columnist for the Illinois edition of the
    Times Newspapers of Northwest Indiana. He welcomes comments by email
    at [email protected]]
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