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Historic rug caught in Turkish-Armenian tug-of-war

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  • Historic rug caught in Turkish-Armenian tug-of-war

    MetroWest Daily News
    Jan 4 2014


    Historic rug caught in Turkish-Armenian tug-of-war

    Events Calendar

    By Martin Demoorjian/Guest Columnist


    There is a rug kept in the White House known as the Ghazir Orphan rug.
    It was woven by girls in the Ghazir (Lebanon) Orphanage that housed
    over 1,400 orphans. The orphanage was one of many established by the
    United States providing aid to orphan children who were victims of the
    1915 Armenian Massacres. Most of the minority Christian population in
    Turkey was annihilated after being uprooted from their homes in what
    some claim as the first modern and systematic genocide by the Young
    Turks Committee of Union and Progress during their takeover and
    destruction of the Ottoman Turkish Sultanate. Over 100,000 orphans
    were saved by the Near East Relief organization that originated with
    congressional approval and the ardent support of President Woodrow
    Wilson. It was the United States' first foreign aid effort.

    This historic rug was presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925
    by Dr. John Finely, editor-in-chief of the New York Times and
    vice-chairman of the Near East Relief organization, in appreciation
    for U.S. humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of the 1915 Armenian
    Massacres. Such things bring the past to the present.

    There was planned a December book launch at the Smithsonian
    Institution focused on the Ghazir Orphan rug. The rug was to have
    been loaned for the event by the White House. The event was canceled
    last September after the White House reneged on the loan without
    explanation. Other attempts to display the iconic rug have met
    significant resistance from the White House and the State Department.

    I believe the White House may have refused the loan at the behest of
    Turkey and its supporters. It is likely due to the U.S. government's
    deference to Turkey's international campaign of genocide denial.

    This issue has garnered congressional attention. Recognizing other
    issues when foreign governments have influenced the United States'
    policy, it is surmised by many that the cancellation was for political
    reasons and fear of reprisals by Turkey. Turkey remains quite negative
    towards many things Armenian, and has blockaded the border between the
    two countries. It is troubling that the Ghazir Orphan rug, a national
    treasure, has become politicized due to Turkey's desire to keep
    certain historical facts out of the public discussion, both in Turkey
    and in the U.S.

    This is corroborated in U.S. Rep Frank Pallone's (D-NJ) statement, `It
    is tragic testament to the depths of our administration's deference to
    Ankara's angry and irrational genocide denial campaign that our White
    House - having been gagged into silence by Turkey on the Armenian
    Genocide - is now allowing this foreign government to dictate which
    works of art - which are U.S. property and part of our American
    history - we are allowed to display at the Smithsonian Institution.'

    Some historians have suggested that if the world had reacted
    negatively toward Turkey's actions in Armenia in 1915, Hitler would
    not have concluded he could get away with the genocide of Jews during
    World War II. Just before invading Poland in 1939, Hitler asked `who,
    after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?' The
    quote is denied by some and that in itself is a sign of revisionism.

    President Wilson had positive and extensive involvement with Armenia
    before and during the First World War. The Washington DC-based
    Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, as part of the
    Smithsonian, ignores this aspect of Wilson's record. The Smithsonian
    has not been friendly to Armenian Americans. Its annual reports make
    known that the Smithsonian and Wilson Center get major support from
    corporate giants, including defense firms that do business with
    Turkey. It is known these companies are encouraged to lobby against
    Armenian Genocide resolutions put before the Congress.

    In taking a position to not loan the rug and other actions, the
    president has profoundly disappointed Armenian-Americans. As Senator
    Obama he spoke about the Armenian Genocide, risking the ire of Turkey
    and Turkish American organizations. `The Armenian genocide is not an
    allegation, a personal opinion or a point of view, but rather a widely
    documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical
    evidence,' Obama said during his 2008 campaign. `America deserves a
    leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian genocide and responds
    forcefully to all genocides.' Since winning the election he altered
    his stance. Loaning the rug was an opportunity for the President to,
    in part, redeem himself.

    A hand written label on the back of the rug reads `In Golden Rule
    Gratitude To President Coolidge.' The `Golden Rule' was a weekly
    Sunday effort to raise money for the victims of the 1915 Armenian
    Massacres, and what some offensively call controversial. The United
    States sent $190 million in aid money and $25 million for food
    supplies, extraordinary amounts of money for the time.

    The weaving in this rug can be a metaphor for weaving peace. The work
    of those orphans in weaving this rug is a triumph of the human spirit
    that should be celebrated and in what better country than the United
    States of America.

    Martin Demoorjian lives in Marlborough.


    http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/opinion/x579268204/Demoorjian-Historic-rug-caught-in-Turkish-Armenian-tug-of-war




    From: A. Papazian
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