This Armenian Issue

Whenever and wherever the word Armenian is pronounced, I remember ‘Adia’ with yearning, our adorable old Armenian neighbor in Istanbul. Her, showing up in the corner of the street with shopping bags in her hands and her hard walking due to being old and fat, still before my eyes.
Aida was a perfect host. Therefore, everyone liked to visit her home. The different decoration in her house with crosses, Jesus sculptures and Christianity symbols always looked interesting to me. After a nice chat, she used to interrupt and say:
‘Let’s have some nice Turkish coffee’.
This was followed immediately by her walking slowly into the kitchen.
Upon a decision we have taken with the Los Angeles Turkish Cultural attaché last week to organize a screening event for important women films of the Turkish Cinema, I started to find out the rental rates of the theaters. We aimed at promoting the Turkish Cinema to the Hollywood Film Industry where Turkish films are screened very rarely. This event will open the doors for cooperation and co-production between the two countries.
I emailed to several theaters explaining the nature of the event. However, a reply from a theater really surprised me. The message was saying:
’Let us see what kind of Turkish film you will screen here’
It did not make sense at first until I read the other messages below in the body. A group of people forwarded my message to each other discussing the Turkish films that will be screened by a Turkish film director. I found myself in a puzzle and made me frozen especially when I read the message saying:’
’I’m all for “preventing the prejudices” and Turks have it hard here doing anything as we have the largest population of Armenians outside Armenia. But what is the film she's trying to screen?’
Armenians were not even in our minds when we took action for the said event. But it was obvious that they were always in a sort of alert position. I focused on the words in the message implying:
‘We have the largest population’
I could not help myself thinking; ’what population?‘, ‘what is the competition here for?’, ‘does a war outbreak so we compare our powers and the figure of our soldiers?’
Armenian issue is not a topic I prefer to write about, since I am neither a politician nor a historian. Furthermore, after all those campaigns and the propagandas on American TV’s that I ignored so far, my overview upon the issue here will only reflect the sight of an artist and a world citizen. I am not the authority to put forward an idea whether it had occurred or not!
The Armenian – Turkish crises reached its climax recently, when Turkey, angrily withdrew its U.S. ambassador after a congressional committee approved a resolution branding the World War I – era killing of Armenians genocide.
The website of united human rights declares that the Armenian Genocide, the first genocide of the 20th Century, occurred between 1915-1918 when two million Armenians living in Turkey were eliminated from their historic homeland through forced deportations and massacres.
From the Armenian perspective, 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. From the Turkish perspective, the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest. The escape of Armenians from the civil war turned into death march covered hundreds of miles and lasted months amongst indirect routes through mountains and wilderness areas… In addition Ataturk said regarding the Armenian issue that the Armenians killed were “victims of foreign intrigues” and guilty of abusing “the privileges granted them’.
The passage from the ‘Armenian Genocide Page’ on historyplace.com reveals that the Armenians are at a point where they do not discuss the existence of the genocide anymore but furthermore, they even debate that the Armenians killings occurred due to the Ottoman’s jealousy.
‘There were also big cultural differences between Armenians and Turks. The Armenians had always been one of the best educated communities within the old Turkish Empire. Armenians were the professionals in society, the businessmen, lawyers, doctors and skilled craftsmen who were more open to new scientific, political and social ideas from the West (Europe and America).
By contrast, the majority of Turks were illiterate peasant farmers and small shop keepers. Leaders of the Ottoman Empire had traditionally placed little value on education.’
Additionally, the case is being compared with the Jewish holocaust due to the Armenian genocide represents a case of a clear-cut, “pre-emptive” targeting of the male population. The Knights of Vartan Armenian Research Center has pointed out; there are in fact profound similarities between the Armenian and Jewish genocides. “Both people adhere to an ancient religion. Both were religious minorities of their respective states. Both have a history of persecution. … Both are talented and creative minorities who have been persecuted out of envy and obscurantism
But why does the Armenian genocide currently matter?
Because Turkey is so resolute against it being recognized as such. What would an official apology mean after almost a hundred years? Would Turkey’s confession or recognition bring those Armenians back who had died for some reason?
Is it the only solution for two million Armenians would be a welcome and long overdue occasion for Turkey to make peace with Armenia?
From Armenian side, Germany has made great steps to publicly acknowledge and profusely apologize for the Jewish Holocaust, even paying reparations, making holocaust denial and the display of symbols of Nazism a criminal offense and establishing a National Holocaust Memorial Museum in Berlin. But Turkey? They won't even allow the US to label the Armenian genocide as such or acknowledge it in any way!
The words of Armenian-American author William Saroyan, proves the strength of this hate and anger.
“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose history is ended, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, whose literature is unread, whose music is unheard, whose prayers are no longer uttered. Go ahead, destroy this race. Let us say that it is again 1915. There is war in the world. Destroy Armenia. See if you can do it. Send them from their homes into the desert. Let them have neither bread nor water. Burn their houses and their churches. See if they will not live again. See if they will not laugh again. See if the race will not live again when two of them meet in a beer parlor, twenty years after, and laugh, and speak in their tongue. Go ahead; see if you can do anything about it. See if you can stop them from mocking the big ideas of the world, you sons of bitches, a couple of Armenians talking in the world, go ahead and try to destroy them.”
The United Human Rights considers the subject as the first genocide of the 20th century. How about the other genocides of the century? Does it mean that throughout the generations Jews should hate Germans, Palestinians should seek revenge where they meet a Jew? Or, should we fight for something even if it had occurred a hundred years ago?
If such is the case, let us hate the Greeks that invaded Izmir last century, or Australians who came to be pounding at Gallipolis’s door in the World War I all the way from their land and exterminated the male population in the country.
Even American citizen do not hide their astonishment regarding the Armenian crisis. The interesting thing is that they never ask me whether it had occurred or not. They begin to make comments such as:
‘Why does the Armenian issue still matter?’, ‘Didn’t it happen in the last century?’, or ‘Past is past!’
The comments of American citizens about the case indicate that the Armenian issue is not something about the people; it is only a political matter.
Gallipoli and Australians always bring back my college days when I shared the same flat with my Australians friend who changed my life.
Gallipoli battles were surely the main topic in our evening conversations. There were times we teased each other. But the chats always ended up with laughter. I am sure while we shouted in laughers he was also questioning the meaninglessness of the war.
As a matter of fact, the Gallipoli tales talk about the close friendship between Australian and Turkish soldiers. The two parties that fought in the day time to destroy each other like bloodthirstily, communicated by letters when night fell down and the sides drew back to their zones.
Australians were fans of a Turkish soldier who sang folk songs every night. They used to listen carefully to his every word.
One night, the soldier stopped singing. Australians sent a letter to the Turkish zone asking why the soldier was not singing any more. The reply was as follows:
‘You shot him today!’
Consequently, today Australians have Ataturk’s statue in Canberra and Turks keep and preserve the graves of Anzacs in Canakkale as a monument which are visited frequently by Turk and Australians.
As a Turk, I have always been taught that Anatolian land had welcomed different nations and religions in history. Fatih Sultan Mehmet had given privileges to Christians and set them free in their culture and belief after he invaded Istanbul.
Anatolia was also the only land who opened its doors to Jews that had been deported from Spain in the era of Sultan Bayezit the 2nd. The Jews still feel the gratitude to Turks because of this unforgettable history. Moreover, 176 Jew academicians were rescued by the Turkish diplomats in Germany during the World War 2.
Because I believe in tomorrow’s peaceful days and that the different nations and races are the variety of a whole mosaic. The historical disputes between races or religions always reminds me of my friendships as to whenever the Armenian issue comes to the agenda I recall our neighbor Aidia in Istanbul, who was a cute old lady.
My dear Aidia! I know now you are so far away but how I wish we could chat again as we did in the old days and have a nice Turkish coffee together by closing our ears to the noises outside…
BM