Note to the Editor from Ara Sarafian
Below is a letter sent by historian Ara Sarafian to editors of Armenian newspapers. In the note, the author clarifies his positions on a number of issues, following an article that appeared in the Turkish Daily Hurriyet, in which his views were not properly represented. The Armenian Weekly welcomes all constructive comments and criticism on the issues raised by Sarafian in the letter.
On Nov. 26, 2008 Hurriyet Daily News published an article based on an interview titled “Sarafian: Focus on the Diaspora.” This interview followed a conference I participated in, organized by the International Hrant Dink Foundation at Bosphorus University, Istanbul, on Adana in the late Ottoman period. The Hurriyet Daily News article caused anxiety in some Armenian circles because of the apparent harshness of my statements as they had been rendered in the Turkish press. The most forceful response came from my detractors on Internet chat groups.
Given the interest created by the Hurriyet Daily News article in some Armenian circles, I would like to disclose the substance of my interview for your information. Below are the key points:
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Ara,
I know that you speak/write turkish and have visited the country many times. A military historian pal is interested in the Egyptian/Sudanese/Turkish Army 1882-1899. Now, I realise that this might be the equivalent of asking me about German forces in Africa? In fact, I could provide data almost unemotionally, but then they ethnically cleansed Africans in territories that were not under British administration. If you reply and do not hear from me for nearly four weeks, it is because I am in Morocco and do not check my e-mails there.
I wish you every success in 2013,
Keith Steward