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Raffi Bedrosyan
Raffi Bedrosyan is a civil engineer, writer and a concert pianist, living in Toronto. Proceeds from his concerts and CDs have been donated to the construction of school, highways, and water and gas distribution projects in Armenia and Karabakh—projects in which he has also participated as a voluntary engineer. Bedrosyan was involved in organizing the Surp Giragos Diyarbakir/Dikranagerd Church reconstruction project. His many articles in English, Armenian and Turkish media deal with Turkish-Armenian issues, Islamized hidden Armenians and history of thousands of churches left behind in Turkey. He gave the first piano concert in the Surp Giragos Church since 1915, and again during the 2015 Genocide Centenary Commemoration. He is the founder of Project Rebirth, which helps Islamized Armenians return to their original Armenian roots, language and culture. He is the author of the book "Trauma and Resilience: Armenians in Turkey - hidden, not hidden, no longer hidden."
Latest posts by Raffi Bedrosyan (see all)
- Reactions to Biden in Turkey - May 4, 2021
- What can the Diaspora do now? - January 6, 2021
- Armenians and the Turkish coup d’etat of September 12, 1980 - September 16, 2020
I often wander if the situation of the Islamized Armenians is further exasperated by the the interest Diaspora shows in them. The very nature of their characterization as “hidden” arouses academic if not a romantic interest in them. It may be time for the Diaspora to curtail its interest in hidden Islamized Armenia.
God damn the Turkish government. The genocide is still alive and Armenians Christian or Islamized are still being prosecuted and annihilated. The world should not sit silent. Acts of Turkish government are inhuman and barbaric.
God help our people living in Turkey.
Sorry, Not “TURKEY”, but occupied Historical Armenia or occupied Armenian Highlands and all it’s sounding terretories, we need to start using the correct worlds, the country Greater Armenia existed for 3500 years. Past 200 years of systematic genocide and deportation of the remaining Armenians from their historical- ancestral homes, villages and towns was/is the only method Seljuk, Tatar, and Mongol TURKS have used(and are still using it today) to steal and occupy 99% of HISTORICAL ARMENIA that expanded; from Caspian Sea to Black Sea to Mediterranean Sea/ocean and all paid with the blood of our ancestors.
God bless them all!
What a terrible outcome. I am convinced that the Turkish government is intent on the total destruction of all other minorities, So much progress had been made in Diyarbakir, it felt like a re awakening for people not to be afraid of their Armenian roots. People will not forget this period but the brutalisation and brainwashing of the majority is the problem. I photographed inside the old Armenian quarter and exhibited inside St Giragos…this is hard to believe now.
The Turks are after us no matter what! My family was all massacred by the Ottoman Turks, except for my father who, God bless him, survived in the worst of circumstances and eventually found his way to the U.S. Until he passed away (peacefully), he refused to travel outside the U.S. no matter what. God bless the Armenians throughout the world.
Nobody forced the hidden Armenians from coming out of the closet (so to speak). Armenians must help Armenians, no matter their religion, location, or their ability to speak Armenian.
Recently I came across an interview with an islamized Hamshen Armenian who also explained that Armenian interest and attention in Islamized Armenians is possibly not welcomed by them and exposes them to more danger and hardship. This people already are in uneasy situation and should not be exposed to more harm and hardship just because their reality excites our romantic national feelings.
This situation needs to be approached with care.
It is unfair…real unfair to treat our unlucky people this way …
The religion is not a gene …
Only godless Armenians see this way …
But fair Armenians should accept them as they are …
because that was not their mistake …
Shame on any Armenian who refuse to accept them their way…. Armenians should remember they were pagans… If we are true Christians…we should accept them
and remember how much they suffered
to live between savage races…all these years …
They are psychologically sick…
Our duty is to treat them…and never reject them …
Dr. Sylva
written instantly
Vahe, I do believe that diaspora Armenians unknowingly caused the problem for hidden Armenians in Turkey. I’ve read a few comments in regard to videos about the Hemshen Armenians. The comments are from Hemshin posting they are not Armenian but are Turkish.
What a tragic outcome to a small glimmer of hope.
Ապրիս Րաֆֆի for the excellent humanitarian wrk you continue to do.
The Armenian Nation is indestructible. I truly believe this! In 451 A.D. with Vartan Mamigonian’s leadership we fought the Persian mighty army, even though we lost the battle, but we won the war because we did not give up our Christian faith. So, now all these Muslimized Armenians are finding their way back to their original roots. Kudos to them all. We are like the mythological Phoenix and declare to the world that we are alive and still will contribute to the civilization
of humankind.
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There has been near absolute silence from European and American governments, officials, and ngo’s on the now extraordinary level of oppression inside Turkey by the Turkish military and the Erdogan dictatorship (it has gone beyond the point where it can be legitimately called a “government”). Now that at least one of the main reasons for that silence (the requirement of Turkey’s co-operation to enable Clinton’s planned American intervention in Syria) has gone, and another (the requirement of Turkey’s co-operation to limit migration into Europe) is reduced by the rapidly diminishing political influence and relevance of Germany’s chancellor Merkel, it is possible that this silence will gradually end. However, I think the author of this article is making an error by labeling that oppression a “civil war” – it is not an appropriate label to be using to describe events in a country that still tries to excuse and deny genocide under the guise of “it was a civil war”.
This is very sad news and disheartening. However possible, we must believe and express that “The LIght” will fill the Darkness, the Darkness will become Light, and The Darkness shall be no more!
Thank you Raffi for your continued efforts. It is painful to read your article. All is not lost though. Through your efforts you were able to awaken a whole generation of Armenians. You should be very proud of your achievements.
My grandfather, Kerop Bedoukian, wrote a book called “some of us survived”. I can’t say I have a whole lot of sympathy for the Turks. We have a saying here in North America..”what comes around, goes around”. Armenian Power!
the most tragic mistake was that we as Diaspora armenians have lost our land and we have lost the geographical foothold. I believe it is high time that we as diaspora Armenians and specifically the armenian political parties should re-think about bringing a 180 degree change in our struggle for our cause.
struggle from behind the desks and in International organizations’ hallways will not bring results. Remember Khrimian hairig’s message.
only hungarians,chuvash,gaugoz able to live as christian in turkey because they have turanic or turkic ancestry.
gaugozians are also turkic christians and chuvasians too!