Genocidal Absurdity
Two utterly absurd actions over the past two weeks may have paved the way to some minor positive results—one was completely Turkish, the other American/internet.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as he is wont to do, further denigrated his country’s reputation with his annual Armenian Genocide (denial) statement, disseminated in a tweet. The full text is available in Asbarez. In that statement, he may have just gotten one concept right. I emphasize “concept” and not facts, since the latter seems to be beyond his excellency. The sentence of interest reads thus: “The relocation of the Armenian gangs and their supporters, who massacred the Muslim people, including women and children, in eastern Anatolia, was the most reasonable action that could be taken in such a period.”
Already a subscriber?Log in here
This story is FREE for you...
Create a free account to access this and four more articles, and get more sent to you with our e-newsletter.By submitting your email address you agree for Hairenik Association, Inc. to send you communication by email.
As things stand, I do not see a move toward recognition of the 1915 genocide. There have been of course many others before 1915 committed by the Ottoman authorities. This is why some of the Armenian and Christian communities of Anatolia started to convert to Islam or take up Kizilbash identity in Anatolia. We know now that the latter happen more often than anyone in Turkey dare to admit, especially in the Dersim region of Turkey, starting from the 16th century until very recently. The fear and oppression are felt deeply in Turkey today and there is no future for anyone who does not assimilate in that country. This implies to all but especially to the Alevi communities there.
Until recently I posted comments on the QUORA site about politics in general and the Genocide of Armenians in particular. After warning me that I was writing hate speech, QUORA canceled my membership. Of course, whenever I wrote about the Armenian/Turkish conflict, a bunch of Turkish denialists contradicted the historical facts.