Harmful Elements (ՎՆԱՍԱԿԱՐ ՏԱՐՐԵՐ)
Following is a translation/interpretation of Harmful Elements (Վնասակար Տարրեր) by Rosdom (Stepan Zorian), one of the founders of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF Dashnaktsutyun), published in Droshak in 1896 in response to the detractors of the Armenian revolutionary movement spearheaded by the ARF to defend and protect the rights of the Armenian population in the Ottoman Empire at that time. Rosdom penned his masterpiece 125 years ago, and it has remained applicable and relevant to the Armenian reality in the homeland and the diaspora ever since; even more so today as various characters from Yerevan and Armenia to Los Angeles and the US have emerged. Although the names of the actors and towns and regions may be different, the tactics and methods of the modern-day harmful elements are alarmingly similar, and it remains just as important today to recognize, identify and remove the obstacles and distractions to continue working towards our goals.
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May I suggest the Armenian original also be published alongside it, for reader’s comparison, or for those who would like to read the original text. Thank you for sharing!
Here’s a link to the original article: https://www.arfd.am/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/1896-12.pdf
Sadly, I find the comparisons to our situation of today exactly the same. When will we learn that our revolution continues, as the Turks via the Azeris take more and more of our territory, kill more of our people, while we have traitors in our own midst.