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Zaman, Turkey
May 13 2006
'I am a Denier, too'
SAHIN ALPAY
05.13.2006 Saturday - ISTANBUL 19:53
On May 18, the French National Assembly is expected to start debating
the draft law that stipulates prison sentences for those who deny
that the tragedy that befell the Ottoman Armenians in 1915 - 1916 was
a `genocide."
If the law is enacted, France will become the second country after
Switzerland to impose prison sentences on those who do not agree to
the `Armenian genocide" claim. Belgium may soon join them. The only
thing that can be said about the decisions to recognize the `Armenian
genocide' by countries ranging from France and Belgium to Lebanon and
Uruguay, whose number has risen to 20 with Canada recently joining
them, is expressed by French historians who issued a declaration
entitled "Freedom for History": "Writing of history is not the duty
of parliaments..." If the parliamentarians of these countries have
concluded that it is appropriate to recognize "the Armenian
genocide," this is an issue that has to be assessed in the context of
the domestic and foreign policies of the countries concerned. As for
the criminalization of the "denial of the Armenian genocide", on the
other hand, a number of things can be said.
The first point I would like to make is that such a ban constitutes a
gross violation of one of the most fundamental principles of liberal
democracy the European Union and the Council of Europe want to
consolidate in all their member states. Such a ban does not at all
becoming of France, the country of Voltaire who famously said, "I
disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right
to say it." Punishing those who claim `there was no Armenian
genocide" in Switzerland, France or in other countries is,
undoubtedly, as serious a violation of the freedom of expression as
punishing those in Turkey who claim that "Ottoman Armenians were
victims of genocide" for denigrating the Turkish nation. `Hate
speech' aiming to incite enmity against a certain religious or ethnic
group is, surely, incompatible with freedom of expression. No one,
however, who is committed to the ideals of an "Open Society" can
approve of censoring or banning of debates on whether the countless
cases of massacres in history constitute genocide or not, according
to UN Convention or other criteria.
It is not possible to compare what happened to the Jews in Nazi
Germany with what happened to Armenians in the last years of Ottoman
Turkey. Nowhere in the world is there a serious historian who claims
that what the Nazis did to the Jews was not genocide. There is, on
the other hand, no consensus among historians on the question as to
whether or not the Ottoman government ordered the annihilation of its
Armenian subjects. Highly respected Ottoman historians such as
Bernard Lewis and Gilles Veinstein, and the distinguished genocide
studies scholar, Guenter Lewy (in his recently published book which
provides perhaps the most meticulous research on the issue) claim
that "There is no evidence that the Ottoman government intended to
annihilate the Armenian community." It is obvious that the
criminalization of the "denial of the Armenian genocide" will have no
other consequence than helping prevent the clarification of the
question as to what happened in 1915 - 1916, sharpening enmities, and
provoking ethnic nationalisms. It is, therefore, necessary that even
those who are convinced about the `Armenian genocide' oppose the
criminalization of views to the contrary. Otherwise can only be
explained by feelings of enmity and revenge against Turkey and the
Turks.
I have no doubt that a part of the Ottoman security forces was
involved in the massacres of Armenians in 1915-1916. I have also no
doubt that Armenian nationalist gangs provoked the deportations that
resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent
Armenians. I strongly believe humanity requires that the memory of
the massacred Ottoman Armenians has to be respected as well as that
of the Ottoman Turks who were slaughtered by Armenian nationalists. I
am not, however, convinced that the decision of the Ottoman
government for the deportation of Armenians, and the great tragedy
that followed constitutes "genocide." I am, therefore, also a
`denier'. I too, then, can be indicted.
May 13 2006
'I am a Denier, too'
SAHIN ALPAY
05.13.2006 Saturday - ISTANBUL 19:53
On May 18, the French National Assembly is expected to start debating
the draft law that stipulates prison sentences for those who deny
that the tragedy that befell the Ottoman Armenians in 1915 - 1916 was
a `genocide."
If the law is enacted, France will become the second country after
Switzerland to impose prison sentences on those who do not agree to
the `Armenian genocide" claim. Belgium may soon join them. The only
thing that can be said about the decisions to recognize the `Armenian
genocide' by countries ranging from France and Belgium to Lebanon and
Uruguay, whose number has risen to 20 with Canada recently joining
them, is expressed by French historians who issued a declaration
entitled "Freedom for History": "Writing of history is not the duty
of parliaments..." If the parliamentarians of these countries have
concluded that it is appropriate to recognize "the Armenian
genocide," this is an issue that has to be assessed in the context of
the domestic and foreign policies of the countries concerned. As for
the criminalization of the "denial of the Armenian genocide", on the
other hand, a number of things can be said.
The first point I would like to make is that such a ban constitutes a
gross violation of one of the most fundamental principles of liberal
democracy the European Union and the Council of Europe want to
consolidate in all their member states. Such a ban does not at all
becoming of France, the country of Voltaire who famously said, "I
disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right
to say it." Punishing those who claim `there was no Armenian
genocide" in Switzerland, France or in other countries is,
undoubtedly, as serious a violation of the freedom of expression as
punishing those in Turkey who claim that "Ottoman Armenians were
victims of genocide" for denigrating the Turkish nation. `Hate
speech' aiming to incite enmity against a certain religious or ethnic
group is, surely, incompatible with freedom of expression. No one,
however, who is committed to the ideals of an "Open Society" can
approve of censoring or banning of debates on whether the countless
cases of massacres in history constitute genocide or not, according
to UN Convention or other criteria.
It is not possible to compare what happened to the Jews in Nazi
Germany with what happened to Armenians in the last years of Ottoman
Turkey. Nowhere in the world is there a serious historian who claims
that what the Nazis did to the Jews was not genocide. There is, on
the other hand, no consensus among historians on the question as to
whether or not the Ottoman government ordered the annihilation of its
Armenian subjects. Highly respected Ottoman historians such as
Bernard Lewis and Gilles Veinstein, and the distinguished genocide
studies scholar, Guenter Lewy (in his recently published book which
provides perhaps the most meticulous research on the issue) claim
that "There is no evidence that the Ottoman government intended to
annihilate the Armenian community." It is obvious that the
criminalization of the "denial of the Armenian genocide" will have no
other consequence than helping prevent the clarification of the
question as to what happened in 1915 - 1916, sharpening enmities, and
provoking ethnic nationalisms. It is, therefore, necessary that even
those who are convinced about the `Armenian genocide' oppose the
criminalization of views to the contrary. Otherwise can only be
explained by feelings of enmity and revenge against Turkey and the
Turks.
I have no doubt that a part of the Ottoman security forces was
involved in the massacres of Armenians in 1915-1916. I have also no
doubt that Armenian nationalist gangs provoked the deportations that
resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent
Armenians. I strongly believe humanity requires that the memory of
the massacred Ottoman Armenians has to be respected as well as that
of the Ottoman Turks who were slaughtered by Armenian nationalists. I
am not, however, convinced that the decision of the Ottoman
government for the deportation of Armenians, and the great tragedy
that followed constitutes "genocide." I am, therefore, also a
`denier'. I too, then, can be indicted.