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BITTERNESS EMERGES IN ANTI-HATE CAMPAIGNS
By Stephanie Vosk
Cape Cod Times
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a rticle?AID=/20080802/NEWS/808020312
Aug 2 2008
MA
MASHPEE -- Her father's fiancee was shot and killed in front of him.
And her mother was only 11 years old when her parents, siblings,
and grandmother were deported, joining the 1.5 million victims of
the Armenian genocide.
Links Did you know that Armenians live on Cape Cod and enjoy a
rich history? Take our quiz to learn more about their culture and
heritage. (Sources: Cape Cod Times archives, www.infoplease.com) That
history from the era of World War I has became part of Shahkeh Yaylaian
Setian's psyche, pushing her to delve into the topic in an academic
way, to better understand the atrocities committed against her family.
Now, Setian and her supporters are trying to convince Mashpee town
officials to denounce the No Place for Hate anti-discrimination
program. Setian believes the program's overseer, the Anti-Defamation
League, does not fully acknowledge the existence of the Armenian
genocide.
"If they consider themselves to be supporters of human rights, then
they should take a position against anyone or anything that violates
human rights," said Setian, 75, a retired educator who is currently
working on a book about Muslims who helped save Armenians during
the genocide.
Although there is no exact number known, there are believed to be
hundreds of Armenians living on the Cape, according to Setian. The
Mashpee town park plays host to a vigil each year to remember the
genocide, and a group of Armenians is working to build a church and
community center near Mashpee High School.
Setian is also petitioning Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
to stop sponsoring Anti-Defamation League programs for the same reason.
The Anti-Defamation League was founded in 1913 to fight prejudice
against Jewish people. The group actively fights bigotry and works
to protect civil rights.
For years, the league refused to call the mass killings of Armenians
at the hands of the Turks between 1915 and 1918 a genocide, a position
it clarified last year.
The Turkish government maintains that the deaths during and after
World War I were a result of war, not a targeted ethnic cleansing
or genocide.
"We historically have called it massacres and atrocities," said
Jen Smith, associate regional director for the New England league
office. "When there was discussion about that language and it became
something that came to the organization's attention in a profound way,
we did change our position, and we now refer to that tragic history
of that period of time as genocide."
The No Place for Hate program was founded in New England about 10 years
ago to help cities and towns to promote respect for differences while
encouraging residents and officials to speak out against intolerance.
Last summer, the issue heated up in Watertown, home to a large Armenian
community. Town councilors voted on Aug. 14, 2007, to revoke the
town's participation in the No Place for Hate program. Several other
towns soon followed.
On Aug. 21, 2007, national league director Abraham Foxman issued a
statement regarding the league's change of heart about the Turkish
government's actions, saying "that the consequences of those actions
were indeed tantamount to genocide."
But in the same statement last summer, Foxman said the league would
not support a then-pending congressional resolution to officially
acknowledge the historical event.
"We continue to firmly believe that a congressional resolution on
such matters is a counterproductive diversion and will not foster
reconciliation between Turks and Armenians and may put at risk the
Turkish Jewish community and the important multilateral relationship
between Turkey, Israel and the United States," the statement said.
By describing consequences, however, Setian said the league is saying
the killings were not intentional, but merely a fallout from civil
unrest.
In November, the New England league office sent a letter to No Place
for Hate communities -- of which there are at least five on the Cape
-- explaining the national commission's decision to take no further
position on the issue and urging them to remain in the program.
But in April, the Massachusetts Municipal Association voted to end
its sponsorship of the program. It had earlier urged the league to
further clarify and strengthen statements recognizing the genocide
and to support the congressional resolution.
Setian presented her views to the Mashpee Board of Selectmen
last week. The board referred the issue to the affirmative action
committee, hoping to hear a recommendation from that group before
making a decision, Selectman Theresa Cook said.
The board hopes to reach a decision by September, she said.
While Mashpee is discussing the idea of getting out of the program,
Sandwich wants in.
An initial planning meeting was held in that town in June, and while
individuals have discussed the Armenian genocide issue, it has not
been brought to the group yet, said Jacqueline Fields, chairwoman of
the Barnstable County Human Rights Commission and a Sandwich resident.
"Whatever the statement was -- denying it or ignoring it or qualifying
it as something other than a genocide or a holocaust -- is not a
position that I would support," Fields said of the Anti-Defamation
League's original stance. "However, it is not a reason for individuals
to withdraw from No Place for Hate."
By Stephanie Vosk
Cape Cod Times
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a rticle?AID=/20080802/NEWS/808020312
Aug 2 2008
MA
MASHPEE -- Her father's fiancee was shot and killed in front of him.
And her mother was only 11 years old when her parents, siblings,
and grandmother were deported, joining the 1.5 million victims of
the Armenian genocide.
Links Did you know that Armenians live on Cape Cod and enjoy a
rich history? Take our quiz to learn more about their culture and
heritage. (Sources: Cape Cod Times archives, www.infoplease.com) That
history from the era of World War I has became part of Shahkeh Yaylaian
Setian's psyche, pushing her to delve into the topic in an academic
way, to better understand the atrocities committed against her family.
Now, Setian and her supporters are trying to convince Mashpee town
officials to denounce the No Place for Hate anti-discrimination
program. Setian believes the program's overseer, the Anti-Defamation
League, does not fully acknowledge the existence of the Armenian
genocide.
"If they consider themselves to be supporters of human rights, then
they should take a position against anyone or anything that violates
human rights," said Setian, 75, a retired educator who is currently
working on a book about Muslims who helped save Armenians during
the genocide.
Although there is no exact number known, there are believed to be
hundreds of Armenians living on the Cape, according to Setian. The
Mashpee town park plays host to a vigil each year to remember the
genocide, and a group of Armenians is working to build a church and
community center near Mashpee High School.
Setian is also petitioning Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
to stop sponsoring Anti-Defamation League programs for the same reason.
The Anti-Defamation League was founded in 1913 to fight prejudice
against Jewish people. The group actively fights bigotry and works
to protect civil rights.
For years, the league refused to call the mass killings of Armenians
at the hands of the Turks between 1915 and 1918 a genocide, a position
it clarified last year.
The Turkish government maintains that the deaths during and after
World War I were a result of war, not a targeted ethnic cleansing
or genocide.
"We historically have called it massacres and atrocities," said
Jen Smith, associate regional director for the New England league
office. "When there was discussion about that language and it became
something that came to the organization's attention in a profound way,
we did change our position, and we now refer to that tragic history
of that period of time as genocide."
The No Place for Hate program was founded in New England about 10 years
ago to help cities and towns to promote respect for differences while
encouraging residents and officials to speak out against intolerance.
Last summer, the issue heated up in Watertown, home to a large Armenian
community. Town councilors voted on Aug. 14, 2007, to revoke the
town's participation in the No Place for Hate program. Several other
towns soon followed.
On Aug. 21, 2007, national league director Abraham Foxman issued a
statement regarding the league's change of heart about the Turkish
government's actions, saying "that the consequences of those actions
were indeed tantamount to genocide."
But in the same statement last summer, Foxman said the league would
not support a then-pending congressional resolution to officially
acknowledge the historical event.
"We continue to firmly believe that a congressional resolution on
such matters is a counterproductive diversion and will not foster
reconciliation between Turks and Armenians and may put at risk the
Turkish Jewish community and the important multilateral relationship
between Turkey, Israel and the United States," the statement said.
By describing consequences, however, Setian said the league is saying
the killings were not intentional, but merely a fallout from civil
unrest.
In November, the New England league office sent a letter to No Place
for Hate communities -- of which there are at least five on the Cape
-- explaining the national commission's decision to take no further
position on the issue and urging them to remain in the program.
But in April, the Massachusetts Municipal Association voted to end
its sponsorship of the program. It had earlier urged the league to
further clarify and strengthen statements recognizing the genocide
and to support the congressional resolution.
Setian presented her views to the Mashpee Board of Selectmen
last week. The board referred the issue to the affirmative action
committee, hoping to hear a recommendation from that group before
making a decision, Selectman Theresa Cook said.
The board hopes to reach a decision by September, she said.
While Mashpee is discussing the idea of getting out of the program,
Sandwich wants in.
An initial planning meeting was held in that town in June, and while
individuals have discussed the Armenian genocide issue, it has not
been brought to the group yet, said Jacqueline Fields, chairwoman of
the Barnstable County Human Rights Commission and a Sandwich resident.
"Whatever the statement was -- denying it or ignoring it or qualifying
it as something other than a genocide or a holocaust -- is not a
position that I would support," Fields said of the Anti-Defamation
League's original stance. "However, it is not a reason for individuals
to withdraw from No Place for Hate."