Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

MA Armenians Urges State Agency to End Endorsing ADL's NPFH program

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • MA Armenians Urges State Agency to End Endorsing ADL's NPFH program

    Armenian National Committee
    47 Nichols Avenue
    Watertown MA 02472
    617-926-1890
    [email protected]

    PRESS RELEASE:
    February 26, 2008

    For information contact:
    617-347-2833



    Massachusetts Armenian American Community Urges State Agency to End
    its Endorsement of ADL's No Place for Hate Program


    Watertown, MA - Massachusetts Armenian American organizations today
    urged the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) to end its
    endorsement of the Anti Defamation League's (ADL) No Place for Hate
    program.

    In an open letter, over thirty Armenian American organizations from
    across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts called on the MMA to rescind
    its `endorsement of the No Place for Hate (NPFH) program due to the
    ADL's refusal to unambiguously acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and
    its continued active opposition to US recognition of the Genocide.'
    See full text of letter below.

    The letter praised the MMA for urging the Anti Defamation League last
    September to `remain true to its own mission and fully and
    unequivocally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and express support
    for U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide' but declared that `as
    human rights organization and especially as an organization that
    sponsors tolerance education programs in our communities, the ADL is
    expected to speak with absolute moral clarity about genocide and its
    denial. As it stands, the ADL's August 21 statement with its
    convoluted and irresolute language remains the ADL's official
    statement on the Armenian Genocide.'

    The Armenian American community letter to the MMA comes just one month
    after the MMA held its annual meeting and elected a new board of
    directors.

    `Despite repeated calls, the ADL has refused to recognize the Armenian
    Genocide, and as such, has lost the moral authority as a human rights
    organization, stated Herman Purutyan, Massachusetts state chair for
    the Armenian Assembly of America. `We urge the Massachusetts Municipal
    Association to join our communities and sever its ties with the No
    Place For Hate program, as long as the program is tainted by Genocide
    denial."

    `The MMA took a principled stand in September by calling on the ADL to
    do what so many of us hoped it would: unequivocally acknowledge the
    Armenian Genocide and end its active opposition to Congressional
    affirmation of the Genocide,' stated Sharistan Melkonian of the
    Armenian National Committee. `The ADL sadly fell short of its
    responsibilities as a human rights organization and we now look to the
    MMA to do the only right thing: end its endorsement of a program
    sponsored by an organization which engages in genocide denial.'

    According to the MMA's website, the No Place for Hate program was
    created by the Anti Defamation League in partnership with the
    Massachusetts Municipal Association `to provide communities with a
    solid framework for promoting an inclusive environment while fighting
    all forms of hate and bigotry.'

    Last September the MMA passed a resolution calling on the ADL to
    `support the Congressional [Armenian Genocide] Resolution.' In a
    letter to local No Place for Hate communities the MMA stated that it
    had `issued a strong and unequivocal statement on the importance of
    recognizing the Armenian Genocide and supporting passage of the
    Congressional Resolution.' The letter also affirmed that the MMA
    `called on the national ADL organization to do the same' and concluded
    by stating that it would `review and monitor this matter, recognizing
    that while progress has been made,' the MMA would `re-evaluate our
    official sponsorship of NPFH after the national ADL determines whether
    to adopt this position.'

    Background

    The ADL has for many years refused to acknowledge that the systematic
    massacre of 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923 was
    genocide. To make matters worse, the ADL has actively engaged in
    efforts to oppose Congressional affirmation of the Armenian Genocide.

    Only after intense pressure which started in Watertown Massachusetts
    last summer did the national ADL issue a statement on August 21, 2007
    which referring to the events of 1915-1918, declared, `The
    consequences of those actions were indeed tantamount to genocide.'
    Aside from the fact that the Armenian Genocide began in 1915 and
    continued through 1923, the statement was not a full, unequivocal
    acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide.

    Not only was the qualifier `tantamount' inappropriate, but the use of
    the word `consequences' circumvented the international legal
    definition of genocide by avoiding any language that would imply
    intent, a crucial aspect of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention
    definition.

    The ADL convened its national meeting in New York City in early
    November at which time the issue of the Armenian Genocide was
    discussed.

    Upon conclusion, a one sentence press statement was issued that `The
    National Commission of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today, at its
    annual meeting, decided to take no further action on the issue of the
    Armenian genocide.' http://www.adl.org/PresRele/Mise_00/5162_00.htm

    F or complete information about the ADL controversy surrounding the
    Armenian Genocide visit www.noplacefordenial.com

    ####

    Open Letter from the Armenian American Community
    to the Massachusetts Municipal Association



    February 26, 2008


    Massachusetts Municipal Association
    One Winthrop Square
    Boston MA 02110

    Dear Chairman Tobey and Members,

    We write to you in light of the November 2007 decision of the
    Anti-Defamation League (ADL) `to take no further action' regarding its
    policy on the Armenian Genocide and respectfully urge you to rescind
    your endorsement of the No Place for Hate (NPFH) program due to the
    ADL's refusal to unambiguously acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and
    its continued active opposition to US recognition of the Genocide.

    Last September the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Municipal
    Association (MMA) wrote to the ADL asking the ADL to remain true to
    its own mission and fully and unequivocally acknowledge the Armenian
    Genocide and express support for U.S. recognition of the Armenian
    Genocide.

    Upon conclusion of its National Commissioners meeting in early
    November, however, the ADL issued a one sentence press statement
    declaring that, `The National Commission of the Anti-Defamation League
    (ADL) today, at its annual meeting, decided to take no further action
    on the issue of the Armenian genocide.'

    As a human rights organization and especially as an organization that
    sponsors tolerance education programs in our communities, the ADL is
    expected to speak with absolute moral clarity about genocide and its
    denial. As it stands, the ADL's August 21 statement with its
    convoluted and irresolute language remains the ADL's official
    statement on the Armenian Genocide.

    While the achievements of the NPFH program and the hard work of its
    members should be applauded, their work has been compromised by the
    policies of the ADL which has failed to live up to the standards not
    only of its own mission to `secure justice and fair treatment for all
    citizens alike' but also of a human rights organization by its
    position on the Armenian Genocide. In addition, by not distancing
    itself from this position and instead publicly stating that their
    position is now one and the same with that of the National, the New
    England ADL has disappointingly retreated from the principled position
    it took in August.

    The Belmont Human Rights Commission said it best: `ADL and the No
    Place for Hate program emphasize that the `tip of the pyramid of
    hatred' is genocide. How can we, in good faith, ask our community to
    work at the base of this same pyramid while the No

    Place for Hate sponsor is actively working against congressional,
    international recognition of the Armenian genocide?' (September 6,
    2007)

    We respectfully ask that you rescind your endorsement of the No Place
    for Hate program due to the ADL's refusal to unambiguously acknowledge
    the Armenian Genocide and continued active opposition to US
    recognition of the Genocide.

    Sincerely,

    Armenian Assembly of America
    Armenian Church of the Holy Translators (Framingham, MA)
    Armenian Church of the Martyrs (Worcester, MA)
    Armenian Church of Our Savior (Worcester, MA)
    Armenian Democratic Liberal Organization
    Armenian General Benevolent Union
    Armenian General Benevolent Union Young Professionals
    Armenian Independent Broadcasting of Boston
    Armenian Mirror Spectator Weekly
    Armenian National Committee
    Armenian Relief Society Cambridge Shushi Chapter
    Armenian Relief Society Worcester Knar Chapter
    Armenian Relief Society Lola Sassouni Chapter
    Armenian Relief Society Lowell Lousintak Chapter
    Armenian Revolutionary Federation
    The Armenian Weekly
    Armenian Youth Federation Worcester Aram Chapter
    Armenian Youth Federation Greater Boston Chapter
    First Armenian Church (Belmont, MA)
    Hairenik Weekly
    Hamazkayin Boston Chapter
    Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church (Belmont, MA)
    Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church (Worcester, MA)
    Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church of Greater Boston (Cambridge, MA)
    Homenetmen Greater Boston Chapter
    National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
    North Andover Sasoun Armenian Youth Federation
    Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives
    Social Democratic Hunchakian Party
    St. Gregory Church of Merrimack Valley (North Andover, MA)
    St. James Armenian Apostolic Church (Watertown, MA)
    St. Stephen's Armenian Apostolic Church (Watertown, MA)
    Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Church (Chelmsford, MA)
    Tekeyan Cultural Association Boston Chapter
Working...
X