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THINK AGAIN: UNDERCURRENT OF HATRED
Glendale News Press
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/news/opinion/tn-gnp-zanku-20100825,0,7107741.story
Aug 24 2010
CA
A few weeks ago someone decided to get a sledgehammer and begin
destroying a monument outside St. Mary's Armenian Church. This
"monument" is known in Armenian as a "Khachkar," or stone cross.
The Khachkar has special meaning in the Armenian culture dating back
thousands of years during which Armenians shed a lot of blood defending
their right to practice Christianity. All over present-day Armenia
and historical western Armenia (today's Turkey and Azerbaijan),
one can find thousands of these centuries-old Khachkars that have
tremendous historical significance. The carvings on each Khachkar are
unique and tell their own story, sometimes to memorialize a death,
to celebrate a new church or to honor someone living.
Over the years, as part of Turkey's campaign of denying the
Armenian Genocide, the government has encouraged and organized the
destruction of this archeological evidence of Armenians. They have
also systematically destroyed Armenian churches that are centuries
old with the military using them for target practice.
One of the more recent acts of cultural genocide was committed
by Azerbaijan, Armenia's neighbor to the east. In the Azerbaijani
enclave of Nakhchivan, across the border, there was a cemetery with
hundreds of historical Khachkars. Azerbaijan's Army was videotaped as
a platoon of soldiers took sledgehammers and destroyed these Khachkars
while the rubble was put into dump trucks and hauled away. An entire
community's history was eradicated in an instant.
Despite an international outcry, including by the United Nations,
the Azerbaijani government continued to the end.
You can imagine the shock in the Armenian American community when the
news broke in Glendale. When I heard about the St. Mary's incident,
it brought back memories of the video I have of the Azerbaijani
soldiers committing the same hate crime on a grander scale.
I can't forget those images, which make me sad and angry. The first
time I saw that video it brought tears to my eyes, as it reminded me
of my own family's experience with genocide.
I can't control what a government like Turkey and Azerbaijan do, but I
hope I can have an impact in my city and community. I was disappointed
by the silence in our city when this incident happened, including when
the Los Angeles County district attorney's office initially failed to
categorize it as a hate crime. They have since changed their position,
and I appreciate their effort to look further into this case.
What I fear is that the overall silence is an indication of an
undercurrent, albeit I believe a minority one, that wishes Armenians
had never come to Glendale and blames Armenians for all the ills. I
recently read such a comment on the Glendale News-Press website, and
certainly there is no shortage of letters to the editor that hint at
such a discriminatory attitude. In Glendale, the target is Armenians;
in other cities it is Latinos; in others it is the Chinese, Jews,
African Americans, and the list goes on.
If we truly believe in our American values, then the majority must
speak up against these types of hate crimes and discriminatory
attitudes to send a clear message that we don't accept this kind of
behavior, especially in our city. On this issue we must show our
common bond as Americans and speak up loudly against hate crime,
regardless of the victim.
Some may ask, if this were not an attack on an Armenian monument, would
I have written this column? I think this is a legitimate question and
one that I too have been thinking about in the last couple of weeks.
It has caused me to reflect and recommit myself to speak up against
such incidents whether they are an attack on a synagogue, an Armenian
church or any other act of hate against any group. An assault on
any specific group is an assault on our American values, and that is
something I'm not willing to accept.
ZANKU ARMENIAN is a Glendale resident and a corporate communications
professional. He can be reached at [email protected].
From: A. Papazian
Glendale News Press
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/news/opinion/tn-gnp-zanku-20100825,0,7107741.story
Aug 24 2010
CA
A few weeks ago someone decided to get a sledgehammer and begin
destroying a monument outside St. Mary's Armenian Church. This
"monument" is known in Armenian as a "Khachkar," or stone cross.
The Khachkar has special meaning in the Armenian culture dating back
thousands of years during which Armenians shed a lot of blood defending
their right to practice Christianity. All over present-day Armenia
and historical western Armenia (today's Turkey and Azerbaijan),
one can find thousands of these centuries-old Khachkars that have
tremendous historical significance. The carvings on each Khachkar are
unique and tell their own story, sometimes to memorialize a death,
to celebrate a new church or to honor someone living.
Over the years, as part of Turkey's campaign of denying the
Armenian Genocide, the government has encouraged and organized the
destruction of this archeological evidence of Armenians. They have
also systematically destroyed Armenian churches that are centuries
old with the military using them for target practice.
One of the more recent acts of cultural genocide was committed
by Azerbaijan, Armenia's neighbor to the east. In the Azerbaijani
enclave of Nakhchivan, across the border, there was a cemetery with
hundreds of historical Khachkars. Azerbaijan's Army was videotaped as
a platoon of soldiers took sledgehammers and destroyed these Khachkars
while the rubble was put into dump trucks and hauled away. An entire
community's history was eradicated in an instant.
Despite an international outcry, including by the United Nations,
the Azerbaijani government continued to the end.
You can imagine the shock in the Armenian American community when the
news broke in Glendale. When I heard about the St. Mary's incident,
it brought back memories of the video I have of the Azerbaijani
soldiers committing the same hate crime on a grander scale.
I can't forget those images, which make me sad and angry. The first
time I saw that video it brought tears to my eyes, as it reminded me
of my own family's experience with genocide.
I can't control what a government like Turkey and Azerbaijan do, but I
hope I can have an impact in my city and community. I was disappointed
by the silence in our city when this incident happened, including when
the Los Angeles County district attorney's office initially failed to
categorize it as a hate crime. They have since changed their position,
and I appreciate their effort to look further into this case.
What I fear is that the overall silence is an indication of an
undercurrent, albeit I believe a minority one, that wishes Armenians
had never come to Glendale and blames Armenians for all the ills. I
recently read such a comment on the Glendale News-Press website, and
certainly there is no shortage of letters to the editor that hint at
such a discriminatory attitude. In Glendale, the target is Armenians;
in other cities it is Latinos; in others it is the Chinese, Jews,
African Americans, and the list goes on.
If we truly believe in our American values, then the majority must
speak up against these types of hate crimes and discriminatory
attitudes to send a clear message that we don't accept this kind of
behavior, especially in our city. On this issue we must show our
common bond as Americans and speak up loudly against hate crime,
regardless of the victim.
Some may ask, if this were not an attack on an Armenian monument, would
I have written this column? I think this is a legitimate question and
one that I too have been thinking about in the last couple of weeks.
It has caused me to reflect and recommit myself to speak up against
such incidents whether they are an attack on a synagogue, an Armenian
church or any other act of hate against any group. An assault on
any specific group is an assault on our American values, and that is
something I'm not willing to accept.
ZANKU ARMENIAN is a Glendale resident and a corporate communications
professional. He can be reached at [email protected].
From: A. Papazian