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SENATE RESOLUTION IS ANTAGONISTIC TOWARD TURKEY
by JAVID HUSEYNOV
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012120322010
March 23 2012
On March 8, Sens. Scott Brown, R-Mass., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.,
and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., introduced Senate Resolution 392, "urging the
Republic of Turkey to safeguard its Christian heritage and to return
confiscated church properties." The resolution, which is currently
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations, constitutes another
dissolute attempt to interfere in Turkey's religious affairs and
to unfairly single out this country under pressure from the ethnic
special interest groups.
The allegations made in S. Res. 392 conflict with the reports by
the U.S.
Commission on International Religious Freedom and by the European
Union, both of which commend the freedom of religion in Turkey. During
the past years, in cooperation with the European Court of Human
Rights and the Council of Europe, Turkey unilaterally restored several
properties to Greek and Armenian religious congregations, including
the Greek Orthodox Church at Buyukada, the Akhtamar Church in Van,
the Holy Savior Cathedral in Ani, the Sumela Monastery and others.
S. Res. 392 also contradicts our own Constitution. Specifically, the
First Amendment prohibits any federal or state establishment from
preference to any particular religion, while S. Res. 392 calls for
a privileged treatment of the Christian faith in a foreign land. In
the spirit of such prejudice, the co-sponsors of S. Res. 392 are not
interested in safeguarding mosques against the ongoing destruction
of the Turkic Muslim cultural heritage in neighboring Armenia.
S. Res. 392 is influenced by the antagonistic interests of
Armenian-American ethnic lobby, which relentlessly intimidates Congress
to harm U.S. relations with Turkey, an emerging economic power and
a faithful U.S. ally. Last year, expressing frustration over the
ethnic lobby's attempt to push a similar anti-Turkish legislation,
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R.- Calif., noted a "terrible double standard"
exercised in singling out Turkey.
As a Turkic-American and a member of the Pax Turcica Institute,
I join to denounce S. Res. 392 as an act of pandering to limited
ethnic agenda. I call upon our senators to oppose S. Res. 392,
because it insults the very notion of religious freedom, disrespects
our Constitution and inflicts damage upon U.S. foreign policy.
Javid Huseynov is a Rochester resident.
From: Baghdasarian
by JAVID HUSEYNOV
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012120322010
March 23 2012
On March 8, Sens. Scott Brown, R-Mass., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.,
and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., introduced Senate Resolution 392, "urging the
Republic of Turkey to safeguard its Christian heritage and to return
confiscated church properties." The resolution, which is currently
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations, constitutes another
dissolute attempt to interfere in Turkey's religious affairs and
to unfairly single out this country under pressure from the ethnic
special interest groups.
The allegations made in S. Res. 392 conflict with the reports by
the U.S.
Commission on International Religious Freedom and by the European
Union, both of which commend the freedom of religion in Turkey. During
the past years, in cooperation with the European Court of Human
Rights and the Council of Europe, Turkey unilaterally restored several
properties to Greek and Armenian religious congregations, including
the Greek Orthodox Church at Buyukada, the Akhtamar Church in Van,
the Holy Savior Cathedral in Ani, the Sumela Monastery and others.
S. Res. 392 also contradicts our own Constitution. Specifically, the
First Amendment prohibits any federal or state establishment from
preference to any particular religion, while S. Res. 392 calls for
a privileged treatment of the Christian faith in a foreign land. In
the spirit of such prejudice, the co-sponsors of S. Res. 392 are not
interested in safeguarding mosques against the ongoing destruction
of the Turkic Muslim cultural heritage in neighboring Armenia.
S. Res. 392 is influenced by the antagonistic interests of
Armenian-American ethnic lobby, which relentlessly intimidates Congress
to harm U.S. relations with Turkey, an emerging economic power and
a faithful U.S. ally. Last year, expressing frustration over the
ethnic lobby's attempt to push a similar anti-Turkish legislation,
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R.- Calif., noted a "terrible double standard"
exercised in singling out Turkey.
As a Turkic-American and a member of the Pax Turcica Institute,
I join to denounce S. Res. 392 as an act of pandering to limited
ethnic agenda. I call upon our senators to oppose S. Res. 392,
because it insults the very notion of religious freedom, disrespects
our Constitution and inflicts damage upon U.S. foreign policy.
Javid Huseynov is a Rochester resident.
From: Baghdasarian