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BURBANK LAWMAKER CALLS FOR PUBLIC DISPLAY OF CONTROVERSIAL ARMENIAN RUG
CBS TV, Los Angeles
Nov 11 2013
November 11, 2013 12:02 PM
GLENDALE (CBSLA.com) -- A San Fernando Valley lawmaker wants the White
House to make available for public display a rug woven by Armenian
orphans and given to President Calvin Coolidge nearly a century ago
in appreciation for U.S. humanitarian assistance in the wake of the
killing of over 1.5 million Armenians.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) is among a bipartisan group of U.S.
Congress members calling on President Obama to reverse its decision to
back out of its agreement to lend the rug for a December 16 exhibition
at the Smithsonian Institute.
The Armenian orphan rug - which measures 11â~@² 7â~@³ x 18â~@² 5â~@³
and is comprised of 4.4 million individual knots - reportedly took
girls in the Ghazir Orphanage of Near East Relief as long as 10 months
to weave, according to the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA).
The rug was delivered to the President Coolidge on December 4, 1925,
in time for Christmas, with a label on the back of the rug, which reads
"IN GOLDEN RULE GRATITUDE TO PRESIDENT COOLIDGE," according to ANCA.
While the White House has not offered an explanation for its decision,
ANCA and other opponents of the move say it is likely due to the U.S.
government's "deference to Turkey's international campaign" of what
they characterized as "genocide denial."
Turkey has long denied that the loss of 1.5 million Armenian lives
between 1915 and 1919 constituted genocide and instead describes the
deaths as resulting from civil unrest that accompanied the collapse
of the Ottoman Empire, according to the Associated Press.
In the letter, Schiff and Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) co-sponsor
of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (HR 227), remarked, "The Armenian
Orphan Rug is a shared piece of American and Armenian history that
belongs to the American people. For over a decade, Armenian-American
organizations have repeatedly asked the White House and the State
Department to allow the rug to be displayed publicly. Unfortunately,
these requests have not been granted."
San Fernando Valley lawmakers Rep. Brad Sherman and Rep. Tony Cardenas
also signed on in support of the letter.
An online petition on the White House website calling on the U.S. to
"Share the Armenian Orphan Rug with the American People" needs 100,000
signatures by Nov. 24 to be considered. Only about 640 signatures
had been collected as of Monday.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/11/11/burbank-lawmaker-calls-for-public-display-of-controversial-armenian-rug/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
CBS TV, Los Angeles
Nov 11 2013
November 11, 2013 12:02 PM
GLENDALE (CBSLA.com) -- A San Fernando Valley lawmaker wants the White
House to make available for public display a rug woven by Armenian
orphans and given to President Calvin Coolidge nearly a century ago
in appreciation for U.S. humanitarian assistance in the wake of the
killing of over 1.5 million Armenians.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) is among a bipartisan group of U.S.
Congress members calling on President Obama to reverse its decision to
back out of its agreement to lend the rug for a December 16 exhibition
at the Smithsonian Institute.
The Armenian orphan rug - which measures 11â~@² 7â~@³ x 18â~@² 5â~@³
and is comprised of 4.4 million individual knots - reportedly took
girls in the Ghazir Orphanage of Near East Relief as long as 10 months
to weave, according to the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA).
The rug was delivered to the President Coolidge on December 4, 1925,
in time for Christmas, with a label on the back of the rug, which reads
"IN GOLDEN RULE GRATITUDE TO PRESIDENT COOLIDGE," according to ANCA.
While the White House has not offered an explanation for its decision,
ANCA and other opponents of the move say it is likely due to the U.S.
government's "deference to Turkey's international campaign" of what
they characterized as "genocide denial."
Turkey has long denied that the loss of 1.5 million Armenian lives
between 1915 and 1919 constituted genocide and instead describes the
deaths as resulting from civil unrest that accompanied the collapse
of the Ottoman Empire, according to the Associated Press.
In the letter, Schiff and Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) co-sponsor
of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (HR 227), remarked, "The Armenian
Orphan Rug is a shared piece of American and Armenian history that
belongs to the American people. For over a decade, Armenian-American
organizations have repeatedly asked the White House and the State
Department to allow the rug to be displayed publicly. Unfortunately,
these requests have not been granted."
San Fernando Valley lawmakers Rep. Brad Sherman and Rep. Tony Cardenas
also signed on in support of the letter.
An online petition on the White House website calling on the U.S. to
"Share the Armenian Orphan Rug with the American People" needs 100,000
signatures by Nov. 24 to be considered. Only about 640 signatures
had been collected as of Monday.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/11/11/burbank-lawmaker-calls-for-public-display-of-controversial-armenian-rug/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress