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ARMENIAN-AMERICANS BLAME TURKEY FOR KASSAB INVASION
Al-Monitor
April 3 2014
Author: Pinar TremblayPosted April 3, 2014
On March 30, Kim Kardashian, an American television personality of
Armenian descent, posted two tweets with the hashtag #SaveKessab,
which was retweeted over 6,000 times and generated dozens of articles
in the English-language press. Another Twitter user commented, "Kim
Kardashian is tweeting about #Kassab. [Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip] Erdogan is in trouble now."
Kardashian's Kassab tweets were followed by other celebrities such as
Armenian-American singer Cher. Regardless of how controversial these
messages are, we must acknowledge they have reached millions who would
otherwise be clueless about the historic Armenian coastal town of
Kassab. Located in the northwest of Syria's beautiful Latakia region,
Kassab is a tourist desination situated near the Turkish border.
Kassab has seen significant immigration from other towns with large
Armenian populations, such as Aleppo and Homs, since the start of
Syrian civil war in March 2011. Though comprising only 1% of the
Syrian population, Armenians are Syria's seventh-largest ethnic group.
The fall of Kassab could be costly for Turkey.
The Armenian diaspora has launched several protest movements all
around the world. On March 27, a protest was held in the Armenian
city of Yerevan. On March 28, hundreds gathered in front of the
Turkish consulate in Los Angeles with "Save Kassab" signs. Harut
Sassounian, publisher of the California Courier, told Al-Monitor he
was present at the protest. Sassounian added, "I hold the United
States, United Kingdom, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar
fully responsible for the atrocities committed against Christians
and Armenians in Syria, because they are the ones training, arming
and supporting the so-called rebels. The civilized world must reject
the murderers who are masquerading under the guise of regime change
to impose their radical rule in Syria. The Syrian people deserve a
democratic government. However, I fear that the foreign fighters who
have infiltrated Syria are far more brutal than the Assad regime. I
believe that regime change should come through peaceful negotiations,
not beheadings and suicide bombings."
Several other protests took place in front of Turkish embassies and
consulates from Moscow to Beirut. Yeni Safak covered protests in
Sydney, Australia, reporting, "Turks gave an answer to the Armenians."
The news suggested that as the group gathered in front of the consulate
with chants of "Turkey get out of Kassab," it was met by another
group of protesters with Turkish flags in their hands. It is a fair,
yet sad, observation that the diverse and quaint town of Kassab has
brought up centuries-old enmities thousands of miles away.
Different delegations representing the Armenian diaspora have met
with US State Department officials, urging them to "take immediate
action to end the vicious onslaught on the historically Armenian
town of Kassab, Syria, which was overrun by al-Qaeda-affiliated
terrorists in an attack launched from Turkey on March 21." The same
day, March 28, State Department Deputy spokesperson Marie Harf spoke
on the crisis in Kassab, stating, "We are deeply troubled by recent
fighting and violence that is endangering the Armenian community
in Kassab, Syria and has forced many to flee." Several members of
Congress have condemned the attacks in Kassab while a petition has
been launched to recognize the atrocities occurring in Kassab on the
White House website.
The concerns of Armenian-Americans are strongly shared by a small
but resilient minority of reporters and citizens, particularly
those living in the border towns of Turkey. Although rarely
reported in the mainstream media, Turkish people have protested
the government's actions in Syria multiple times. Public-opinion
surveys have consistently shown that support by the Turkish public
for any military involvement in Syria is low. Even among Justice
and Development Party loyalists, only 32% are supportive of such
action. It would be fair to assess many Turks as not knowing what
really is happening in Kassab as the Twitter and YouTube bans continue.
The same cannot be said for many Armenian-Americans, as many of them
have relatives in Kassab and the region. Indeed, the crisis hits
close to home for thousands of Angelinos. One of my best students,
George Doctorian, happens to be one of them. He told Al-Monitor,
"My great-uncle was asleep when he was suddenly awoken at 5 a.m. by
the sound of gunshots. His son rushed into the room and told him
that their town was under attack. Their neighbor had a car and they
quickly jumped in and drove to Latakia. They left everything behind --
passports, money, pictures, etc. My great-uncle left without a shirt.
Everything they own has been left behind. They have been trying to
get new passports and documentation, but it is almost impossible due
to the ongoing conflict. My great-uncle believes that if they had
waited a little longer to get their paperwork, they surely would not
have made it out in time."
He added, "Our family back in Kassab fears the worst. Churches have
been destroyed and there are reports that even the cemeteries have
been desecrated. Many reports show that the Turkish government has
funded these rebel groups, primarily Jabat al-Nusra, and this is
evidenced by the fact that these rebels were able to enter Kassab
through the Turkish border."
I hope for Doctorian's commentary to be taken seriously by all
parties. He said, "The events that are occurring in Kassab are horrific
and should not occur in the 21st century, when the international
community stresses the importance of religious freedom and basic
human rights. I would, however, caution Armenians to stop using the
word 'genocide' when describing the events that are taking place in
Kassab. The word 'genocide' entails many requirements [in regard to
what] was perpetrated by the Young Turks in the first world war. Using
the word 'genocide' [for] the events in Kassab is wrong and does a
disservice to our ancestors who went through the genocide."
It is understandable that the younger generations of Armenians
fear further persecution of their relatives in Syria. It is also
understandable that Armenian youths from different parts of the world
yearn to go to Syria to fight in defense of their relatives. With
this background analysis, news about Los Angeles gang members going
to Syria to take up arms in pro-Assad militias is not surprising.
The Turkish government denies any involvement in the events of Kassab,
and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's statement that Turkey's
door is open to Kassab's Armenians has only further escalated tensions,
as Armenian pundits consider Davutoglu's comments a "mockery of the
international community."
Davutoglu has failed to answer the simple question: How did these
armed militants enter the town of Kassab, if not through the Turkish
border? The alleged leaks from a meeting between Davutoglu and
high-level intelligence, military and Foreign Ministry representatives
have been interpreted as a Turkish willingness to engage in war with
Syria. To top this all off, during his March 30 victory speech, Erdogan
declared, "We are in a state of war with Syria." Since the Turkish
government's pleas for a no-fly zone have not found support in NATO,
some in Turkey now ask: With an overwhelming electoral victory, would
the Turkish government establish a de facto no-fly zone on its own?
Erdogan is now well known for his recent obsession with "lobbies."
Although I have doubts about the "robot lobby" and "interest-rate
lobby," I know the Armenian lobby in the United States is real and
legitimate. Will Erdogan criticize the Armenian lobby, as well? Most
importantly, will the efforts of concerned Armenians and others around
the world help deter further escalation of the Syrian civil war and
save innocent lives?
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/04/kim-kardashian-kassab-armenia-blame-turkey-syria.html#
Al-Monitor
April 3 2014
Author: Pinar TremblayPosted April 3, 2014
On March 30, Kim Kardashian, an American television personality of
Armenian descent, posted two tweets with the hashtag #SaveKessab,
which was retweeted over 6,000 times and generated dozens of articles
in the English-language press. Another Twitter user commented, "Kim
Kardashian is tweeting about #Kassab. [Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip] Erdogan is in trouble now."
Kardashian's Kassab tweets were followed by other celebrities such as
Armenian-American singer Cher. Regardless of how controversial these
messages are, we must acknowledge they have reached millions who would
otherwise be clueless about the historic Armenian coastal town of
Kassab. Located in the northwest of Syria's beautiful Latakia region,
Kassab is a tourist desination situated near the Turkish border.
Kassab has seen significant immigration from other towns with large
Armenian populations, such as Aleppo and Homs, since the start of
Syrian civil war in March 2011. Though comprising only 1% of the
Syrian population, Armenians are Syria's seventh-largest ethnic group.
The fall of Kassab could be costly for Turkey.
The Armenian diaspora has launched several protest movements all
around the world. On March 27, a protest was held in the Armenian
city of Yerevan. On March 28, hundreds gathered in front of the
Turkish consulate in Los Angeles with "Save Kassab" signs. Harut
Sassounian, publisher of the California Courier, told Al-Monitor he
was present at the protest. Sassounian added, "I hold the United
States, United Kingdom, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar
fully responsible for the atrocities committed against Christians
and Armenians in Syria, because they are the ones training, arming
and supporting the so-called rebels. The civilized world must reject
the murderers who are masquerading under the guise of regime change
to impose their radical rule in Syria. The Syrian people deserve a
democratic government. However, I fear that the foreign fighters who
have infiltrated Syria are far more brutal than the Assad regime. I
believe that regime change should come through peaceful negotiations,
not beheadings and suicide bombings."
Several other protests took place in front of Turkish embassies and
consulates from Moscow to Beirut. Yeni Safak covered protests in
Sydney, Australia, reporting, "Turks gave an answer to the Armenians."
The news suggested that as the group gathered in front of the consulate
with chants of "Turkey get out of Kassab," it was met by another
group of protesters with Turkish flags in their hands. It is a fair,
yet sad, observation that the diverse and quaint town of Kassab has
brought up centuries-old enmities thousands of miles away.
Different delegations representing the Armenian diaspora have met
with US State Department officials, urging them to "take immediate
action to end the vicious onslaught on the historically Armenian
town of Kassab, Syria, which was overrun by al-Qaeda-affiliated
terrorists in an attack launched from Turkey on March 21." The same
day, March 28, State Department Deputy spokesperson Marie Harf spoke
on the crisis in Kassab, stating, "We are deeply troubled by recent
fighting and violence that is endangering the Armenian community
in Kassab, Syria and has forced many to flee." Several members of
Congress have condemned the attacks in Kassab while a petition has
been launched to recognize the atrocities occurring in Kassab on the
White House website.
The concerns of Armenian-Americans are strongly shared by a small
but resilient minority of reporters and citizens, particularly
those living in the border towns of Turkey. Although rarely
reported in the mainstream media, Turkish people have protested
the government's actions in Syria multiple times. Public-opinion
surveys have consistently shown that support by the Turkish public
for any military involvement in Syria is low. Even among Justice
and Development Party loyalists, only 32% are supportive of such
action. It would be fair to assess many Turks as not knowing what
really is happening in Kassab as the Twitter and YouTube bans continue.
The same cannot be said for many Armenian-Americans, as many of them
have relatives in Kassab and the region. Indeed, the crisis hits
close to home for thousands of Angelinos. One of my best students,
George Doctorian, happens to be one of them. He told Al-Monitor,
"My great-uncle was asleep when he was suddenly awoken at 5 a.m. by
the sound of gunshots. His son rushed into the room and told him
that their town was under attack. Their neighbor had a car and they
quickly jumped in and drove to Latakia. They left everything behind --
passports, money, pictures, etc. My great-uncle left without a shirt.
Everything they own has been left behind. They have been trying to
get new passports and documentation, but it is almost impossible due
to the ongoing conflict. My great-uncle believes that if they had
waited a little longer to get their paperwork, they surely would not
have made it out in time."
He added, "Our family back in Kassab fears the worst. Churches have
been destroyed and there are reports that even the cemeteries have
been desecrated. Many reports show that the Turkish government has
funded these rebel groups, primarily Jabat al-Nusra, and this is
evidenced by the fact that these rebels were able to enter Kassab
through the Turkish border."
I hope for Doctorian's commentary to be taken seriously by all
parties. He said, "The events that are occurring in Kassab are horrific
and should not occur in the 21st century, when the international
community stresses the importance of religious freedom and basic
human rights. I would, however, caution Armenians to stop using the
word 'genocide' when describing the events that are taking place in
Kassab. The word 'genocide' entails many requirements [in regard to
what] was perpetrated by the Young Turks in the first world war. Using
the word 'genocide' [for] the events in Kassab is wrong and does a
disservice to our ancestors who went through the genocide."
It is understandable that the younger generations of Armenians
fear further persecution of their relatives in Syria. It is also
understandable that Armenian youths from different parts of the world
yearn to go to Syria to fight in defense of their relatives. With
this background analysis, news about Los Angeles gang members going
to Syria to take up arms in pro-Assad militias is not surprising.
The Turkish government denies any involvement in the events of Kassab,
and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's statement that Turkey's
door is open to Kassab's Armenians has only further escalated tensions,
as Armenian pundits consider Davutoglu's comments a "mockery of the
international community."
Davutoglu has failed to answer the simple question: How did these
armed militants enter the town of Kassab, if not through the Turkish
border? The alleged leaks from a meeting between Davutoglu and
high-level intelligence, military and Foreign Ministry representatives
have been interpreted as a Turkish willingness to engage in war with
Syria. To top this all off, during his March 30 victory speech, Erdogan
declared, "We are in a state of war with Syria." Since the Turkish
government's pleas for a no-fly zone have not found support in NATO,
some in Turkey now ask: With an overwhelming electoral victory, would
the Turkish government establish a de facto no-fly zone on its own?
Erdogan is now well known for his recent obsession with "lobbies."
Although I have doubts about the "robot lobby" and "interest-rate
lobby," I know the Armenian lobby in the United States is real and
legitimate. Will Erdogan criticize the Armenian lobby, as well? Most
importantly, will the efforts of concerned Armenians and others around
the world help deter further escalation of the Syrian civil war and
save innocent lives?
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/04/kim-kardashian-kassab-armenia-blame-turkey-syria.html#