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MetroWest Daily News
Jan 4 2014
Historic rug caught in Turkish-Armenian tug-of-war
Events Calendar
By Martin Demoorjian/Guest Columnist
There is a rug kept in the White House known as the Ghazir Orphan rug.
It was woven by girls in the Ghazir (Lebanon) Orphanage that housed
over 1,400 orphans. The orphanage was one of many established by the
United States providing aid to orphan children who were victims of the
1915 Armenian Massacres. Most of the minority Christian population in
Turkey was annihilated after being uprooted from their homes in what
some claim as the first modern and systematic genocide by the Young
Turks Committee of Union and Progress during their takeover and
destruction of the Ottoman Turkish Sultanate. Over 100,000 orphans
were saved by the Near East Relief organization that originated with
congressional approval and the ardent support of President Woodrow
Wilson. It was the United States' first foreign aid effort.
This historic rug was presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925
by Dr. John Finely, editor-in-chief of the New York Times and
vice-chairman of the Near East Relief organization, in appreciation
for U.S. humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of the 1915 Armenian
Massacres. Such things bring the past to the present.
There was planned a December book launch at the Smithsonian
Institution focused on the Ghazir Orphan rug. The rug was to have
been loaned for the event by the White House. The event was canceled
last September after the White House reneged on the loan without
explanation. Other attempts to display the iconic rug have met
significant resistance from the White House and the State Department.
I believe the White House may have refused the loan at the behest of
Turkey and its supporters. It is likely due to the U.S. government's
deference to Turkey's international campaign of genocide denial.
This issue has garnered congressional attention. Recognizing other
issues when foreign governments have influenced the United States'
policy, it is surmised by many that the cancellation was for political
reasons and fear of reprisals by Turkey. Turkey remains quite negative
towards many things Armenian, and has blockaded the border between the
two countries. It is troubling that the Ghazir Orphan rug, a national
treasure, has become politicized due to Turkey's desire to keep
certain historical facts out of the public discussion, both in Turkey
and in the U.S.
This is corroborated in U.S. Rep Frank Pallone's (D-NJ) statement, `It
is tragic testament to the depths of our administration's deference to
Ankara's angry and irrational genocide denial campaign that our White
House - having been gagged into silence by Turkey on the Armenian
Genocide - is now allowing this foreign government to dictate which
works of art - which are U.S. property and part of our American
history - we are allowed to display at the Smithsonian Institution.'
Some historians have suggested that if the world had reacted
negatively toward Turkey's actions in Armenia in 1915, Hitler would
not have concluded he could get away with the genocide of Jews during
World War II. Just before invading Poland in 1939, Hitler asked `who,
after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?' The
quote is denied by some and that in itself is a sign of revisionism.
President Wilson had positive and extensive involvement with Armenia
before and during the First World War. The Washington DC-based
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, as part of the
Smithsonian, ignores this aspect of Wilson's record. The Smithsonian
has not been friendly to Armenian Americans. Its annual reports make
known that the Smithsonian and Wilson Center get major support from
corporate giants, including defense firms that do business with
Turkey. It is known these companies are encouraged to lobby against
Armenian Genocide resolutions put before the Congress.
In taking a position to not loan the rug and other actions, the
president has profoundly disappointed Armenian-Americans. As Senator
Obama he spoke about the Armenian Genocide, risking the ire of Turkey
and Turkish American organizations. `The Armenian genocide is not an
allegation, a personal opinion or a point of view, but rather a widely
documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical
evidence,' Obama said during his 2008 campaign. `America deserves a
leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian genocide and responds
forcefully to all genocides.' Since winning the election he altered
his stance. Loaning the rug was an opportunity for the President to,
in part, redeem himself.
A hand written label on the back of the rug reads `In Golden Rule
Gratitude To President Coolidge.' The `Golden Rule' was a weekly
Sunday effort to raise money for the victims of the 1915 Armenian
Massacres, and what some offensively call controversial. The United
States sent $190 million in aid money and $25 million for food
supplies, extraordinary amounts of money for the time.
The weaving in this rug can be a metaphor for weaving peace. The work
of those orphans in weaving this rug is a triumph of the human spirit
that should be celebrated and in what better country than the United
States of America.
Martin Demoorjian lives in Marlborough.
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/opinion/x579268204/Demoorjian-Historic-rug-caught-in-Turkish-Armenian-tug-of-war
From: A. Papazian
Jan 4 2014
Historic rug caught in Turkish-Armenian tug-of-war
Events Calendar
By Martin Demoorjian/Guest Columnist
There is a rug kept in the White House known as the Ghazir Orphan rug.
It was woven by girls in the Ghazir (Lebanon) Orphanage that housed
over 1,400 orphans. The orphanage was one of many established by the
United States providing aid to orphan children who were victims of the
1915 Armenian Massacres. Most of the minority Christian population in
Turkey was annihilated after being uprooted from their homes in what
some claim as the first modern and systematic genocide by the Young
Turks Committee of Union and Progress during their takeover and
destruction of the Ottoman Turkish Sultanate. Over 100,000 orphans
were saved by the Near East Relief organization that originated with
congressional approval and the ardent support of President Woodrow
Wilson. It was the United States' first foreign aid effort.
This historic rug was presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925
by Dr. John Finely, editor-in-chief of the New York Times and
vice-chairman of the Near East Relief organization, in appreciation
for U.S. humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of the 1915 Armenian
Massacres. Such things bring the past to the present.
There was planned a December book launch at the Smithsonian
Institution focused on the Ghazir Orphan rug. The rug was to have
been loaned for the event by the White House. The event was canceled
last September after the White House reneged on the loan without
explanation. Other attempts to display the iconic rug have met
significant resistance from the White House and the State Department.
I believe the White House may have refused the loan at the behest of
Turkey and its supporters. It is likely due to the U.S. government's
deference to Turkey's international campaign of genocide denial.
This issue has garnered congressional attention. Recognizing other
issues when foreign governments have influenced the United States'
policy, it is surmised by many that the cancellation was for political
reasons and fear of reprisals by Turkey. Turkey remains quite negative
towards many things Armenian, and has blockaded the border between the
two countries. It is troubling that the Ghazir Orphan rug, a national
treasure, has become politicized due to Turkey's desire to keep
certain historical facts out of the public discussion, both in Turkey
and in the U.S.
This is corroborated in U.S. Rep Frank Pallone's (D-NJ) statement, `It
is tragic testament to the depths of our administration's deference to
Ankara's angry and irrational genocide denial campaign that our White
House - having been gagged into silence by Turkey on the Armenian
Genocide - is now allowing this foreign government to dictate which
works of art - which are U.S. property and part of our American
history - we are allowed to display at the Smithsonian Institution.'
Some historians have suggested that if the world had reacted
negatively toward Turkey's actions in Armenia in 1915, Hitler would
not have concluded he could get away with the genocide of Jews during
World War II. Just before invading Poland in 1939, Hitler asked `who,
after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?' The
quote is denied by some and that in itself is a sign of revisionism.
President Wilson had positive and extensive involvement with Armenia
before and during the First World War. The Washington DC-based
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, as part of the
Smithsonian, ignores this aspect of Wilson's record. The Smithsonian
has not been friendly to Armenian Americans. Its annual reports make
known that the Smithsonian and Wilson Center get major support from
corporate giants, including defense firms that do business with
Turkey. It is known these companies are encouraged to lobby against
Armenian Genocide resolutions put before the Congress.
In taking a position to not loan the rug and other actions, the
president has profoundly disappointed Armenian-Americans. As Senator
Obama he spoke about the Armenian Genocide, risking the ire of Turkey
and Turkish American organizations. `The Armenian genocide is not an
allegation, a personal opinion or a point of view, but rather a widely
documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical
evidence,' Obama said during his 2008 campaign. `America deserves a
leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian genocide and responds
forcefully to all genocides.' Since winning the election he altered
his stance. Loaning the rug was an opportunity for the President to,
in part, redeem himself.
A hand written label on the back of the rug reads `In Golden Rule
Gratitude To President Coolidge.' The `Golden Rule' was a weekly
Sunday effort to raise money for the victims of the 1915 Armenian
Massacres, and what some offensively call controversial. The United
States sent $190 million in aid money and $25 million for food
supplies, extraordinary amounts of money for the time.
The weaving in this rug can be a metaphor for weaving peace. The work
of those orphans in weaving this rug is a triumph of the human spirit
that should be celebrated and in what better country than the United
States of America.
Martin Demoorjian lives in Marlborough.
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/opinion/x579268204/Demoorjian-Historic-rug-caught-in-Turkish-Armenian-tug-of-war
From: A. Papazian