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WHY DOES NO-ONE REMEMBER THE ASSYRIAN VICTIMS OF TURKEY'S CHRISTIAN HOLOCAUST?
International Business Times UK
Oct 28 2014
By Uzay Bulut
October 28, 2014 12:10 BST
You may have heard of the Armenian genocide. You've probably heard of
Stalin's starvation of the Ukrainians, and the atrocities committed
by the European empires in Africa. You've definitely heard of the
Holocaust.
Yet chances are you've never heard of the Assyrian genocide, even
though this was just as brutal and costly. It was perpetrated alongside
the Armenian massacre, yet only one of the twin programmes has lived
on in infamy.
The Assyrian genocide occurred 100 years ago, and decimated a people
whose territory stretched from the areas now known as Iraq, Turkey,
Syria and Egypt. Today, this very same area is the world's fiercest
conflict zone, the wounds which opened a century ago showing no sign
of healing.
Which makes it all the more important that we remember the horrors
inflicted on the Assyrians all those years ago.
Ethnic cleansing
Historians today describe the Assyrian Genocide as a programme of
extermination carried out by the Ottoman Empire upon the Chaldean,
Syriac and Assyrian populations. All three peoples were Christian, and
the Ottomans attempted to wipe them out during a wider ethnic cleansing
campaign, which also included the Armenian and Greek genocides.
The Assyrian extermination campaign actually lasted from 1914 to 1923,
Turkey's rulers carrying on the killing long after their empire had
been dismantled. The death toll varies depending which historical
scholar or record you consult.
"Estimates on the overall death toll vary, with some contemporary
reports placing the figure at 270,000, and estimates range to as many
as 750,000," reported Dr. Israel W. Charny, the editor of two-volume
Encyclopedia of Genocide and executive director of the Institute on
the Holocaust and Genocide.
Charny groups the Assyrian Genocide together with the massacre of
Greeks and Armenians in a "Christian Holocaust", which he claims was
"the precursor to the Jewish Holocaust in WWII."
"To this day, the Turkish government ostensibly denies having committed
this genocide" Charny adds.
Ottoman Jihad against native Christian populations
Sabri Atman, who is also one of the most well-known lecturers on the
Assyrian Genocide, said in an interview with the Armenian Weekly this
year that the Ottoman Empire was bent on "ethnically annihilating
all non-Muslim citizens living under the Ottoman occupation, with
the objective of homogenising Turkey in accordance with their goal
to create a nation of 'One Religion'.
"Their motto was 'One Nation, One Religion.' To achieve their goal,
jihad (or holy war) was declared on Nov. 14, 1914 in all of the
Ottoman mosques... The main plot was to get rid of all the Christian
minorities of Turkey,."
Atman added that "Denial is a form of continuation of the genocide. It
is to be killed twice."
Hannibal Travis, a Professor of Law at Florida International
University, wrote an article on the Assyrian Genocide in 2006,
suggesting that "the Ottoman Empire's widespread persecution
of Assyrian civilians during World War I constituted a form of
genocide... a deliberate and systematic campaign of massacre,
torture, abduction, deportation, impoverishment, and cultural and
ethnic destruction.
"Established principles of international law outlawed this war of
extermination against Ottoman Christian civilians before it was
embarked upon, and ample evidence of genocidal intent has surfaced
in the form of admissions by Ottoman officials.
"Nevertheless, the international community has been hesitant to
recognize the Assyrian experience as a form of genocide."
The Assyrian Genocide still causes controversy today. Here Turks
in Australia protest their state parliament's adoption of a motion
recognising the genocide.Reuters Advertisement
Finally, a monument
An Assyrian genocide monument, in memory of the Assyrian victims of
the Christian genocide of the Ottoman Empire during World War One, was
erected on 19 October in Athens. The monument's opening was attended
by Kyriakos Betsaras, the president of the Assyrian Union of Greece,
as well as the current and former Mayors of Athens.
Sabri Atman spoke at the ceremony, called on "Turkey and all nations
around the world to recognise this historical reality," adding: "In
recent years, Assyrians have been working diligently towards greater
public awareness and worldwide recognition of the Assyrian Genocide.
"The ethnic extermination of hundreds of thousands of our people and
the destruction of our lands forever changed the demographics of the
area we called home for thousands of years. We Assyrians standing
here today are the children of a nation which was almost completely
eliminated from the face of the earth," he said.
"I'm also proud to stand in front of you today knowing that over
20 countries have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide. It
is my hope that in the future, countries will continue to follow in
this pattern, and will also include the recognition of Assyrians and
Greeks as victims of the same Genocide."
Monuments commemorating the victims of the Assyrian genocide have
also been erected in Sweden, Belgium, France, Armenia, Australia,
Wales and the United States. Whether Turkey follows suit, however,
remains to be seen.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/why-does-no-one-remember-assyrian-victims-europes-christian-holocaust-1472128
International Business Times UK
Oct 28 2014
By Uzay Bulut
October 28, 2014 12:10 BST
You may have heard of the Armenian genocide. You've probably heard of
Stalin's starvation of the Ukrainians, and the atrocities committed
by the European empires in Africa. You've definitely heard of the
Holocaust.
Yet chances are you've never heard of the Assyrian genocide, even
though this was just as brutal and costly. It was perpetrated alongside
the Armenian massacre, yet only one of the twin programmes has lived
on in infamy.
The Assyrian genocide occurred 100 years ago, and decimated a people
whose territory stretched from the areas now known as Iraq, Turkey,
Syria and Egypt. Today, this very same area is the world's fiercest
conflict zone, the wounds which opened a century ago showing no sign
of healing.
Which makes it all the more important that we remember the horrors
inflicted on the Assyrians all those years ago.
Ethnic cleansing
Historians today describe the Assyrian Genocide as a programme of
extermination carried out by the Ottoman Empire upon the Chaldean,
Syriac and Assyrian populations. All three peoples were Christian, and
the Ottomans attempted to wipe them out during a wider ethnic cleansing
campaign, which also included the Armenian and Greek genocides.
The Assyrian extermination campaign actually lasted from 1914 to 1923,
Turkey's rulers carrying on the killing long after their empire had
been dismantled. The death toll varies depending which historical
scholar or record you consult.
"Estimates on the overall death toll vary, with some contemporary
reports placing the figure at 270,000, and estimates range to as many
as 750,000," reported Dr. Israel W. Charny, the editor of two-volume
Encyclopedia of Genocide and executive director of the Institute on
the Holocaust and Genocide.
Charny groups the Assyrian Genocide together with the massacre of
Greeks and Armenians in a "Christian Holocaust", which he claims was
"the precursor to the Jewish Holocaust in WWII."
"To this day, the Turkish government ostensibly denies having committed
this genocide" Charny adds.
Ottoman Jihad against native Christian populations
Sabri Atman, who is also one of the most well-known lecturers on the
Assyrian Genocide, said in an interview with the Armenian Weekly this
year that the Ottoman Empire was bent on "ethnically annihilating
all non-Muslim citizens living under the Ottoman occupation, with
the objective of homogenising Turkey in accordance with their goal
to create a nation of 'One Religion'.
"Their motto was 'One Nation, One Religion.' To achieve their goal,
jihad (or holy war) was declared on Nov. 14, 1914 in all of the
Ottoman mosques... The main plot was to get rid of all the Christian
minorities of Turkey,."
Atman added that "Denial is a form of continuation of the genocide. It
is to be killed twice."
Hannibal Travis, a Professor of Law at Florida International
University, wrote an article on the Assyrian Genocide in 2006,
suggesting that "the Ottoman Empire's widespread persecution
of Assyrian civilians during World War I constituted a form of
genocide... a deliberate and systematic campaign of massacre,
torture, abduction, deportation, impoverishment, and cultural and
ethnic destruction.
"Established principles of international law outlawed this war of
extermination against Ottoman Christian civilians before it was
embarked upon, and ample evidence of genocidal intent has surfaced
in the form of admissions by Ottoman officials.
"Nevertheless, the international community has been hesitant to
recognize the Assyrian experience as a form of genocide."
The Assyrian Genocide still causes controversy today. Here Turks
in Australia protest their state parliament's adoption of a motion
recognising the genocide.Reuters Advertisement
Finally, a monument
An Assyrian genocide monument, in memory of the Assyrian victims of
the Christian genocide of the Ottoman Empire during World War One, was
erected on 19 October in Athens. The monument's opening was attended
by Kyriakos Betsaras, the president of the Assyrian Union of Greece,
as well as the current and former Mayors of Athens.
Sabri Atman spoke at the ceremony, called on "Turkey and all nations
around the world to recognise this historical reality," adding: "In
recent years, Assyrians have been working diligently towards greater
public awareness and worldwide recognition of the Assyrian Genocide.
"The ethnic extermination of hundreds of thousands of our people and
the destruction of our lands forever changed the demographics of the
area we called home for thousands of years. We Assyrians standing
here today are the children of a nation which was almost completely
eliminated from the face of the earth," he said.
"I'm also proud to stand in front of you today knowing that over
20 countries have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide. It
is my hope that in the future, countries will continue to follow in
this pattern, and will also include the recognition of Assyrians and
Greeks as victims of the same Genocide."
Monuments commemorating the victims of the Assyrian genocide have
also been erected in Sweden, Belgium, France, Armenia, Australia,
Wales and the United States. Whether Turkey follows suit, however,
remains to be seen.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/why-does-no-one-remember-assyrian-victims-europes-christian-holocaust-1472128