Tweet
HUGE 'ODAR' CROWD AT GENOCIDE COMMEMORATIONS
Keghart.com Reporter, 26 January 2015
In the past year Keghart.com has promoted the idea that when
commemorating the centennial of the Genocide Armenians should make
an effort to invite non-Armenians to participate or at least tell
the story to them. The below gathering in Toronto had more than 900
attendees with 90% non-Armenian.--Editor.
"We have a moral obligation of memory for the century of tears
which began with the genocide of Armenians," said Hon. Jason Kenney,
the Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister of
Multiculturalism at a Toronto gathering, on January 25, for the
centennial commemorations of the Genocide of Armenians which was
attended by more than 900 people. Mr. Kenney also said that Canadians
have a special obligation to join the "Armenians across the world in
a sacred act of memory."
The gathering, organized by Majed el-Shafi, founder and president
of One Free World International (OFWI), took place at the Catch the
Fire revivalist congregation's centre west end of the city. Three
members of parliament, including the parliamentary secretary; Armenia's
Ambassador to Canada Armen Yeganian; and representatives of more than
a dozen ethnic, religious and human rights groups took part in the
remembrance gathering.
Mr. Kenney said Armenians are the first nation to adopt Christianity
as state religion and that they had "suffered waves and waves
of persecution" for their religion. "They are among the greatest
underdogs of history...they are a people who have tasted the bitter
pill of violence and persecution" he added.
"When I visited Armenia last year, I was greatly impressed by the
fidelity and courage of Armenians," Mr. Kenney said. After condemning
the current persecutions of Christians in Iraq, he pointed out that
Armenians were once again being victimized for their religion and
ethnicity but this time in Iraq where forefathers had sought shelter
after the Genocide. In closing his speech, the minister reconfirmed
Canada's recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
Rev. Shafie, who was jailed and tortured in Egyptian jails because
he had converted from Islam to Christianity, established the OFWI
after settling in Canada. The mission of his organization is to
defend religious freedom and human rights around the globe. He has
toured Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, India, and Bangladesh
and confronted officialdom everywhere he has gone and assisted
individuals and groups who are persecuted for their ethnicity and
religious beliefs. He also visited Armenia last year and met Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian and visited Echmiadzin. Clippings from
the video he made of his Armenia and Iraq trips were screened at the
beginning of his presentation.
After talking about the importance of forgiveness, Rev. Shafie said
the Canadian government should "press Turkey to open the border with
Armenia and persuade Israel, the United States, Australia and the
United Kingdom, to recognize the Armenian Genocide." He also said he
looks forward to the opening of a Canadian embassy in Yerevan.
As a token of appreciation and gratitude for his work, Rev. Shafie
was presented by certificate of citation by the Armenian Canadian
Conservative Association. The presentation was made by Vache
Demirdjian, the national chair of the group.
Other speakers included lawyer Chantal Desloges and Egyptian-born Rev.
Hany Bogossian, pastor of The Well on Bayview Church in Toronto. In his
message about the importance of forgiveness, Rev. Bogossian quoted the
12th century Armenian religious leader and writer St. Nerses Shnorhali.
Ambassador Yeganian demanded that Turkey acknowledge Genocide and
listed the reverberating and tragic consequence of the Genocide. He
said that despite the attempt to exterminate them, the Armenian people
had risen again and founded an independent state.
Ambassador Yeganian said the Armenian Genocide was the model for ethnic
group extermination as political strategy. He said that the Ukrainian
Holodomor, the Holocaust, the Cambodian and Rwandan Genocide had
their origins in the Armenian Genocide. The ambassador also indirectly
condemned politicians and historians for not including the 1.5 million
Armenian dead in their count of WWI casualties. He said that about
three-quarters of the Armenian nation were slain during the Genocide
yet that almost-mortal hurt was not even considered as casualty. He
added that Assyrians and Greeks also suffered genocide as a result
of Ottoman ethnic cleansing. The ambassador said that there will be
at least 60 Genocide commemorations in Canada this year.
Archpriest Zareh Zargarian of the Holy Trinity Armenian Church thanked
Canada for recognizing the Genocide.
Final speaker Hakan Tastan, pastor of the Life Church in Istanbul,
added further drama to the gathering by his presence and by what
he said. It was the first time anyone had made a Christian Turk. A
convert to Christianity, he had specially flown to Toronto to
participate in the commemorations. Rev. Tastan said he converted 19
years ago while visiting an Armenian church in Svaz, Turkey. He added
that his grandfather, who as a child had witnessed the Genocide,
had described graphically the killing of Armenians. Rev. Tastan
apologized to Armenians on behalf of the Turkish nation and exchanged
a Turkish Bible and Armenian Bibles with Rev. Bogossian. The Turkish
clergyman said that he looked forward to building an Armenian/Turkish
association to be called ArTur which would act as a bridge between the
two nations. Writer Raffi Bedrosyan translated Rev. Tastan's message.
The commemorations were opened by Pastor John Arnott of the Catch the
Fire congregation. Also attending the gathering were representatives
of the Evangelical Asian Church, the Bahai community, the United
Christian Federation, Chaldean, Syriac, Assyrian, Alevi communities,
Federation of Democratic China, B'nai Brith, Ahmadiyya Muslim
Jammat, Emergency Relief and Development Overseas, Yazidi Human
Rights Organization International, the Archdiocese of Toronto, the
International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem, Falun Dafa Associations
of Toronto and Ottawa, the International Centre for Human Rights in
Canada, Canadian Ethnocultural Council.
The Turkish ambassador and consul general had been invited to the
gathering but they refused to participate because the word "genocide"
was mentioned in the invitation. Concerned in Turkish agitation, Rev.
Shafi had hired a security service.
Representatives from the Armenian Canadian Conservative Association,
the Armenian Community Centre, Social Democrat Hunchagian Party, the
advisor to the Armenia's Minister of Diaspora, Hayastan All-Armenia
Fund, Armenian Evangelical Church of Toronto and many other individual
Armenians were present at the two-and-a-half-hour gathering.
Later the same day pastor Tastan delivered a speech titled "The
Church in Turkey and Armenian/Turkish Reconciliation" at the Armenian
Evangelical Church of Toronto.
Commemoration ceremonies at 19:30 His Excellency Armen Yeganian,
Ambassador of Armenia at 40:45 Hon. Brad Butt MP at 54:44 Hon. Jason
Kenney MP, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister
for Multiculturalism at 57:12 Mr. Vache Demirdjian, Chair of ACCA
at 2:02:59
http://www.keghart.com/Report-Odar-Commemoration
From: A. Papazian
Keghart.com Reporter, 26 January 2015
In the past year Keghart.com has promoted the idea that when
commemorating the centennial of the Genocide Armenians should make
an effort to invite non-Armenians to participate or at least tell
the story to them. The below gathering in Toronto had more than 900
attendees with 90% non-Armenian.--Editor.
"We have a moral obligation of memory for the century of tears
which began with the genocide of Armenians," said Hon. Jason Kenney,
the Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister of
Multiculturalism at a Toronto gathering, on January 25, for the
centennial commemorations of the Genocide of Armenians which was
attended by more than 900 people. Mr. Kenney also said that Canadians
have a special obligation to join the "Armenians across the world in
a sacred act of memory."
The gathering, organized by Majed el-Shafi, founder and president
of One Free World International (OFWI), took place at the Catch the
Fire revivalist congregation's centre west end of the city. Three
members of parliament, including the parliamentary secretary; Armenia's
Ambassador to Canada Armen Yeganian; and representatives of more than
a dozen ethnic, religious and human rights groups took part in the
remembrance gathering.
Mr. Kenney said Armenians are the first nation to adopt Christianity
as state religion and that they had "suffered waves and waves
of persecution" for their religion. "They are among the greatest
underdogs of history...they are a people who have tasted the bitter
pill of violence and persecution" he added.
"When I visited Armenia last year, I was greatly impressed by the
fidelity and courage of Armenians," Mr. Kenney said. After condemning
the current persecutions of Christians in Iraq, he pointed out that
Armenians were once again being victimized for their religion and
ethnicity but this time in Iraq where forefathers had sought shelter
after the Genocide. In closing his speech, the minister reconfirmed
Canada's recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
Rev. Shafie, who was jailed and tortured in Egyptian jails because
he had converted from Islam to Christianity, established the OFWI
after settling in Canada. The mission of his organization is to
defend religious freedom and human rights around the globe. He has
toured Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, India, and Bangladesh
and confronted officialdom everywhere he has gone and assisted
individuals and groups who are persecuted for their ethnicity and
religious beliefs. He also visited Armenia last year and met Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian and visited Echmiadzin. Clippings from
the video he made of his Armenia and Iraq trips were screened at the
beginning of his presentation.
After talking about the importance of forgiveness, Rev. Shafie said
the Canadian government should "press Turkey to open the border with
Armenia and persuade Israel, the United States, Australia and the
United Kingdom, to recognize the Armenian Genocide." He also said he
looks forward to the opening of a Canadian embassy in Yerevan.
As a token of appreciation and gratitude for his work, Rev. Shafie
was presented by certificate of citation by the Armenian Canadian
Conservative Association. The presentation was made by Vache
Demirdjian, the national chair of the group.
Other speakers included lawyer Chantal Desloges and Egyptian-born Rev.
Hany Bogossian, pastor of The Well on Bayview Church in Toronto. In his
message about the importance of forgiveness, Rev. Bogossian quoted the
12th century Armenian religious leader and writer St. Nerses Shnorhali.
Ambassador Yeganian demanded that Turkey acknowledge Genocide and
listed the reverberating and tragic consequence of the Genocide. He
said that despite the attempt to exterminate them, the Armenian people
had risen again and founded an independent state.
Ambassador Yeganian said the Armenian Genocide was the model for ethnic
group extermination as political strategy. He said that the Ukrainian
Holodomor, the Holocaust, the Cambodian and Rwandan Genocide had
their origins in the Armenian Genocide. The ambassador also indirectly
condemned politicians and historians for not including the 1.5 million
Armenian dead in their count of WWI casualties. He said that about
three-quarters of the Armenian nation were slain during the Genocide
yet that almost-mortal hurt was not even considered as casualty. He
added that Assyrians and Greeks also suffered genocide as a result
of Ottoman ethnic cleansing. The ambassador said that there will be
at least 60 Genocide commemorations in Canada this year.
Archpriest Zareh Zargarian of the Holy Trinity Armenian Church thanked
Canada for recognizing the Genocide.
Final speaker Hakan Tastan, pastor of the Life Church in Istanbul,
added further drama to the gathering by his presence and by what
he said. It was the first time anyone had made a Christian Turk. A
convert to Christianity, he had specially flown to Toronto to
participate in the commemorations. Rev. Tastan said he converted 19
years ago while visiting an Armenian church in Svaz, Turkey. He added
that his grandfather, who as a child had witnessed the Genocide,
had described graphically the killing of Armenians. Rev. Tastan
apologized to Armenians on behalf of the Turkish nation and exchanged
a Turkish Bible and Armenian Bibles with Rev. Bogossian. The Turkish
clergyman said that he looked forward to building an Armenian/Turkish
association to be called ArTur which would act as a bridge between the
two nations. Writer Raffi Bedrosyan translated Rev. Tastan's message.
The commemorations were opened by Pastor John Arnott of the Catch the
Fire congregation. Also attending the gathering were representatives
of the Evangelical Asian Church, the Bahai community, the United
Christian Federation, Chaldean, Syriac, Assyrian, Alevi communities,
Federation of Democratic China, B'nai Brith, Ahmadiyya Muslim
Jammat, Emergency Relief and Development Overseas, Yazidi Human
Rights Organization International, the Archdiocese of Toronto, the
International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem, Falun Dafa Associations
of Toronto and Ottawa, the International Centre for Human Rights in
Canada, Canadian Ethnocultural Council.
The Turkish ambassador and consul general had been invited to the
gathering but they refused to participate because the word "genocide"
was mentioned in the invitation. Concerned in Turkish agitation, Rev.
Shafi had hired a security service.
Representatives from the Armenian Canadian Conservative Association,
the Armenian Community Centre, Social Democrat Hunchagian Party, the
advisor to the Armenia's Minister of Diaspora, Hayastan All-Armenia
Fund, Armenian Evangelical Church of Toronto and many other individual
Armenians were present at the two-and-a-half-hour gathering.
Later the same day pastor Tastan delivered a speech titled "The
Church in Turkey and Armenian/Turkish Reconciliation" at the Armenian
Evangelical Church of Toronto.
Commemoration ceremonies at 19:30 His Excellency Armen Yeganian,
Ambassador of Armenia at 40:45 Hon. Brad Butt MP at 54:44 Hon. Jason
Kenney MP, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister
for Multiculturalism at 57:12 Mr. Vache Demirdjian, Chair of ACCA
at 2:02:59
http://www.keghart.com/Report-Odar-Commemoration
From: A. Papazian