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Page 2, OPINIONS ( Hye Sharzhoom May 1990 April 24: A day of remembrance * W _ u.. ioAi wnrH [ravclline back into time and al By Jeff Ahronian Staff Writer April 24,..The day indeed has a special meaning to the Armenians. It is a day of remembering the horrific past and trying to imagine what might have been. Yet, to many, April 24 has no meaning. Many are unaware of the fateful day in 1915 that marked the beginning of the Armenian Genocide in which, from the years 1915-1923, 1.5 million Armenians were brutally killed by the Ottoman Turkish Government. They are unaware of the hideous and inhumane torture the Armenians of the past had to suffer. And they are unaware thai the Armenians were the first groups of people to have been victims of a genocide during the twentieth century. It was the barbaric Turkish government's goal to* exterminate the entire Armenian population--to wipe them off the face of the earth as if they had never existed. On April 24, 1915, they carried forth the first step of a carefully thought out plan with the mass arrest and murder of all prominent Armenians wilh substantial means and influence who could possibly lead.; or inspire the population. By doing this, the Turks deprived Armenians of any leadership or representation. The Turks ihen began deponing the Armenian women, children and old men to Ihe vast deserts of Syria, whore, once there, the Armenian women were raped and murdered as their children watched in horror. Others were buried alive. The lucky ones, however, died on the way ^ihere . from starvation and ex- haustation. The Genocide had a disastrous effect on ihe Armenians of ihe worlds. The Armenians were driven from their homeland, where they had lived for over three thousand years. Their rich history was lost in the ruins as the Turks destroyed every monument that represented Armenia. There was no longer a place where Armenians could call home. Yet, why weren't ihe Turks who were responsible ever punished? After the' end of World War I, the United Slates drifted into a state of isolationism- avoiding any foreign entanglements. Thus, the Armenian question was The European powers had troubles of their own. by 1941, World War IJ had escalated inio full force and die Jews had now become the victims of the Nazis. Since there was no United Nations at the time, no' country could openly take responsibility for punishing ihe Turks. As World War II ended, the German leaders were held accountable for ihcir aciions and prosecuted during the. Nuremberg Trials. With this, ihe makings of a system of international law was introduced along wilh the establishment of the United Nations. The Turks, however, were never held accountable for their actions-there were no trial, therefore, the Turkish government never admitted to carrying out a genocide and thus, the Armenian Genocide was never publicly recogniz¬ ed-just pushed aside. Senate Joint Resolution 212 is only a memory now due largely to ihe aciions of Senator Byrd (D-Wesi Virginia) who executed a successful filibuster to block a vote on the resolution. Yet, what effects would this resolution have had on ihe Armenians of today? we it, the genocide has already occuRd and the. damage is done-there is no way of [ravelling .back inio time and altering what happened. The Turks of the past * who committed those awful and horrendous crimes should've been punished 70 years ago—there is no way of punishing the Turks of the present For example, should Americans be held accountable for how ihey once treated the slaves? The resolution would, however, serve an extremely important purpose, To guarantee that future generations will not forget what happened to the Armenians from 1915-1917 and to make sure that genocides will not be able lo occur in the future. Yet, nothing can be truly accomplished until Turkey comes forth and recog¬ nizes that a genocide did in fact occur- which is highly unlikely since they have been denying it for over 70 years. President Ronald Reagan once said, in referring to the Jewish Holocaust, "Like the genocide of the Armenians before it, and like too many other such persecutions of too many other peoptes-the lessons of the Holocaust must ijever be forgotten." Indeed, the lessons of the Armenian Genocide must never be forgotten. Campus visitors reflect on Genocide By Barlow Der Mugrdechian Advisor . J The past several months, both on this campus and throughout the world, have ' been filled with activities centered on the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the .Armenian Genocide. The annual com¬ memoration took on a special urgency this year, as it was a "special year" being die seventy-fifth anniversary. Moreover, a sobering thought came to mind, namely thai the often repeated phrase lhat soon there will be no Armenians alive who were bom on their historic homeland in Western Armenia is rapidly becoming a reality. In fact, it is becoming progressively more difficult to find these survivors to honor at commemorative events. I was thinking about that recently as several guests were in Fresno on the occasion of the Armenian Genocide commemoration. I met Rabbi Kenneth Segel of Temple Beth Israel as a result of his commitment to passing a resolution on the Armenian Genocide at the annual convention of Ihe Union of Hebrew American Congregations last November. He was a participant in a panel discussion organized by ihe Armenian Students Organization on April 24 ih. During his eloquent comments be made one statement which I would like to elaborate on, namely thai Armenians should adopt an eleventh commandment, "Thou shall not give to Talaai Pasha a posthumous victory." What a profound message this is for Armenians and non-Armenians alike. Talaat Pasha, who as one of the leaders of the Committee of Union and Progress was at the helm of ihe Ottoman Empire when the Armenian genocide was planned and undertaken, had said to Ambassador Henry Morgcnthau, "I have done more to solve die Armenian Question in three months than Abdul Hamid II did in thirty years." The Armenian Question was the question of the treatment of Armenians within die Ottoman Empire, treatment which had become increasingly severe and capricious by the end of the I9th century. The solution that Talaat sought was the destruction of the Armenian people from their historic homeland. How can Talaat be given a posthumous victory now, some seventy-five years after 1915? He can be given this by the loss of memory, the most precious of our possessions, for each person's memory is unique. If the genocide is forgotten then we have forgotten ourselves, forgotten our history, and our existence. For any Armenian (or non-Armenian) to not learn about this first Genocide of ihe twentieth century means that it will be much easier for the next Talaat or Hitler or Stalin to unleash their brutality against a group of people. The second visitor to our campus during April 24 ih week was English author Christopher Walker whose history, Armenia: The Survival of A Nation, is the definitive work in English on the last two hundred years of Armenian history, including the Genocide. His main mefsage was that clarity of thought and word is very important when discussing the Genocide and thai the story of the Genocide needs to be repeated and restated as often as possible. This is see COMMENTARY, page 3 <*uij Suipdnnf Hye Sharzhoom tdllor: ShmHokoloan Staff Writers: Jeff Ahronian Scatty AbajTan As/nor JaniceCapnttian JonelleCtvo KrixttHarmandarian Layout: Kris n Narmandarian SheriHokofdan Pauleiie Kasparian Photo Editor: Jon Philip Maroot ' Photographers: Philippe Markarian Advertising Mutagen Janice Capretian Circulation Manager Matthew Jendian Advisor: Bartow Der Mugrdechian 'Hye Sharzhoom Is a supplement of the Daily Collegia* and the newspaper of ihe CSUF Armenian Students Organization and the Armenian Stedies Program and is funded by the Associated Students. Articles may be reprinted provided hat WK^AariArx^b acknowledged Hye Sharzhoom welcomes prose, poetry, articles, manuscripts, and Other material from its readers. For further fnfematiot •x*r*n™n£ the newspaper or the Armenian Studies Progrwn, call the ASP «£&* <2ffl>) 279-2669. Satenig Ohannessian Jacqueline Sislian Armenian Page Editor: Strop Tonus ion Armenian Page Writer: Matthew Jendian Copy Editor Letters to the Editor Dear Professor Kouymjian, Twelve or thirteen years ago at a Symposium organized by ICOM at the University of Marseilles, France we met formally. This meek (heza- hampiur ) and genile person. . .whom 1 met again years later in Paris at yet another Armenian literary event, and again in Philadelphia, at the Sym¬ posium on Karabagh in October 1988, impressed me with his gracious attitude. Absorbed in his endeavours in attaining an objective or rather objectives for I believe, besides the organization of the Armenian Chair publication of your esteemed newspaper, he has prepared and WILL PREPARE future leaders for our nation whether to pursue in his steps, studies in Armenian history, culture and arts. I congratulate his appointment to this prestigious Chair which he helped create. * - ^ I beseech him to help create an Armenian think tank, to help create our very much needed legislative and political supreme council of the Diaspora. Enclosed a modest contri¬ bution to your newspaper. Sincerely yours, Sirov, Gaytzag Palandjian A servidor of the Armenian pueblo in this forlorn rincon (corner) of the Diaspora Barcelona, Spain Dear Hye Sharzhoom: Reference: Your March *90 Issue. While events in recent history have definitely proven that we are but Children of a Lesser God; there is an important lesson to be learned here. I can already see Hye Sharzhoom to be at ihe forefront of it by remembering the adage lhat if we do not hang together, wc hang separately. It's about lime we learned to gel along well with each other, rather than looking io others for helping this or that respect Don't let's lament the impending loss of our own language. Jews lost it centuries ago, but being a heritage- conscious group, and strong believers in what w.as said above; they are actually staging a spectacular come¬ back. As a small token of my appreciation of your valiant efforts enclosed please find an insignificant donation. Sincerely, , Bedros R Kricorissian London, Ontario Canada . . . .
Object Description
Title | 1990_05 The Daily Collegian May 1990 |
Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
Publication Date | 1990 |
Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
Language | eng |
Description
Title | May 8, 1990, Hye Sharzhoom Page 2 |
Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
Publication Date | 1990 |
Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
Language | eng |
Full-Text-Search | Page 2, OPINIONS ( Hye Sharzhoom May 1990 April 24: A day of remembrance * W _ u.. ioAi wnrH [ravclline back into time and al By Jeff Ahronian Staff Writer April 24,..The day indeed has a special meaning to the Armenians. It is a day of remembering the horrific past and trying to imagine what might have been. Yet, to many, April 24 has no meaning. Many are unaware of the fateful day in 1915 that marked the beginning of the Armenian Genocide in which, from the years 1915-1923, 1.5 million Armenians were brutally killed by the Ottoman Turkish Government. They are unaware of the hideous and inhumane torture the Armenians of the past had to suffer. And they are unaware thai the Armenians were the first groups of people to have been victims of a genocide during the twentieth century. It was the barbaric Turkish government's goal to* exterminate the entire Armenian population--to wipe them off the face of the earth as if they had never existed. On April 24, 1915, they carried forth the first step of a carefully thought out plan with the mass arrest and murder of all prominent Armenians wilh substantial means and influence who could possibly lead.; or inspire the population. By doing this, the Turks deprived Armenians of any leadership or representation. The Turks ihen began deponing the Armenian women, children and old men to Ihe vast deserts of Syria, whore, once there, the Armenian women were raped and murdered as their children watched in horror. Others were buried alive. The lucky ones, however, died on the way ^ihere . from starvation and ex- haustation. The Genocide had a disastrous effect on ihe Armenians of ihe worlds. The Armenians were driven from their homeland, where they had lived for over three thousand years. Their rich history was lost in the ruins as the Turks destroyed every monument that represented Armenia. There was no longer a place where Armenians could call home. Yet, why weren't ihe Turks who were responsible ever punished? After the' end of World War I, the United Slates drifted into a state of isolationism- avoiding any foreign entanglements. Thus, the Armenian question was The European powers had troubles of their own. by 1941, World War IJ had escalated inio full force and die Jews had now become the victims of the Nazis. Since there was no United Nations at the time, no' country could openly take responsibility for punishing ihe Turks. As World War II ended, the German leaders were held accountable for ihcir aciions and prosecuted during the. Nuremberg Trials. With this, ihe makings of a system of international law was introduced along wilh the establishment of the United Nations. The Turks, however, were never held accountable for their actions-there were no trial, therefore, the Turkish government never admitted to carrying out a genocide and thus, the Armenian Genocide was never publicly recogniz¬ ed-just pushed aside. Senate Joint Resolution 212 is only a memory now due largely to ihe aciions of Senator Byrd (D-Wesi Virginia) who executed a successful filibuster to block a vote on the resolution. Yet, what effects would this resolution have had on ihe Armenians of today? we it, the genocide has already occuRd and the. damage is done-there is no way of [ravelling .back inio time and altering what happened. The Turks of the past * who committed those awful and horrendous crimes should've been punished 70 years ago—there is no way of punishing the Turks of the present For example, should Americans be held accountable for how ihey once treated the slaves? The resolution would, however, serve an extremely important purpose, To guarantee that future generations will not forget what happened to the Armenians from 1915-1917 and to make sure that genocides will not be able lo occur in the future. Yet, nothing can be truly accomplished until Turkey comes forth and recog¬ nizes that a genocide did in fact occur- which is highly unlikely since they have been denying it for over 70 years. President Ronald Reagan once said, in referring to the Jewish Holocaust, "Like the genocide of the Armenians before it, and like too many other such persecutions of too many other peoptes-the lessons of the Holocaust must ijever be forgotten." Indeed, the lessons of the Armenian Genocide must never be forgotten. Campus visitors reflect on Genocide By Barlow Der Mugrdechian Advisor . J The past several months, both on this campus and throughout the world, have ' been filled with activities centered on the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the .Armenian Genocide. The annual com¬ memoration took on a special urgency this year, as it was a "special year" being die seventy-fifth anniversary. Moreover, a sobering thought came to mind, namely thai the often repeated phrase lhat soon there will be no Armenians alive who were bom on their historic homeland in Western Armenia is rapidly becoming a reality. In fact, it is becoming progressively more difficult to find these survivors to honor at commemorative events. I was thinking about that recently as several guests were in Fresno on the occasion of the Armenian Genocide commemoration. I met Rabbi Kenneth Segel of Temple Beth Israel as a result of his commitment to passing a resolution on the Armenian Genocide at the annual convention of Ihe Union of Hebrew American Congregations last November. He was a participant in a panel discussion organized by ihe Armenian Students Organization on April 24 ih. During his eloquent comments be made one statement which I would like to elaborate on, namely thai Armenians should adopt an eleventh commandment, "Thou shall not give to Talaai Pasha a posthumous victory." What a profound message this is for Armenians and non-Armenians alike. Talaat Pasha, who as one of the leaders of the Committee of Union and Progress was at the helm of ihe Ottoman Empire when the Armenian genocide was planned and undertaken, had said to Ambassador Henry Morgcnthau, "I have done more to solve die Armenian Question in three months than Abdul Hamid II did in thirty years." The Armenian Question was the question of the treatment of Armenians within die Ottoman Empire, treatment which had become increasingly severe and capricious by the end of the I9th century. The solution that Talaat sought was the destruction of the Armenian people from their historic homeland. How can Talaat be given a posthumous victory now, some seventy-five years after 1915? He can be given this by the loss of memory, the most precious of our possessions, for each person's memory is unique. If the genocide is forgotten then we have forgotten ourselves, forgotten our history, and our existence. For any Armenian (or non-Armenian) to not learn about this first Genocide of ihe twentieth century means that it will be much easier for the next Talaat or Hitler or Stalin to unleash their brutality against a group of people. The second visitor to our campus during April 24 ih week was English author Christopher Walker whose history, Armenia: The Survival of A Nation, is the definitive work in English on the last two hundred years of Armenian history, including the Genocide. His main mefsage was that clarity of thought and word is very important when discussing the Genocide and thai the story of the Genocide needs to be repeated and restated as often as possible. This is see COMMENTARY, page 3 <*uij Suipdnnf Hye Sharzhoom tdllor: ShmHokoloan Staff Writers: Jeff Ahronian Scatty AbajTan As/nor JaniceCapnttian JonelleCtvo KrixttHarmandarian Layout: Kris n Narmandarian SheriHokofdan Pauleiie Kasparian Photo Editor: Jon Philip Maroot ' Photographers: Philippe Markarian Advertising Mutagen Janice Capretian Circulation Manager Matthew Jendian Advisor: Bartow Der Mugrdechian 'Hye Sharzhoom Is a supplement of the Daily Collegia* and the newspaper of ihe CSUF Armenian Students Organization and the Armenian Stedies Program and is funded by the Associated Students. Articles may be reprinted provided hat WK^AariArx^b acknowledged Hye Sharzhoom welcomes prose, poetry, articles, manuscripts, and Other material from its readers. For further fnfematiot •x*r*n™n£ the newspaper or the Armenian Studies Progrwn, call the ASP «£&* <2ffl>) 279-2669. Satenig Ohannessian Jacqueline Sislian Armenian Page Editor: Strop Tonus ion Armenian Page Writer: Matthew Jendian Copy Editor Letters to the Editor Dear Professor Kouymjian, Twelve or thirteen years ago at a Symposium organized by ICOM at the University of Marseilles, France we met formally. This meek (heza- hampiur ) and genile person. . .whom 1 met again years later in Paris at yet another Armenian literary event, and again in Philadelphia, at the Sym¬ posium on Karabagh in October 1988, impressed me with his gracious attitude. Absorbed in his endeavours in attaining an objective or rather objectives for I believe, besides the organization of the Armenian Chair publication of your esteemed newspaper, he has prepared and WILL PREPARE future leaders for our nation whether to pursue in his steps, studies in Armenian history, culture and arts. I congratulate his appointment to this prestigious Chair which he helped create. * - ^ I beseech him to help create an Armenian think tank, to help create our very much needed legislative and political supreme council of the Diaspora. Enclosed a modest contri¬ bution to your newspaper. Sincerely yours, Sirov, Gaytzag Palandjian A servidor of the Armenian pueblo in this forlorn rincon (corner) of the Diaspora Barcelona, Spain Dear Hye Sharzhoom: Reference: Your March *90 Issue. While events in recent history have definitely proven that we are but Children of a Lesser God; there is an important lesson to be learned here. I can already see Hye Sharzhoom to be at ihe forefront of it by remembering the adage lhat if we do not hang together, wc hang separately. It's about lime we learned to gel along well with each other, rather than looking io others for helping this or that respect Don't let's lament the impending loss of our own language. Jews lost it centuries ago, but being a heritage- conscious group, and strong believers in what w.as said above; they are actually staging a spectacular come¬ back. As a small token of my appreciation of your valiant efforts enclosed please find an insignificant donation. Sincerely, , Bedros R Kricorissian London, Ontario Canada . . . . |