Posted on 12/15/2008 11:48:02 AM PST by george76
A group of about 200 Turkish intellectuals on Monday issued an apology on the Internet for the World War I-era massacres of Armenians in Turkey.
The group of prominent academics, journalists, writers and artists avoided using the contentious term ``genocide'' in the apology, using the less explosive ``Great Catastrophe'' instead.
But the apology is a sign that many in Turkey are ready to break a long-held taboo against acknowledging Turkish culpability for the deaths.
Historians estimate that, in the last days of the Ottoman Empire, up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks in what is widely regarded as the first genocide of the 20th century. Armenians have long pushed for the deaths to be recognized as genocide.
While Turkey does not deny that many died in that era, the country has rejected the term genocide...
(Excerpt) Read more at timesofindia.indiatimes.com ...
Turkish President Gul recently went to Armenia, watched a soccer match with the Armenian President which was followed by a state dinner in Yerevan.
Progress indeed. Well met.
Çok iyi!
Adolph Hitler
L
This is some good news! With a significant number of Turkish intellectuals finally following Orhan Pamuk’s courageous lead, perhaps our State Department and Executive Branch (under many presidents) - historically so desparate for the support of majority-Muslim states as to ignore even the most basic interests of Christians - will be shamed into showing basic decency by recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Perhaps even these panderers will recognize that it’s disgraceful for them, safe, secure, and well-fatted as they are, to fail to do what some brave Turks are doing at so much risk from Islamaniacs and nationalist thugs.
Good to see that the Turkish government’s official whitewashing isn’t accepted by at least a few educated Turks. I think it’s important to recognize the genocide in the face of the repeated lies about history for two reasons. 1)Respect for those who were slaughtered. 2)To stop a precedent from being set.
If this is allowed to stand as “ancient history,” we are effectively saying that we’re too busy to worry about the details of a Muslim country committing genocide against Christians and then denying it.
By the way, as someone who’s 1/4 Armenian and 1/4 Polish, the hitler quote is chilling.
Just read the full article. One more thing, to the Turkish nationalists who are so insulted that their ancestors could have possibly done something like that. There’s a grave in the family cemetary without a body for a relative who was beheaded by the Turks over there. So the heck with you and your ignorant lies. I don’t want your land or your silly country, but I refuse to let you perpetuate a lie.
Also, what do the Turks say about the killing (apparently as recently as 2007) of those who spoke out about the genocide?
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