Smyrna 1922: The Destruction of a City (Anniversary of the forgotten genocide)

christianity-books.com ^ | Marjorie Housepian Dobkin

[Aric2000]

Revisionist history at it's best, BLAME the Bad Turks, the Turks are bad, etc, etc.

The Greeks are as much to blame for Cyprus, actually more so, then the Turks.

Same old blame game, different day.

As I said, the revisionist history, the lily white virgin crap, and the hatred that I see spouted in this thread is a sad thing to see.

Learn from it and move on, or your hatred and vengeful attitude will eventually make sure that it happens again.

I will find that sad in the extreme.

To blame everything totally on the Turks, as I have been seeing, is as bad as religious zealotry as far as I am concerned.

You look at whatever version of history will match your prejudices and ignore anything that disagrees with it.

Sad, just sad.

You all are a stark expample of why history repeats itself.

And from the hatred etc that I have seen on this thread, history is going to repeat itself, I just hope the Turks are prepared to defend themselves against you when the time comes. Actually, there is no hope about it, I know for a fact that they are.

[Lion in Winter]

Hello.... All my ancestors came over on the MAYFLOWER or helped to settle the JAMESTOWN colony.

You are certainly an idiot about some things aren't you ... you are OBVOUSLY bigoted against Greek Christians or Armenian Christians .

Aren't you one of those islamic apologists that we so often see posting on FR??

Nevermind.... I KNOW the answer.

Take off bigot!!

[Lion in Winter]

Spoken like a true islamic apologist.

[SauronOfMordor]

1922? You sound as nutty as the arabs or the Bosnian Christians bitching about something that happened to them hundreds of years ago. Grow up.

The Armenians will quit complaining about what happened in 1922 about the time that the Jews decide to forget that little unpleasantness in 1930-45.

[SauronOfMordor]

The point is that the Turks not only have never accepted what was done, they not only lie about the genocide, they celebrate it to this day.

As an example, see a_turk's post #23:

August 30, 1922. The day the 3 year occupation of Western Turkey by Greek forces ended..

Long live August 30, 1922.

[Aric2000]

And you speak as a true christian apologist.

Give me a fricking break.

That's it, a small group attacks us, so we will just toss the whole lot of them in.

Sounds a bit racist to me.

Let me guess, there was NOTHING wrong with tossing all the Japanese citizens in this country in camps during WWII either, right?

You people never cease to amaze me with your outright bigotry sometimes.

Conservatives are the least racist people I know, and I know many of them, I am one, but you painting with such a broad brush sounds just a like a liberal screaming about how ALL republicans are nazis.

You sound just as foolish as the idiot liberal does.

[hardhead]

I'm glad you posted this! I had read about this atrocity by Moslems in 'Islam: The Sword of the Prophet'. It tells of an American sailor (maybe British) who was standing on the deck of his destroyer and watching a cluster of women's heads tied together like a bunch of coconuts, floating by. If my memory serves me, weren't there about 300,000 Christians butchered by the spawn of satan? I do recall the story about the Greek Patriach of the city, who was grabbed and being dragged through the streets by his beard. As the people were crying and screaming, he was blessing them with his free hand. This so angered the devil's minions that they cut off his arm then hacked him to pieces.

[Destro]

In 1922, the merciful and tolerant Muslims put an end to the last Christian enclave in Turkey—the bustling and cosmopolitan port city of Smyrna. By the time they were finished, 200,000 Christians had been murdered, the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Chrysostomos had had his eyes plucked out by an enraged mob and his hand had been chopped off when he attempted to bless his persecutors and had said, “Father, forgive them.” American and British warships anchored in the harbor did nothing.

[getoffmylawn]

1922? You sound as nutty as the arabs or the Bosnian Christians bitching about something that happened to them hundreds of years ago. Grow up.

Right on, Brother!! Finally a voice of reason. What's just as bad is these people that aren't even from New York City getting all upset about that 9/11 thing. I don't know about you, but why should I care about a bunch of people that died in New York a few years ago. I mean, sheesh, can't these people just get over it? I didn't know any of them and most of 'em were probably Yankees fans anyway.

Check out some of the threads about Islam. There's a lot of nuts out there that aren't even from New York that are still holding a grudge against Muslims for something that happened years ago. They need to let it go and grow up too.

[Phatheon]

Aric, you are aware that Smyrna was put to the flame 3 days after the Greek army withdrew right?

Perhaps the civilians did it? Right?

Case in point, we (Greeks) are not without blood, but to say we came evern CLOSE to the organized/massive massacres out Turkish neighbours commited is SILLY.

They annihilated an entire island for Christ's sake.

[Aric2000]

Annihilated an entire Island, I assume you are talking about Cyprus?

If so, you have been reading WAY too much propaganda, and not enough ACTUAL history.

I will leave it at that.

When one side blames the other, and then Blows what that side did, COMPLETELY and ABSOLUTELY out of all possible proportions, then you have to sit back and figure out what the ACTUAL history looks like.

The Greeks have hated the Turks for forever, and the Turks have hated the Greeks since forever, bur the Turks don't run around screaming genocide at the top of their lungs at the drop of a hat. Because the Turks have the common sense to know what an ACTUAL genocide is, whereas the Greeks seem to whine a lot about it, but are really clueless as to what it means.

Or so it seems to me.

I couldn't care less about who did what to whom in war, war is hell, as it should be.

To burn a city that they had just captured, with all of it's supplies etc, makes absolutely NO tactical sense, you may think that Turks are that stupid, but I KNOW better.

The citizens burned that city down themselves, in order to keep the Turkish troops from getting those supplies, and the greeks have used it as a propaganda tool ever since.

Greeks may allow their anger to make them stupid, but I know that Turks do not, they use their anger, focus it, they do NOT waste it.

Yes, I tire of all this crap from the Greeks, you are all a bunch of whiners as far as I am concerned.

Your hatred consumes you, the Turks come in and defend themselves and the next thing we know the Greeks are attacking and whining again.

Sad, just sad, all those that did the killings, burned the city, raped, pillaged and plundered are all now safely dead. It is time to learn from it, so that it won't happen again, and move on to the future.

By concentrating so hard on the past, you will be doomed to repeat it, and if it repeats, then you will really whine about it, oh, and some people, YOUR people will die.

So, move on for god's sake, and cut it out with the whining.

The ACTUAL guilty parties are ALL DEAD, so MOVE ON!!!

[Phatheon]

Aric, no I am speaking about the island of Chios, where our friends annihilated 150,000 men, women and children.

You son of a b'itch, what genocide was commited on the murderers? Of course they didn't see 500,000 Pontian Greeks slaughtered like we did. They didn't see 1.5 million Armenians massacred did they? Nope. Innocent little gents they are.

Wake up and smell the coffee you ignorant man. The fact is our neighbours are as guilty as their ancestors for not owning up to their crimes.

9-1-what again?

[Phatheon]

And you Turk, wheened on fairy tales about the 'brave' Mehmetian soldiers outnumbered-ougunned bla bla bla.

http://www.onwar.com/aced/nation/gap/greece/fgreekturk1921.htm

Yes, somehow a nation 1/4 the size of Turkey outnumbered it eh? Yeah right. 4:1 the other way around it was.

As for who burned Smyrna, how could the Greeks have done it if they were 3 days gone? Eh? Time doesn't agree with you.

And for GOD'S sake your people (Turkics) must be the most vile scum the world has seen. Greeks, Serbs, Bulgarians, Cypriots, Assyrians, Armenians, Kurds etc, they ALL wronged you and ALL are wrong in their hate for you. They ALL at one time deserved what they got (a whole lot of death) and ALL are overreacting to it.

Yes yes, the Turk is known for his literature, or his hospitality and humanity. Great works of art abound from the Turk. N-O-T.

All you people are renowned for are genocide(s), kebab and Turkish cells. Be proud my Turkish friend, be proud. Never fear though, you will always find Americans to support your endeavours as you have for the last 50 years. Yes yes, we are all touched with the "concern" our American allies have shown for the Kurds, but some of us find it rather two faced when they turn around and arms and set loose their biggest murderers on them (you on the Kurds). Of course those poor souls wronged you as many others have. What with their wish for freedom of speech etc. Shame on them!

By the way, the Kurd was alongside the Turk slaughtering us for 500 years, but we have quietly buried the hatchet.

[Phatheon]

The point of the matter is, no organized/large scale/brutal lass murder of Turks was ever carried out against them. Not anything approaching 1/10 of what they did to their former subjects. This might not mean anything to Americans in the U.S, but living next door to these people who still deny they ever killed/rapped your people is HELL. We have long memories and their intransigence on these issues doesn't help a real reconciliation.

Will you people forget Pearl Harbour? Would you forget a Pearl Harbour 1000 times over on your major population centers? Not for a while I think.

[Aric2000]

The ACTUAL guilty parties are ALL DEAD, so MOVE ON!!!

[Phatheon]

My friend, do you think we are stupid? Of course the ones who commited the actual crimes are dead (except the Cypriot criminals), but the fact that they continue to surpress/quite their ancestors actions make them party to the crimes in one way.

Until they take responsibility for the crimes of their ancestors, we will not let it go. We cannot. You wouldn't either.

But we look to the future. Our country is not a 3rd world berg like theirs. Yes, very 'constructive' anger they have. Perhaps if they spent some time fixing their morally/economically broke society there could be a true peace.

[squidly]

Wow. I've been to Izmir/Smyrna, and I didn't know a thing about this..... what an ignorant fool.

[Destro]

The Turks burned Smyrna.

Sydney Morning Herald September 16 1922 p.13

A woman, the chief of the American Collegiate Institute, alleges that a Turkish sergeant or officer entered the first building in which flames broke out. He was carrying small tins, apparently of paraffin. The fire broke out immediately he departed.

It is estimated that there are 1000 dead.

European and American financial losses are heavy, probably aggregating 12,000,000 pounds. The destruction includes large, crowded stores.

The Near East Relief Committee of the Armenian and Greek villages outside the city also were set on fire, with the residential suburbs of Bournabat at Soudja.

[swany]

FYI, This film is in the U.S. There are about four copies in my local Blockbuster Store (Midwest-Kansas). Came in about two or three weeks ago.