Tall Armenian Tale

 

The Other Side of the Falsified Genocide

 

  Commentary by Edward Tashji   
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It's tragic how many Armenians are so blinded by hatred that they prefer to live in the past, and deny themselves the joys of their roots. Not all Armenians are like that. Some Armenians prefer concentrating on their emotional attachments to the old country. These Armenians know Turkish music, food and language form as much a part of their identities as anything else, and don't appreciate being ostracized by the larger, more hateful Armenian group. They feel they are robbed of their precious past and cherished memories, and resent the domineering attitude of the other group.

I'm a big fan of Edward Tashji, who has the guts and the love to come right out and declare where he stands. In his own words, this "Armenian-American has become 'famous,' (he said with all humility), within the Turkish community, while becoming "infamous", (he said with deep regret), within the Armenian community." Also, in his words... he is : "An American born of an Armenian mother and a Syrian-Orthodox father (.) He is the younger son of parents who had been born in Ottoman Turkey, became eye-witness to the conflagration of the First World War in their beloved homeland, and as a result, their destiny brought them to the land where millions had emigrated."

 

 
Why Did I Testify Against My Own People?!


One Armenian’s Soul-Searching Self-Interrogation!

By Edward Tashji




It is a pleasure for me once again to be able to greet the Turkish-American community by way of the printed word. For numerous years articles and commentaries written by this writer, have appeared in many issues of the “Vision” and “Gorus” magazines and Turkish newspaper publications, on issues of major concern to the people I am proud to serve. My present contribution was requested by the Chairman of the World Turkish Congress, to whom I am deeply grateful for allowing me the opportunity of extending my best wishes to the readers of the “Focus” magazine, and to the members of the Turkish-American community.

But the purpose of this offering, as indicated by the title, wishes to draw the reader’s attention to a situation in which few people have had the misfortune to find themselves confronted with. If you have read any of our many published contributions on Turkish-Armenian relations, the negative posture of our news media pertaining to the Turkish people, and our efforts pertaining to the Turks of Cyprus, Bulgaria, Crimea, Azerbaijan, Germany, the newly established Turkic Republics and the slaughter of the Muslims of Bosnia-Herzegovina, then you are aware of this monumental effort. But as an American born of Armenian and Syrian-Orthodox parents, my life and the cause to which I have dedicated myself, attempts to respond in all honesty and sincerity, to a profound question which I have asked myself: Why did I publicly criticize and oppose my own people?! The following describes the latest scene:

On December 6, 1993 — the New Jersey State Senate Education Committee assembled in the Legislature Building in Trenton, New Jersey, to discuss Assembly Bill 2780 which had been passed by the Assembly one week earlier. The Bill, which proposed the teaching of high school students on the subject of genocide and the holocaust, includes the words: “...genocide and the events in Armenia..." Considering the Bill was sponsored by the Assembly Speaker, Garabed Haytaian, the reason for the vague inclusion, this blatant subterfuge — becomes conspicuously evident. In an attempt to express the position of the Turkish-American community, after the State Assembly and Senate were flooded with letters and faxes, representatives of the World Turkish Congress, the Federation of Turkish-American Associations, Inc., and the Jewish-American community, made themselves present at the committee hearing, and numerous of our eloquent speakers presented our opposition in factual, succinct, and most effective manner. Among our distinguished speakers was the emphatic, impassioned, challenging and inspiring presentation of one, who has come to be known as, “Turk dostu” — a friend of Turks. His delivery created a hush in the entire room.

The attention paid by each Senator on his every word was very evident as they sat literally riveted by his emotion and continuous flow of factual information. Because of his Armenian ethnicity, his avowed testimony conveyed a unique significance, and his opening remarks attempted to dispel any question pertaining to his veracity and motivation. The following comments were among our statements presented to the Senators, which had followed a television interview, and are offered here for your consideration:

My initial introduction to the Turkish-Armenian history was not from a book or any newspaper, but from my parents who had been born and lived in Ottoman Turkey during the early period of this century. Their eyewitness accounts and descriptions of the events taking place during the First World War, remained free of animosity toward Turks, and they had possessed extraordinary honesty in revealing the open rebellion as carried out by several Armenian political and paramilitary groups. In my countless writings, speeches and conversations, I have never denied the suffering of the Armenian people. But to dwell on, to sympathize for the Armenian tragedy while totally negating the suffering of the Syrian-Orthodox (my father's background), the Jews, the Arabs, and other ethnic groups, is to accept only half a truth. Does not scholarship demand that we consider the Turkish-Muslim dead?! What of the many facts which refute the Armenian allegations against Turkey?

Yes, I testified against my own people, but not because I am anti-Armenian, but because of the Armenian preoccupation with hatred. They have created a Frankenstein monster known as hate and its legacy is carried from generation to generation. This monster has turned against its own creators, and this manifestation of hatred has destroyed the Armenian family and the sanctity of its church. No American editor or politician is qualified to pass judgment upon the Turkish Nation! Their source of information are the enemies of the Turkish people, who enjoy a highly financed and well orchestrated anti-Turkish influence upon State and Federal legislators. The New Jersey Assembly Speaker, a victim of the hate monster, has become incensed at the inclusion of the suffering on the Ukrainian and Polish peoples in his Bill, and he demands the removal of the Senate amendments.

Political expediency had become the weapon of the “hate merchants” and under the guise of education, they will corrupt the minds of our children. I abhor this wicked philosophy! My judge is not Armenian, nor Turkish, nor American, my one and only judge is Almighty God Himself to whom one day I shall answer. Yes the Honorable Senators listened to my testimony, each with his own interpretation of my position, and the following represents my conclusion to the committee:

I am free of hate! My wife and I are living examples of the six centuries of Turkish-Armenian brotherhood, which continues to this day in the Republic of Turkey. If the New Jersey State Legislature is to legislate education of genocide, then it should begin with our own history and teach the genocide of the original indigenous people of this land! The Armenians of Ottoman Turkey were not a subjugated or persecuted people, as some politicians believe. The Armenians had been revolutionaries against the nation where they had prospered and had achieved the highest levels of authority in the Ottoman Government. But this fact, among many, remain unknown — a more correct word would be, unaccepted, by certain groups. And the New Jersey Legislature purports to enlighten our youth with “factual” history. Dear reader, much more needs to be stated, but I shall conclude with my final comments directed to the youth of the Armenian and Turkish communities:

Beloved Armenian youth: You have every reason to be proud of your culture, your Christian Faith, and the genius of Armenian creativity and intellect. Through no fault of your own you have become inflicted with the same genetic malady as experienced by the New Jersey Assembly Speaker; it is known as eternal animosity. Free yourself of this bondage, be proud of your history, of being an Armenian-American and extend your hand in friendship to those you have been taught to hate. May love bring peace to your heart.

Beloved Turkish youth: You are the children of a great people; you are the children of the immortal Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and as a result you have an awesome responsibility. Each of you must face the challenge of those who malign, ridicule, and defame the honor of your race and culture. Stand tall, revere your Islamic Faith, be proud of the humanity of your Turkish origin, of being a Turkish-American, and extend your hand in friendship first — as it will signify the inherent compassion of the Turkish heart. I know well, that only love will bring peace to your heart.

Dear reader of the “Focus,” my life approaches its final chapters and as I look back, just as each of you must do — I measure my failures and successes. I have aroused the emotions of love and hate (of those who oppose me), but in my heart I believe far more the former than the latter. Love recognizes no flag, no religion, no language, no geographical boundary. Love is universal and no power on earth can surpass its impact upon each of us. On behalf of my beloved wife, I bid each of you the infinite joy of love, as I thank you for reading these lines. Till next we meet again, the work continues....





 

Edward Tashji

I am Called: "Turk Dostu" — A "Friend of Turks"

The above appeared in "Focus" Magazine, date unknown

 

 

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THE PURPOSE OF TALL ARMENIAN TALE (TAT)
...Is to expose the mythological “Armenian genocide,” from the years 1915-16. A wartime tragedy involving the losses of so many has been turned into a politicized story of “exclusive victimhood,” and because of the prevailing prejudice against Turks, along with Turkish indifference, those in the world, particularly in the West, have been quick to accept these terribly defamatory claims involving the worst crime against humanity. Few stop to investigate below the surface that those regarded as the innocent victims, the Armenians, while seeking to establish an independent state, have been the ones to commit systematic ethnic cleansing against those who did not fit into their racial/religious ideal: Muslims, Jews, and even fellow Armenians who had converted to Islam. Criminals as Dro, Antranik, Keri, Armen Garo and Soghoman Tehlirian (the assassin of Talat Pasha, one of the three Young Turk leaders, along with Enver and Jemal) contributed toward the deaths (via massacres, atrocities, and forced deportation) of countless innocents, numbering over half a million. What determines genocide is not the number of casualties or the cruelty of the persecutions, but the intent to destroy a group, the members of which are guilty of nothing beyond being members of that group. The Armenians suffered their fate of resettlement not for their ethnicity, having co-existed and prospered in the Ottoman Empire for centuries, but because they rebelled against their dying Ottoman nation during WWI (World War I); a rebellion that even their leaders of the period, such as Boghos Nubar and Hovhannes Katchaznouni, have admitted. Yet the hypocritical world rarely bothers to look beneath the surface, not only because of anti-Turkish prejudice, but because of Armenian wealth and intimidation tactics. As a result, these libelous lies, sometimes belonging in the category of “genocide studies,” have become part of the school curricula of many regions. Armenian scholars such as Vahakn Dadrian, Peter Balakian, Richard Hovannisian, Dennis Papazian and Levon Marashlian have been known to dishonestly present only one side of their story, as long as their genocide becomes affirmed. They have enlisted the help of "genocide scholars," such as Roger Smith, Robert Melson, Samantha Power, and Israel Charny… and particularly  those of Turkish extraction, such as Taner Akcam and Fatma Muge Gocek, who justify their alliance with those who actively work to harm the interests of their native country, with the claim that such efforts will help make Turkey more" democratic." On the other side of this coin are genuine scholars who consider all the relevant data, as true scholars have a duty to do, such as Justin McCarthy, Bernard Lewis, Heath Lowry, Erich Feigl and Guenter Lewy. The unscrupulous genocide industry, not having the facts on its side, makes a practice of attacking the messenger instead of the message, vilifying these professors as “deniers” and "agents of the Turkish government." The truth means so little to the pro-genocide believers, some even resort to the forgeries of the Naim-Andonian telegrams or sources  based on false evidence, as Franz Werfel’s The Forty Days of Musa Dagh. Naturally, there is no end to the hearsay "evidence" of the prejudiced pro-Christian people from the period, including missionaries and Near East Relief representatives, Arnold Toynbee, Lord Bryce, Lloyd George, Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, and so many others. When the rare Westerner opted to look at the issues objectively, such as Admirals Mark Bristol and Colby Chester, they were quick to be branded as “Turcophiles” by the propagandists. The sad thing is, even those who don’t consider themselves as bigots are quick to accept the deceptive claims of Armenian propaganda, because deep down people feel the Turks are natural killers and during times when Turks were victims, they do not rate as equal and deserving human beings. This is the main reason why the myth of this genocide has become the common wisdom.