Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Kurds that condemns the Genocide

Our sign translated from Swedish in the video below:
"- Kurds that condemns the crimes against our fellow beeings and neighbours - We remember and regret the Genocide!"



Petition:
Kurds that condemn the crime and genocide against the Armenians, Assyrians and all the other christian minority during the time of the Ottoman Empire.
Click here to sign the petition!


Never forget the genocide in 1915 !

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Armenians in Kurdistan


The Armenians in southern Kurdistan particulary lives in the western parts of Iraqi-Kurdistan.

S
outhern Kurdistan (Iraqi occupied Kurdistan), in the village Avzarok in southern Duhok close to Zaxho , Armenians lives in a small community and very aware of their identity and culture even if their first language is kurdish. Armenians also lives in Zaxho, tragicly 9 000 thousand Armenians where slaughtered by the Kurds in western Zaxho as a part of the Christian genocide as a band of para-militaries under the Ottoman empire.

According to Kurdistan law, all minority languages including Syriac, Turkmeni and Armenian are protected and the first two languages have a local official status in the areas where a majority of the inhabitants speak those languages, alongside Kurdish language.


St Vartan Church in Duhok

In northern Kurdistan (Turkish occupied Kurdistan), in Sasun in the province of Batman that belonged to Greater Armenia from 190BC to 66EC we can still find a Armenian community.
Sasun (Armenian: Սասուն;) is a area where Armenian epic of "The Daredevils of Sasun" (Sasna Dzrer) in wich the Armenian folkhero of the name Sasna drives enemys and invaders from Armenia. Many Armenians live in northern Kurdish citys like Urfa and Nuseybin since the time of the Kingdom of Armenia, Ottoman Empire and the Christian genocide.

In Vaspurakan (province around the lake Van during the time of Great Armenia, near the Armenian-Turkish boarder) where Armenians lived, mostly converted to Islam and were Kurdified.

Armenian village of Oulasch near Sivas

The Armenians in eastern Kurdistan (Iranian occupied Kurdistan), have their own communitys in the city Urmia near the famous Lake Urmia. This city has since its long history been the
city of many ethnic groups like the Assyrians, Kurds, Armenians, Azerbaijanis and the Iranians.
According to Dr. Jacob Sargis it was estimated to be 45 000 chiefly Armenian refugees in Urmia during the year 1916. Here in Urmia, Assyrians and Armenians gathered and fought the Turks and the Kurds south of the Lake Urmia.

Armenian and Assyrian refugees in Urmia

The Eastern Armenian in the diaspora is primarily spoken in eastern Kurdistan, Iran and former Soviet states.

Armenian church in north-western Iran

Thursday, April 12, 2007

The Armenian diaspora

Armenians living outside Armenia was in the year 2004 estimated to be 9 million people while only 3 million Armenians live in Armenia.

Countries Armenians mostly live in
  1. Russia
  2. Flag of France France
  3. Flag of Iran Iran
  4. Flag of United States United States
  5. Georgia

Other countries Armenians live in further away from Armenia is Zimbabwe, Singapore, Dominican Republic,Ethiopia, Cuba, South Africa, Thailand, Chile, Sweden and even in Argentina where the Armenians is estimated to be 130 000 (!).
The Armenians, unlike the Kurds is at present in every country in the world and many Armenians in the diaspora has succeeded.

Princess Diana was part Armenian
Yuri Gagarin (Soviet cosmonaut, first man in space)
Emile Lahoud (President of Lebanon)
Cher (Cherylin Sarkissian, World famous singer)
System of a down (Metal group, USA)
Tulip Joshi (Indian-Armenian actor in India)



Armenians of Kurdistan live mostly in Batman, Qamishlo, Zaxo, Urfa, Atvin and Malatya.
Before the Genocide against the Christian minority in Ottoman empire the Armenian was estimated only in the capital of Kurdistan, Diyarbakir to be 570 000.

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Aram Tîgran

Aram Tîgran, the concrete foundation of the Armenian-Kurdish relationship, this high culture Kurdish singing artist is a indeed a true romantic nationalist to both country's.
Aram has not only lived in Armenia, he has also lived in Kurdish city's such as in Diyarbakir, Qamishlo and in the city Batman known for the high amount of Armenians living side by side with their Kurdish friends.
Aram Tîgran is now living in Europe.

Aram´s father survived the persecution and genocide against the Christian's by the Young-Turks in the beginning of the 20Th century, he was protected by a Kurdish family as a young boy .

Aram Tïgran most famous song that the Kurds know and have superficial knowledge of is the song "Hey dilbere".