Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Armenian genocide and the Kurdish involvement
Armenian genocide and the Kurdish involvement
On the 8th July 2008 the solidarity and cooperation which has been prevalent between Kurdish and Armenian groups prompted them to arrange a meeting to outline clearly some of the main points in respect of the Kurdish involvement in Armenian genocide. This meeting took place at Portcullis House in London (which houses the offices of Members of Parliament). The main speaker was Kurdish historian Professor Kamal Mazhar Ahmad and imminent Kurdish expert and writer Dr Rebwar Fatah. The involvement of Professor Ahmad academically on this issue is well known internationally. He is an architect of Kurdish contemporary history who has a firm grasp of wide ranging issues relevant to the Kurdish history of the past, present and future. His contribution to the case of the Armenian genocide of 1915 is one of the most important contributions he has made through his book ‘Kurdistan during the First World War’ with one chapter devoted to this case. This particular chapter has formed the basis of the research conducted by Kurdish scholar Simand Osman in his Masters degree in France Before we go into further detail of what happened in this period of history I would first like to explain the meaning of genocide as defined by the United Nations.
The definition of genocide
The United Nations 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide legally defines genocide as, ‘any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.’ (Article 2).
Kurdish involvement
Armenia is one of the nations in the Middle East which has some similarities and solidarities with Kurdish people. The Armenian and Kurdish nations have been living side by side through the centuries with both nations being without any independent state for a long time and who have been under occupation for considerable time. These good relations go back to the time of the Medes around the 6th Century BC. The Kurdish and Armenian land over this time has been partitioned into Iran, Turkey and some parts of Russia. Both had a great deal of suffering under the hands of occupiers and invaders. For example, in the war between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Caucasus Army at Sarikamis tens of thousands of Armenians were displaced from the land of their fathers and grandfathers.
The only other main factors differentiating the Kurdish and Armenian nations at present are:
1. Religion – the majority of Armenians are Christian whereas the majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslims.
2. Advancement of nations – Armenian passed through the slavery stages before the Kurds and as a result is a more advanced civilized nation today.
The control of the Ottoman Empire across the regions covering the north, south, east and west of Kurdistan are the main reasons for all the atrocities taking place in those regions. The Ottoman Empire not only bullied non-Turkish nations in that area but also tried to attack other colonies in the region including the British and French. The most vivid example of this was the Treaty of Sevres of 10th August 1920 between France, England and Turkey which promised an independent state to the Kurds but was soon replaced by the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923 in favour of the Turkish state. To summarise, both the Kurds and Armenians suffered greatly under the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
The atrocities taking place when the Turks discovered that Armenian nationalists were seeking an independent state and separation from the Turkish state resulting in the Turks doing everything possible to demolish and demoralise the meaning of nationalism for the Armenians and therefore they used the Kurds as a tool to deliver and convey such atrocities. Kurdish feudalists were hungry for money, land and assets. The Kurdish feudalists and the backwards sections of the Kurds were involved with these atrocities without any attention to nationalism.
As Professor Ahmad elaborated in his book; ‘The injustices perpetrated by the Kurdish aghas against the Armenian farmers were actually much greater that those suffered by the Kurdish Muslim peasant, and weighed heavily on them. Kurdish aghas were helped greatly in this by circumstances, especially as Sultan Abdul Hamid openly encouraged them, connived at their wrongdoing, and even gave them money and material aid to take over the land of others’ (Ahmad, 1994, p.148). This trend not only destroyed the Armenian nationalists’ hopes and dreams for an independent state but also slandered the Kurdish reputation. Other than this, no other conflicts between the Kurdish nationalists and Armenian parties and groups were evident at that time. However, we are not deterred by such comments which exist with regard to the Kurdish involvement in Armenian atrocities for several reasons;
1. The people involved have not represented Kurdish nationalism or the groups of parties. The people involved in those atrocities are people hungry for money, land and state. We can find it in any nationality anywhere in the world.
2. The past two decades have been characterised by the Anfal campaign against Kurds (Kurdish genocide) which have been carried out by the Iraqi nationalist state against the Kurdish people with almost 182,000 killed. Such operations have been carried out by corrupt people in Iraq and by the Iraqi state which has used traitors to carry out the destroying, killing and massacring of Kurdish villages and civilians of these villages, including children, regardless of their sex, age, etc.
To date, the Kurdish people in the south of Kurdistan hold the authorities and the former regimes responsible for these atrocities, not the Arab people who have been living side by side with them for centuries in this region.
3. Not surprisingly, the Kurds and Armenians view this historical event differently and are willing to put aside any doubts or problems in their previous relationship in order to gain more understanding of what happened in the past with the aim to maintain good relations in the future. As my colleague Dr Ara Nahabedian commented, much of Armenian literature indicates that it was too late to restore the harmonious relationship which existed between many Kurds and Armenians regarding this period in history due to the provocation of this relationship by the Turks and the subsequent blaming of the Kurds by the Turks. However, the evidence we have considered indicates that is never too late for changes to take place. We need a clean and robust integration throughout this issue. How can it be possible for the Kurds to be blamed and to suffer the same fate as the Armenians in the hands of the Turks? I am not trying to undermine any attempt to achieve a coherent and integrated communication.
Finally as Professor Ahmad indicates at the end of his chapter on this issue, ‘the Armenians were merely victims of the short-sightedness of men in authority and of the machinations and designs of the great powers, which emerged more clearly after the First World War had ended’ (Ahmad, 1994, p.175).
References
Ahmad, K.M., (1994) ‘Kurdistan during the First World War’, Saqi Books
United Nations (1948) ‘Convention on the Prevention & Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,’ Article 2
Article from KurdishMedia.com - By Mufid Abdulla
Friday, July 18, 2008
Shehram Nazeriy & Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra
Nazeri He was born in 1950 to a Kurdish family in Kermanshah, Iran. His family was musical. He started to learn Vocal techniques and Setar playing from his father at an early age. He is said to have started singing in public at the age of eight.
He specializes in the rich tradition of Sufi music, which turns to song the mystical poetry of Rumi, Hafiz, Attar, and others. Nazeri is known particularly for several decades of works on Rumi poetry. He is also working on symphonies made on Firdowsi's masterpieces.Nazeri is Called "the Persian nightingale" and usually holds deeply soulful performances. He is also referred to as "the Pavarotti of Iran
Part 1
Part 2
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Fernandes new book about several genocides and the politics of denialism
A Discussion of the central themes and findings of
Desmond Fernandes' new book
Venue: The Grand Committee Room, The House of Commons, Westminster.
Monday 21st July 2008.
Time: 6-7.30 pm.
Monday, July 14, 2008
CHAK: "KRG SHOULD OFFICIAL RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN/ASSYRIAN GENOCIDE"
Adnan said that they should write a letter to the KRG government (Kurdistan Regional Government in south Kurdistan) to ask for official recognition of the Armenia/Assyrian genocide that took place in 1915 and also a letter to the Armenian government to ask for official recognition of the Kurdish genocide (Anfal-campaign) in 1988.
Several Kurdish associations around Europe has already showned interest to support the suggestion that Adnan made.Friday, June 20, 2008
Meeting on Armenian and Kurdish genocide to be held in London
The meeting is organsied by Armenian, Assyrian and Kurdish organisations, including:
Armenian Solidarity with the victims of all genocides
Centre for Halabja against the Anfalisation of Kurdistan (CHAK)
Nor Serount Cultural Association
Seyfo Centre
Evidence from Kurdish sources on the 1915 Genocide to be presented in the UK Parliament
The new co-operation between Armenian, Assyrian and Kurdish groups has facilitated this event:
Where: Room P of Portcullis House (which houses the offices of Members of Parliament)
When: 2.00 p.m. on Tuesday, 8th July
The speakers will be eminent Kurdish historian Prof Kamal Mazhar Ahmad and eminent Kurdish expert and writer Dr Rebwar Fatah.
Seating is limited, and an early reply to this invitation is advised.
Portcullis House is on Victoria Embankment/Bridge Street corner next to Westminster tube station (facing parliament)
If you are planning to attend, RSVP to eilian@nant.wanadoo.co.uk
Telephone Rizgar Kocher: 07709435998
Three new Genocide Motions in the UK parliament
This new collaboration has resulted in three new motions in Parliament. We urge Armenians, Assyrians and Kurds to contact their MPs, asking them to sign all three Motions
GENOCIDE AGAINST THE ASSYRIAN AND ARMENIAN PEOPLE 1806
Spink, Bob
That this House urges the Government to recognise formally the genocide of Assyrians and Armenians under the Young Turk regime in Ottoman Turkey during 1915 to 1923; and welcomes the co-operation between groups representing the Armenian and Assyrian peoples, joined also by groups representing the Kurdish people who have also suffered genocide, in jointly working to encourage the whole international community to recognise the atrocities perpetrated against their respective peoples as genocide.
GENOCIDE AGAINST THE KURDISH PEOPLE 1805
Spink, Bob
That this House notes that the Supreme Criminal Court of Iraq has reached its verdict on the Anfal Campaign, declaring it to be a mass killing, a genocide, against the Kurdish people; and calls on the international community to respect the Court's decision and recognise the mass killing of Kurds as genocide.
IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM GENOCIDE EXHIBITION 1807
Spink, Bob
That this House welcomes the current exhibition by Kurdish artist Mr Osman Amed on the Anfal genocide at the Imperial War Museum; and urges the Government to recognise Saddam Hussein's killing of Kurdish people in Iraq during the period 1987 to 1988, including the Anfal campaign and the Halabja chemical attack, as an act of genocide
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
PKK in Artsakh (Armenia)?
Interesting article about the possible PKK involvment in the Artsakh (Ngorno-Karabakh).
The author of the article is Stephen Blank, professor at the US Army War College.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
Onnik Krikorian
Prior to that, he worked on the Kurds in Turkey, the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh, and also specializes in the Yezidi/Kurdish community in Armenia. He has also been prolific in covering issues such as poverty and children deprived of parental care in Armenia and Georgia and writes extensively on this subject.
Gohar Saroava, a Moslem Kurd, helps a Yezidi child prepare for a cultural event, Shamiram, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2004 His articles and photographs have been published by The Los Angeles Times, New Internationalist, The Scotsman, Transitions Online, Middle East Insight, Oneworld.net, EurasiaNet, The Institute for War & Peace Reporting, New York University Press, UNICEF, Amnesty International, The Armenian Weekly, and Armenian Forum among others. He has also worked as a stringer for Transitions Online and Fox News.
Ortachiya, Aragatsotn Region, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2006He maintains a blog of constantly updated photography, articles, commentary, news and links from the South Caucasus and is the Caucasus Editor for Global Voices. He is also the Volunteer Country Editor for Armenia at Oneworld.net.
http://www.oneworld.am
http://oneworld.blogsome.com
http://www.lightstalkers.org/oneworld
http://uk.oneworld.net/guides/armenia/development/
http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/photographers/index.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
"I am the the only survivor from the Genocide"
Mehmet Nurî Aga having a smoke and sharing the story of his life with some relativesMehmet said to the photographer that "I am the the only survivor from the Genocide". He never meet his father because he was hanged in Diyarbakir before his mother Siranoush Xanim gave birth to Mehmet.
He was a very proud man and often refered to himself as a left over from the genocide, even if he was loaded with pride, he often cried when he told stories.
The farm he owned was handed down from his mother Siranoush so Mehmet spent all of his time working hard on the farm like an ordinary local Kurdish peasent even if he was a nobleman both from his mothers side and from his fathers side.
The dengbêj songs (single accappella complain song) he shared with his relatives and friends was one of a kind, it is said that the pain he was singing about was something very present when he perfomed for his guests.
Freedom for Gokhan Ok (16), Servan Yilmaz (16), and Veysel Mamuk (16)
Last year, on October 3, 2007, theYenisehir Municipality Children Chorus that consists of 15 children between the ages of 12 to 17, performed folk songs in eight different languages –Assyrian, Armenian, Arabic, English, German, Hebrew, Turkish, and Kurdish- during the World Music Festival in California. One of the songs sung by the Children Chorus was the Kurdish national anthem "Ey Raqip" (Hey Guard). "Ey Raqip" was written by the Kurdish poet Dildar (1917-1948), in 1938, while in prison in south Kurdistan.
When the group went back to Turkey, all of its 15 members were interrogated and the prosecutors filed a case against three of them (Gokhan Ok (16), Servan Yilmaz (16), and Veysel Mamuk (16)) for singing "Ey Raqip" under the Kurdish flag. They are facing charges for spreading separatist propaganda under article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law. The case will be heard by High Criminal Court on June 19, 2008. Children face up to 5 years imprisonment if found guilty of these charges.
SIGN THE PETITION HERE!
Azadiya Welat - "Kurds and Armenians"
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