NY Times: A PBS Documentary Makes Its Case for the Armenian Genocide, With or Without a Debate.
It is impossible to debate a subject like genocide without giving offense. PBS is supposed to give offense responsibly.
And that was the idea behind a panel discussion that PBS planned to show after tonight’s broadcast of “The Armenian Genocide,” a documentary about the extermination of more than one million Armenians by the Turkish Ottoman Empire during World War I.
The powerful hourlong film will be shown on most of the 348 PBS affiliate stations. But nearly a third of those stations decided to cancel the follow-up discussion after an intense lobbying campaign by Armenian groups and some members of Congress.
The protesters complained that the panel of four experts, moderated by Scott Simon, host of “Weekend Edition Saturday” on NPR, included two scholars who defend the Turkish government’s claim that a genocide never took place. The outrage over their inclusion was an indication of how passionately Armenians feel about the issue; they have battled for decades to draw attention to the genocide.
[In] the discussion program “Armenian Genocide: Exploring the Issues,” [i]t turns out that there is only one articulate voice arguing that Armenians died not in a genocide but in a civil war between Christians and Muslims — that of Justin A. McCarthy, a history professor at the University of Louisville. His Turkish counterpart, Omer Turan, an associate professor at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, tries ardently to back him up, but his English is not good enough to make a dent. And the two other experts, Peter Balakian, a humanities professor at Colgate University, and Taner Akcam, a visiting professor of history at the University of Minnesota and a well-known defender of human rights in Turkey, lucidly pick Mr. McCarthy’s points apart.
Mr. Balakian, who is one of the experts cited in the documentary, gets the last word. “If we are going to pretend that a stateless Christian minority population, unarmed, is somehow in a capacity to kill people in an aggressive way that is tantamount to war, or civil war,” Mr. Balakian says, “we’re living in the realm of the absurd.” …
To some, this is an issue of history about a relatively obscure topic. But to those of us who have met and discussed the events of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire with actual survivors, there is no question that it was indeed a genocide, that the Turks and Kurds were responsible, and that it continues to haunt generations of Armenian-Americans.
Here are some heart-wrenching articles I wrote on the subject when I was still with the Sacramento Bee:
• The forgotten ones: The boy who was sold for a silver coin and other Armenian stories of survival
• A backgrounder: Witnesses to genocide
• Gov. George Deukmejian on the Armenian genocide
Today, 19 years after I wrote those articles, I still get emails from relatives of survivors of the Armenian Genocide, who express exasperation at the Turkish government’s refusal to come clean about the events in the Ottoman desert 91 years ago.
JD Lasica, founder of Inside Social Media, is also a fiction author and the co-founder of the cruise discovery engine Cruiseable. See his About page, contact JD or follow him on Twitter.
i am a proud Armenian, and really mad about the Armenian Genoside, Those were my ansestors there, starving to death and other poor Armenian’s getting killed. I have seen the video about the Armenian Genoside and cryed, that is the worst thing that could happen to Armenian’s and people say Armenian’s have the most saddest eyes about their past.
-Armenian Princess*
there have always been many ungrateful and backstabbing nations during the centuries but such a nation has never been seen.What did turks do to you apart from favor? Didn’t u live in a peace by ottoman empire during the years? what was your response to this goodness? your ancestors betrayed this mercyful and just regime. they took a side by invader and crual russians in anatolia. your ancestors attacked civil, innocent and disarmed turkish villages under the protection of russians.their purpose was independence.do you think this was the correct method for that? ottoman empire didn’t order armenians to be killed against such an inhumanity. your ancestors were just deported from anatolia and some died because of inconvenient conditions on the way.They were never massacred systemacaly. What else could Ottomans have done? A traitor nation, which has lived within your country for a long time, is murdering your people and you will remain silent and just watch everything.Would u do that? of course no! but u dont have any courage to admit that because u are grandsons of these traitors. We trust same god and I do not have any hesitation that whatever happens God’s justice will realize some day. The real killers and cruals will be punished..
Everybody talks except historians. There is a mass propaganda saying Turks killed millions(!) of Armenians systematically which is the biggest lie in the history. It seems that PBS joined to this lie community. They don’t even debate the issue but they are very confident that a genocide was happened. No one mentions what local Armenians did with the help of Russia against the empire they lived within.
It’s interesting only Turk side has been insisting on letting historians discuss the issue. I can assure you that Armenians will always be against scientific researches (carried out by honest historians) on the subject.
It’s a shame that recently some civilized(!) European countries have laws punishing a person who who denies Armenian genocide (even if he mentions it’s sufficient for him to be arrested!)and again no one remembered the existence of historians.
I hope common sense will beat rich lie lobbies.
“Writing history is as important as making history. If the writer does not remain true to the maker, then the unchangeable reality transforms into a confusing matter for humanity.”
M. Kemal Ataturk
i am a Turkish girl in Turkey. i don’t belive that armenian genoside, if armenians have a proof they must show, if don’t they mustn’t say anything about that. and Ottoman Empire behaved armenians, greeks, and the others well!!! maybe some Turks killed some armenian people but Ottoman Empire killed the killers!! write me an answer…
one day every one will learn the truth!
There is a saying in English. It goes “don’t …. where you eat.” That’s exactly what Ermenians did during the darkest hours of Ottoman Empire during the early 19th century. Ermanians got together with the enemies of the Ottoman Empire and stab her in the back. Because they wanted a piece of the Ottoman Empire but guess what Those western countries used this poor Ermenians and when they are done with them they drop Ermenians like a hot patotoe. Back in the Ottoman Empire days, Ermenians held the highest positions in the Ottoman Government. They never have serve in the Ottoman Army therefore while Turks were dying in wars they were counting their money from the trades they were doing freely.
I am ending my post by the Ahdnama issued by The Sultan Mehmet the conqurer.
Ahdnama (Oath)
Mehmet The Son Of Murat Khan, Always Victorious! The command of the honorable, sublime sultan’s sign and shining seal of the conqueror of the world is as follows:
I, The Sultan Mehmet – Khan inform all the world that the ones who possess this imperial edict, the Bosnian Franciscans, have got into my good graces, so I command:
Let nobody bother or disturb those who are mentioned, not their churches. Let them dwell in peace in my empire. And let those who have become refugees be and safe. Let them return and let them settle down their monasteries without fear in all the countries of my empire.
Neither my royal highness, nor my viziers or employees, nor my servants, nor any of the citizens of my empire shall insult or disturb them. Let nobody attack, insult or endanger neither their life or their property or the property of their church. Even if they bring somebody from abroad into my country, they are allowed to do so.
As, thus, I have graciously issued this imperial edict, hereby take my great oath.
In the name of the creator of the earth and heaven, the one who feeds all creatures, and in the name of the seven Mustafas and our great messenger, and in the name of the sword I put, nobody shall do contrary to what has been written, as long as they are obedient and faithful to my command.
This Ahdnama (Oath), which brought independence and tolerance to the ones who are from another religion, belief and race, was written by Fatih Sultan Mehmet, after the conquest of Bosnia Herzegovina, on may 28th, 1463. The origin of the Ahdnama is at the Franciscan Catholic Church in Foznica, in Bosnia Herzegovina. The Ahdnama has been recently raised and published by the ministry of culture, for the 700th anniversary of the foundation of the ottoman state. The edict was issued by the sultan Mehmet II El-Fatih to protect the basic rights of the Bosnian people when he conquered them in 1463. The original edict is still kept in a Franciscan monastery in the vicinity of Foznica. The Ahdnama of Fatih Sultan Mehmet, the oldest human rights declaration known in history, was announced 326 years before the 1789 French revolution, and 485 years before the 1948 international human rights declaration.
Dear Aremenian
You may have heard that Vartan Melkonian has just written a remarkable novel “HAVHA and The Black Stone”, it is said to become a bestseller worldwide. You can order your Free First Edition copy, signed by the author with your name. Have a look at the attached flyer, and don't miss out on your chance to receive your First Edition copy. There are only a limited number of copies available, so order it now before they ran out.
Many thanks.
Gill Heathcote-Drummond
Project Manager
Dear Aremenian
You may have heard that Vartan Melkonian has just written a remarkable novel “HAVHA and The Black Stone”, it is said to become a bestseller worldwide. You can order your Free First Edition copy, signed by the author with your name. Have a look at the attached flyer, and don’t miss out on your chance to receive your First Edition copy. There are only a limited number of copies available, so order it now before they ran out.
Many thanks.
Gill Heathcote-Drummond
Project Manager
For all doubtfuls of the Armenian Genocide: i am a Lebanese.. Who wants a proof of the Armenian Genocide must explain how a population of 300 000 Armenians existed in Lebanon in the 1970’s, and 100 000 still exist till this very day.. Any doubtful should also explain the presence of huge Armenian diaspora counting millions all over the world: 2 million in USA, 450 000 in France, etc etc etc.. Ok.. That’s for people who likes to “debate” rather then leave the decisive judgement to historians. Even in that field: the battle for Turks is lost. There is that “national pride” that will always deny any Turk from admitting the Genocide. Would an American admit that the bombing of Dreisden in Germany killing 130 000 civilians back in WW2 was a shame? or the statement of one of its Generals in Vietnam war saying “we will take back Northern Vietnam to the stone age? Would a Serbian admit that his people killed 8000 musslim people in Srebrenitcha? No French will admit either the killing of a million Algerians before Algeria took independance.. And the list goes on and on. Turks are no difference. Extermination annihilation Genocide are the right word to describe the Ottoman empire acts aginst Armenians. This reminds me of some computer game where it’s about clashing civilisations. If it’s for me? Christ says forgive. In that game: u win by annihilating submitting conquering the other civilisation. So God wise: Forgive Turks. Game Wise: conquer back their civilisation. Sorry. harsh truth.