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A large part of the people who inhabited it were Armenians - it had once been at the heart of a great Armenian empire.
Today there are almost none.
The only two buildings still standing there are mosques. Of the dozen or so churches, there is no trace.
The story of how the Armenians vanished from their historic homeland is not discussed in Van today.
At least half, maybe much more, of the original population died, in what many historians call the modern world's first genocide.
No discussion
The Turkish government still fiercely defends its version of history - that what happened in 1915 was a tragedy, not a war crime.
But the annihilation of the Armenians is simply blanked out of the history taught in Turkish schools.
There is no discussion, and real dangers await those who try to start one.
I had an Armenian boyfriend in college. He was always mad that the Holocaust got the world's recognition, while the Armenian genocide got none. In fact, until him, I had never heard about it either. Sadly, this part of the article stuck out:
He said there had been strong pressure on him from other American Armenians not to come - they saw the one-off church service as a cynical publicity stunt by Turkey.
At times on Sunday it did seem like that.
The local government had invited an army of journalists to witness the service who threatened to overwhelm the congregation. It also invited local Muslims, who talked and laughed all the way through it.
How utterly arrogant and rude, never mind thoughtless. It seems that when a people are not made to look at their history, nothing is learned from it.
Clipped to Human Rights Vine.
It seems that when a people are not made to look at their history, nothing is learned from it.
Good point!
while the Armenian genocide got none.
It should get more attention.
I found out about it through a friend in school. I was in the USA for a few years and had a friend that people would tease and call her turkey(as in Turkish). She would flip, and start kicking ass. I asked why she let them get to her(being Jewish, and from Israel, I got a bit of crap now and then) She told me the story. A. she is not Turkish. B. She explained the Armenian genocide story. I have to say I was really blown away. I didn't know.
I am very worried about Turkey. It would seem it is heading deeper into the pockets of Radical Islam. Much farther then it's roots as a crossroads between Europe and the middle east. Do you think this is true? I need to find out more.
I really don't know that much about Turkey. My cousin does business there and in Cyprus and says that the people are very nice. But as we all know, people are not a government. So while the people may be nice, who knows who laying down who in the government. Alliances are made for the strangest reasons, and often with unforeseen fall out.
I do know that the current government has not been nice to the Orthodox Church. Here is a 60 min about that:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5990771n&tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6001717n&tag=contentMain;contentBody
I really don't know that much about Turkey. My cousin does business there and in Cyprus and says that the people are very nice. But as we all know, people are not a government. So while the people may be nice, who knows who laying down who in the government. Alliances are made for the strangest reasons, and often with unforeseen fall out.
Actually I think the problem is that many people so often tend to generalize about an entire country. For example-- the current Iranian regime is horrendous-- truly barbaric. And many Iranians actually do support them. However, there are also many (probably even a najority) of Iranioans who are really great folks-- and who are, themselves, victims of their neanderthakl Islamist government!
Althoug its a different coutnry, and different in many ways-- ther's a similar situation with Turkey. Namely, the people are divided. Some are reactionary Islamist bigots-- others are wonderfully progressive!
But , unfortunately, the reactionaries are gaining in power. Here's an excellent article on the subject: Radical Islam on rise in Balkans, Turkey & Macedonia
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