8 The <strong>Armenia</strong>n Reporter | April 4, 2009 <strong>Community</strong> Aram Balian, 14, wins “Ani” Lodge student essay contest 14-year-old urges President Obama to recognize the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide WASHINGTON – With his “Letter to President Obama,” 14- year-old Aram Balian of Chevy Chase, Md., has won the second annual <strong>Armenia</strong>n Student Essay Contest, the Knights of Vartan “Ani” Lodge has announced. The winning essay urges the president to follow up on his affirmation to recognize <strong>and</strong> to persuade the Republic of Turkey to recognize the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide. Aram wrote of his support for President Obama, his personal connection to the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide though his elder relatives, well-documented citations of previous affirmations by the U.S. govemment of the Arrnenian Genocide, a description <strong>and</strong> summary of recent events, <strong>and</strong> the relationship of the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide to other genocides of the 20m century, including the Holocaust. “I was very impressed with the well-thought-out <strong>and</strong> articulate letter that Aram wote, as were the judges,” said “Ani” Lodge Comm<strong>and</strong>er Ed Ketchoyian. “We were so impressed with the essay that we are now working to get the letter to President Obama before April 24th.” The essay contest, launched on December 31, 2008, was open to students under the age of 19. Mr. Balian will receive a $500.00 U.S. Savings Bond. Let us know what’s on your mind. Write to us at letters@ reporter.am Knights of Vartan Essay Contest winner writes to President Obama This open letter by 14-year-old Aram Balian of Chevy Chase, Md., was the winning entry in the second annual <strong>Armenia</strong>n Student Essay Contest sponsored by the Knights of Vartan “Ani” Lodge of Washington, D.C. March 2, 2009 Dear President Obama, I enjoyed watching your presidential address to the Congress when you highlighted the young student from South Carolina who had written to you about the need for repairs at her school. I had never thought that a President of the United States would respond to letters from young students; however, when you mentioned that letter, <strong>and</strong> I saw the student sitting next to the First Lady, I was inspired to write to you. I am writing to ask for your support in recognizing the systematic killings <strong>and</strong> forced deportations of the <strong>Armenia</strong>ns living in the Ottoman Empire at the turn of the twentieth century as genocide. My entire family supported your election. Your c<strong>and</strong>idacy represented strong moral values, a willingness to try to make things right in our country, <strong>and</strong> a real hope for our future. I am extremely proud of our country <strong>and</strong> its citizens <strong>and</strong> grateful to be lucky enough to be an American, under the leadership of President Barack Obama. Several years ago, my parents took my brother <strong>and</strong> me to <strong>Armenia</strong> to connect to our <strong>Armenia</strong>n heritage. The trip was an amazing opportunity to pray in churches that were built in the 4th century, to visit monasteries located in the mountains, <strong>and</strong> to view Mount Ararat, the ancient symbol of <strong>Armenia</strong> where Noah’s ark l<strong>and</strong>ed, from our hotel room in Yerevan. I left <strong>Armenia</strong> as an American happy <strong>and</strong> proud of my <strong>Armenia</strong>n heritage. During our trip, we said a prayer at the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide memorial for the <strong>Armenia</strong>ns who were massacred by the Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1922. My great-gr<strong>and</strong>mother, who died a few years ago, used to tell me stories of her childhood escaping from her village of Dort Yol, Turkey, to avoid the Genocide. She lost her mother during the marches to the Middle East. On the other side of my family, my mother’s great-gr<strong>and</strong>mother was forced to march through the desert. She walked from the city of Gesaria (Caesarea) in western Turkey to Aleppo, Syria. The trip took her three years <strong>and</strong> along the way she saw each of her family members die-one by one. She survived by eating any lizards <strong>and</strong> snakes she caught on the way. The story is much the same for thous<strong>and</strong>s of <strong>Armenia</strong>ns who were forced to march through the desert with no food. In addition to the marching, many people lost their loved ones to outright execution. Although the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide has been an afterthought to some presidents in the past, it has been in the forefront of many great minds, including Raphael Lemkin. Lemkin, who coined the term “genocide,” campaigned for the ban of mass murder, after seeing the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide. The 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention <strong>and</strong> Punishment of the Crime of Genocide adopted Lemkin’s term <strong>and</strong> defined 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; [<strong>and</strong>] forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.” The <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide is not an imagined event; it is a well documented <strong>and</strong> photographed historical event. As you yourself once said, “Joe Biden <strong>and</strong> I believe that the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide is not an allegation, personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence.” There are many countries, unions, states, individuals, <strong>and</strong> others who have recognized the historical truth of the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide. Henry Morgenthau, the US ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1913-1916, recognized the Genocide <strong>and</strong> warned the US government about the “wholesale slaughter” of the <strong>Armenia</strong>ns, Greeks <strong>and</strong> Assyrians. Ambassador Morgenthau’s Story, a book written by Morgenthau, has been used as a primary source concerning what occurred in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. In 1915 alone, over forty articles were written by the New York Times about the Genocide. BBC <strong>News</strong> has also reported on the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide. Pope John Paul II issued a statement in 2000 condemning the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide. Prominent countries that have recognized the Genocide include France, Germany, <strong>and</strong> Argentina. In addition, a coalition of countries, the European Union, has recognized the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide. Finally, many Turkish scholars <strong>and</strong> historians have recognized the Genocide, even in the face of the punitive Turkish legal codes. These figures include Hrant Dink, who was later killed by a radical Turkish nationalist for his views. In the United States, 42 states have recognized the Genocide independently of the Federal Government. During the 2007 visit of the Catholicos, the leader of the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Apostolic Church, to Washington DC, there was a push in congress to pass a bill recognizing the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide. Unfortunately, the bill did not pass. However, there is now a renewed drive to pass the bill, implying that the majority of the US populace considers the massacres of <strong>Armenia</strong>ns, during <strong>and</strong> after World War I, a genocide. Even in the face of this conclusive evidence, some countries still deny calling the killings of <strong>Armenia</strong>ns a genocide. They have been threatened by Turkey with negative financial or military repercussions. In short, they have been bullied, <strong>and</strong> they have capitulated. The US should not be one of the countries in this category. The United States of America is the moral leader of the world. Americans pride themselves on helping countries in need <strong>and</strong> doing the right thing. However, how can the US justify helping other countries establish sound democracies or governments, or even make correct <strong>and</strong> morally sound choices in deploying our troops, when inexplicably, the US has not recognized the first documented <strong>and</strong> photographed Genocide at the beginning of the 20th century Recognizing the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide is a strong moral statement for the United States, <strong>and</strong> should not be a choice. For what other reason than realpolitik has the Genocide not been acknowledged I have read many news articles on the fact that the US needs to maintain a strong military presence in the Middle East. Turkey has become the location of choice, because it is considered a “secular” Muslim state, or even a “moderate” Muslim state. However, given the recent series of speeches by Abdullah Gul, the President of Turkey, who has railed against Israel, does Turkey really seem all that “moderate” The fact that a huge number of Turkish citizens hate Israel <strong>and</strong> by extension America, might make Turkey less than “moderate.” The Middle East is a “hot spot,” in the world; however, the US may want to consider that Turkey is not immune to the passions <strong>and</strong> prejudices of the past. Our attempt at realpolitik, then, may be misguided. In fact, would it not be appropriate for America – a country founded on the ideals of Truth – to step away from realpolitik <strong>and</strong> simply recognize the Truth of the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide Does the US want to give up on Truth-the fact that that there was a systematic Genocide of one <strong>and</strong> a half million <strong>Armenia</strong>ns-for military base locations It is always the right thing to do to speak the Truth, <strong>and</strong> in the end it will not compromise our military presence in Turkey. For all their bluster, it would not be in Turkey’s interest to force the US to close our bases. Both in terms of Turkey’s safety <strong>and</strong> economic gain, a US military presence in Turkey is advantageous. Thus, we really do not need to respond to Turkey’s posturing <strong>and</strong> bullying. To do so will open the United States up to more bullying. I do appreciate the importance of a military presence in the Middle East. However, I cannot underst<strong>and</strong> or condone a military base’s location taking precedence over recognizing the true reason for the death of one <strong>and</strong> a half million fellow humans. I ask you to please recognize the <strong>Armenia</strong>n massacres as Genocide, not only to end an ongoing injustice to the worldwide <strong>Armenia</strong>n community, but also to prevent further genocides from occurring. As you once said “America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide <strong>and</strong> responds forcefully to all genocides.” My parents tell me that other presidents <strong>and</strong> presidential nominees have promised to recognize the Genocide when in office. My family <strong>and</strong> I are looking forward to seeing the Genocide recognized by the United States, under the leadership of President Obama, this year. Once the United States recognizes the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide, we will have truly fulfilled our role as the moral <strong>and</strong> ethical leaders of the world. The philosopher <strong>and</strong> poet George Santayana once said: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Sadly, this has been true when it comes to genocide. Rather than stopping with the <strong>Armenia</strong>ns, genocides-ridding a country of certain ethnic groups-have occurred in China (Nanking), Germany (Hitler himself said, “Who, after all, speaks to-day of the annihilation of the <strong>Armenia</strong>ns”), Cambodia (Pol Pot), Rw<strong>and</strong>a, Bosnia, <strong>and</strong> today in Darfur. Simply put, the more prolonged the recognition of the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide becomes, the less chance for future acceptance of the historical fact of genocide, <strong>and</strong> the more chance for future genocides. I respectfully ask that you support the recognition of the <strong>Armenia</strong>n Genocide. Sincerely, Aram Balian, age 14 Chevy Chase, Md.
The <strong>Armenia</strong>n Reporter | April 4, 2009 9 <strong>Community</strong> Visit us at reporter.am Professor Simon Payaslian. Quick, someone interview this man! LOS ANGELES – A panel of chairholders in <strong>Armenia</strong>n studies <strong>and</strong> directors of <strong>Armenia</strong>n studies programs convened at ucla on March 28 discussed the state of the field. Asked about interest in the field among <strong>Armenia</strong>n- Americans, panelists noted that scarce job opportunities scare students away. Simon Payaslian, who heads a new program at Boston University, put the blame squarely on the shoulders of <strong>Armenia</strong>n-American media. He said <strong>Armenia</strong>n newspapers write about <strong>Armenia</strong>n studies only if they receive a press release. He noted that no <strong>Armenia</strong>n paper has interviewed him. The <strong>Armenia</strong>n Reporter has recently interviewed other professors of <strong>Armenia</strong>n studies, including R.H. Dekmejian <strong>and</strong> Richard Hovannisian, <strong>and</strong> it is true that enrollment in their programs is higher than that in the Boston University program. The correlation is not entirely obvious, however. —V.L.
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