The Ottoman Empire ruled over all of Anatolia and significant parts of Europe, North Africa, the Caucasus and Middle East for over 600 years. Lands once Ottoman dominions today comprise more than 30 independent nations. If Ottoman had tried to assimilate these nations, had demolished their cultural and religional constructions, had it been realistic that 30 nations can maintain their cultural characteristics now? Do u know the numbers of American Indians staying alive? Or aborjins in Australia, or which language is more common in Algeria after occupying by France, or the oppress of English to the Irish and scottish, or how many mosques are undestroyed in Greece, Serbia, Macedonia and Armenia, while 578 churches is constructed by Turkey in Istanbul…
Ottoman
Empire ruled three continent in peace over 600 years, do not surprise, you’re
reading the true number, ”600 years in peace”, But today we’ve been
watching Bosnia, Macedonia, Middle East, Israel, Armenian Slaughter in Caucasus
with anxiety…Lastly Ehud BARAK said that; “Ottoman ruled these territories with
only 100 soldiers in peace, but now we can’t stop the blood with a full army”.
Also as everybody knows that thousands of Jews were slaughtered just because of
their religion in 1450's Europe, but they fled and took shelter in the Ottoman
Empire…
Major western historians disprove the claims that the Turks misruled non-Muslims in general and the Armenians in particular.
J.W.Arnold:
“It is an undeniable historic fact that the Turkish armies have
interfered in the religious and cultural affairs in the areas they conquered.”
Politis
who was a Foreign Minister in Greece:
“The
rights and the interests of the
Greeks
in Turkey could not be better protected by any of other power but the Turks.”
Philip
Marshall Brown:
“Despite the great victory they won, Turks have generously granted to
the people in the conquered regions the right to administer themselves according
to their own rules and the traditions.”
Now I wanna focus on so-called
Armenian claims;
1-)
Did
the Turks take the lands of the Armenians by force?
The
Armenian historian Kevork Aslan said that; “The Armenians lived as local
notables in Anatolia.There were no political bonds among them. Thus whatever
national feelings they had were local.”
And after
they broke away from Byzantine Church in 451,the Byzantines worked to wipe out
Armenians and eliminate them in order to maintain Greek Orthodoxy until the
Turks settled in Anatolia. Contemporary Armenian historians interpret this
conquest of Anatolia to have constituted their liberation from the long
centuries of Byzantine misrule and oppression.The Armenian historian Asoghik
reports that “Because of the Armenians enmity toward Byzantium,they welcomed
the Turkish entry into Anatolia end even helped them.”
2-)
Have
the Turks always attacked and misruled Armenians throughout the history?
The freedom granted and the
great tolerance shown by the Turks to non-Muslims also well-known throughout the
Europe.As I told before,Jews Took shelter in the Ottoman Empire.Like the other
non-Muslims,the Armenian community expanded as a result of the freedom granted
by the Turks. At the same time Armenians shared and contributed to ,the
Turkish-Ottoman culture and ways of life gaining the fame of “the loyal
Nation”. In the 19th century ,for example, 29 Armenians achived the highest governmental rank of
Pasha, “General”. There
were 22 Armenian
ministers,including the ministers of Foreign Affairs,Finance, Trade and Post. So these exactly show how they
were treated in the Empire!!!
First of
all we have to look the reasons of the Armenian revolts.
The
beginning of World War 1 and the Ottoman entry into the war in 1914 on the side
of Germany and Austria-Hungary against Entente powers was considered as a great
opportunity by the Armenian nationalists. Louise Nalbandian relates that “The
Armenian revolutionary committees considered that the most opportune time to
begin a general uprising to achieve
their goals was when the empire was in a state of war and thus less able to
resist an internal attack.Within a few months after Russia declared war against
Ottoman Empire,Armenian forces ,were attacking Turkish cities,towns and villages
in the east,massacring their inhabitants without mercy while at the same time
working to sabotage the ottoman army’s war effort by destroying roads and
bridges,raiding caravans,and doing whatever else they could ease the Russian
occupation. Former Ottoman parliamentarian,Boyacin specifically ordered that
“Turkish children also should be killed as they form a danger to the
Armenian nation.”
The
Armenian newspaper Gochnak,published in the United States, also proudly reported
in 1915 that “only 1500 Turks remain in Van”, the rest having been
slaughtered. Because they are still
the minority in the territory which they called as “Historic Armenia”…
So that
the government finally acted.In 1915 on April 24, the Armenian committees were
closed and 235 of their leaders were arrested against the state. And decided
that Armenians were deported to Syria and Palestine.By the way historical facts
show that the massacre was commited by Armenians not by the Turks.
4-)
Did
1,5 Million Armenians die during the World War 1?
According to the official
Ottoman cencus statics, Armenian population is 1,295,000. How,then,could 1,5
million Armenians died? When the government deciden to depotation,Ottoman
Council of Ministers ordered that; The
Ottoman Council of Ministers ordered;
-
The food
needed by the emigrants while travelling until they reach their destinations
must
be provided,
-
Make certain that indigent emigrants are given enough food and that their health
is
assured
by daily visits by a doctor,
-
Sick people, poor-people, women and children should be sent by rail,
-
Each convoy should be accompanied by detachment of guards
-
In cases where the emigrants are attacked, either in the camps or during the
journeys , all efforts should be taken to repel the attacks immediately.
So anybody
can think that how the Armenians lost their lives? The deportations and
settlement of the deported Armenians took place at a time when the Empire was
suffering from severe shortages of fuel,food,medicine and other supplies…. And
It should not be forgotten that, at the same time, an entire Ottoman army of “90,000” soldiers
froze in the Sarikamis as a result of severe shortages!!!
If you make to make researches with official proofs,visit these sites...Documents,Photos,Films...
http://www.devletarsivleri.gov.tr/yayin/osmanli/ermenikatliam/icindekiler.htm Official archieves...English and Turkish...
www.ermenisorunu.gen.tr All documents...
www.armenianreality.com
Film...Artin Penik's confession in his last hours...Photos,archieves..
www.azerigenocide.org Genocide in Karabag...still continuing...
