By Dan Abendschein, Staff Writer
A centuries-old dispute between Armenians and Turks is playing a part in the race for the congressional seat that represents most of Pasadena.
In recent weeks, Republican challenger Charles Hahn picked up thousands of dollars at a fundraiser thrown by a Turkish-American businessman who runs a Web site denying the World War I-era Armenian genocide took place.
“I want to bring all sides of the issue to the party: Armenians, Turkish-Americans, the Turkish and Armenian governments,” said Hahn. “We need to all work together in solving the problem.”
The fundraiser was put together by Ergun Kirlikovali of Turkish Forum, an Orange County businessman who runs several Web sites, including “www.falsegenocide.com.”
The ideology represents a sharp contrast to bills sponsored by incumbent Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena. Over the past two years, Schiff has sponsored legislation that would put the U.S. government on record as officially recognizing that the genocide took place.
Schiff, who has been strongly supported by his Armenian-American constituents, brought the fundraiser to the attention to the local Armenian-language media because he considers the Kirlikovali’s views troubling.
“This is a pretty narrow special interests group that is devoted to eradicating the memory of genocide,” said Schiff. “This is a way of sending a message and pushing back against that idea.”
Schiff’s legislation has been controversial. The American-allied Turkish government has steadfastly claimed that the deaths of Armenians in the break-up of the Ottoman Empire during World War I were part of a civil war with casualties on both sides. Armenians and most historians have characterized it as a concerted government effort to eliminate Armenians from a new Turkish nation.
Hahn raised about $5,700 from the fundraiser and from other contributions from Kirlikovali. All of the people contributing at the fundraiser listed addresses outside Schiff’s district, with two listing addresses in Maryland and New York.
Hahn also received $2,300 from the national Turkish Coalition USA Political Action Committee, which opposed Schiff’s legislation. The total contributions make up more than 10 percent of his total fundraising.
Schiff’s bill failed in the 2007 congressional session, but was reintroduced this year and approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. If it does not pass in the general session this year Schiff plans to reintroduce it again next year.
Hahn said he does not deny that the Armenian genocide took place, but says he would not have supported Schiff’s legislation. He said he would like to introduce legislation that would be approved by Armenian and Turkish-American groups alike, though he would not say what specifically the legislation would say or accomplish.
He said the fundraiser’s attendance was not exclusively members of the Turkish-American community.
Kirlikovali said the main reason he and others at the fundraiser are supporting Hahn is because they dislike Schiff’s legislation. However, he is also a registered Republican and agrees with Hahn’s tax policies, he said.
“I find Schiff’s stand racist and dishonest,” said Kirlikovali. “I’d like to support someone who can defeat him.”
He said he does not deny that Armenians were killed in great numbers during World War I but said that Turks were killed in greater numbers.
“I lost most of my grandparents’ family on both sides,” said Kirlikovali. “It is the same for other Turks … just because we sit quietly and grieve instead of making noise about it does not mean we haven’t suffered.”
He added that Schiff had introduced the legislation without regard for Turkish-American relations just to “appease some radicals in a California city,” a likely reference to Glendale, which has a large population of Armenians.
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