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  • Uygur acknowledges Armenian Genocide

    Uygur acknowledges Armenian Genocide

    The Young Turks” founder Cenk Uygur acknowledges Armenian Genocide, refuses to change the name of show.

    The Young Turks founder Cenk Uygur has recognized the Armenian Genocide. Cenk Uygur is a Turkish-born American political commentator and main host/ co-founder of the American commentary program, The Young Turks.

    He has a history of writing opinionated pieces and editorials in various columns, including university newspapers denying the Armenian Genocide. He claims that he redacted his statement and that the Armenian Genocide did in fact happen. However, he refuses to change the name of his show, “The Young Turks.

    Zartonk Archives (May 13, 2019)

    The Young Turks were part of the Committee for Union and Progress (Ittihadists) that overthrew the sultan in the 1913 coup d’etat. Amongst their ranks, were the nefarious triumvirate who became the masterminds behind the systematic orchestration to annihilate over 3 million Christians in the Ottoman Empire between 1915-1923. This included exterminating over 1.5 million native Armenians, ethnically cleansing them of their ancestral homeland.

    Uygur uses the excuse that he was born in Turkey as one of the reasons for his false statements at diminishing the merit of genocide, though his family moved to America when he was young.

    In 1991, while at the University of Pennsylvania, Uygur wrote an article for The Daily Pennsylvanian (the student newspaper) called “Historical Fact or Falsehood“, which imputes false claims of genocide to Armenian demands for land and money.

    An excerpt: “Hence, once you really examine the history of the time it becomes apparent that the allegations of an Armenian Genocide are unfounded. So the question arises of why the Armenians would bother to conjure up such stories, and even go as far as, committing approximately 200 acts of terrorism since 1973 to further their cause, resulting in countless deaths and injuries to government officials and civilians. The answer is that they want their demands met. Their demands are that they receive close to one-half of the land of the Republic of Turkey for a new Greater Armenia, and that every Armenian claiming to be injured by the alleged genocide be compensated with cash reparations. That is why every year they push the U.S. Congress to pass a bill declaring the Armenian Genocide a historical fact…”

    In a letter to Salon in 1999, he again argued that there was no evidence for that genocide:

    “. . . every non-Armenian scholar in the field believes it is an open question whether this event was a genocide. Is it the claim of the article that all of these people are tainted by the tentacles of the Turkish government? If not, then why is it not pointed out that no one outside of the “Armenian position” believes it is a genocide? Why is it assumed that the “Turkish studies side” has the burden of proof in overturning the verdict of Turkish guilt? It is because of the underlying assumption that despite what these people in “Turkish studies” say, there must have been a genocide.”

    “This is an embarrassing position for someone to take who’s an American progressive”

    Uygur recently lost in a congressional race for California’s 25th district, losing to Christy Smith, gaining a total of 5% of the votes. Nevertheless, Uygur did not receive the endorsement of California’s Democratic Party. Then presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, endorsed him, then retracted his endorsement shortly thereafter.

  • Tell Senator Menendez: It’s time to resign

    Tell Senator Menendez: It’s time to resign

    Dear Friends,

    38,367 persons including myself have signed the attached petition calling for the resignation of criminally indicted U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, a long-time enemy of good U.S. relations with Türkiye.

    You may wish to consider signing as well by clicking on the red “ACT NOW” box. Thank you for your consideration.

    Respectfully,
    Enis Pınar

    Just yesterday, Senator Bob Menendez pleaded not guilty to charges that he is an unregistered foreign agent. These allegations come on top of an earlier 39-page indictment that detailed multiple others, including that the Senator accepted bribes – hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, a luxury car, and gold bars from the Egyptian government.

    While the Senator is entitled to his day in court, no one can effectively serve their constituents when there are credible allegations that they can be bought. With global tensions so high, now more than ever, we need members of Congress who can work with integrity. That’s why Sen. Menendez should resign immediately.

    Since news broke of the allegations, politicians across the country have called for Sen. Menendez’s resignation — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, nearly the entire New Jersey Democratic congressional delegation, former Attorney General Eric Holder, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and more. But the constituency that matters most is the public, and, Enis, this is your chance to speak out.

    This is a crucial moment for accountability. If you believe, as we do, that there must be repercussions for this alleged corruption of U.S. foreign policy, now is the time to act. Add your name to join the growing chorus calling for Senator Robert Menendez to resign immediately.

    ACT NOW
    https://act.winwithoutwar.org/go/38337?t=9&akid=9359%2E927916%2EwfR7vJ

    Allegations that Sen. Menendez accepted bribes to advance the interests of the Egyptian government, known for its horrific human rights record, are deeply alarming.

    The U.S. government currently provides Egypt up to $1.3 BILLION in annual “foreign military financing,” effectively giving the Egyptian government U.S.-taxpayer-funded grants to buy U.S.-made weapons and military equipment.

    This funding, despite a 2020 State Department report on Egypt, which noted significant human rights issues including forced child labor, extrajudicial killings by the government, forced disappearances, and torture.

    The Senator has temporarily stepped back from his influential role as the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) “until the matter has been resolved.” But the simple reality is that the people of New Jersey and beyond deserve better and a mere pause of a chairmanship is wildly insufficient.

    The very idea that Sen. Menendez, as SFRC Chair, may have played a role behind the scenes in greenlighting U.S. military assistance in a pay-for-play scheme is deeply disturbing – and that’s why it’s time to act.

    Maintaining political power in Congress is key, and as we work to build a foreign policy centered in justice and human rights, we cannot abide by corrupt behavior whether it comes from folks on the left or the right. These allegations are too troubling to ignore. Sen. Menendez should resign and allow Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy to determine the next best person for the seat. Add your voice now.

    Building a world where U.S. foreign policy isn’t up for the highest bidder is critical and starts with accountability. That requires Senator Menendez to resign his seat immediately. Add your name now if you agree.

    Thank you for working for peace,
    Shayna, Sara, Eric, and the Win Without War team

  • I Smell a Rat in Ararat

    I Smell a Rat in Ararat

    I thank Enis Pinar for providing the heads up below.  I wrote the following short response to POV. 

    I suggest that everyone in this group write a paragraph or two in response.  Together, let’s show a strong  reaction to defamation.

    Ergun KIRLIKOVALI

    From: Ergun
    Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2023 1:14 PM
    To: [email protected]
    Subject: I Smell a Rat in Ararat

    I Smell a Rat in Ararat

    It’s a disgrace that America’s most revered public TV succumbed to the relentless pressure of the deceitful Armenian lobby and aired a crude propaganda piece titled “Aurora’s Sunrise” cultivating pure hatred against Turks.  The animated movie was sprinkled with a generous dose of exaggerations, distortions, and  fabrications.

    The film relates the story of Arshaluys “Aurora” Madriganian, a female survivor of the so-called Armenian “genocide” —a long-discredited political claim—who after being depicted as the victim of multiple rapes and other brutalities at the hands of the Ottoman Turks escapes to America.  She becomes the real-life star in a 1919 movie titled “Auction of Souls” produced by the Near East Relief organization, which allegedly raised $116 million dollars to help President Woodrow Wilson’s unsuccessful effort to establish an Armenian homeland in Western Türkiye after WW1.

    What’s wrong with this picture?  Well… uh….everything.

    Do you get even a whiff of any of the following facts concerning time periods before, during, and after World War One? 

    • Most Ottoman-Armenians took up arms against their own government.
    • Most Ottoman-Armenians committed supreme treason by joining the invading enemy armies.
    • Most Ottoman-Armenians betrayed at the worst possible time in the life of the Ottoman Empire: when the most powerful allied fleet attacked it from the West (remember Gallipoli?) and the equally formidable Tsarist Russian armies, from the East (remember Van rebellion by traitor Armenians?)
    • Most Ottoman-Armenians established terrorist organizations going back to 1870s, 1880s and 1890s (such as the Union of Salvation,  The Black Cross Society, The Protectors of the Fatherland, Armenakan, The Hunchakian Revolutionary Party, The Armenian Revolutionary Federation, and in the 20th Century, Genesis, the Armenian Secret Army of Armenian Genocide, The Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide and many others.)  These were no different than Hamas today killing old and young, women, children, and even the babies, triggering a tit-for-tat terrible war.  Turks only defended their home against these blood-thirsty Armenian terrorists who chose to serve foreign invaders instead of their own government and homeland. 
    • Do you get any indication of Armenian agitation, intimidation, and terror (in that order), treason, territorial demands, and the Turkish suffering at the hands of Armenian terrorists, since 1862?  Yes, for a whopping 161 years and counting? 
    • No, I do not get any whiff of the above, but I do smell the rat in Ararat in that Armenian-financed propaganda film. 

    And about the unfortunate and baseless slanders defaming Ataturk, I will only remind the reader a couple of simple things that anyone can easily appreciate: 

    “In 1981, the centennial of Atatürk’s birth, his memory was honored by the United Nations and UNESCO, which declared it The Atatürk Year in the World and adopted the Resolution on the Atatürk Centennial, describing him as “the leader of the first struggle given against colonialism and imperialism” and a “remarkable.”

    And here, you can hear the sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks on the 25th anniversary of the death of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a brilliant military leader, reformist, visionary, and first President of the modern Republic of Turkey. In his speech, President Kennedy compliments Atatürk’s leadership, describes the United States’ historical relationship with Turkey, and characterizes the Turkey’s independence as an example of national self-reliance.

    If you wish to know more about this subject, please click on this link:  www.MythsandRealities.com .

    Ergun KIRLIKOVALI
    Researcher & Writer
    A concerned Turkish American
    Son of Turkish Survivors of Armenian Brutalities during 1912-1922
    (My home address and cell phone were entered here)

  • Türkiye-bashing Armenian movie

    Türkiye-bashing Armenian movie

    A new, Türkiye-bashing Armenian TV movie broadcast last night on the U.S. Public Broadcasting System (PBS).

    Dear Friends,

    Last night I happened by accident to come upon the premiere of an hour and 22 minute-long animated movie interspersed with horrific documentary clips titled Aurora’s Sunrise, relating the story of a female survivor of the so-called Armenian “genocide” by the name of Arshaluys “Aurora” Madriganian who after being depicted undergoing multiple rapes and other brutalities at the hands of the Ottoman Turks escapes to the U.S., and at the age of 17 becomes the real-life star in a 1919 movie called “Auction of Souls” produced by the Near East Relief organization which allegedly raised $116 million dollars to help President Woodrow Wilson’s unsuccessful effort to establish an Armenian protectorate in Western Türkiye after WW1.

    This vile piece of propaganda funded by the Armenian diaspora’s Zoryan Institute based in Cambridge, Massachusetts not only depicts the Turks as evil monsters, but even attacks Atatürk. It was shown on the Public Broadcasting System’s (PBS), Point Of View (POV) program (Season 36, Episode 11). It is not surprising that the timing of the premier follows the attack and rapes committed by the Muslim Hamas in their October 7 attack on Israel. The presentation ends with a request that “‘POV’ wants to hear your point of view“. After watching the movie at the link provided below, I think we should oblige them by going to:

    [email protected]
    212-989-8121
    20 Jay Street, Suite 937
    Brooklyn, NY 11201

    The movie can be viewed by clicking on the following link:  https://www.pbs.org/pov/films/aurorasunrise/

    Sincerely,
    Enis Pınar

  • UN recognition of Armenian genocide (Whitaker Report)

    UN recognition of Armenian genocide (Whitaker Report)

    The Whitaker Report is not specifically related to the Armenian Genocide.

    The Whitaker Report is commonly associated with a different issue. It is often referred to as the “Whitaker Report on Genocide,” and it was prepared by Benjamin Whitaker, a British lawyer, for the United Nations in 1985. The report focused on the topic of genocide and the legal and practical measures that should be taken to prevent and punish it. It played a significant role in shaping the legal and political discourse surrounding genocide prevention and the eventual establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

    The UN Sub commission did not accept the report, but decided to “receive” it.

    Since 1985, the UN Spokesperson has three times declared that the UN does not accept the Armenian case as genocide.

    Of the seven independent organizations who provided their expert opinions, three were later to be found to be fronts for Armenian groups that support the Dashnaks.

    The Special Rapporteur (Whitaker) who snuck in the footnote later admitted that he had been retained by the Armenian lobby, but that he did not receive any money for his report. However, he later did work for the Armenian lobby for money.

    Whitaker report stated in paragraph 24 that:

    The Nazi aberration has unfortunately not been the only case of genocide in the twentieth century. Among other examples which can be cited as qualifying are the German massacre of Hereros in 1904, the Ottoman massacre of Armenians in 1915–1916, the Ukrainian pogrom of Jews in 1919, the Tutsi massacre of Hutu in Burundi in 1965 and 1972, the Paraguayan massacre of Ache Indians prior to 1974, the Khmer Rouge massacre in Kampuchea between 1975 and 1978, and the contemporary [1985] Iranian killings of Baha’is.
    — Whitaker Report, (paragraph 24)

    The documents that show the UN does not accept the Armenian case as genocide are provided by Emre Serbest.

  • Henry VIII or Suleiman The Magnificent?

    Henry VIII or Suleiman The Magnificent?

    Who was more powerful, Henry VIII or Suleiman The Magnificent?

    Suleiman the Magnificent, also known as Suleiman I, was the tenth Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and he reigned from 1520 to 1566. He is one of the most famous and influential rulers of the Ottoman Empire. Suleiman was born on November 6, 1494, and he died on September 6, 1566.

    During his reign, Suleiman oversaw the expansion of the Ottoman Empire to its greatest territorial extent. It covered modern day Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, much of Libya and Algeria, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Moldova as well as bits of Ukraine and Russia. He ruled over 25 million souls.

    He is known for his military campaigns and successful conquests, which included the capture of Belgrade, Rhodes, and most notably, the siege of Vienna in 1529. Suleiman’s reign is often considered the height of Ottoman power and influence in both Europe and Asia.

    The economy of the Ottoman Empire was more than double France, Spain and the Hapsburg Empires combined.

    Suleiman was also a patron of the arts, and his rule saw a flourishing of literature, architecture, and culture. He is particularly well-known for his legal reforms and the codification of laws that became the basis for the legal system of the Ottoman Empire. His title, “the Magnificent,” reflects the grandeur and success of his rule. His reign is sometimes referred to as the “Golden Age of the Ottoman Empire.” He was succeeded by his son, Selim II, upon his death in 1566.

    Henry VIII was a King of England who ruled England from 1509 to 1547. Not even the whole of island of Great Britain. He ruled over a puny 2.3 million souls. His economy was tiny compared to the major European powers of the day – far less the mighty Ottomans. Henry was born on June 28, 1491, and he died on January 28, 1547.

    The Six Wives of Henry VIII

    Henry is famously known for his six marriages. His desire to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, and the Pope’s refusal to grant him an annulment, led Henry to establish the Church of England in 1534. Henry passed the Act of Supremacy, which declared the English monarch as the supreme head of the Church of England, further solidifying his control over the church.

    This event, known as the English Reformation, resulted in the Church of England breaking away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. As part of the English Reformation, Henry ordered the dissolution of the monasteries in England, confiscating their lands and wealth. This move had profound effects on the religious, social, and economic landscape of England.

    Henry’s reign had a lasting impact on English history, especially in the areas of religion and government. The establishment of the Church of England set the stage for the development of Protestantism in England, and the monarchy’s power and role in governance were significantly transformed.

    Resources:

    • Colin Riegels, BCL in Law, University of Oxford
    • World History Encyclopedia