9/15/2015

HowArabsreachedouttoArmenians
amid1915massacre
ManysurvivoraccountsdescribehowArabsofferedhelpand
shelter,evenadoptingorphanswhentheycould.
NourSamaha|24Apr201511:59GMT|Humanitariancrises,War&Conflict,MiddleEast,Turkey,
Armenia

BeirutAsArmeniansandTurksmarkthecentenaryofthedisputedeventsof1915whatArmenians
claimwas"genocide"andTurksinsistwerecounterinsurgencymeasuresanumberofeventshave
takenplacetocommemoratethetragedyandgivevoicetothefamiliesimpacted.
ButlittlehasbeensaidoftheroleplayedbyArabsinaddressingthehumanitariandisasterthat
ensuedastensofthousandsofrefugeesandorphansstreamedoutofAnatolia.
"TheArabroleinhelpingtheArmeniansduring[theseevents]isverymuchunderstudied,"Reverend
PaulHaidostian,presidentofHagazianUniversityandanArmenianscholar,toldAlJazeera.
"ItstartedwithindividualArabs,especiallytriballeadersfromtheSyriandesert,[who]triedtosavethe
Armenianswhowereforcedontheirdeathmarches,"heexplained."Theytriedtohelpinanywaythey
wereabletoeitherbyadoptingtheorphansorfeedingthepeopletryingtosavethemsomehow."
RELATED:VoxPops:CommemoratingtheArmenianmassacre
AftertheTurksdeportedtheArmeniansinwhathavebeencalled"deathmarches"toDeirEzzorin
SyriaandthedesertsinIraq,areasconsideredtobepredominantlyMusliminhabited,manysurvivor
accountsdescribehowArabsofferedhelpandshelter.
"WhenArmeniancommunitieswereabletoreachcitieslikeAleppo,onetaskwastotryandreunite
witheachother,findtheorphansandbringthemback[intothecommunities],"Haidostiansaid.
Throughcontactsandwordofmouth,manyArabfamilieswhohadadoptedtheorphansreturnedthem
totheircommunities."Thiswasaverycommonthemethattheorphanswouldbe'lost'forafewyears
andthentheywouldfindtheirwaybacktotheirfamilies.IthappenedtothousandsofArmenians."
Notallorphansweresolucky.SomefellvictimtothemassacresatthehandsoftheTurksorKurdish
tribesmen.OrphanagesintheprovincessetupbytheTurksforArmenianswhohadlosttheirparents
introducedTurkificationprogrammes,wheretheywouldforcechildrenofnonTurkishethnicityto
converttoIslamandchangetheirnamestoTurkishones.
Inothercases,ArmenianchildrenwouldbeadoptedbyArabsandfullyintegratedintotheArabMuslim
wayoflife."Thereareofcoursechildrenwhowouldbeadoptedbutwerenotabletosavetheir
Armenianidentity,"Haidostiansaid."Thepointistheirlivesweresaved,though."
Intheperiodleadinguptothemasskillings,theTurksreportedlyusedreligionasacovertojustify
committingatrocitiesagainsttheArmenians.TherearereportsofpreachersurgingTurkstoattackand
driveoutArmenians,claimingtheywereagainstMuslims.Ethnicminorities,especiallynonMuslims,
wereforcedtoliveassecondclasscitizens,obligedtopay"jizya"protectionmoneyforbeingnon
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/arabsreachedarmenians1915massacre150424102949363.html

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Muslim.ThisisthesametaxbeingleviedtodaybytheIslamicStateofIraqandtheLevantagainst
ChristiansintheareastheycontrolinSyriaandIraq.
"TheTurkswieldedreligionasaninstrument...butitcertainlywasnotareligiousissue,"Vera
Yacoubian,executivedirectoroftheArmenianNationalCommitteeintheMiddleEast,toldAlJazeera.
"Firstoff,thereweremanyArabswhofacedthesamefateastheArmeniansatthetime.TheTurks
werepushingapanTurkicagenda,notaMuslimone."
ArabreligiousfigurescondemnedtheuseofreligionbytheTurks,issuingfatwasanddecreescalling
onArabstohelptheArmenians.In1909,aTurkishmuftiissuedareligiousrulingurgingTurkstokill
Armenians.SheikhalBishriofalAzharMosqueinCairooneoftheworld'sleadingIslamicinstitutions
issuedacounterfatwa,callingsuchactsunIslamicandurgingMuslimstoprotectminorities.
ThiswasreinforcedbyanotherdecreeissuedbytheSharifofMeccain1917,callingonArabMuslims
toprotectArmenians:"Whatisrequestedfromyouistoprotecteveryonewhomaybestayingor
livinginyourquartersorneighbourhoodoramongyourtribesoftheArmenianJacobitecommunity."
RELATED:ArmenianimmigrantslookforabetterlifeinTurkey
FollowingtheendofWorldWarIandthesubsequentcollapseoftheOttomanEmpire,Armenians
settledinthenewlydrawnupArabcountrieswithrelativeease,gainingcitizenshipandequalrights.
Butassimilationforthemwasmoreofachallengeduetothelinguisticandculturaldifferences.
Lebanonwasmoredifficultthanothersinitially,asLebaneseMuslimswerenotsokeenonhaving
anotherChristianminoritysettleintothecountry,afraiditwouldupsetthesectarianbalance.
"ItwastheFrenchmandatethathelpedtheArmeniansinLebanon,"Yacoubiansaid,addingthatfor
politicalreasons,theFrenchwerekeenonboostingthenumberofChristiansinthecountryleading
touneaseamidotherLebanesesects."YetoncetheysawtheArmenianswerenotaneconomic
burdenandwereactuallyhelpingthecountry,thetensionseased."
Inothercountries,suchasSyriaandIraq,Armeniansweretreatedasequalcitizensinsomecases
betterthanotherminoritiesandallowedtomaintaintheiridentitythroughtheestablishmentof
Armenianschoolsanduniversities.
"UnliketheKurdsandtheAssyrians,theArmeniansneverhadanyterritorialdemands,sowerenot
seenasapossiblethreat,"Yacoubiansaid.
Today,ArmeniansliveacrosstheMiddleEastinverydistinctiveneighbourhoodsstreetsignsand
storesarewrittenintheArmenianlanguage,andpeoplespeakArmenianasfluentlyasArabic.
Accountsfromthe1915massacrearepasseddownfromgenerationtogeneration,and
commemorationstakeplaceeveryyearwithoutanyinterferencefromgovernments.
Lebanon,whereArmeniansholdsixparliamentaryseats,istheonlyArabcountrytohaveformally
recognisedthe"Armeniangenocide".Theothers,keenonnotdisturbingthedelicaterelationsthey
holdwithTurkey,havestoppedshortofformalrecognition,butsupporttheArmeniansintheirrightto
commemoratetheeventsof1915.
"Ican'tsaythisenoughifitwasn'tfortheArabs,especiallyinLebanon,SyriaandIraq,wewouldnot
haveanArmeniandiasporatoday,"Yacoubiansaid.

Source:AlJazeera
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/arabsreachedarmenians1915massacre150424102949363.html

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