Like an umbilical chord still connected
to its bitter past, the Assyrians cannot detach from the events
perpetrated against their nation by the Ottoman Turks, Kurds and
Persians in the shadows of WWI. The past looms unsettled. The past
waits patiently and stubbornly to be made right so that the Assyrian
nation can finally be at peace. The Assyrian nation has been
mourning its dead for 92 years. It is time to lay them to rest with
honor. It is our human right.
Assyrian nationalists and educators such as Mr. Sabri Atman are
doing their part to educate and create worldwide awareness of the
recognition of the Assyrian Genocide.
This week,
Assyrians of America welcome Mr. Atman in their midst. His arrival
in the U.S. is indeed a bittersweet encounter for the Assyrians of
this region. We are reminded of the importance of remaining
vigilant today in safe guarding our history and our past to ensure
our nation’s future so that it may be free from oppression and
persecution.
Mr. Sabri Atman, founder and director of the Assyrian Seyfo Center
in Europe, is presenting a lecture on the topic of the Assyrian
Genocide entitled “Genocide, Denial, and the Right of
Recognition.” The five-city American tour that began in Los
Angeles on November 9th at the Assyrian American Association of
Southern California, will continue on to San Jose (November 10th),
Turlock (November 11th), Detroit (November 16th), and end in Chicago
(November 17th) before he heads for Armenia with the same powerful
message.
I had the honor of attending Mr. Atman’s lecture in Los Angeles. He
presented the facts clearly and succinctly. But what was most
striking about his presentation was his unshakable conviction to
demand justice for his Assyrian nation from the Turkish government.
“Today we are not blaming every Turk or Kurd for the past events.
But this was done to us in their name,” said Mr. Atman.
Indeed, the silence of the majority and the opposition of many today
to recognize the Genocide of the Assyrians, Armenian and Greeks,
only emphasizes the support of the denial of these Genocides.
Mr. Atman carried with him a palm size reddish stone from his
homeland in Southeast Turkey where he is banned from ever visiting.
The stone is a constant reminder of the bitter memories of not just
his family’s past but also the past of the Assyrian nation that is
perpetually battling 92 years of defiance by the Turks.
Like most Assyrian families, the death of his grand parents at the
hands of the Ottoman Turks, is a memory that follows him daily.
“The Assyrian nation has inherited incredible scars.”
“We Assyrians live in many different countries, but our existence is
not recognized. Our fundamental rights are not recognized,” said
Mr. Atman. According to him, the year 1915 was one of the dirtiest
pages of Turkish history and consequently, “the Assyrian people did
not just suffer a tragedy. They suffered a genocide!”
It is true that as children, we Assyrians grew up learning and
hearing about the atrocities committed against our nation during
WWI. “We shed tears of blood,” resonated Mr. Atman. A statement I
know only too well when I remember the eyes of my own grandmother,
who was a survivor of the Assyrian Genocide. She was one of the
lucky ones, unlike the rest of her family.
“We are the grandchildren of the Genocide. They owe us an apology.”
An apology that is long overdue.
Rosie Malek Younan |
