An ever-increasing number of testimonials (or reports, or essays, or travelogues, or…) are appearing from and/or about Western Armenia, written by Armenians, Kurds, and Turks. For now, the best I can do is to make some suggestions from afar that might help with this re-connection-with-our-neighbors process that’s heating up.
First, I want to address our Kurdish neighbors. The best thing they could do, both from their own internal, cultural/national perspective, and to enhance ties with Armenians is this: adopt a unified alphabet instead of having four (modified Latin in Turkey; Arabic in Iraq and Syria; modified Arabic in Iran; Armenian in Armenia). That unified alphabet should be ours. It has most of the Kurdish language’s sounds, or very close approximations. It would be perfect and very unifying.
Let’s move on to what we should be doing, specifically, to reconnect with our own hidden compatriots. These Armenians are in various stages of rediscovery. Some care a lot. Some are only one-quarter or one-half Armenian, but still want to reconnect. Some are devout Muslims; others still wear that religion only skin deep. How do we bridge the gaps that have opened up over the course of a century to re-acculturate them?
The most potent single thing we can do is publish the Koran in Western Armenian and disseminate it by the tens, or even hundreds, of thousands among the current residents of the Armenian Plateau and Anatolia. Just think how powerful a message and tool that would be for re-Armenianizing our homeland. In addition to Eastern Armenian (recently translated at the behest of the Iranian embassy in Yerevan), the Koran has been translated into Western Armenian at least twice—once recently, and one in the pre-genocide era. These should be handed over to an expert in Arabic and Armenian, perfected, published, and pushed out!
We should also be setting up exchange programs and internships where young and old alike from our western homeland can attend schools or enjoy diasporan community life. And Diasporans can do the same—perhaps in the very villages, towns, and cities of our ancestors.
Learning Kurdish is also important. Some of our compatriots, those who hail from Ghamishly (Qāmišlī, Qamişlo, Qamišlo), where just days ago the Kurds declared autonomy within Syria, already speak it. Perhaps it should be introduced as a foreign language offered at our Armenian schools. How better to communicate with Kurds, Kurdified Armenians, and Armenians living in the predominantly Kurdish-speaking areas of our homeland?
No doubt this will irritate the hell out of many people who will perceive it as “preaching” Islam, or endangering ourselves, diluting our language, or simply as a waste of time. But remember, “soft power” is very potent. How does the U.S. dominate the planet? To a significant degree, it is through soft power—culture, Hollywood, the Peace Corps, business, etc. We must learn from that example if we are to reclaim our homeland and our lost cousins.
Garen Yegparian
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Excuse me for being dense, but please expand on your idea to publish the Koran in Western Armenian and disseminate it on the Armenian Plateau.
Are these hidden Armenians safe from the depredations of the Turkish government, especially in an emergency?
I certainly support the idea of reconnecting with the at least 3 million “hidden Armenians” of present-day eastern Turkey. After all, most of these people live on the lands of Western Armenia, and therefore, they’re an important asset in our path to the liberation of these stolen lands. In addition, when these lands are finally liberated, it’s going to be these “hidden Armenians”, who will be the residents of Western Armenia. That’s why it’s imperative for the Armenian diaspora to connect with these people. As I’ve stated before in the past, the Armenian diaspora should begin making arrangements in regard to sending teachers over to eastern Turkey to teach these “hidden Armenians” about Armenian culture and history, as well as the details of the Armenian Genocide.
One thing in this article, which does not make very much sense, is what would the purpose be in publishing the Koran in Western Armenian, and then proceeding to disseminate it among the Armenians of Anatolia? To begin with, very few of Anatolia’s hidden Armenians are able to speak Armenian. If they can’t speak Armenian, then how can they possibly read in Armenian? Anyway, if they wish to read the Koran, they can certainly read it in Turkish. Why is it necessary for them to have a copy of the Koran in Western Armenian?
Truthfully speaking, I don’t believe that there are very many devout Muslims among the “hidden Armenians” of eastern Turkey. First of all, some of them have already converted to Armenian Christianity. There are also many more who wish to convert sometime in the near future. As for the ones who have not expressed interest in converting, the majority of them are only Muslim on the surface. With a good dose of Armenian education, these people will easily be converted to Armenian Christianity. It is very important to teach them, as well as the ones who are devout Muslims, about the fact that the Islam religion happened to be forced upon their Armenian Christian ancestors, with the alternative being death. Therefore, they should fully understand that Islam is not their true religion. If they truly wish to connect with their victimized Armenian Christian ancestors from the past, then they will need to renounce Islam, and embrace the majestic Armenian Cross. Although it’ll take time, this can definitely be achieved for all of eastern Turkey’s hidden Armenians who truly identify themselves as being Armenian.
Something which needs to be understood here, is Islam does not run parallel with anything that’s Armenian. The religion of Islam, has always caused harm and terror to the Armenian people. From 1894-1922, two million Armenians were victims of a continuous unpunished genocide, perpetrated by Turk Islamic fanatics. Even today, those same Turk Islamic fanatics, in the form of the united Islamic Crescent Nation of Turkbaijan, persistently wish to wipe out the two Armenian Republics of Hayastan and Artsakh. There is no place for Islam in the Armenian culture! There will never be a place for Islam in the Armenian culture! Islam is and will always be an enemy to the Armenian people.
When one asks the question, how will the Armenian people finally achieve victory over Turkey, what is the answer? The answer, obviously, is the Armenian people will achieve victory when they finally obtain their stolen properties and lands from Turkey, as well as several billion dollars in reparations. However, there’s one more additional thing, required for an Armenian victory. And, this one additional thing consists of eastern Turkey’s Islamized hidden Armenians dumping the Islamic Crescent in the garbage can where it belongs, and then proceeding to convert to the religion of their victimized Armenian ancestors (Armenian Christianity). This by itself, will be a huge victory for the Armenian people, over the Islamic Crescent nation of Turkey.
Excellent suggestions. Creative thinking we need to get behind.