Tuesday, October 23, 2007

A Personal Reflection on the Armenian Genocide

Is the murder of 6 million Jews 60 years ago worse than the murder of 1.5 million Armenians 92 years ago ?

What about the murder of the unique Son of God 2,000 years ago ?

I understand Rembrandt did a number of self-portraits, as many painters do.

One of them is a portrait of the crucifixion in which Rembrandt appears as the one lowering Jesus from the cross - as if to say "I was there".

Similarly, it was the unique stories of two individuals - that of Hrant Dink and that of Haroutioun Kebedjian which drew me into the "I was there" historical pain and injustice suffered by Armenians.

As a Turk, I probably stand alone (or with a handful of others) and separate from 75 million other Turks in trying to come to terms with this heinous crime.

But, that is where I am. That is where you will find me.

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