Armenians claim that the Ottoman Empire committed genocide to the Armenian people, they called it the Armenian Genocide. Decades ago, Turkish historians are able to talk to villagers in Turkey and research historical archives of the Ottoman Empire, investigate these genocide claims and conclude that the Young Turk Ottoman government did not plan any genocide.
At first, many decades ago, during the 1940s and 1950s, the claim of Armenian Genocide was not widely dispersed. When Armenians saw the reparations being rightfully paid by Germany to the Jews for the Holocaust, they strengthened their claims of the Armenian Genocide and started pressuring other governments to recognize this genocide.
Once it became political and Turkish historians increasingly found more evidence of Armenian massacres and rebellions, the Turkish government decided to deny this alleged genocide because of lack of evidence and because they are the ones with access to the Ottoman archives.
Thus, Armenians began to claim, that since they deny the genocide, then they must have committed the genocide because all perpetrators of genocide deny their genocide.
In essence, if person A claims you're a murderer, and you deny that you murdered anyone. Person A then claims that all murderers deny murders, hence you are truly a murderer. This is a logical fallacy called Begging the Question or circular argument.
To top it off, the Turkish government seeing that Armenians are continuing to convince the world without any evidence, decided it was time to allow all world historians to come to the Ottoman archives in Istanbul and learn the history of previous Ottoman governments. Every year more and more historians come out with new books on the subject, rejecting the idea that this was a genocide.
As a result of the Turkish government's involvement in the debate, Armenians have started a habit of calling anyone who hints at looking for evidence for the Armenian Genocide as "on the Turkish government's payroll". They have used it against every single author that has suggested that the Armenian Genocide does not qualify as genocide as declared by the United Nations.
In fact, even writers for this website have been attacked as being paid by the Turkish government. If this website or any of its writers or researchers were paid by the Turkish government, then wouldn't we have advertisement all over the web trying to convince you? Yet we don't have a single ad. We post articles and our research because we are historians and we believe this subject is an important part of history.
If Armenians make this claim, then cannot Turks make the claim that they are being funded by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation or the Armenian government?
In fact, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, has an office in Boston! What is a 100 year old terrorist organization doing in the United States? (This is equivalent to Al Qaeda having an office in NATO nation). The ARF is working to use US taxpayer money to send billions of dollars of aid to Armenia and to stop aid to country's Armenia hates, such as Azerbaijan and Georgia.
What does Armenia do with more than 2 billion dollars of US taxpayer money over the last few decades? Allow Russia to build more Russian airbases, military bases, and batteries inside Armenia and make more trade deals with Iran (their only friendly neighbor). At least the Russians are getting their money's worth.
As Americans, we dreamed our tax payer money would be used on Americans or at least on allied nations in their times of need that we know would support us when the time comes. Instead we are funding Armenia's war and propaganda machine.
In 1992, Armenia launched an unprovoked sneak attack against Azerbaijan (a neighbor and a US ally). Wealthy Armenian lobbyists campaigned and the US Congress cut aid to Azerbaijan and increased aid to the aggressor: Armenia.
Instead of assuming--that just because the Turkish government elected by its people, and for decades (with completely contradicting political parties in power over the years) denying this genocide--is lying or guilty; we should do some research.
Perhaps it's time we focus our attention to Armenia, a country that keeps its historical archives locked from even their own historians--or how about the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, an organization established to destroy the Ottoman Empire that has offices today in Boston, with its own ARF historical archives also locked.
I came to the conclusion that it's a waste of time to try to open your eyes as to what really happenned, since you are on a one-track mind and you still don't believe that the Armenian Genocide really ocurred. You must have another agenda on your mind and you must surely be gaining something from Turkish or Genocide-denying organizations. You talk agains the Armenian pressure groups, but I'm sure you're getting your money's worth from some Kemalist organisation, nationalist Turks, or from the ADL.
Talk to Taner Akcam or Orhan Pamuk sometime when you get a chance.
By the way, Raphael Lemkin created the word genocide after studying the Armenian Genocide.
Also, the young turks, namely the lowly Talat, Enver and Jemal , were tried and convicted of perpetrating the Armenian Genocide and were sentenced to death during the Turkish Courts-Martial of 1919-20, the reason why they fled to Germany with their tails between their legs and where they met their destiny at the hands of the ARF, just as the Mossad tracked down the SS. So does that make the Mossad a terrorist organization as well? Since you shamelessly treat the ARF as one!
Talat is also quoted as saying to have done more to end the Armenian problem in three months than what Sultan Abdul-Hamid (who is responsible for the deaths of 300,000 Armenians during the Hamidian Massacres in 1896) did in 3 years!
Long live the ARF, long live Armenia! The innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide will finally lie in peace soon, as the world is slowly finding the truth.
Obviously I'm not getting rich or gaining anything from writing articles except to teach people about the truth and the real research on the subject, and that is why I do it. Historians have fun when they are able to enlighten people on a subject that's not well known.
Taner Akcam and Orhan Pamuk accepted the genocide because they both got a lot of money to do it. Both of them have many many novels, and who do you think funds these?
Raphael Lemkin isn't a historian, he's never set foot in Turkey. He was a lawyer who championed the word genocide in order to make a legal framework to stop people from barbarism. Had Lemkin known the great deal of research on the Armenian Genocide, he would never have labeled what happened to the Armenians a genocide.
Regardless, the term Genocide is a legal term and established by the United Nations. Only their definition matters. In the Armenian case, the Armenians did not face genocide, and labeling it as such would insult people who have suffered genocide like in the Holocaust, in Cambodia, Rwanda, or Darfur.
You see, the ARF fought on the Allied Side, and Boghos Nubar even tried to convince the Allies to give Armenia land and money for their bravery in World War I. Does this sound like a people who suffered genocide? Did the Jews have a revolutionary organization??? ARF wasn't created after the genocide as self-defense, it was created in 1890! For the sole purpose of stopping Ottoman rule, and creating Armenian rule.
Why is it so difficult for you, as an Armenian, to admit that you just wanted land, sided with the invading Russians, and lost? The real traitors to the Armenian cause are the Allied powers (Russia, Britain, France), but your anger is to the Ottoman Turks who spent so much Ottoman money trying to feed Armenians that were being relocated---at the same time as the Ottoman army was starving and running out of everything.
And yet, you pretend that the Ottomans had nothing better to do but to attack the poor Armenians right in the middle of World War I, where the Ottomans are losing. This makes 0 sense. The Nazis in World War II were winning the war and quite powerful when they started killing Jews; they had thousands of archives of their plans, meetings about how to exterminate Jews, gas chambers created just to kill Jews. Yet your argument is, the Ottomans drove Armenians "to the desert" -- what desert? Der El Zor is a beautiful place with a river--not a desert.
The French, British, American and German archives would prove you wrong Jonathan. So would the archives of Near East Relief, the work of Armin T. Wegner, American missionary archives, Ambassadorial testimonies and memoirs, newspaper articles in the U.S. and internationally and so much more that will prove that this site and your beliefs on the Armenian genocide, in your case beliefs that a genocide didn't occur, are all a fabrication that the Turkish government or organizations have compensated you to try to hide the truth. You have a gigantic task in front of you Jonathan, our youth is empowered, educated, active and determined. Our organizations are strong and are becoming stronger. Don't think just because the American government hasn't recognized the genocide, it does not mean that a genocide did not occur. Countless presidents have commemorated the genocide and the American people know that the Turkish government did commit genocide, but its a shame that politics come in the way of justice for our grandparents and great grandparents. Continue doing what your doing, just remember that its pointless but it doesn't matter as long as the price is right, isn't that right Jonathan?
One last note, the territory which is now Turkey, was mostly Armenian land, how do I know this?? Our 4,000 year old history can show you that, just pick up an Armenian history book, its in there. More than half of Turkey is Armenia, it was populated with millions of Armenians before the genocide in which after over a million Armenians were massacred and many displaced and deported, and that is why there is a large Armenian diaspora. What you are trying to reach with this site is racist, immoral, unethical, and obviously and extremely ignorant. Your goal is unattainable and a waste of your time. Stop your propaganda for the Turkish government, I live in America where democracy reigns, human rights are considered and no on is oppressed, maybe you should preach that to the Turkish government rather than spread the filth that is on this site.
@Philip,
About the archives:
Don't be ridiculous Philip, most archives have been studied and conclusively show that no genocide has taken place. The archives you mention have documents used by Armenian Genocide activists to continue claims of genocide because they mention Armenians being killed by bandits, disease, starvation, and exhaustion. However, not one of them actually proves that it was a planned genocide, to the contrary many of them show the goodwill of Ottoman Empire to a semi-hostile Armenian population that is infected with Armenian nationalism.
The suffering of the Armenian people was caused by the Armenian rebellion and the ARF's decision on behalf of all Armenians to join the Allies in World War I. As a result of this decision, and their actions to damage the Ottoman war effort, the Ottoman empire had no choice but to relocate Armenians to different territories where the ARF couldn't seek shelter amongst the local Armenian populace.
America did something similar with Japanese-Americans during World War II, except the Japanese weren't actually rebelling in America so that was even less of a reason. Another difference is, the Armenians were allowed to roam freely and establish new lives in their relocated area.
Many French, German, American, and Russian archives show that the Ottoman empire had even distributed food rations, money, and even tools for Armenians to rebuild their homes in their relocated area. Doesn't sound like a government planning genocide? That's right because there was no logical or even emotional reason to kill off Armenians (Armenians rebelling was nothing new, Ottomans suffered many rebellions in their empire, and they dealt with all in similar ways, relocations, the same way all European empires did).
Compensation
Again you are assuming that just because I disagree with you based on my own research that I must be paid by some government or organization with a political agenda. I can make the same argument about anyone who disagrees with me. You think the Armenian government doesn't pay people to continue spreading misinformation about the Armenian genocide? Do you think the ARF, a 100 year old terrorist organization that's still active today is sitting around doing nothing? No they are paying people to spread propaganda.
However, I am a historian, and it is my duty to spread my research. Even if it is inconvenient to Armenians and their thirst for war reparations. If I was paid compensation by anyone, there would be advertisement all over the world linking to this website, there isn't any ads.
Irrational Nationalism
All your beliefs about the Armenian Genocide are stemming from one thing: Irrational nationalism. You believe strongly in the Armenian Genocide because you are taught from a young age to hate Turks and told horror stories about death during World War I.
But this may come as a bit of a shock to you: In World War I, many civilians died in every single country, not just Armenians. Armenians were not the only ones to suffer. The Turks suffered greatly at the hands of Armenian rebels and armies fighting for land. The ARF was created in 1890 just for this purpose! Armenians have no right to claim genocide when so many others have suffered the same exact fate the same exact way.
Armenians should be thankful that the Ottoman empire, weak and out of money, continued to give Armenians money and food rations to survive even when its own army was starving in battle.
I wanted to reply to this portion of your comment separately...
Again with your irrational nationalism you make territory claims. Just like the KKK tells African-Americans "Go back to Africa"... You tell Turks "Go back to Central Asia". It's racist and unrealistic to make such demands.
All I do, is present my research and the historical facts gathered by other researchers. Nothing in this website is racist.
The Armenians who lived in Turkey before World War I, do as many do when war arrives in their hometown: They MIGRATE. In fact, hundreds of thousands of Armenians went to Russia, France, USA, and many other countries. This is why so many Armenians live in these countries today. They didn't die. They left, because they were smart enough and could afford to do so. The only tragedy is that instead of telling their children the truth that they lost World War I, they made claims of genocide and taught their children to HATE.
You talk about human rights, but not once do you talk about the human rights of Turks who died during World War I, at the hands of Armenian armies. There are many articles here that talk about how the Ottoman Empire protected the human rights of the Armenians, consider that before you spout ignorance.
First, let me make one thing clear, I do not hate Turks, the Turkish people are innocent. They are oppressed and some are discriminated against by the Turkish government and its laws. I am not against the Turkish people, but against Turkey's government, so put that into consideration before saying that, I, or any other Armenian hates Turks.
In response to " The archives you mention have documents used by Armenian Genocide activists to continue claims of genocide......" Armenian activists are not the only ones that push for genocide recognition. There are many non Armenian scholars and many non Armenian organizations that know it was a genocide, there are more who acknowledge it was a genocide then there are who say that it wasn't. Not only people and organizations but countries that also recognize the genocide.
Let me list some of these people, organizations and countries:
Scholars and people:
Roger W. Smith Michael Arlen Kai Erikson
Israel Charny James Axtell Craig Etcheson
Helen Fein Houston Baker Lawrence J. Friedma
Frank Chalk Mary Catherine Bateson William Gass
Ben Kiernan Yehuda Bauer Henry Louis Gates, Jr
Anthony Oberschall Robert N. Bellah Langdon Gilkey
Mark Levene Norman Birnbaum Daniel Goldhagen
Rhoda Howard Peter Brooks Sandor Goodhart
Michael Freeman Norman Birnbaum Geoffrey Hartman
Gunnar Heinson Robert McAfee Brown Seamus Hearney
Gregory Stanton Ward Churchill Judith Herman
Ralph Lemkin Rev. William Sloane Coffin Raul Hilberg
K. Anthony Appiah Jean Bethke Elshtain Kurt Jonahsson
Adam Schiff Barrack Obama
These are all scholars and professors, but this is not the complete list of all scholars and professors that know a genocide occurred, its barely the beginning of the list. As you can see not one is Armenian.
Organizations and groups:
IAGS (international association of genocide scholars)
ICTJ (International center of transitional justice)
French National Assembly
European Parliament
Council of Europe
World Council of Churches
Human rights association
Permanent peoples' tribunal
Elie Wiesl's foundation for humanity
Axis of Justice
GenEd
Near East Relief
And many more......(note that not one is an Armenian organization)
Nations:
Argentina Lebanon
Belgium Netherlands
Canada Poland
Chile Russia
Cyprus Slovakia
France Switzerland
Greece Uruguay
Italy Vatican City
Lithuania Venezuela
and many more to come.
You accuse the ARF of "terrorist activities". How is it that you claim that the ARF is terrorist organization, when the ARF and the CUP worked together to overthrow the sultan? If you assume that, then the CUP was affiliated with a terrorist organization, but thats not the case because the ARF never was a terrorist organization. On the topic of terrorism, the religious leader in 1915 declared Jihad, a practice that is now condemned internationally, and labeled as terrorism. So if you are speaking of terrorism during that time, then the Turkish government in 1915 was a terrorist government. You don't condone Jihad do you Jonathan?? The only ones that call the ARF a terrorist organization are the ones who are miseducated, ignorant, and have fabricated information. The ARF is a political organization that is active all around the world, including America and I think America could spot out a terrorist organization, and to them the ARF is not terrorist organization.
Many people did die in WW 1 in the Ottoman empire, many civilians. Armenians weren't fighting in WW 1, they were fighting for their lives within Turkey, which the government was trying to exterminate them which Jihad played a major role in. They stole our houses, belongings, jewelry, money, and even our children which were taken as slaves and Turkified.
You say that "All your beliefs about the Armenian Genocide are stemming from one thing: Irrational nationalism." That is completely and utterly false, yes I am nationalistic, but there is no way possible that it is irrational. My beliefs stem from the pursuit of human rights, and their right to live, no matter what race, religion, or creed. Rights that were denied to my grand parents and great grandparents. Turkey never supplied aide for the Armenians, they might have said it so the foreign powers can be satisfied, but it was never implemented. The only aide that was available was from American missionaries, and relief organizations such as near east relief.
It seems that your years of research, schooling and studying is in jeopardy, if America recognizes the Armenian genocide ( that is if you are from America). My life goal is to see people like you, who have a distorted and obtuse image of the past, discredited and looked down upon because people like you are trying to rewrite history. Which is my ancestral history, a 4000 year old race that have survived through thick and thin, including complete extermination known as genocide. Our perseverance will lead us to victory and that justice is served for the 1.5 million that were murdered. We will get recognition, we will get reparation, and we will get our historical lands back that were stolen. If you believe that we do not have historical land claims against Turkey, then you know not one fact of Armenian history.
Keep studying, you haven't convinced anyone.
Yes its a shame that the Turkish government killed Turks that were helping out the Armenians , that is how Turks died, others were killed because they were following the orders of the government and when the Armenians stood up to stop their race from being exterminated, they had to fight the Turkish army, and yes Turks were killed, but not in cold blood. The cold blooded part was perpetrated by the Turkish government.
Its absurd that you think more than half the Armenian population of historical Armenia would just leave their homeland. First most of them were massacred. Second they were forced out of their homes and were told to march for day weeks and even months, without food, water, and barely any clothes. It wasn't a choice, it was forced! You will soon be discredited and you hard work disapproved.
There is one important information I wanted to add to this comment wars... The Armenian population was around 400.000 to 600.000 so it is illogical to assume 1.000.000+ was killed.
I am sure some were killed during the relocation and some just died of famine but I have failed to find rock solid evicende of a genocide...
So you're quoting a list of people/organizations/governments that accept Armenian Genocide as your evidence or to give yourself credibility. Let me show you how ridiculous and discredited your list is...
I will highlight my comments on each with black...
Scholars and people:
Let me be clear, many of these names, are put in here, but how do we know any of them truly believe in the Armenian Genocide? Only your claim that they do. We have no idea what they believe, most information about them doesn't even mention anything about genocide.
Roger W. Smith Watchmaker Michael Arlen Armenian playwright Kai Erikson Sociologist, expertise in events in Yugoslavia
Israel Charny Self-proclaimed genocide scholar, but only a psychologist James Axtell Historian regarding American Indians Craig Etcheson Wrote Books on Cambodian Genocide
Helen Fein Sociologist who co-authored books with Armenian activists Houston Baker English Professor..............
Adam Schiff US Representative Barrack Obama Lawyer and US President
I can go on and on, but I've made my point. None of them are historians specializing in Ottoman history, Armenian history, Turkish history, Islamic history, or even Balkan or World War I history. None of them have written books about the subject without co-authors. Many of them are somewhat involved in Armenian organizations like the International association of genocide scholars. Some of them may be professors, but remember there are even professors that don't believe in the Holocaust.
IAGS (international association of genocide scholars)Organization with many members of Armenian origin (including famous Armenian Genocide activists like Richard Hovannisian and Peter Balakian), perpetuating Armenian propaganda, and receiving funding mainly from Armenian-Americans.
ICTJ (International center of transitional justice) Their definition of genocide is ludicrous and childish-- they claim that whenever a group member is killed, it's genocide---by their definition, every hate crime is a genocide.
French National Assembly Government, a lot of French-Armenians vote
European Parliament Governments
Council of Europe Governments
World Council of Churches Religious organization
Human rights association A human rights association
Permanent peoples' tribunal Human rights organization
Elie Wiesl's foundation for humanity Human rights organization founded by a Holocaust survivor who believes in the Armenian genocide. Given an honorary Ph.D., so people think he is knowledgeable
Axis of Justice Founded by System of a Down hahaha
GenEd
Near East Relief You mean the old charity organization that documented how the Ottoman Empire gave money, food, and tools to Armenians that were relocated?
Nations:
Argentina Lebanon
Belgium Netherlands
Canada Poland
Chile Russia
Cyprus Slovakia
France Switzerland
Greece Uruguay
Italy Vatican City Are you kidding me?
Lithuania Venezuela
Most of these countries have large populations of Armenians who actively campaign for Armenian Genocide recognition. The politicians don't care, as long as they get Armenian votes and money. Governments and Legislators don't decide history!
Everything you listed here, is an organization or someone who has political motivation to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Whether it's money, grants, donations, votes, or the simple fact that they read a book and were convinced by an Armenian author with an agenda.
However, in contrast, those non-Turkish historians that don't believe there is an Armenian genocide? Well, they are world-renowned for their historical work.
Dr. Justin McCarthy, a historian specializing in demography and Balkan history, has been to Ottoman archives and written many books dealing with the Ottoman Empire and Armenian rebellion.
Dr. Bernard Lewis, a world renowned and famous American historian who specializes in Islamic history; has been to Ottoman archives and has written many books about the Ottoman Empire.
Dr. Guenter Lewy, a holocaust survivor, and historian who has written books and essays about many genocides and has written a book about the Armenian genocide examining both sides of the story.
Dr. Norman Stone, an Oxford professor and World War historian, who has written extensively about German history as well as the World Wars.
These are all famous people with large wikipedia pages filled with awards and works that are world renowned. They are criticized by Armenians for rejecting the Armenian genocide, but their work is never criticized only their credibility. What angers some Armenian activists is that their work is solid research into Ottoman history that cannot be ignored.
I have a few question for armos:
Why won't you take us to the international court? Why haven't you for the past 93 years? Why do you, to this day, refuse to when we tell you to take us to the court? Isn't that more convenient for you, as well? Because as soon as the international court rules that Turks committed genocide, the entire world would accept it at once so instead of taking us to the international court, why do you prefer to bribe one CHRISTIAN nation after another by spending millions on politicians, lobbying, buying people that will lie to support an unproven genocide claim? Why do you refuse to open your archives? What is that you're hiding huh? Why is the book the first president of Armenia has been banned in his own nation? The book where he said it was armenians that attempted genocide but failed at it and that Turks rightfully defended themselves.
Also, california court ruled that the use of the word "genocide" is prohibited for armenians' unproven genocide claims since the term "genocide" can only be used after the international court rules that it was genocide so why do you keep on using it? Do you want us to sue you?
Why do you people constantly hack youtube accounts that upload videos, showing your lies? Why do you constantly hack websites that Turks run to expose your real faces? If you're so confident that it was genocide, why are you trying to censor Turks huh?
Oh, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5Pofz2RmLQ
OWNED!
According to your logic Anne Frank and her sister Margot were not killed by the Nazis because they died of starvation induced disease. Not to mention they took a forced cattle train ride to a camp, too. Also, your logic says it is okay to let people kill and rape women and children as long as the landscape is up to par. It does not matter if the camps were on a nice river if they were held in cages and not fed. There are pictures of Turks hanging Armenian men or holding or posing with severed heads. Beheading and Hanging are not natural causes. There are reports from the Ambassador for the US at the time telling of what was happening to the Armenians at the hands of the Turks.
My Great-Grandfather and my Great-Grandmother lost an eye each and were the soul survivors of the Genocide. They were 15 and 13 at the time. Tell me what risk a 13 year old girl poses to a government that they need to cut her eye out before sending her on a march into the dessert. What risk did her mother hold that she must be raped and murdered or her 16 year old sister that they threw her off a boat into that 'beautiful" river? Are you going to tell me they cut their own eyes out to spin a story to us to hate the Turks? Because that would not be logical and it did not work since I do not hate the Turks but, believe in justice.
By the way, there is a video where Barack Obama addresses the Armenian Genocide http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwR83GZjwdo Do more homework, sir.
As an official represented of United World Peace of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. I declare, backed up with my many years of research, that the Armenian Genocide can not be truly considered as a genocide. As Jonathan tried to explain many times to Philip in his arguments, the Turkish Government was provoked by the rebellion of Armenian militants and the deportation was a simply a very obvious consequence. Visit www.nato.int and e-mail us if you have more questions about the conflict between Turkey and Armenia.
@Emily Azadian,
Yes, Anne Frank died of Typhus because she was forced to live in a death camp against her will and if she had survived she would probably have been gassed or rescued by Allied troops. There was no gassing in the Ottoman Empire camps and they were eventually freed by the Ottomans themselves, they were relocation camps, set up temporarily.
However, just because someone is in a camp and dies of Typhus does not make the nation that built the camp a perpetrator of genocide. That means if the United Nations made a refugee camp in some country, and someone there catches Typhus and dies, does that make the UN guilty? No, they provided that camp as a temporary home. The Ottomans did the same thing.
The Ottomans relocated Armenian individuals and gave them homes in refugee camps and once their place was set up they could go with Ottoman funded tools and build their new home in their allotted land also bought by the empire. Did many people die in such camps? Of course, the Ottoman army itself was dying of Typhus, starvation, and other diseases.
You should then consider, while the Ottoman army itself is going into battle starving and full of disease. How can you say the Ottoman Empire is guilty of genocide when it is using the last of its money to feed, house, and pay salary to Armenians held in these relocation camps (indeed the Ottoman Empire paid money to the Armenians daily and weekly whenever the local governors received money from the central government, because not everyone was a member of the ARF).
------------------- To answer your second paragraph about your grandparents ---------
First of all, I have to ask for verification, have you ever seen your great grandparents with no eye-balls? Have they themselves told you, or was this a story that is supposedly passed down with no way to verify.
Second, your great grandfather and great grandmother had their eye balls removed as supposed punishment. And yet, they survived. Interesting so, they cut off the eye balls, and then they sent them on their way most likely to some other town. You know how I know this is completely a false story? The amount of disease, lack of hygiene, and possible infection with no hospitals in the area, there is no way two people could both have their eye balls removed and still survive. There are no ambulances, when people are wounded in war before modern times, they usually die.
Third, these perpetrators who cut off eye balls, then let them go? If they hate Armenians so much, why not continue torturing them or tie them up somewhere or kill them?
Fourth, who are these perpetrators? Were they Circassians? Local Kurdish tribesmen? Local Kurdish bandits? Criminals? Angry Muslims seeking revenge for Armenian massacres? Angry Muslims who hate Christians? Ottoman soldiers? The fact that you didn't identify them at first proves to me that you either don't know who they are or that they are not Ottoman soldiers and as a result don't prove any genocide.
Jonathon,
Well done for trying so hard but really, your aren't convincing anyone. However, it seems that you have convinced yourself!
You call yourself a Historian. A true Historian studies all available evidence but you choose to ignore the overwhelming and substantial evidence that exists which confirms that it was an act of Genocide.
I think you give real historians a bad name and you should stop calling yourself one and get a real job.
@Mr. "Esh Turk". Why is it so hard for you to be convinced, why do you accept one person's opinion over the other after all the evidence and valid arguments I present to you? Is it because you feel a connection to your Armenian ancestors (I'm assuming you're Armenian, because only a nationalist can look at evidence, stare at it, and then reject it)?
I am a historian, and as a historian, I have studied both sides, I've read books in which the author supports the Armenian Genocide as well as against. I found the ones against, more convincing and did my own research and concluded objectively it cannot be legally defined as genocide.
Do you know Dr. Bernard Lewis? This historian a long time ago, use to accept the Armenian Genocide back in the 60s. However, after visiting Ottoman and Islamic archives for decades, he changed his position and now is against the idea of calling 1915 a genocide.
Do you think a historian with such a reputation as Dr. Bernard Lewis, would change his mind without considering both sides? Why do you doubt his research?
Is it because, you feel, Dr. Bernard Lewis, as well as hundreds of other historians just like him, are somehow "paid by the Turkish government."? Could historians who support your side, not be paid by the Armenian government or Armenian organizations?
Therefore, if you can't trust one side's historian, then you shouldn't trust historians. You should simply apply your own logic and critical thinking and come to a conclusion based on all our evidence. Study the archives, study my articles, then study Armenian articles that support the genocide thesis. Then honestly ask yourself, who are the guilty ones?
Do you honestly think, that thousands of Armenians who sided with the Russians really were nice and angelic to the "big bad Muslim Turks"? Did the Ottoman Empire have the resources to commit genocide in a time of war? Or does it make more sense that they tried to put down a rebellion, in a very poorly managed manner?