What’s Next for the ‘Hidden Armenians’ of Diyarbakir/Dikranagerd?
By Raffi Bedrosyan on August 28, 2014
The historic first trip to Armenia of Diyarbakir’s “hidden Armenians”
is coming to an end and it is time for us to assess its impact,
consequences, and next steps.
At the end of the first week, we organized a “Dikranagerd Night” at a
beautiful location called the HyeLandz Eco Village in the village of
Keghatir. We invited government officials, academicians, and
researchers following our group, as well as some of the new-found
relatives of the hidden Armenians, whose ancestors had managed to
escape to Armenia after 1915. This reunion between the Islamicized
Armenians of Diyarbakir and their Christian-Armenian relatives was a
special one. Needless to say, the dancing and singing kept the whole
village awake until the early hours of the morning. During the last
few days, the group visited Lake Sevan and there–whether Muslim or
Christian–they all reinforced their “Armenianness” by dipping into the
holy waters, some just their toes, some their entire bodies… Then they
were off to a government camping facility in Dzaghgatsor for a few
days, where they had a chance to rest after a whirlwind tour of
Armenia, and learn more of the Armenian language, songs, and dances.
They all enjoyed the camp, except for the morning gym classes and the
“beds from the Stalin era.”
Scenes from the trip
On this drive back home to Diyarbakir to resume their lives, perhaps a
bit apprehensive about their emerging new identities, I would like to
share some of the life stories of these no-more-hidden Armenians.
There is enough material for a book or movie for each of the 50
members of the group. Through interviews by the media or Ministry of
Diaspora officials, the Armenians of Armenia have started to find out
about them. The most interesting responses have been to the question,
“When did you realize you had Armenian roots?” Some of them found out
they were Armenian when they were already adults, at the deathbed of
their parents or grandparents. Some discovered when they were in
compulsory military service in the Turkish Army, when their commanders
told them they couldn’t be trusted because of their “background.” Some
found out when they were little, when other kids shouted “Armenian” to
them in the street or at school; they knew it was a swear word,
without knowing its meaning. As they rushed home crying, their parents
had to explain that Armenian is not a swear word, but their identity.
Some hidden Armenians tried hard to appear as devout Muslims; one even
became an imam, a Muslim religious leader, while keeping his identity
hidden. However, most hidden Armenians tried to ensure that their
children married into other hidden Armenian families. Even the imam
gave his daughter to another Islamicized Armenian boy, raising
questions among his Muslim followers. No matter how much these people
tried to hide their Armenian roots, however, it seems that their
neighbors or government officials knew about their origins. During
disagreements with shopkeepers, businesses, neighboring women or kids
at school, the insult of “gavur” (infidel) or “devil-rooted Armenian”
easily came out, no matter how devout they appeared to be.
“…we will keep on expanding our efforts in Diyarbakir and in other
regions of Turkey, pushing the envelope on rules and regulations in
order to facilitate the ‘coming out’ of our hidden Armenian brothers
and sisters–the grandchildren of the ‘living’ victims of the
genocide.”
One tragicomic story involves three Muslim-Kurdish boys about 8-9
years old; one of them was from a hidden Armenian family, but unaware
of his roots at the time. They stole some of those famous Diyarbakir
watermelons from the orchard of a hidden Armenian Islamicized man. The
man caught the three little thieves, but let the two real
Muslim-Kurdish boys go and gave a good beating to the hidden Armenian
boy. I leave it to the psychologists to ponder the reasons for this
man’s actions. Years later, this hidden Armenian boy found out about
his real identity, and still thinks about this incident.
The participants in the trip visit Garni.
Another interesting fact that emerged from the interviews is the
special place Yerevan Radio has in all Kurdish families’ lives,
including our hidden Armenians group. As the Kurdish language was
banned–and even possessing a Kurdish music tape was a punishable crime
in Turkey for several decades–all Kurds tuned in to Yerevan Radio,
which broadcast Kurdish news and music for a couple of hours each day.
The members of our group all remembered how, when they were growing
up, everyone would stop work at their homes or at shops to gather
around the radio and hear Yerevan Radio’s Kurdish news.
I am confident that the groundbreaking nature of this historic first
trip will open the road for other hidden Armenians to follow, but I
would like to report on three additional successful outcomes resulting
from this trip.
Firstly, two university graduates in our group who wanted to further
their graduate studies in Armenia will be able to fulfill their
dreams. Through an agreement with Armenian government officials, they
will attend Armenian universities with free tuition, mastering the
Armenian language during the first year and continuing on in their
desired field of study.
Secondly, some members of the group inquired about obtaining Armenian
citizenship, perhaps with future plans of retiring in Armenia. As per
the existing citizenship requirements, the Armenian government demands
documents and proof of Armenian ethnic origin; of course, no such
documents exist among our hidden Armenians, except the memories passed
on from their parents and grandparents. In discussions with government
officials, I proposed the possibility of a baptism document as proof
of Armenian origin. I suggested that if a hidden Armenian “comes out”
and gets baptized in Armenia–similar to our two members who got
baptized in Etchmiadzin (see previous article)–then this should be
sufficient proof to apply for Armenian citizenship. The proposal was
received favorably and will now be discussed in Cabinet, hopefully
leading to approval by the government.
Thirdly, learning the Armenian language, history, and culture is
essential to re-discovering Armenian roots. The Virtual University run
by the AGBU in Yerevan is offering online courses in these subjects.
The administrators have agreed to offer these courses for free to all
applicants from Turkey. This will have a huge impact on the hidden
Armenians of Turkey, wherever they are–in Dersim, Van, Mush, or
Diyarbakir–as they can start learning on their own, and in their own
homes, even in the absence of organized language courses.
The participants in the trip attend Armenian language and history classes.
Although this trip was the start of a new reality within the Armenian
world, and was received with great enthusiasm by both government
officials and the public in Armenia, I must admit that not everyone is
on board. There are still quite a few Armenians who disapprove of the
time and effort in bringing out the hidden Armenians. Perhaps it is
untimely to air our dirty laundry, but I believe the arguments put
forth by these disapproving Armenians must be discussed, as some of
these people hold important posts within the Armenian Church and in
political organizations in the diaspora and in Istanbul. These
disapprovers argue that Muslim Armenians are not really Armenian until
they convert to Christianity by getting baptized. But then, they argue
that they cannot get baptized unless they show proof or documentation
of their Armenian origins, until they speak fluent Armenian and “pass
tests of being a good Armenian.” I believe it is shortsighted and
unrealistic to have such requirements for hidden Armenians living in
Van or Dersim, who are surrounded by Muslim Turks and Kurds, working
in government jobs. The other argument I find incomprehensible is that
the emergence of hidden Armenians in large numbers undermine the
veracity of the 1915 genocide, and that it is tantamount to
strengthening the Turkish case for denial. I have even received
comments that Turks will now use the hidden Armenians as proof that
the genocide never happened. I should stick to engineering or music,
they say, instead of getting involved in these issues. These comments
can be dismissed, were it not for the fact that they come from
individuals in undeservedly responsible positions in the diaspora and
in Istanbul.
Regardless, we will keep on expanding our efforts in Diyarbakir and in
other regions of Turkey, pushing the envelope on rules and regulations
in order to facilitate the “coming out” of our hidden Armenian
brothers and sisters–the grandchildren of the “living” victims of the
genocide. There is a Turkish term for these hapless survivors: kilic
artigi, meaning “remnants of the sword.” The attempted murder of a
nation and the total confiscation of its wealth took place within
Turkey, and as we approach the Centennial, we must realize that its
resolution will also take place within Turkey. No matter how many
events we organize in the Armenian Diaspora or in Armenia, no matter
how many third-country parliaments and politicians appear to
sympathize with our cause, at the end of the day, the only change will
come from within Turkey when the peoples of Turkey realize the truth
about 1915 and force their government to stop the denial and deal with
the consequences. One of the key components toward this goal will be
to re-create an Armenian presence within Turkey. The continuing
dialogue between Armenian and Turkish civil societies and opinion
makers, combined with the emergence of hidden Armenians within Turkey,
are essential toward eliminating both past and present barriers.
I will conclude this series of articles with a tribute to the courage
and determination of our hidden Armenians, and a few questions for
readers to ponder: How will they be received back in Turkey? How will
their families, neighbors, employers, and employees react to their new
identity? Just consider Stepan’s case, the newly baptized man who
works as a teacher at a government school. All of his students are
Muslim. He told me he knows there are several kids in his class who
come from hidden Armenian Islamicized families, but he doesn’t know if
the kids know about their roots. How will the Muslim kids (or their
parents) react to him coming out? How will the hidden Armenian kids
(or their parents) react? How will his own kids react?
We are in uncharted waters, but sooner or later, truth and justice will prevail.
From: Baghdasarian
http://asbarez.com/126447/what%E2%80%99s-next-for-the-%E2%80%98hidden-armenians%E2%80%99-of-dikranagerd/