Author: Hunanian Jack

Today.Az, Azerbaijan
May 27 2008

Vladimir Kazimirov: "Issue of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution is
in the military not in the political field"

27 May 2008 [14:23] – Today.Az

The key to the resolution of the Karabakh conflict is the
inadmissibility of military actions, said Vladimir Kazimirov, former
co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group and deputy chairman of the
Association of Russian diplomats.

"I do not see possibility for real and significant promotion of the
issue. As for the renewal of military actions, the key to resolution
of the whole Karabakh conflict is the inadmissibility of military
actions, as this threat has not been removed so far", said Kazimirov
in the international Novosti press center in Yerevan on May 27.

According to the former co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group,
Azerbaijan "makes military announcements, despite the continuing
consultations on the level of Presidents and Foreign Ministers of the
two countries".

At the same time, Kazimirov noted that these consultations differ from
the decision of the Budapest summits, which reads that the co-chairs
are empowered to hold talks between the conflict parties, which
implies the direct participation of Nagorno Karabakh.

Kazimirov said Azerbaijanis preserve chances for the military
resolution of the conflict, while "Armenians try to use more favorably
positions in the military sense, the current front line, which is the
shortest, compared with the contours of the former Nagorno Karabakh
Autonomous Republic.

"The issue is still in the military, not political area. Only when the
ceasefire is fixed reliably and conclusively, there will be a freedom
of maneuver on the political field, while until that the countries are
slaves of military counteraction", said Kazimirov

/Novosti-Armenia/

URL:

SLOVAKIA CAN BECOME SECOND COUNTRY IN EUROPEAN UNION, WHICH HAS DEFINED CRIMINAL PUNISHMENT FOR DENIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 26, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. Stefan Harabin, the Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister of Justice of Slovakia, taking as basis the resolution
recognizing the Armenian Genocide adopted in 2004 in the National
Council of Slovakia has suggested a draft law, according to which
the denial of genocides is considered as ciminally punishable. He has
taken the idea of considering the denial of the Armenian Genocide as
punishable as a basis for the document.

This information was provided to a Noyan Tapan correspondent by Ashot
Grigorian, the Chairman of the Forum of the Armenian Unions of Europe
and the Head of the Armenian community of Slovakia.

Ashot Grigorian clarified that if there is no precedent of the denial
of the Holocaust, there are precedents of the denial of the Armenian
Genocide and the whole Europe should lead a serious struggle against
its repetition.

According to him, in this respect Slovakia will serve another example
after France after the adoption of the law envisaging up to five years
of imprisonment for denying the Armenian Genocide. He expressed hope
that the adoption of the law will not take much time.

In the words of the Chairman of the Forum of the Armenian Unions of
Europe, if they take into consideration the fact that the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Turkey does everything for the organization of the
dismantling of the munument-khachkar placed in Bratislava in memory of
the victims of the Armenian Genocide, it will become clear what a blaw
the adoption of the given law will become for Turkey. Besides, Ashot
Grigorian is taking lobbyist steps so as the government of Slovakia
is not against the adoption of that law as the circumstance of the
development of the given draft law by the Minister of Justice does not
mean at all that the Ministers representing other parties making part
of the government will defend the idea on the adoption of the law. Even
the Christian-Democratic Movement party, the representatives of which
were the initiators of the adoption of the law on the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide in the parliament of Slovakia in 2004, can be
against the adoption of the law considering the denial of the Armenian
Genocide as criminally punishable because of being opposition.

According to Ashot Grigorian, Stefan Harabin is in Armenia on May
26-28 at the invitation of Gevorg Danielian, the RA Minister of
Justice. The Head of the Armenian community of Slovakia reminded
that he organized the visit of Yan Charnogurski, a founder of the
Christian Democtratic Movement party and the Minister of Justice of
those times of that country, to Armenia, then the visit of RA former
Minister of Justice David Haroutiunian to Bratislava. S.

Harabin will be in Yerevan for the purpose of providing the
productiveness of the action of the provisions stipulated by the
contracts concluded during those visits. "In addition to this, the
visit of S. Harabin is a serious political act as any similar visit
is an active incentive for the provision of the settlement of the
Armenian issues in Europe," the Chairman of the Forum of the Armenian
Unions of Europe stressed.

He added that the Minister of Justice of Slovakia will take part in
the conference of the Forum of the Armenian Unions of Europe to be
held in Bratislava on May 29-30 and the ceremony of laying wreaths on
the monument khachkar (crosstone) placed in Bratislava in the memory
of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. It is expected that at the
invitation of S. Harabin, Slovakian current world-famous hockey player
Zigmund Palfin, who is in the Hockey National League, will take part
in the ceremony. Within the frameworks of the Conference dedicated to
the 90th anniversary of the First Republic of Armenia and the 10th
anniversary of the Forum of the Armenian Unions of Europe besides
S. Harabin, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Culture of Slovakia,
the leaders of the parliament and other officials have affirmed their
participation. According to Ashot Grigorian, famous violonist Sergey
Khachatrian and the Eurasia band with Vladimir Khachatrian at the
head will perform during that solemn event.

KOMITAS CHILDREN’S CHOIR OF NOR JUGHA TO TAKE PART IN INTERNATIONAL CONTEST-FESTIVAL IN POLAND

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 26, 2008

ISPAHAN, MAY 26, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. The Komitas children’s
art school choir of Nor Jugha is in Poland for the purpose of taking
part in the international spiritual music contest festival, which is
being held in the city of Haynovka on May 22-26.

As Alik daily reports, 22 singers aged 10-15, under the leadership
of Armen Amirkhanian, are performing Armenian spiritual songs in
the festival.

TMCnet
May 25 2008

Saroyan is a prominent thread in Fresno’s Armenian tapestry

(Fresno Bee (CA) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) May 25–Like much
of William Saroyan’s work, "Follow" is a story about the Armenian
immigrant experience.

The author was born in Fresno on Aug. 31, 1908, well after Armenians
began flocking to the Valley. Many had fled persecution half a world
away and had arrived under difficult circumstances. Collectively, they
would go on to reshape a city that is now known worldwide as a center
for Armenian culture.

It all started in 1881 when the Seropian brothers — Hagop, Garabed
and Simon, and their half-brothers, Kevork and Hovhaness — came to
Fresno from Massachusetts.

Hagop Seropian had tuberculosis and was advised to seek a milder
climate, said Barlow Der Mugrdechian, a professor in the Armenian
Studies department at California State University, Fresno. The
Seropians chose Fresno, possibly because they had heard favorable
reports from people who had visited the area.

Fresno’s population was 1,112 when the Seropians arrived. The town,
established in 1872, had a new courthouse, five hotels and several
saloons. Land was cheap and opportunities abundant for those willing
to work.

The immigration began as a trickle, but soon gathered momentum as word
spread about Fresno. Many of the Armenians who followed the Seropians
were merchants and went into business, said Berge Bulbulian, a retired
farmer and author of "The Fresno Armenians." Others became farmers.

"Agriculture was developing, and you could be a farmer in those days
with very little money," he said. "You also could be a farmer without
knowing how to speak English."

The Seropians and other Armenian immigrants planted vineyards, and
started raising and shipping raisins and other crops. By 1908,
according to Bulbulian, Armenians were farming more than 16,000 acres
in the central San Joaquin Valley.

Armenians have made significant contributions to the Valley
agricultural economy as raisin growers and packers of fresh fruit,
said Ron Kazarian, a second-generation grower who runs Circle K Ranch
in Fowler with his brother, Mel.

"Armenians came to the Valley for the opportunities America allows,"
he said.

Circle K Ranch, now a diversified farm that produces peaches, plums,
nectarines, table grapes and raisins, was started in 1946 by
Kazarian’s father, the late Peter Kazarian, and an uncle, the late
Walter Ishkanian.

"My dad and uncle came up from Los Angeles and bought 320 acres,"
Kazarian said. "They were rookies. They did extremely well their first
year, but then the bottom fell out."

Rather than give up their dream, Peter Kazarian and Walter Ishkanian
used persistence and old-fashioned pragmatism to work their way to
success.

"They went to the coffee shop and learned how to farm," Kazarian
said. "Farmers are good about sharing their techniques. They’re always
trading information. In farming, your neighbor is your friend."

Kazarian said growers today continue to benefit from the expertise
developed by Armenian immigrants.

"We’re passing along what we’ve learned to our sons behind us," he
said. "How to be efficient and innovative while being good stewards of
the land."

Der Mugrdechian said Armenians began coming to the United States in
the 1830s to attend school or start businesses. But they did not come
in large numbers until the mid-1890s, when persecution in Armenia led
to the first of several massacres under the Ottoman Empire.

More than 100,000 Armenian immigrants came to America in the three
decades after the persecution began. Der Mugrdechian said many of
these immigrants were drawn to the central San Joaquin Valley by the
positive comments of friends and relatives who already had settled in
the area and sent word that Fresno reminded them of Armenia.

In his book, Bulbulian says Fresno’s Armenian population rose from an
estimated 360 in 1894 to nearly 4,000 by 1920. Today, there are an
estimated 60,000 people of Armenian descent living in the central San
Joaquin Valley, Der Mugrdechian said.

Although discrimination forced many to live in a largely segregated
Fresno neighborhood known as "Old Armenian Town," Armenians were eager
to gain acceptance.

To encourage assimilation, they learned English and made education a
priority for their children, Bulbulian said. Initial family success in
agriculture or business often paved the way for second-generation
Armenians to pursue careers in medicine, law and other professions.

"The Armenians were determined and had a strong will to succeed," Der
Mugrdechian said. "They were achievement-oriented, and with that goes
hard work."

Armenian immigrants also brought the flavor of Armenia with them,
which they introduced to the Valley through their food, religious life
and cultural traditions.

Today, that influence lives on through events such as the annual
blessing of the grapes ceremony and a cuisine that includes
traditional favorites such as shish kebab, pilaf and peda
bread. Armenian restaurants are plentiful, and traditional food from
local institutions like the Valley Lahvosh Bakery are on supermarket
shelves across the city.

As an Armenian growing up in Fresno, Saroyan also encountered a vortex
of discrimination and opportunity. He experienced life as the son of
immigrants but found, in America, the chance to rise above adversity
through ambition and hard work.

"Saroyan has been the interpreter of what it is to be Armenian," Der
Mugrdechian said. "His stories about family life and the
eccentricities of people reflect Armenian culture. But he also was a
small-town person who knew about growing up and being successful."

Saroyan is revered by Armenians around the world as a writer who has
celebrated the resiliency of the Armenian people, said Varoujan
Altebarmakian, physician in chief at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center
in Fresno.

Altebarmakian, whose family is Armenian, came to the United States
from Lebanon in 1975 to complete his medical training.

"The more I learned about the Fresno Armenian community, the more I
admired how the early Armenians were able to not only preserve their
ethnic heritage but to absorb a new culture," he said. "They came up
with an outcome that preserved their inner soul of Armenianship."

Altebarmakian said the Armenian soul is an attitude that shares
talent, time, treasure and touch with others.

Part of the Armenian soul — a love of freedom and independence — is
symbolized in the statue David of Sassoon, created by the late Varaz
Samuelian and installed on the southeast corner of Courthouse Park in
1971. The 21/2-ton copper-plate work stands 18 feet high and depicts a
legendary Armenian warrior who is said to have defeated an invading
Egyptian king in the seventh century.

Altebarmakian said the Armenian soul also is displayed in support for
organizations that benefit the community, such as the Fresno
Philharmonic Orchestra and the Fresno Art Museum.

Armenians have been involved with the Fresno Philharmonic since its
inception. In 1954, Haig Yaghjian became the orchestra’s first
conductor. In recent years, Altebarmakian added, nearly every
philharmonic season has seen the appearance of a guest Armenian artist
during one of the programs.

Armenian immigration and Saroyan’s literary reputation continue to
distinguish Fresno in the eyes of Armenians and Saroyan scholars
around the world.

Fresno is regarded as one of the world’s core areas of Armenian
culture, Altebarmakian said. Saroyan, as one of the city’s most famous
native sons, also generates interest.

Among many Armenian organizations with national and international
reach based in Fresno is the William Saroyan Society. This summer,
Saroyan fans in Armenia will hold film and theater festivals and a
conference to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth.

"People know about Fresno because they know Saroyan," said Dickran
Kouymjian, a friend of Saroyan and retired chairman of the Armenian
Studies program at Fresno State.

John Kallenberg, chairman of the William Saroyan Society, said people
around the world continue to associate Fresno with Saroyan, either
through his published works or through landmarks such as the Saroyan
Theater, which is part of the Fresno Convention Center.

Kallenberg expects this association to continue, especially as more
readers discover Saroyan.

"I hope more students will read Saroyan," he said. "He provides a
flavor for our Valley and its rich, cultural heritage."

royan-a-prominent-thread-fresnos-armenian-tapestry -/2008/05/25/3464632.htm

The Sun Herald (Sydney, Australia)
May 25, 2008 Sunday
First Edition

Charge of a young gun

by Paul Daley

The Libs’ man-in-waiting faces a threat by Kevin Rudd’s mate –
opportunity permitting, of course.

LIBERAL leadership speculation orbits the ambitions of one man –
Malcolm Turnbull.

It is widely assumed he will be the next leader. But perhaps it is
time to cast the net wider, to look beyond the front pages to who
might come up the middle, if and when Brendan Nelson finally stumbles,
or is tripped.

It is largely a question of timing.

Turnbull would become leader tomorrow if the leadership "blew up" –
that is, if Brendan Nelson called for a spill of leadership positions
or if Turnbull challenged. That is unlikely. But with such a febrile
atmosphere inside the Liberals it would be foolish to rule out either
eventuality; the unanticipated can have disastrously magnified
consequences.

Understand this: while he is undeniably showing his leadership wares,
Turnbull is not setting deadlines. Like most Liberals, he purportedly
believes Nelson is a short- to medium-term proposition. He will not
force the inevitable now because he does not want Nelson to say he was
not given "a fair go".

Such a cry from John Howard helped paralyse the Liberals in the late
1980s and early ’90s, after Andrew Peacock undermined his
leadership. Turnbull will not be held responsible for a repeat.

He is well aware that if Nelson’s tenure drags on into 2009, a
possible election year, another candidate may emerge.

At 42, Joe Hockey is almost eight years younger than Nelson, more than
a decade younger than Turnbull and nine years younger than deputy
leader Julie Bishop. Hockey entered Parliament in 1996 and served on
John Howard’s front bench in a string of portfolios from 1998. Nelson
made the front bench in 2001, Bishop in 2003 and Turnbull in
2006. Experience counts in politics.

Hockey is close to Kevin Rudd. He knows the Prime Minister better than
anyone else in the Opposition. He likes to tell friends: "Kevin’s a
mate. But really he’s full of shit – I know his weaknesses."

>From 2001 to 2007, Hockey and Rudd shared a weekly spot on the
Sunrise television program, where they exchanged light-hearted
banter. It helped Rudd enormously in the public recognition
stakes. Similarly, it made a political brand of Hockey, a great bear
of a man and a considerably more solid parliamentary performer than
Rudd.

Friends argue he brings a huge dose of humanity – and policy reform –
to the Liberals. His father, Richard, is of Palestinian-Armenian
descent. A Catholic, Hockey is the only person with a Palestinian
background in Federal Parliament.

In late April, he attended a ceremony in the Israeli desert capital,
Be’er Sheva, for the opening of a park to commemorate the 1917 Battle
of Beersheba when Australian Light Horsemen audaciously stormed the
Turkish trenches and captured the town. It was the beginning of the
end of hundreds of years of Ottoman occupation of Palestine.

The Beersheba story resonates with Hockey, whose paternal grandfather
was deputy administrator of the town under British mandate. Hockey
used the charge, in his maiden speech, as a metaphor for seizing
opportunity.

He was one of three Australian federal politicians at the dedication
of the park in Be’er Sheva, as the city is known today. Two heads of
state, our Governor-General Michael Jeffery and Israel’s President
Shimon Peres, were also present. But it was to Hockey that young
Australians, dressed in boardies and VB singlets, flocked for
photographs.

Little wonder NSW Labor was hugely relieved when Hockey recently ruled
out a switch to state politics, perhaps – recent reports maintain –
initially suggested by Turnbull himself to get the sizeable member for
North Sydney out of the big pond.

"We’d have been f—ed if Hockey became leader of the state Libs. He’d
win the next election," says a prominent member of the NSW
Right. Such, it seems, is the potency of the Sunrise factor.

Hockey was one of two ministers who privately urged Howard to quit in
favour of Peter Costello prior to the last election. Howard and Hockey
had not spoken properly since the election. But they have buried the
hatchet and the younger man thanked the former prime minister for the
opportunities he had given him in government.

Howard, despite last year’s loss, enjoys enormous influence. The value
of his patronage should not be dismissed.

But will Hockey get the chance? He is telling friends that "right now"
he is genuinely not interested – a politician’s answer, in every
sense, because the leadership is not vacant.

Hockey has two young children and is relishing being a far less absent
father and partner. To friends, he makes no secret of his ambition but
is not overtly promoting himself as a contender. It is an approach
that might appeal to Liberals put off by Turnbull’s bullishness.

In the near future, the Liberal leadership must decide whether to
oppose the Government’s substantive industrial relations legislation
(covering, among other things, the re-introduction of unfair dismissal
laws), thereby offering the Government a trigger for an early double
dissolution election.

The Liberals hold more than 20 seats by under 4per cent; unless things
improved dramatically, they would lose many of them.

Turnbull, it is safe to wager, is more cautious about opposing the
industrial relations legislation in the Senate, where the Coalition
has a majority until July. After that, it needs support of either
independent Nick Xenophon or Steve Fielding. Hockey, as the previous
industrial relations minister, might also think carefully about
fighting another election on that front.

The debate could yet spill into the leadership tensions. In politics,
as in life, the big opportunity arises rarely.

It is there to be seized; you cannot dictate its timing. Consider
Howard and Costello. Then consider Joe Hockey’s light horsemen.

ARMENIAN DEFENCE MINISTER: AZERBAIJANI PARTY EXPLAINS THE DELAY IN THE RETURNING PROCESS OF FOUR ARMENIAN CAPTIVES BY HOLDING ‘THE RELEVANT WORK’

arminfo
2008-05-23 15:52:00

ArmInfo. Azerbaijani party explains the delay in the returning
process of four Armenian captives by holding "the relevant work",
Armenian Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan said today over the meeting
with students and teachers of Yerevan State Pedagogical Institute
after Khachatur Abovyan.

To recall, civilians Vanik Zmboyan (Gavar), Artyom Zohrabyan (Noraduz),
Karen Torosyan (Noraduz) and Aghasi Yenokyan (Noraduz) turned out to
be on the Azerbaijani side after the incident in one of Nakhichevan
near-border military units. The incident happened due to interpersonal
relations. By unofficial data, a group of civilians arrived "to help"
their friend, having been recently transferred to the new military
unit. A conflict started among the young man and his comrade-in-arms,
and the "brothers" arrived by several cars at the unit to settle the
dispute. A scuffle happened and the commander had to shot in air to
stop it, unofficial data say. As a result, the stranger- young men
were captivated. The Azerbaijani party tries to represent them as
raiders in every way.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER MEETS WITH TERRY DAVIS AND MARIOS GAROYAN

ARMENPRESS
May 22, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 22, ARMENPRESS: Armenian parliament Speaker Tigran
Torosian who is in Strasbourg to take part in the meeting of Council
of Europe member countries’ parliament heads, met today with Council
of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis.

The parliament press service told Armenpress that in a reference
to March 1 events in Yerevan Torosian said they shocked all. He
said Armenia saw numerous rallies since 1988 but not had such an
outcome. He said the tragic events on that day could not stem from
people’s social discontent, because their living standards have been
improving during the recent years and in January of this year the
pensions rose 60 percent and other salaries and wages also rose.

According to him, the assertions that police used force against
demonstrators is simplified. He said video materials show that there
were people among demonstrators armed with Molotov cocktails and metal
rods, who used grenades and plundered shops which are one kilometer
away from the demonstration’s scene.

He also spoke about a parliament ad hoc commission, set up in line
with PACE 1609 resolution which is to look into this and other issues
and give answers. He told Terry Davis that the parliament set up a
task force to study and offer proposals for improvement of electoral
processes and the law on Public TV and Radio so that the order of
electing members of the National Radio and TV Commission be fixed
by law.

He also said the parliament passed in the first reading a package
of changes to the law on mass gatherings which was approved by the
Venice Commission. The second reading will be in June and the law
will be made to comply fully with European standards.

In a reference to arrested people he said each case is being
examined carefully and the approach is that anyone who committed a
grave criminal offence must be held accountable and no one must be
persecuted for their political views.

Terry Davis welcomed creation of a parliament commission for making
inquiries into March 1 events.

He agreed that everyone who committed grave crimes must be punished
and no one must be persecuted for his or her political views.

Tigran Torosian also met with Marios Garoyan, the president of the
Cyprus parliament. Torosian express hope that relations between the
two countries and their parliaments will grow further.

Torosian said Cyprus’s experience in joining the EU is of cognitive
significance, especially that European integration is a priority of
Armenian foreign policy.

Marios Garoyan expressed hope that relations between Armenia and
his country and the constructive dialogue will deepen. Recalling his
Armenian origin he said it will be a factor to promote closer ties
with Armenia. The parliament press service said they discussed also
other issues of mutual interest.

ARF 30TH CONGRESS OPENS MAY 21

Yerkir
20.05.2008 12:40

Yerevan (Yerkir) – The official opening ceremony of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation 30th congress will be held at the
Armenian Government Conference Hall at 12:00 on May 21. ARF Bureau
representative Hrant Margarian is to make a speech.

The congress then will continue in Tsakhkazor in closed-door sessions.

Delegates from ARF bodies operating in 30 countries will attend
the congress.

After Armenia regained its independence, the ARF has held its 28th
(in 2000) and 29th (2004) congresses in Armenia. In 1992, the 25th
congress opened in Yerevan but it had to continue in France after
the Armenian authorities prevented it.

The party’s congress is held once in four years and outlines the
party’s political strategy. At the end of the congress, delegates
elect members of the party’s top executive body, the Bureau. Bureau
members represent various countries, and its headquarters is located
in Yerevan.

GAZPROM’S ARMENIAN UNIT STARTS IPO PREPARATIONS

Reuters
May 19 2008
UK

MOSCOW, May 19 (Reuters) – Russia’s gas export monopoly Gazprom
(GAZP.MM: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday its Armenian
venture, ArmRosGazprom, was starting preparations for an initial
public offering (IPO) of its shares.

The venture, 68 percent owned by Gazprom, buys natural gas from Gazprom
on a long-term contract at a highly favourable price and distributes
it within Armenia.

Other shareholders in ArmRosGazprom include Armenia’s Energy Ministry
and Russian private gas producer Itera.

"Cooperation in gas sphere is developing very successfully, and
joint venture ArmRosGazprom is expanding and starting preparations
for entering financial markets with an initial public offering of
its shares," Gazprom said in a statement.

The statement, which did not give a timeframe for the planned IPO,
was issued after the meeting between Gazprom’s head Alexei Miller,
Armenia’s President Serzh Sarksyan and Prime Minister Tigran Sarksyan.

Tigran Sarksyan told Reuters in an interview last year ArmRosGazprom
was planning a $1 billion IPO in late 2007 or early 2008. Neither he
nor Gazprom said whose shares would be offered in the IPO.

Gazprom also said it had discussed gas prices with Armenian leaders
and agreed to bring the price for Armenia to the European level by
2011, like for other former-Soviet customers.

But the Russian gas giant, which supplies Europe with a quarter of
its gas needs, said it would make the transition smooth "given the
high level of strategic cooperation" between the two countries.

Gazprom, which charges its European customers an average of $350 per
1,000 cubic metres, sells its gas to Armenia at $110 per 1,000 cubic
metres under the agreement valid until 2009. (Reporting by Tanya
Mosolova; editing by Sue Thomas)

GENOCIDE BOOK PULLED FROM HIGH SCHOOL READING LIST
Unnati Gandhi

Council Of Turkish Canadians
May 16, 2008

A book about genocide has been pulled from the recommended reading
list of a new Toronto public school course because of objections from
the Turkish-Canadian community, the author says.

Barbara Coloroso’s Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide was
originally part of a resource list for the Grade 11 history course,
Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, set to launch across the Toronto
District School Board this fall.

The book examines the Holocaust, which exterminated six million Jews
in the Second World War; the Rwandan slaughter of nearly one million
Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 1994, and the massacres of more than a
million Armenians in 1895, 1909 and 1915.

But a committee struck to review the course decided in late April
to remove the book because "a concern was raised regarding [its]
appropriateness. … The Committee determined this was far from a
scrupulous text and should not be on a History course although it
might be included in a course on the social psychology of genocide
because of her posited thesis that genocide is merely the extreme
extension of bullying," according to board documents.

Director of education Gerry Connelly did not return calls seeking
comment yesterday.

Ms. Coloroso, a best-selling author of parenting books, said she wasn’t
surprised her work was removed, given that "ever since the book came
out, the Turks have mounted a worldwide campaign objecting to it,
which is not surprising because of the denial of the genocide."

She said what upset her was not so much that her book had been pulled,
but that it was replaced by works by Bernard Lewis and Guenter Lewy,
whom she refers to as deniers of the Armenian genocide.

"I knew when I wrote Extraordinary Evil that I would anger some
genocide deniers," she wrote to Ms. Connelly. "I am disappointed that
a small group of people can bully an entire committee. …"

The Council of Turkish Canadians is opposed to the course for
classifying the Armenian killings as genocide and inciting anti-Turkish
sentiment. It has gathered nearly 11,000 signatures on an online
petition calling for changes to the course. Turkey has denied the
killings were genocide, saying they were First World War casualties.

Kevser Taymaz, president of the council’s board, said yesterday the
book’s removal was "one positive move" by the school board, but added
the Armenian massacres should not even be considered as part of course
that is entitled "Genocide."

"The course is one-sided. If they want to introduce the events of
1915, it should be giving the historical truth from both sides and
let the students decide."

Aris Babikian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee
of Canada, said Armenian-Canadians feel the course as it stands is
headed "in the right direction."

"But we have some concerns about … the inclusion of Bernard Lewis
and Guenter Lewy as reputable scholars. It will be unjust to the
hundreds of scholars who have researched the Armenian genocide."