Category: 2019

BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN

If anyone thinks that the sacrifice of thousands of men and women who gave their lives for the liberation of Artsakh and propelled an entire nation to advance the cause of justice and self-determination for its people, can, 30 years later, become “an accomplishment” bullet point on a candidate’s campaign literature for the Glendale City Council race, they are wrong.

The liberation movement, which changed the course of our history, cannot be diminished and used as the “Artsakh card” by candidates vying for office in Glendale or in any other city, state or federal races.

The more than 30-minute discussion that transpired Tuesday during the Glendale City Council meeting about the potential donation of playground equipment to a school in Artsakh was nothing short of an insult that diminished the ideals on which the Artsakh liberation struggle was built. In fact, it was a farce.

Watching five grown adults who are elected representatives of the people of Glendale jockey for position to demonstrate who has done more for Artsakh was teeth-grinding painful. Both Mayor Ara Najarian and Councilmember Vartan Gharpetian declared that over the summer they visited Artsakh and met with its president Bako Sahakian. They went on to say that their “on the ground experience” showed that sending used playground equipment to a school in Kashatagh, Artsakh would be an insult to locals and an embarrassment for Glendale and called for securing new gear manufactured in Armenia to boost the local economy.

Both Najarian and Gharpetian told me during separate phone interviews on Wednesday that Sahakian emphasized the need for the international recognition of the Republic of Artsakh, and the strengthening of its safety and security as paramount priorities for the people there, enlisting the Glendale leaders to advance those issues upon their return.

Najarian said that Sahakian told him that “greater recognition and familiarity with Artsakh for the people of Glendale and Los Angeles,” was critically important for Artsakh.

Gharpetian told me that Sahakian said that Artsakh’s priorities were the safety and security of its border and “how do we reopen our airport? How do we put international pressure on Azerbaijan to not shoot down planes?” as it has threatened on several occasions.

Devine also told me on Wednesday during a similar telephone interview that she knows “what the Armenian community does for [their] homeland. I respect that and I want to be a part of that.” She added: “This is the Diaspora and I am supporting the Diaspora.”

It is worth noting that the Diaspora communities that are helping Armenia and Artsakh are doing so based on local needs in order to advance the socio-economic and (geo)political imperatives.

The leadership of Artsakh in no uncertain terms has spelled out the priorities and the steps that can be taken to strengthen its statehood. It would have been preferable—and logical—for the city councilmembers, two of whom—Devine and Gharpetian—are running for reelection in March, to have had an honest needs assessment conversation about Artsakh based on Najarian’s and Gharpetian’s discussions with Sahakian, and targeted any assistance from Glendale to Artsakh based on those priorities. But, I guess that would be asking too much of our elected leaders.

Glendale’s city leaders have a great opportunity to educate the population about Artsakh—it’s culture, history, the current realities—since they went the extra mile to rename a portion of Maryland Avenue Artsakh Street—a move welcomed by their Armenian constituents. Why not stage events that would educate the public about the critical importance of Artsakh on Artsakh Street? This way, those who are unfamiliar with the basis of the renaming would be engaged participants—stakeholders—in any assistance that the city will send to Artsakh.

A motion by the city councilmembers on exploring the possibility of establishing a friendship city with one of the myriad municipalities in Artsakh would have been a welcome and positive approach to the issue. Through a Friendship City program, the Glendale City Council can send as many playground equipment (old or new) as it wants to that designated city and will bolster the lives of the people there.

As we celebrate Labor Day on Monday, the people of Artsakh and Armenians around the world will mark the 28th anniversary of Artsakh’s Declaration of Independence from the Soviet Union.

The Artsakh Liberation Movement is not about playground equipment, but rather the same inalienable rights that are etched in the United States Declaration of Independence and Constitution that guarantee life, liberty justice and the right to self-determination.

There are plenty of pressing local issues that the candidates running for office in Glendale can campaign on. So, unless they are going to pledge that Glendale officially recognize Artsakh’s independence and its people’s right to self-determination, or advance the establishment of a Friendship City with Artsakh, they have no right to use the “Artsakh card” for their political gains.

BY ARAM KOUYOUMDJIAN

“Beast on the Moon” – Richard Kalinoski’s chamber play about two survivors of the Armenian Genocide – has been produced by “countless theaters across the country and around the world,” according to its promotional materials. Sure enough, I myself have now seen it four times in four different cities, most recently in Long Beach, where the play is being revived by the International City Theatre through September 8.

The two Genocide survivors at the heart of the play are Aram Tomasian, a photographer living in Milwaukee, and his child-bride, Seta; both of them have lost their families in horrific ways during the carnage of 1915 and are trying to form a new family together. In fact, Aram’s sole focus in life is to reproduce offspring in order to fill the void of the family that was wiped out. The play recounts, in quiet tableaux, the perfunctory sex that the Tomasians have in order to procreate – an act that proves futile because the starvation that Seta suffered during the Genocide years has left her unable to conceive.

Haunted by the past and unable to create a future for themselves, Aram and Seta settle into a dismal dynamic – an altogether patriarchal one. Aram reads to his wife from the Bible in sermonizing tones, expecting domesticity and obedience from her. Over the years, however, Seta learns to weaponize silence – as a scene that unfolds over a lamb stew dinner grippingly illustrates – and eventually asserts her own voice, even quoting the Bible herself to advance her arguments. The couple’s lonely existence changes unexpectedly when a neighborhood boy comes into their lives. Vincent, a precocious street urchin, also hails from miserable circumstances, adding to the collective suffering of the play’s characters.

And suffer they do. Kalinoski’s script – chock-full of revelations about the horrors of the Genocide – is fraught with peril; while it can pack a punch if handled the right way, it can also devolve, quite easily, into overwrought sentimentality. Years ago, an Off-Broadway production directed by Larry Moss played against sentiment and unleashed shattering performances by Omar Metwally and Lena Georgas in the process; the ITC revival presents a rather mixed bag of both lovely and unfortunate choices (such as an overreliance on the plaintive strains of duduk music).

Director caryn desai [sic] stages the action in a straightforward manner, and Travis Leland’s performance as Aram is serviceable, although his portrayal rarely involves layering beyond dourness. Rachel Weck brings far more range to her role, and while her portrayal of Seta as a 15-year-old is not entirely convincing, she grows nicely into the character’s older years and achieves moments of deep poignancy.

Still, the performances are marred by some dreadful accents, which grate to the point of distraction. Why do Aram and Seta speak with accents to each other anyway? Presumably, they’re conversing in Armenian; how else could Seta, having newly arrived in Milwaukee, have perfect diction? Oddly, they have the same accents when they’re speaking English with Vincent, whose own overblown Italian accent adds to the stereotyping and diminishes what may have been a subtle, yet effective, commentary on the “melting pot” of immigration.

JR Norman Luker’s scenic design features a mammoth cross that extends horizontally over the stage. Far more interesting are the design elements – a mish-mash of human bones and scattered household items, fossilized, ashen, and macabre – that provide a visually arresting frame for an otherwise sparse set; but they remain at a remove from the stage action.

Kalinoski’s play has become the go-to drama about the Genocide since its premiere in 1995; this is, in part, due to the sheer paucity of plays on the subject and, in part, due to the play’s own reductive style, which makes its story and characters accessible to non-Armenian audiences. The opening night crowd, which included Kalinoski himself, was warmly receptive to the performance and rewarded it with a standing ovation. For me, re-experiencing the play for the first time since the Genocide centennial and since our discourse about the Genocide has evolved from one of mourning to one of resilience and reparations, “Beast” came across as an aging tale of victimhood, a story we Armenians have heard too many times.

BY ALEEN ARSLANIAN

LITTLE ARMENIA—This year, five Armenian American women were scouted by Armenia’s Women Under-19 National Soccer Team. The team currently consists of 22 players, five of whom are from America. Teveen Aghababian, Nyree Der Meguerdichian, Tvene Derderian, and sisters Areni and Zabelle Hamparian are now not only members of the National team, but have been granted Armenian nationality, as well.

Representatives of the National Team scout players from the greater Los Angeles area often, as the area is significantly populated by Armenians. These representatives will return in January in search of additional Armenian American players.

This year, for the very first time, the Women’s U-19 National Team was given the opportunity to stay in Armenia’s FIFA headquarters in Yerevan, also known as the Yerevan Football Academy. The Academy housed more than just the teammates from America. Several U-19 team members travel from distant Armenian villages to partake in the trainings and games. During these instances, the Academy temporarily accommodates the girls, providing a safe space for them while away from home. Although under strict supervision, the girls were more than grateful for the opportunity to stay at the Academy, like the boys.

The Women’s U-19 team is led by Head Coach Liana Hayrapetyan, who, from the very first day, made sure that the Armenian American players felt included. During one of their first games, Coach Hayrapetyan took the time to ask the girls for their input in regard to what positions they were interested in playing and what time they wanted to play.

Prior to joining the National team, only a few of the girls knew one another. Now, the Armenian American players have a group chat where they are in constant communication, texting one another in anticipation of their next trip to Armenia. The girls are scheduled to return to Armenia in September, for a week of training, in preparation for the Union of European Football Associations’ qualifying games in Bosnia, in October. Of the 22 on the team, only 18 girls will be able to participate in the qualifying games.

Recently, the U-19 team’s Armenian American players visited the Asbarez offices, where we had the opportunity to talk to them about their involvement with the National Team.

Teveen Aghababian is a 17-year-old college freshman from Orinda, CA. After graduating from Miramonte High School, Teveen was recently accepted to the University of La Verne. Growing up, Teveen was frequently surrounded by soccer. Her brother, Aren, who plays soccer for Homenetmen San Francisco, recently participated in the 2019 Pan-Armenian games, representing Santa Monica. Teveen was scouted for the National Team during a soccer game at a UCLA College ID Soccer Camp. After one of her games, she was approached by a representative of the Armenian National Team and offered a position on the team. After flying to Armenia for a two-week training camp, Teveen was asked to officially join the team.

Nyree Der Meguerdichian is a 17-year-old from Los Angeles, CA who recently graduated from Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School. This September marks her freshman year at the University of California, Los Angeles. Growing up, Nyree often watched her dad and brother play soccer, and dreamed of getting onto the field herself. She finally started playing when she was 6-years-old. Prior to joining the U-19 team, a friend of Nyree’s reached out to inform her of this opportunity. She flew out to Armenia, where she participated in try-outs and trainings before she was officially offered a position on the team.

Tvene Derderian, the youngest on the team, is a 15-year-old student at Maranatha High School. Born and raised in Pasadena, CA, Tvene started playing soccer when she was 5-years-old. Similar to Nyree, Tvene grew up surrounded by soccer, where both her father and sister play. Tvene heard about the U-19 opportunity from her friends Areni and Zabelle Hamparian, who both play for the U-19 team as well. Intrigued by the opportunity, Tvene flew to Armenia and to try out for the team. Although she knew the Hamparian’s prior to this journey, Tvene excitedly explained that she’s now friends with Nyree and Teveen, too.

Areni Hamparian is a senior at Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian School in Los Angeles, CA. She joined the American Youth Soccer Organization when she was 6-years-old. Shortly after leaving AYSO, she joined a club team called Crown City United Soccer Club. She now plays for SoCal. Areni was scouted for the Armenian National Team while playing with TUMO in Armenia. An individual affiliated with the National Team, who had seen Areni play soccer with the boys, approached her with a proposition: Would she like to join the Women’s U-19 National Team?

Zabelle Hamparian is a 16-year-old student at La Salle College Preparatory school in Pasadena, CA. Having watched her sister play, Zabelle started playing soccer at the young age of 6. Like Areni, Zabelle played for AYSO, Crown City, and currently plays for SoCal. Seeing her sister get scouted by the National Team was surreal. Having been offered a position to play, as well, was even more of a shock for Zabelle.

Aleen Arslanian: What an exciting time it must be for you girls. What pushed you to say yes to this very rare opportunity?

T.A.: It was always my dream growing up. It was my dream to play for the U.S. National Team, because I never knew we had an Armenian National Team. But, once I got the offer, my heart said yes. There was no doubt in my mind that I didn’t want to play for my country, because, after everything our country’s been through, I feel that if our soccer team can grow and become strong, and we show ourselves in the World Cup and the Olympics and we win, we can make our country known even more and things can change–especially for the women. Women’s soccer in Armenia starts at the age of 13 to 14. But in the U.S., we start younger, at age 3 or a little bit older than that. So, talking to them, and just being one of the leaders that can change how soccer is in Armenia for women and girls, I loved it. I loved the idea of helping out people that are less fortunate than me. Just playing a sport I love for the country I love is a given. There’s nothing that can beat that.

N.D.: I mean, I thought, “Wow, I’ve been playing soccer my whole life. I’m Armenian, and being able to represent my country—that’s a crazy opportunity.” Only a handful of people could say that, especially in America. So, I just wanted to see what I could do.

T.D.: I grew up being Armenian. Playing for a country that I’ve learned about all these years is crazy.

A.H.: First off, when I first heard, I thought it was incredible that I could represent my country and play with Armenians in Hayastan. I mean, wow, that’s incredible. I did not see it coming at all, because when I think of National Team, I think of something that’s big and scary, something that’s completely out of my reach. But, when this opportunity came close to me, I was just absolutely shocked with it. That, and being able to play for my country.

Z.H.: It’s just crazy. It didn’t hit me until we got there that: Oh my god, we’re playing for everybody.

A.A.: How would you ladies describe your experience with the National Team thus far?

T.A.: It’s honestly a crazy rollercoaster. I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster that’s not stopping, but it’s just so fun and so cool to be a part of something like this. It’s just a dream-come-true. A dream I didn’t know I had, coming true.

N.D.: It’s been really humbling, being able to just go and connect with the girls there. They’re very welcoming. It’s just a cool experience, because you can see their background. How they approach the game, and how we approach the game—it’s different. But, on the field it all makes sense, it flows.

T.D.: It’s a great experience. I feel better for myself that I’m doing this. Coming from America, especially… For those kids staying in Armenia, they don’t get as many privileges as we do. Just us going there makes them happy. You really see a whole different side to Armenia.

A.H.: I was very nervous, that’s for sure. When I first came, I was intimidated. I also felt very proud, because this was the first year that they let women into the Academy. It was a big step for the soccer federation as well as for Haystan as a whole. After that, there was all this comradery between us. The girl I roomed with, she was the sweetest thing. She’d fold my clothes, she was so nice. And then, one time, I made her bed, and she said, “No, no, you didn’t have to.” They were so incredibly sweet and humble.

A.A.: I like that they didn’t room you two sisters together, it gives you a chance to really connect with the other girls.

A.H.: I was hoping they would.

T.D.: They didn’t want any of us, any Americans, to be together. We still stayed together, we hung out, but it would’ve been a different experience.

Z.H.: I was rooming with this other girl, named Mary. She was really sweet. Sometimes we only ate three times a day, and I’m just used to eating more. She had a stash and she’d always offer me something from it. I also found it kind of interesting that, you know how in America we’re all equal, mostly, I noticed a bit of separation when we were at the camp. We had to stay more quiet than the boys and act more like girls. We’d get excited about something and raise our voices, but then we’d have to be quiet. But, it’s okay, because it’s the first year, and it’s just slowly changing, so it’s a process. We were just lucky to stay at the Academy. So it’s been a really great experience.

A.A.: Are there any significant memories from your time with the team that you’d like to share?

T.A.: So we kind of have little jokes as teammates about our coaches. We love them. Just the way they pronounce things is so funny to us, and then their hand motions. They say “compact” and “pressure,” but the way they say it, it makes us smile so much. They’ll be yelling at us, and they say “compact” or “pressure,”—it just makes us laugh. Honestly, though, one of my favorite memories of the whole thing was when we had downtime, we would all go into one room as a team. Even though, us Americans, our Armenian is not that good, we would just play games with the girls and laugh, and get close that way. Then, one time, we were in our office waiting for the English teacher, because they [the girls from Armenia] have to learn English. We would just joke around and we would teach them some funny American stuff, some English words. Just the silly things we would do inside makes the best memories.

N.D.: I would say, after one of our trainings—we had a really heavy day of training, a tough practice. Right after, there’s a pool by the field, we all went, changed really quickly, jumped in the pool and just had fun.

T.D.: When we were sitting in the conference room and the English teacher was late. The girls from Armenia were making fun of the coaches and what they talk about before the games. It was just very funny, fun times.

A.H.: I have one. When we played against the National team—I was doing okay during the games, I wasn’t doing great, and I wasn’t very happy with myself. I don’t know what got into me that last game, but I felt like I found my awakening. I set all these superstitions aside. Because, when we play sports, I feel like most athletes get all these superstitions, and it’s been clouding my thought process for the longest time. It was that game that I just set everything aside and just played the game to play the game I love. It was the greatest game for me, ever.

N.D.: Yeah, you played really good that game.

A.H.: That game was incredible for me. And being able to play alongside the National Team that is not yet the National Team, but is the National Team is really cool. It was amazing.

Z.H.: My favorite was—so, I was lucky, and I got to start the first two games. It was just really crazy, because, the first time, I didn’t really know what I was doing, you know, in a National game. Apparently you go, stand in the line, and then everyone starts moving forward. But, we—the girls from America—are still standing in our places, not knowing what to do. We didn’t really know the timing.

A.A.: Between flying to Armenia for trainings and games, and preparing for the new academic year, how are you managing it all?

T.A.: My family. They’re just so supportive and they love that I’m traveling to Armenia all the time to play the sport that we all love. My college has been very supportive of it, because it’s a national player for their college. I emailed my professors already, and they’re all on board and they’re just there to help me not fall behind. I will be doing school work on the road. It will be harder, because it won’t be with the professors, but I signed up for it. I’m ready to take on the challenges, because what I’m doing is like once in a lifetime opportunity.

N.D.: I graduated in June, and now I start late September. But I leave to Armenia on September 22nd, so I’m going to miss my first two weeks at UCLA. Actually, tomorrow, I’m going for orientation, so I’m going to talk to my professors. I’m going to try to get the same schedule as one of my friends.

T.D.: I start school on Friday, so I have to tell my teachers I’m leaving from September 21st to October 8th. I did tell the Dean of Students last year, that I’m leaving from September to October, so he has an idea. But none of my teachers know yet. I’ll probably get my homework from different people in my class. It’s going to be hard.

N.D.: Every time I get nervous, my parents and friends say, “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, you’re never going to get this back.” My parents keep telling me, “You’re going to tell your grandchildren about this experience.”

A.H.: This September and October will be my first time being away from home for  20 days. Of course, it’s going to be difficult. My classes are going to be more challenging this year, I’m going to have a lot of work to do. It’s not going to be easy, but Armenia comes first.

Z.H.: It’s going to be my first year missing out on the school year. There’s no other reason I’d miss school for. This is it—for Armenia.

A.A.: How does it feel to not only represent Armenia, but to be an Armenian citizen as well? Would you ever repatriate to Armenia?

T.A.: It’s honestly crazy. I never thought of becoming an Armenian citizen. I thought, “Yeah, it would be so cool becoming a dual citizen, a citizen of my country,” but I never thought it was possible. Then, when my coaches said that I can become an Armenian citizen—that I actually had to—I thought, “Oh my god, I’m so ready for this and everything to come.” On the day I finally got it, I couldn’t stop smiling.

I would love to move to Armenia. I’ve been actually saying this for the past year. Probably after college, I would love to, maybe for a year or two, move to Armenia. I would like to help out in the medical field, because I want to study medicine. I really would love to move to Armenia, honestly!

N.D.: I would like to. I would like to finish schooling, get a job, and figure out what I want to do with my life. Once I get comfortable and know what I’m doing, I wouldn’t mind going half a year to Armenia, and spreading what I know, and starting a business—something like that. Like half of the year to start with, and then maybe fully transition into living there.

T.D.: I don’t know yet. It’s just, a lot of the girls are going to college. I’m still in high school, so I don’t know. Right now, my answer would be not now.

A.H.: We went through the craziest process [to get citizenship], because of our last name—just this huge mix-up.

Z.H.: We’re Western, so we spell our last name differently. Right now, as we’re Armenian citizens, our last name is spelled differently than our moms. So, if we wanted to buy a place and it went under our mom’s name, we’d have trouble proving it’s our mom.

A.A.: How did the mix-up come about?

Z.B.: Our mom had hers processed through the Armenian embassy here.

A.H.: In Armenia, they wouldn’t let us change the spelling. They said that absolutely, under no conditions can we change this, because, in Hayastan, this is how we spell it. But, once we actually got it, it was such a special, exciting, feeling.

A.A.: What differences did you see between the Armenia women’s soccer team and that of an American team?

T.A.: I would say maybe how split up the boys and girls are with everything. We were barely allowed to talk to any of them. Usually in the U.S., especially with my club, we have boys and girls teams but they always mingle and they become friends. But in Armenia, it was girls and then guys, which I felt like, “Okay, I understand; it’s the culture and everything.” In terms of strength, in the World Cup, 80% of the girls were from the U.S., so the U.S. does have more strength in soccer than the rest of the world for women’s soccer. I do see that the U.S. is more competitive.

N.D.: Yeah, for sure. We don’t train as much in Armenia. We train twice a day, for two hours per session. Two hours in the morning and two hours at night. Also, I grew up playing club soccer, on a club team, and just the style of play is really different. The girls in Armenia are just getting to understand the game, so their focusing more on defense and going up with the ball towards offence. Whereas here in America, the game flows; everybody knows where they are and how to play. They’re still trying to understand it, so it’s a little slower.

T.D.: Yeah, but they start playing at age 12 to 13. Here in America, the coaches let you play freely. They’re still in their Soviet mentality. Our coach is on a strict schedule, “No, we’re going to do it this way.” But, to get where you want to be, you have to train harder in America.

N.D.: Yeah, but we have to take into consideration that we have this opportunity, and they don’t. I wanted to play soccer when I was younger. My mom put me in dance, she put me in art classes—I didn’t like any of it. I wanted to play soccer. If the girls in Armenia, at that age, said that, they can’t have that opportunity. Also, the fields were incredible. Probably the best grass I’ve ever played on. Every day, I would look outside through the window, there would be people picking the weeds individually off the grass.

A.H.: The Armenian soccer team is not as rigorous. It’s more laid back, not too strict. Here in the United States, it’s more training, it’s more serious.

A.A.: Is it the same for the women’s and men’s though, in terms of training?

A.H.: No. The men’s training is much more strict on timing.

Z.H.: Yeah, it’s really hardcore compared to what the girls do.

A.H.: When we were training, there were Spanish coaches, which was very cool. They came, and they were training us. Well, no. They came to train the Academy, but they were only training the boys. And the only exposure we had to the Spanish coach was this one meeting we had. Which was great, it was very informative, I loved it. It was great getting to know this person, but we didn’t get to do any training with him. It was him telling our coaches, “Do this,” but without him actually saying where we’re at. This is a great start, that’s for sure. I hope we just continue building.

WASHINGTON—The Armenian National Committee of America will, once again, serve as a major sponsor of the In Defense of Christians National Leadership Conference. The conference will held from September 10 to 11, in Washington, D.C. During this national gathering, prominent faith leaders will join human rights advocates from across the United States in urging elected officials to take concrete action to preserve Christianity in the Middle East.

“The ANCA is proud to be a sponsor of the In Defense of Christians National Leadership Conference,” remarked ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan. “IDC has accomplished so much over the past six years in shaping U.S. policy regarding the plight of Christians and other vulnerable minorities in the Middle East. The ANCA is pleased that the conference will once again advocate for—as a major policy goal—Congressional passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution,” added Yerimyan.

U.S. Senate and House Armenian Genocide legislation (S.Res.150 and H.Res.296) aim at establishing, as a matter of U.S. policy: the rejection of Armenian Genocide denial, ongoing official U.S. government recognition and remembrance of this crime, and the importance of education about the Armenian Genocide in preventing modern-day atrocities. Over 100 U.S. Representatives have cosponsored H.Res. 296, which was spearheaded by Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL). The Senate version, led by Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), currently has 18 cosponsors. The ANCA supports immediate consideration and passage of both measures.

The IDC National Leadership Conference—titled “Fighting for Equality, Freedom, and Security”—will begin on the evening of September 10, with a VIP reception and annual Solidarity Dinner to be held at The Hamilton LIVE. The following day, the conference will feature a National Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill, where participants will meet with members of Congress to highlight the plight of Christians and other minorities across the Middle East. ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian will be among speakers at the breakfast panel on September 11th.

Individuals who are interested in attending the In Defense of Christians Conference with ANCA leaders are encouraged to contact the ANCA offices at (202) 775-1918 or by email. Additional information is available on the In Defense of Christians website.

The ANCA’s cooperation with In Defense of Christians dates back to their inaugural conference in 2014 when His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, joined with Christian leaders from throughout the Middle East, offering a powerful call for unity in the face of the existential threat against historic Middle Eastern Christian communities. Video of His Holiness Aram I’s remarks are available below:

The ANCA worked closely with IDC and a coalition of over 100 organizations, including the Knights of Columbus, the International Religious Freedom Roundtable and the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, in a grassroots campaign to have Congress and the Obama Administration declared the slaughter that Christians and other minorities in the Middle East are facing modern-day genocide. In March 2016, with a vote of 393 to 0, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously condemned as genocide the ongoing ISIL/Da’esh crimes against Christians—including Armenians and Assyrians – as well as Yezidis and other religious minorities in the Middle East by adopting H.Con.Res.75, spearheaded by Representatives Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE). Two days later, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry clearly and unequivocally characterized the ongoing ISIL / Da’esh attacks and killings of the Christians, Yezidis, and Shiite Muslims in the Middle East as genocide, with specific mention of the destruction of Armenian churches as part of the cultural destruction of these historic communities. The Senate adopted a similar resolution (S.Res.340) on July 7.

In July 2019, Christian leaders offered prayers in their native languages of Arabic, Aramaic, Assyrian, Greek, Syriac, and Armenian, in a first ecumenical service of its kind held in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. The historic presentation of hymns included a moving rendition of Der Voghormia (Lord Have Mercy) sung by Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Very Rev. Sahag Yemishian, Vicar of the Eastern Prelacy, Rev. Sarkis Aktavoukian, pastor of Soorp Khatch Armenian Church of Bethesda, MD, and Archpriest Nerses Manoogian, pastor of St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church of Philadelphia, PA. Video of the Armenian hymn is available below:

In Defense of Christians is a 501(c3) U.S. non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure the protection and preservation of Christianity and Christian culture in the Middle East. They work to foster global awareness of the on-going plight of Middle Eastern Christians, encourage political advocacy in order to educate national and international policymakers so as to act toward this goal, and promote programs of humanitarian aid in solidarity with suffering Christian communities in the Middle East.

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

Since we live, unfortunately, in the golden age of propaganda, it’s worth addressing one technique that practitioners of that black art use to support their efforts. When reality and facts are simply too powerful to overcome through misdirection, incomplete information, and outright falsehoods, they will take to outright attacks designed to undermine the credibility of individuals or groups who do stand for truth.

A prime example that came to my attention a few months ago is an article titled “Robert Fisk And Legitimizing Terror” by one Aslan Yavuz Sir. You probably recognized Fisk’s name. He is a journalist who has been working the Middle East beat for decades and is known for exposing a lot of uncomfortable truths. He has also written about Armenians and the Genocide. This seems to have nettled Sir enough that he took to the pages of a Turkish newspaper to smear Fisk. He accuses Fisk of legitimizing Armenian terrorism and “hatred” of Turks by creating categories (“good” and “bad” Turks), as if we need help from anyone to understand what Turks and their behavior are all about. Sir is a doctoral candidate and “analyst” at AVIM (Avrasya Incelemeleri Merkezi – Eurasian Studies Center) which seems to be an entity that dedicates a lot of its efforts towards spewing anti-Armenian publications. He seems to be quite prolific and his writings are presented bilingually in English and Turkish. If this doesn’t arouse suspicions as to Sir’s own competence and credibility to speak to Armenian issues, and thereby about Robert Fisk, I don’t know what does. Sir may be someone we’ll have to watch over the coming years.

Another favorite target, this time of some misguided and overly cynical Armenians, is Rep. Adam Schiff of California. These overly critical compatriots of ours take to all manner of media to denigrate Schiff. They cannot seem to fathom that someone could genuinely be interested in serving a just cause and being its advocate. They see only devious pandering on the congressman’s part and go to great lengths question his motives and to manufacture linkages between other positions of his they disagree with and negative effects on Armenians of those positions they perceive. I happen to have had the honor and pleasure of meeting and working with Schiff over the last two decades and can vouch for the fact the smears directed at him are utterly unfounded. Do I agree with his every action/policy? Of course I don’t. But neither do I find it even slightly constructive to tear down a man who has been a friend and supporter of Armenians and our issues. The fact that he advocates on behalf of his constituents ought to be recognized as a positive, him doing his job.

Since we’ve entered the electoral-political arena, it’s worth noting another ridiculous target of bad-mouthing. Some people see nothing but evil in that arena. As a result, they legitimize their laziness and do not even vote. For them the electoral-political arena is overwhelmingly corrupt, dominated by crooks who say what constituents want to hear to get elected and continue their alleged self-serving ways while in office. Are there such people who win elections? Of course, but the significant majority are not of that ilk. I don’t agree with the right-wing politicians who have dominated American politics for the last two or three decades. I think most of them fools, and often of very low intelligence. But I do believe that most of them entered the electoral in pursuit of their (in my opinion utterly misguided) ideals and agenda. So if you are one of those anti-election cynics, please, reenter that part of the civic arena and stop sneering at those who already do their electoral-civic duty. Otherwise, YOU are the most responsible for the evils you loathe most since your vote is absent when such lowlifes run for office.

Another favorite target of propagandists (in this case those acting for the far-right and corporatist sectors of civic/political life) is the environmental movement. Motivated by blind greed and a hefty dose of scientific ignorance, they like to portray as “crazy” or “unreasonable” or “extreme” those who speak and act to ensure that we continue to have a planet that is hospitable to human life. A simple example is that of tailpipe emissions. Half a century ago, when cities were being struck by killer smog days, legislative action forced car companies to improve the number of miles cars could travel on a gallon of gas. There was much nay-saying and wailing coming from the automobile industry and its hacks. They said it couldn’t be done, at least as quickly as the government wanted, and yet, it was achieved. And, it was NECESSARY. This “flavor” of nonsensical propaganda is often heard when protecting endangered species (supposedly it hurts the local economy, while the opposite is true since many people want to see those same animals and travel to, and spend money in, the places where those critters can be found). Of course the big issue today is climate change (global warming) and the havoc it is wreaking already. Denialists, much like their Armenian-Genocide-denying Turkish counterparts, play fast and loose with the temporal aspect of facts. Where the Turks might point to the few instances of Armenians taking up arms to defend themselves AFTER massacres had started, neglecting this causality, climate denialists play a slightly different chronological game. They argue that Earth’s climate has always fluctuated. That’s true. But it has never changed AS FAST as it is now. We are the cause of that speed and the damage that such rapid change is causing. Here again, the overwhelming weight of reality forces climate denialists to resort to name calling and attempts to discredit those fighting for our well-being.

Finally, there’s the anti-ARF contingent. Whether motivated by jealousy of the ARF’s accomplishments, hidden agendas I cannot fathom, or sheer ignorance, these folks seem incapable of ever acknowledging that this organization did something good, or right. They always gin up some conspiracy theory, attacking the organization’s current activists. Otherwise rational people in Yerevan still believe that the ARF leadership carried out a hoard of gold when the Soviets took over the country. The ARF’s role in the Artsakh movement is downplayed or denied. The worldwide lobbying efforts of the ARF and its outreach arm, the ANC, are never acknowledged for the benefit they bring to the homeland by helping keep Turkey at bay internationally and securing much needed aid for development in our homeland. Even something as obvious and intense as the ARF’s role in fighting Serzh Sarkissian’s ill-considered, ill-fated, and utterly destructive Protocols is conveniently disregarded and instead other, admittedly less flattering, doings by the party are repeatedly touted. This is an example of the propaganda of incomplete information coupled with smearing individuals.

Let’s all call out these pointless propagandists for the vile creatures they are and have a civilized, fact-based, discourse on whatever issues confront us.