Looks like a basketball monument to me, but it's the thought that counts
The Turks are irked. The Turks are irked. What kind of jerk would irk the Turks? One who insists on telling the truth about Assyrian genocide. To do so will "create a climate of hostility," just as telling the truth about Islamic jihad is "Islamophobia."
"Turkey Objects to Assyrian Genocide Monument in Australia," from AINA, December 6:
Fairfield, Australia (AINA) -- A proposed Assyrian genocide monument has drawn the Turkish government into the debate. The monument, proposed to the NSW Parliament by MP Ninos Khoshaba, would honor the Assyrian victims of genocide in the 20th century, particularly the Turkish genocide of Assyrians in World War One, in which 750,000 (75%) Assyrians were killed between 1915 and 1918, as well as Armenians and Greeks, and the massacre of 3000 Assyrians in Simmele, Iraq in August, 1933....Turkey's Consul General in Australia, Mr. Renan Sekeroglu, has expressed opposition to the erection of the monument and denied the genocide of Assyrians in World War One. Mr. Sekeroglu conceded there were "tragedies" on "both" sides during that period. Speaking to SBS Radio, Mr. Sekeroglu said "I am afraid that if such proposals bear fruit then it will create a climate of hostility and it will also contradict the environment of historically friendly relations between Turkey and Australia". Mr. Sekeroglu said he will lodge an objection to the proposed genocide monument with the Fairfield Council.
A spokesman for the Fairfield Council said the Council is "...taking into consideration all angles before making a decision on the 4.5 meters sculpture that looks like a hand holding up the globe." The Council will vote on the monument on December 15.
The Armenian Genocide is a great example of what becomes of you if you live in a Muslim society as a dhimmi and the Muslims finally get around to wanting everything that you own....It is also a great example of why you should never allow Muslims to become dominant in your society....
The things the Muslims did in the Armenian Genocide are exacatly the same things Muslims are doing in todays world...the similiarities are just too strikingly similiar to dismiss....
It is good to study the Armenian Genocide....it actually began at least one hundred years before it started to actually blossom....The Muslims are patient and determined....just as they are today....one cut at a time until the cuts become full slashes....
Didn't minaret-bayonet boy Recep erDOGan just defend his decision to host Sudan's self-hating (because of how his genocidal actions target black people just like himself) Omar al-Bashir the other day, by shamelessly claiming that "a troo-beeleevare™ can never commit genocide"?
Well, I guess that when other folks say otherwise, that squealing arab-wannabe will certainly raise a few objections to that...
On either side of that monument there should be an Australian Light Horse Regiment soldier and a British Tommy who covered the evacuation of the Armenians in 1918 if my memory is correct!Our soldiers bled and died to help these People so the Turkish Consul-General should just shut up!
Now I don't want to sound as another Turk who denies genocides but I don't think you are fair when you judge Turkey.
All these ethnic groups were under rule of Ottoman Empire for 6 centuries but they all preserved their languages and religions. I'm not saying killings of these people were justified, but just listen the story from the other side.
What happened in 20th century? All ethnic groups except Kurds revolted against Turks during one of the biggest wars in history. While Turks were fighting against powerful armies of British Empire and Russia, Arabs, Armenians, Greeks started to attack Turks. Do you think they just attacked police or soldiers? No, they attacked Turkish villages, CIVILIANS.
They first wanted to destroy Turks and create Armenian only, Greek only, Arab only lands. If Turks wouldn't react on time, we could be talking about a Turkish genocide right now. But they were not powerful enough. They tried to use WW1 as an opportunity but they failed.
Now I know you will see me as another delusional denier Turk. But this is the truth Armenians and Greeks don't want to talk about.
"It is also a great example of why you should never allow Muslims to become dominant in your society..."
Dominant is not the correct choice of words there. Islam should never be allowed in your society period. Because of the way that Islam operates, that is, people are born into it and can't leave it, it can only grow larger. Add to this all the rules about not selling property to infidels and other legal maneuvers that excuse crimes of Muslims, especially once sharia gets going it is almost impossible to turn back. There is no safe level of Islam in a society. Only very small truly insignificant numbers can be safely allowed in any society that ultimately wants to survive as a free non-Islamic society. The West is already far past any safe level and drastic measures will be needed if the West is to survive as free democratic societies with freedom of religion and speech.
The Armenian Genocide is a fact. The denial of this horror indicates that Turkey is unfit to be a member of the EU. I would even question whether the inclusion of the country of Turkey is proper in the UN.
The responsibility for the Jewish Holocaust is not in question. The Germans did not question the construction of a Holocaust Museum in Washington.
Why can't the Turks accept their role in this act of genocide against the Armenians?
After all, you are only as sick as the secrets you keep.
Climate of hostility?! Don't you think massacring 750,000 Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks created a climate of hostility? Don't you think threatening people who want to commemorate that tragedy creates a climate of hostility? You don't want a climate of hostility? Admit the genocide happened, apologize for the genocide, contribute to the fund for building the monument, and send a representative to personally apologize at the groundbreaking and opening of the monument. And to MP Ninos Khoshaba and the Fairfield Council, don't be cowed by yet another act of Islamic intimidation.
There's certainly another side to this tragedy, however you appear to be claiming that the Turks committed genocide in "self-defense",which is, let's face it, grotesque.
The Armenians,Greeks,Assyrians and others were captive nations, they had a right to self-determination after centuries of Ottoman barbarous oppression.
It looks as though I have some letters to write.
To MP Ninos Khoshaba to applaud his chutzpah - he is an Australian of refugee Assyrian Christian descent. His family came here fleeing the hell on earth that is dhimmitude. He chooses to remember rather than to erase or deny why it was his family fled. Good on him!
To the Premier of NSW, urging him to back Mr Khoshaba to the hilt.
To Fairfield Council, urging them to go right ahead and build the monument, and to refuse to pander to Turkish Muslim denial of the fact of Quranically-inspired Muslim mass-murder of a non-Muslim population, denial which is exactly and precisely as contemptible as Shoah denial.
Paging all Australian non-Muslims here present: let's get cracking.
This memorial *must* be built.
If the Turkish Muslims don't like it, well, they can just go jump in the lake, because *I don't care*.
(Once it *is* built, I would advise the NSW police to install a few spy cameras and suchlike in the vicinity: it might be an excellent way to lure the jihad-minded sharia-pushers out into the open. Suggested rule of thumb: any Muslim, of any background at all, who is caught attempting to vandalise this memorial, once it's built, is someone that we *do not want* in Australia. And, frankly, any Muslim currently resident in Australia who is caught right now trying to STOP the building of the monument, is *also* someone that we do not want in our society; because to try to stop the monument is to display implicit APPROVAL of Muslim mass-murder of non-Muslims).
Here's Mr Khoshaba's parliamentary profile page, with his contact details:
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/members.nsf/1f05a073cb5a49a2ca256e7c00184cda/fc2c94e9bbe1270dca2572a70015f089!OpenDocument
And here you will find Mr Khoshaba's maiden speech.
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LA20070530019
I draw particular attention to this passage: "I am an Australian of Assyrian background—the first Assyrian Australian elected to any Parliament in Australia. I am proud of my heritage, as are the millions of migrants who have come to Australia from throughout the world.
"In my case, I am also saddened and angered at the oppression of Assyrian people in Iraq and the plight of the hundreds of thousands of Assyrians who have fled Iraq in the past five years and lie abandoned in refugee camps.
"I celebrate the fact that my family chose a country where a humble migrant residing in Western Sydney can express his opinion in the freedom that our democracy promises."
I am not surprised, in light of that passage in his maiden speech upon his entry to Parliament, that he has - presumably acting on the wishes of his Assyrian Christian compatriots and constituents - proposed this memorial.
The other thing that shines through the speech is the fact that a (probably Arabic speaking) culturally *Christian* refugee family from Iraq has worked hard, and integrated itself fully into the Australian society which has given them refuge, and is full of gratitude for the hospitality and opportunities offered.
When he starts talking about his family, one sees that his sisters have married into the broader Australian milieu - one marrying a man with an Italian surname, the other marrying a man with an English surname. Given that he identifies his parents-in-law as 'Celestino and Domenica Caruso', he appears to have acquired a bride from an Italo-Australian family - not surprising, as he attended 'the Holy Rosary school'.
Would the average Muslim family have integrated like this? I doubt it.
I can remember Christian Lebanese and Assyrian refugees arriving in Australia and New Zealand post-war. In fact I went to college with boys from both nationalities and they were great friends, model immigrants and intensely religious. In fact they made us wishy/washy catholic liberals look like atheists.
Turkey's Consul General in Australia, Mr. Renan Sekeroglu...conceded there were "tragedies" on "both" sides during that period...
I suspect the "tragedies" on the Turkish side, is a shielded reference to incompetence that allowed some Armenians to escape the genocide.
It's all relative, innit!
oops, make that Assyrians
Sonsuz, Let me put it bluntly- Your argument has no merit here. You bring up the fact that the Turks were wronged which lets say for arguments sake is correct. You however fail to mention that is was the ASSYRIANS that had wronged those people. It has been proved again and again that the Turks showed NO HUMANITY to the assyrians and had slaughtered, starved and raped assyrian men, women and children.
I have no compassion for the Turks. Even if they were wronged, it does NOT justify the horror they showed to the innocent community of assyrians.
The Turks that were responsible for the assyrian genocide are no better than the nazis who caused the jewish genocide and should be treated no differently.
The monument must be built to show for the lives that were injustly taken, the loss of a community and for the pride of the assyrian name.