At some point a great many people, born into Islam, may come to realize that they are simply the descendants of people who were forced, by a small invading army of Muslim Arabs, either to convert at once, or to endure the status of dhimmi which, punctuated as it was by the threat of massacre (e.g. the Jihad of 1915-1916 against Armenians, and to a lesser extent against Syrian Orthodoxs -- in which not only Turks, but Kurds and Arabs participated), and led to a series of conversions over the centuries. Islam as a belief-system has nowhere left a populace better governed, more prosperous, more intellectually alive; its effects have been the reverse, as the most acute historians and commentators -- from Tocqueville and Renan, to Jacques Ellul and Ibn Warraq -- have testified. Those "Bosnian" Muslims are simply the descendants of Serbs whose ancestors were forced, by fiat or by circumstances, to convert to Islam. In Turkey, the population that the conquering Seljuk and then Ottoman Turks met were overwhelmingly Christian, and their descendants make up the greatest part of the Turkish population today. If they are free to convert, they will; alone among Muslim states, Turkey does not punish conversion with death or other drastic measures; social ostracism is powerful, but not the same thing as execution. Even "moderate" Muslims should, if they are sensible, welcome a large number of conversions out of Islam, for it makes their own task, of trying to reign in mainstream Islam, somewhat easier. If there were not 2.5 million Christians in Pakistan, but 25 million, it would strengthen the hand of those trying to suppress Pakistani Islamists.

Dear Hugh,

The last major work (2002) of the great, recently departed Indian historian of Islam, K.S. Lal is entitled, “Return to Roots –Emancipation of Indian Muslims”, conveys a related message. Here is a summary of Lal’s thesis, in his own words:

“The active realization of the fact that Islam has separated present day Muslims from their Hindu ancestors and that the roots, origins, and cultural moorings of Indian Muslims are common with those of Hindus, alone can bring about national intergration and no slogan mongering or swearing by secularism. In our hurry to achieve national integration we put the cart before the horse. National integration cannot be achieved without first removing the causes of segregation. (The) Majority of Muslims in every town and city reside in a separate locality- or ghetto. First of all they have to learn to live with others, intermixed and on equal terms. They have to renounce hate ideas like jihad and kafir. These terms are not archaic; they are still instilled in young minds in madrassas. They have to forsake the idea that it is their duty to destroy the idolators and their idolatry, that they have to change India from Dar ul-harb to Dar ul-Islam. Secondly they have to observe normal behavior of living together as is done by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, etc. Lastly, they have to feel socially, politically and also culturally integrated into one commonality…

National integration can be achieved only if and when Indian Muslims realize that Islam was imposed on their ancestors by foreign invaders and rulers and that it wrenched them apart from their indigenous origins. Instead of wrongfully nursing the notion that they were Muslims all along, Indian Muslims have to locate their origins, their foundation…and try to see if they can return to it…to help bring about national unity. This attempt at self-appraisal and acquisition of self-knowledge is by no means an easy task. Islam does not allow such freedom of introspection and action. It is not permitted to probe into one’s past, to renounce Islam or join one’s old faith. Punishment for apostasy is death. But this tyranny of denial of freedom of thought is to be fought by Muslims themselves.”

Edward Tashji's uniquely beautiful letter (From TurkishForum) I believe will enlighten you on some basic facts about Turkey and the Turkish nation.

Dear Editors of National Geographic,
Mainly the Associate Editor
Mr. Bernard Ohanian:

Sirs , I have observed that even your prestigious publication, National
Geographic, is unable to resist and fight back the infectious display of
prejudice, which prevails today in the American news media. This un-called
for prejudice is projected by the deceptive Armenians toward the Republic
of Turkey and the Turkish-American community in the Northern Hemisphere,
including our neighbor to the north, Canada.

This introduction of my protest against your magazine was prompted by your
March 2004 issue's article, authored by an obscure reporter by the name
of
Frank Viviano and his associate Ms. Alexandra Avakian, concerning the
mythical, and alleged Armenian "genocide."

I happen to know the truth on his very subject quite clearly. The events
of
1915 in Ottoman Turkey, with reference to the alleged Armenian genocide
issue, were revealed to me explicitly by my Christian Armenian parents who
were natives of Turkey and had prospered in their homeland there, and
later on suffered gravely the ravages of a World War as had done all the
other citizens of the Ottoman Empire regardless of religion or ethnicity.
I find it quite inconceivable that they would make untruthful statements
to
me, their own son, pertaining to the allegations of a genocide. Yet these
prevarications are viciously propagated around the world by these
dishonest Armenian "hate merchants."

The Armenians' claims are working against them. They are refuted by
facts
which negate and contradict their fraudulent version of the so-called
genocide. Unfortunately, the National Geographic, your once highly
respected publication, shies away from printing the true version of the
honest opinions of legitimate historians. I am unable to comprehend why
the
people to whom I have given a lifetime of service, the American citizens,
should be deprived from learning the truth about the real FACTS?

The answer to this inquiry of mine can be found in the reality that for 89
long years the Armenians have continued pushing a campaign of hateful and
harmful propaganda against the Turkish Nation. The ferocity of their
maniacal policy has already affected the hearts and minds of innocent
Turkish people everywhere.

From the very beginning of this period of conflict up to the present
time,
the Armenians have been consumed with hatred. We see this evil philosophy
of
theirs in their churches which have not been spared from their malignant
intent: The sanctity of the Armenian Mother Church has changed into a
symbol
of vengeance for these supposedly
God-fearing people. They are unaware of the fact that Turkish people live
their lives free of animosity toward Armenians, domestic or foreign in
nature.

Hope this will help you see the truth

G.P.Çınar
The Armenians profess to be Christians. Nevertheless, their counterfeit
but
at the same time persistent philosophy of hatred coupled with their
agenda
of lies have divided even them. A Turkish proverb says: "The candle of a
liar cannot last beyond midnight." There is no longer a unity in their
churches, their communities, their families around the world.

Let us take the country of Lebanon as an example. In that country where
thousandas of Armenians from Turkey settled during the relocation, and as
it
is in all other situations Dashnak type organizations have stifled the
country's Armenian youth to such a degree that the youngsters refuse to
learn Armenian. They have no knowledge of Armenian history. Books,
magazines
and newspapers published in Armenian language are not read at all. The
traditional Armenian theatres performing for years are closing down. The
number of Armenian youth serving sentences in Lebanon's prisons due to
crimes of narcotics and other substances is on the increase day by day.
The
country's youth ask: "When will the policy of the Diaspora, motivated by
the 'genocide' issue come to an end?" "When will the international
Armenian
rich VIP's give up making expensive but useless films such as Atom
Egoyan's
ARARAT, and assign instead those millions of dollars to educate the
youth?
There is no one willing to answer these questions. The older Armenians
seem
to want only one thing "the acceptance of the idea of an invented
'genocide'."

It is most difficult for an Armenian such as myself to describe his own
people in this manner. But the truth is that I will not remain silent
while
knowing that the bloody ASALA murdered more than 60 Turkish diplomats and
their families in recent years and that at a more distant past the
treasonous Armenians of the Ottoman Turkey methodically carried out many
paramilitary rebellions against their very own country and the Ottoman
government between 1914 -1916.

These deadly Armenian insurgents killed hundreds of thousands of innocent
Muslim Turks with whom they had shared Anatolia for over six centuries,
living side by side with their Turkish neighbors in harmony and
brotherhood.
This centuries-old close relationship between the Turks and the Armenian
citizens of the Republic of Turkey continues today as we speak. Turkey is
a
democratic, secular Muslim country where 70,000 Armenians live peacefully
enjoying their own schools, churches, newspapers, various rich endowments,
and above all a long list of social and political freedoms. It is said
that
there are more Christian Armenian churches in Istanbul than in Yerevan,
the
capital of the Armenian Republic, and the freedoms which are notoriously
oppressed in Armenia are alive and well in all parts of Turkey.

Dear Mr. Ohanian, as the Associate Editor of National Geographic, you may
choose not to pay attention to my words and rather relegate them to a
subordinate of yours to examine them. You personally know the problem,
unfortunately others are not familiar with it. They may find my words not
"fit to print." That would be a great shame. As a full-fledged
Armenian-American I am familiar with the truth, thanks to the teachings of
my savvy and honest Armenian parents from Turkey.

* * *
Like most other editors and/or politicians, you should know the following:
There is no question in my mind that the Armenians in this country have
misled the world and denied the true and equitable dissemination of
Turkish
history and culture. I ask you: Do you have the courage and the
professional
integrity to print my position in one of your future issues of your
magazine? Do not be afraid of your Armenian supporters and a few members
of
your staff. There is no power on earth which can obliterate the truth. I
challenge you sir, and the Armenians who enjoy access to your pages, to
refute the following points:

1.The Armenians had achieved the highest levels of prominence in the
Ottoman Government. Their decendents' prosperous standard of living
continues to the present times.

2. RAMGAVAR, HINCHAK, DASHNAKSAGAN are some of the names of the bloody
revolutionary Armenian forces which caused havoc, upheaval, and a wave
of
murder among thousands of Turks..

3. After the First World War, the British and the French imprisoned 144
Ottoman officials and high-ranking military personnel and held them for
trial over two years. After extensive investigations, with American
participation, all the above-mentioned officials and military officers
were
RELEASED because of " no incriminating evidence" against them was found.
The British had assigned as the head prosecutor for the Malta trials, the
respected Armenian scholar of the times, Haig Khazarian. Even this
Armenian
prosecutor had to agree with the results of the lengthy trials of Malta.

4. Admiral Mark L. Bristol, America's official High Commissioner who was
assigned to duty in 1919 (until 1927) in the newly established democratic
and secular Republic of Turkey, left quite a few notes. The Admiral
refuted
tirelessly the Armenian allegations against the Turks in all of his
letters.. Armenian fraud and forgery were rampant. Admiral Bristol was
heard
saying often that "Opposition in Turkey meant only one thing:
'Revolution'."

5. In the year 1985, 69 historians and scholars of Ottoman and Turkish
history published in full page ads in the New York Times and the
Washington
Post, a total repudiation of the so-called genocide, and sent copies of
their findings to all the members of the House of Representatives and to
the
U.S. Senate... emphasizing the statement that the word "genocide WAS NOT
applicable to the claims of the Armenians of Ottoman Turkey.

6. In April of 2001, the Israeli Foreign Minister, Shimon Peres, stated
clearly that the assertion of an Armenian "genocide" was "meaningless." He
certainly was in a position of being able to recognize the term of
genocide
better than anybody else.

Dear Managing Editor Robert L. Booth, Associate Editors, Chris Johns and
Bernard Ohanian, I'm sure you all are aware of the new term being used
lately, "ethnic cleansing." I would like to know why does the U.S. media,
your publication included, entrust these Armenians the full power of the
press, while at the same time overlooking the ethnic cleansing of Turks
going on in the Crimea, in Bosnia, in Iraq (Turkomen), in Cyprus, in
Bulgaria and especially in Azerbaijan, where Kocharian's Armenia continues
to defy numerous United Nations' resolutions asking them to vacate the
lands
they have been illegally occupying since 1992?

Sirs, the bias against the Turkish people reeks in your offices and in the
halls of Congress. I stand in awe of the compassion of the Turkish
people!.
Nevertheless, I am afraid that these lines won't be given any space in
your
publication. I think that it's a foregone conclusion. But we, the
Turkish-Americans, as the tax-paying loyal citizens of this country will
continue in our struggle and efforts to respond to those elements in our
publishing society, such as your magazine which unjustly and
deliberately
distort the glorious history and the enviable culture of the venerable
Turkish nation. I be lieve that an apology to all Turks you have wounded
by
your careless attitude is in
dire order.

After all, wasn't it the famous 19th century British Statesman William
Pitt who had said: "These Turks have only one love-justice and truth; they
did no injustice, and, yet, they were victimized... we are on the side of
noble and brave Turks.

An Armenian 'free of hate',
Edward Tashji - Director,
FTAA Public Affairs

My dear Gunden Peker (and Edward Tashji):

As the grandson of dhimmi Christians who were given the choice of conversion to Islam or exile from what is now Turkey (they chose exile), I take your whitewashing of the Armenian genocide and protestations of the "compassion of the Turkish people" with a considerable grain of salt. Obviously many Turks are indeed compassionate, but there is simply no doubt that these events -- genocide, forced conversion, and exile -- happened.

The historical record has been obscured by a great deal of disinformation, but it is clear to anyone of good will. See, for example, Vahakn Dadrian's "History of the Armenian Genocide."

Cordially
Robert Spencer