Speech of Habib Afram:To stand up I need, like a tree, the deepness of roots and the vastness of the sky

Presentation by Habib Afram, President of the Syriac League
Delivered on Friday 17 March 2006
University of Istanbul


Mr. Chairman
Distinguished Participants
Dear guests from Mesopotamian Cultural Association in Istanboul.
Let me start by presenting to the University of Istanboul a book on our living cultural heritage entitled Tourabdin.
As a token of respect and appreciation.
This is a Suryani approach to the events and issues.
Sometimes, yesterday is very far away.
And sometimes, history is present in the heart and in the veins, and you find yourself beholding, crystal clear, ninety years without the dust of time or the noise of events to obscure it.
Is it because it has been written in blood, and blood is the weapon of the innocent
Here I am in Turkey, as if returning to the womb that has borne me and to the land that has displaced me. Above my head, in my office in Beirut, is a picture of my family tree that dates back to 1650 in the village of Aynwardo in Turabdin, in the southeast Turkey of today.
And at home are rocks from my village I feel are my yesterdays, and soil from the cemetery of sacred “Al saffron” Monastery I feel are my always.
And my mind, as the third generation in the line of my grandfather, Habib the first my grandmother Armenian Takohe, my mind is crowded by his tales from what we call the leftovers of the sword and from adventures of how he, reached Lebanon with companions.
And my conscience, as the son of suffering and bitter experiences, my conscience is haunted by the free Christian presence in the East now threatened with disappearance. Having witnessed the dispersion of our people in all corners of the globe as they acquired new identities and various affiliations, I have come to realize that we have turned into the people of Diaspora.
And here I am in the University of Istanbul, proud to be its guest at this attempt to seek the truth and unveil what has happened, although late.
History is full of injustice, wars, even genocide. This is mans odd destiny, to elevate humanity through the discovery of space and the atom, and to devalue him into a fierce wolf preying on his brother in the name of religion, ethnicity, self-interest, ideology, or simply for authority or power. But the harshest is best described in the words of the Turkish poet Bachar Kamal who said: “Separating a person from his land is like ripping someones heart out of his chest.”
So here is what I have to say.

First:

What we call Seyfo is genuine history in time and place. And we have been both its witnesses and its victims, in our bodies, relatives stories, books, poetry, art, songs, tears, our flesh and our blood, in names, pictures, families, and remnants there that still hold the scent of our ancestors. No one can deny it or erase it. No one can wash their hands innocent of it, or neglect it or bury it. But especially, we cannot accept the claims that it did not take place or that it is some sort of myth. Memory cannot be obliterated our memory is neither fictitious nor invented, even if some academics, historians and thinkers have ignored it. But most of all, this memory is not for revenge, it is a memory for tomorrow.

Second:

What happened has affected people, ethnicities, and a variety of religious groups from Armenians, Syriacs and Chaldeans to Assyrians and Greeks of Asia Minor. True that the largest number of victims were Armenians who have come to call the event the Armenian Genocide. All struggle in their own way to revive it. The majority of inflicted people were Christians who have fallen victims to killing, massacre, uprooting, hunger, disease displacement and relocation.

Third:

The subject does not revolve around figures and amounts, and it is surely not a proposition of numbers. And it is better not to mention that there weren’t in Turkey fifty thousand Syriacs, Chaldeans, Assyrians, despite The memoir of Patriarch Afram Barsoum I, which is well-kept in the archives of the British Foreign Ministry, and which assures that 90,313 of our people were killed in 336 villages, and that the number of families that have been exterminated was 13,360, while 160 churches, and monasteries were destroyed, and 154 priests were murdered. These people were killed although they were unarmed and unresisting. Only three villages mounted armed resistance, Azakh, Aynwardo, and Bisirniya.

Fourth:

We are not at all against Turkey, its government, people, or regime. We have no animosity towards it. Turkey is at the heart of our history. There are great names in our churches, books, and monasteries from Turkeys constituency. Not to mention that a number of our people still live here in dignity and with fidelity to the state. We wish that Turkey will continue its path of democracy and freedom, and become a part of Europe in order to bridge East and West. But as we preserve our contact with Turkey, we call for its reconciliation with its history, without any intention of marring its image or tarnishing its reputation.

Fifth:

We urge Turkey to admit what has happened sincerely, clearly and transparently, so that the remains of our ancestors may rest in peace at last.We do not invest our ancestors blood except in the fields of honor and freedom. We do not open wounds and drag out sorrows, we do not seek revenge, nor do we hold any rancor. We just remember, not for the purpose maybe of retrieving land or financial restitution, but for the truth. And we welcome this conference that seeks to unveil the bare truth.

Sixth:

History is written by those who are grand. Turkey will be more powerful and immune if it acts with nobility. Who could believe that previously unaccepted and impossible discussion has become a reality? So why dont we fully open the doors of dialogue and take courageous positions. The late Pontiff, Pope John Paul II, asked forgiveness for the crusades and the tragedies they caused. He also asked the Jews for pardon for any acts of neglect that may have led to the holocaust, and there is Germany admitting that the holocaust took place with regret but without hesitation. South Africa has formed committees for national truth and reconciliation, and Morocco will make amends to all those who have been subjected to torture and unjust detainment.

Seventh:

We scream out of our pain, in a loud voice, but we are definitely against murder, war, terrorism, and violence. We do not accept making use of painful events to sow rancor and hatred, but to strengthen our societies and our common Eastern civilization. And what we have rejected for our ancestors we reject for every other people, and we condemn it, no matter where it may happen in the world.

Eighth:

Co-existence is at the heart of our message and mind. We have lived here since the dawn of humanity, since before the beginning of Christianity, then with Muslims, sharing worries, concerns and days. True, that this history bears fearful and harsh memories, but it also shines with victories, bliss, and benevolence. We stand against the clash of civilizations, and not only do we call for dialogue, but for co-existence. We refuse attacks on any religion, and we respect and appreciate Islam, all while believing that in every Eastern Christian there is a spirit of Islam just as in every Eastern Muslim there is something of Christianity.

Ninth:

The world cannot shut its eyes and pretend that it does not know, hear or see. Wars cannot be a television series, and victims cannot turn into numbers without a flinch. Man cannot be neglectful towards any victim at any time in any continent for any reason. Silence is an accomplice to evil, and global conscience must remain alert to the rights of every human being. Right does not necessarily belong to force, so until when will the world shut its ears to the calls of innocence and follow its self-interests

Tenth:

Our people refused to die, and they prove everyday that they are worthy of life and they look at history with a challenging eye. True that Diaspora is about to uproot this people from the land of the East, because we have become the guardians of stone in Turabdin. But a genuine resurgence in our parties,organizations, institutions, and media, as well as a return to the roots, language, and affiliation, coupled with the benefits of technology and communication would make us one people, vital with the sense of identity, adamant on our right to carry the message of distinction in a world that is nearly erasing every culture. We will remain a beautiful color in a world entitled variety.

Eleventh:

We ask Turkey to initiate a fresh page of reconciliation with itself and its history. Many of our people would like to return to their villages, despite everything, and they must be given the guarantees and even the benefits of security and legal rights concerning their property, their language and their churches. I was in Diyarbakir last summer attending a ceremony for the restoration of a historic church, the Mariam Ana. This is a symbolic step, but it is not enough if the come back means the return to a regime of second class citizens. It is essential that our organizations and parties be allowed transparent action.
What if Turkey reinforced such historical religious sites such as the Mar Gabriel monastery in Mediyat, or literary and cultural sites such as the homes of Naoum Fayek in Diyarbakir, or of Sanharib Bali, both of whom represent foremost figures in our political thought.

Twelfth:

We want Turkey to play a dynamic role in demonstrating the flourishing ethnic and cultural groups within it. We want Turkey, as the heiress of the Ottoman empire, to become a laboratory for dialogue and a free, respectful life to all its citizens without the denial and rejection of identities, the prohibition on speaking about them and preserving them. We want this out of intrinsic conviction, and not because of Western or European pressures.
Professor Ekmaleddin Ehsanoglou, the respected Turkish secretary general of the Organization of Islamic States which comprises 57 organizations, said in Mekka in December of 2005: (Quote) We have to struggle to make the Islamic World as a whole and the Middle East in particular a land of security, peace and prosperity. We live in a region where the three religions of Abraham started and developed calling for peace and human equilibrium. We have to continue our duty in supporting justice in the world. (End of Quote)

Thirteen:

I hope that this historic meeting will become an entrance to a political dialogue whose banner I am willing to bear, with all our parties, institutions, figures, leaders, churches and the state of Turkey. It is a journey which must begin.
I come from Lebanon, where we, as Syriacs, have been molded by destiny and choice to believe that it is an oasis and exemplar despite all our mistakes as Lebanese. Lebanon is the role and the message, not just the fort and the shelter. We knew our hell too. We fought and we were a battlefield, we went through our nightmares and massacres. As the world watched, we slaughtered each other and reconciled, we know, maybe more than others, that there can be no solutions except through dialogue, understanding, agreement, reconciliation and strength over the wounds. The love of truth has taught me to see the beauty of compromise.
We are here crying for the massacre not to happen again, to reconcile, all of us, as a single humanity that makes an effort towards perfection, and strives for a new East and a new dawn.

Thank you all.