Letters to the editor
By Daily Bruin Staff
Feb. 13, 2005 9:00 p.m.
Armenians don’t spur hatred for Turks
As an American-Armenian and a member of the UCLA community, I am
very disappointed in the Daily Bruin’s decision to print
Fatma Asli Velieceoglu’s submission, “Armenian
propaganda against Turkey untrue, divisive” (Feb. 10).
There are a number of things wrong with publishing such an
article. Primarily, the Armenian Genocide, being a historical fact,
has no place in the Viewpoint section.
It is not a controversial issue that can be debated. The Rwandan
Genocide or the Holocaust are never disputed or debated ““ and
neither should the Armenian Genocide.
Additionally, the article personally attacks members of the UCLA
Armenian community, accusing Armenians of promoting hateful
feelings toward the Turkish community.
Raffi Kassabian’s article discusses the issues of the
genocide. He criticizes the American and Turkish governments, not
the American and Turkish populations.
It is offensive to the Armenian community to say that they are
promoting hateful sentiments toward other groups.
A student who knows nothing about the issue may read the article
and develop negative ideas about the Armenian community. This
article should not have been published.
Annie Voskerchian Second-year, history
Genocide is accurate description of events
Thoughts from a UC Berkeley student ““ simply put, how do
you explain the death of 1.5 million of my ancestors as a
relocation?
To the Turkish government ““ admit your guilt and let the
world move on.
To Fatma Asli Velieceoglu ““ why is it that even Turkish
scholars are not allowed to speak of the Armenian Genocide
(“Armenian propaganda against Turkey untrue, divisive,”
Feb. 10)? Could it possibly be that the Turkish government is
ashamed of its dark past?
Remember, 2005 marks the 90th year of remembering the Armenian
Genocide of 1915.
Allen Vartazarian UC Berkeley graduate
student
