Avoid ‘One-Sided’ Declarations on Armenian Genocide That Ignore Muslim Suffering
A coalition of U.S. Islamic organizations does not want President Obama to describe the mass killings of Armenian Christians a century ago as a genocide, arguing that “a one-sided interpretation of the 1915 events” could harm the U.S.-Turkish strategic relationship.
“Any acknowledgment by religious or political leaders of the tragedy that befell Armenians should be balanced, constructive and must also recognize Turkish and Muslim suffering,” the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO) said in a statement, issued ahead of Friday’s 100th anniversary of the beginning of the atrocities.
“Characterizing the events of 1915 as genocide without proper investigation of these events by independent historians will not only jeopardize the establishment of a just memory pertaining to these events, but will also damage the efforts aimed at achieving reconciliation between Turks and Armenians,” it said.