Political Silence

To silence an entire people by attempting to systematically exterminate them is a terrible act, but to deny committing such an act is even more heinous.  We as a culture value life, but what value is there in a life that lacks the ability to express ideas and beliefs.  This debate might dip into the realm of preserving life by artificial means but I want to avoid doing so.  Instead, I want to propose that silence can be present in many forms and in many cases these forms are intertwined. 

In 1915 the Ottoman Government, led by a large contingent of Turks, began persecuting Armenians living within the Empire.  Over the next decade it is believed that over one million innocent Armenians were kill in what is sometimes referred to as the "Armenian Holocaust".  In 1928 the Ottoman Empire fell apart and was replaced by the Republic of Turkey.  Although there have been many attempts to make the Republic of Turkey admit to the attrocious act committed (whether to console those involved or to bring justice), government leaders have dismissed the existence of the genocide to this day.  Government leaders of the United States are hesitant to call for Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide due to political stances, but this lack of response leads to the continued silencing of the Armenian people.  Forced silence by one people can lead to passive silence by another people.

There must be recognition of the wrongful acts committed nearly a century ago by the Ottoman Empire for two reasons; first, the Armenian people and all other people subjected to genocide must know that their suffering is recognized by others that care in order to move forward, and second, documentation of such horrible discrimination must be present in order to avoid repeating such acts in the future.