Armenians pledge not to betray the memory of their martyrs
For over a century, on April 24 each year, Armenians worldwide, and advocates of truth and justice, honor the victims of the first genocide of the 20th century. Some 1.5 million Armenians were massacred and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, were deported from their lands by the merciless Ottoman occupation.
Armenians, and all those who want justice to prevail worldwide, continue to encourage all nations and states to recognize this genocide. They are determined to prevent similar appalling crimes that are still threatening humanity, especially in the Arab world, by the same ruthless perpetrators: Turkey’s rulers.
Armenian martyrs sacrificed their lives to preserve their people’s identity, culture and faith. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the opportunity has presented itself for Armenians to enjoy true independence, embrace democracy, enhance human rights, and build and consolidate bridges between the motherland and the diaspora.
But amid a world order that promotes globalization and diversity, the crucial issue arises of how Armenians can cope with this world order while remaining loyal to the memory of their martyrs, and not only preserving their identity but consolidating it. While remaining global citizens abiding by international human values and rights, Armenians must pledge not to betray the sacrifice of their martyrs, and to remain loyal to their memory.
Teaching and learning history, language and faith, while also practicing the latter two, contribute to realizing this pledge. So does building strong bridges with the Armenian diaspora, which must be given opportunities to invest in, and settle in, the motherland.
We Armenians remember not only our martyrs, but also all those nations that provided safe havens for the survivors of the genocide, starting with my homeland, Jordan, whose people and leadership exhibited immense generosity and a great sense of coexistence.
But Jordan, like many Arab states and global powers such as the US, the UK and China, have yet to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide, despite the Armenian nation continuing to peacefully contribute to building civilizations worldwide.
We pledge to remain loyal to the memory of our martyrs by building a strong, democratic, peace-loving, united Armenian nation and state. We pledge to keep the memory of the genocide alive, and to remind the world that the descendants of its Ottoman perpetrators continue to occupy land, vandalize cultural heritage, massacre people, and patronize and export extremism and terrorism, thus threatening global peace, security and stability.
• Madeleine Mezagopian is an academic researcher, adviser and analyst specializing in conflict resolution. She is an active member of the General Assembly of Al-Hussein Society/Jordan Center for Training and Inclusion.
