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'Thousands of Armenians Converted to Islam'
By Ahmet Dinc
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Abdulilah Firat, grandson of Sheik Sait, asserted that thousands of Armenians converted to Islam and became Kurds during the Ottoman era.
More than 500 Armenian villages converted to Islam during his great-grandfather’s lifetime alone, Firat stated and in doing so, instigated a new debate.
Speaking to Zaman, the former Erzurum deputy recalled that those who had converted remained ambivalent during the 1915 incidents. Firat asserted that they chose neither side, but tried hard to prevent the events.
He further claimed that their offspring supported the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), when the separatist Kurdish movement gained momentum. Reacting to Hrant Dink’s remarks implying that the genocide was actually committed by the Kurds, Firat said Armenians first attacked Muslims.
European countries and Russia have been provoking Armenians since the eighteenth century, Firat said. “We only protected our lives and honor. The homeland of Armenians is Palestine. They were exiled by the Byzantines to Anatolia. Kurds called the Armenians ‘Fille’ in a special reference to Palestine. Those ‘Filles’ were sent back to their homeland during deportation. The number of Armenians who died during the armed conflict is not more than a few thousand.”
Firat further noted that Armenians and Turks lived in urban residential areas, while Kurds inhabited rural areas. He asserted that when Armenians began slaughtering Turks, the Kurds sent armed forces to the urban areas in an effort to protect their Muslim brethren. Because they had lived together in urban areas, Armenians mostly killed Turks rather than Kurds, he said.
Stressing that the incidents were triggered by the Armenians, Firat also stated that Hamidiye units were founded for the purpose of protecting Muslims from the Armenians.
His grandfather, Sheik Sait, was an influential figure, Firat said, and claimed that Sait urged Armenian leaders at the time not to give in to Western provocations and attack the Muslims.
Firat regretfully noted that Sheik Sait’s efforts were not fruitful and Armenians initiated a large scale campaign of massacre and slaughter, and that the Ottoman administration armed Kurds as the European countries armed Armenian guerrillas.
Firat also added that the majority of Armenian casualties were caused by famine and illnesses during deportation, and not by direct armed conflict.
Those who Armed Armenians Also Claim Genocide
Firat claimed that Armenians possess an inherent feeling of resentment against Kurds. According to Firat, this feeling was first created by Western countries, which offered the Kurds to a chance separate from the Ottoman state and form an independent country to be inhabited by both Kurds and Armenians.
Asserting that Europe has continued this conspiracy, Firat concluded that those who had provoked and armed the Armenians in the past are now in a similar fashion attacking Turkey with the genocide laws.
'Thousands of Armenians Converted to Islam'
By Ahmet Dinc
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Abdulilah Firat, grandson of Sheik Sait, asserted that thousands of Armenians converted to Islam and became Kurds during the Ottoman era.
More than 500 Armenian villages converted to Islam during his great-grandfather’s lifetime alone, Firat stated and in doing so, instigated a new debate.
Speaking to Zaman, the former Erzurum deputy recalled that those who had converted remained ambivalent during the 1915 incidents. Firat asserted that they chose neither side, but tried hard to prevent the events.
He further claimed that their offspring supported the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), when the separatist Kurdish movement gained momentum. Reacting to Hrant Dink’s remarks implying that the genocide was actually committed by the Kurds, Firat said Armenians first attacked Muslims.
European countries and Russia have been provoking Armenians since the eighteenth century, Firat said. “We only protected our lives and honor. The homeland of Armenians is Palestine. They were exiled by the Byzantines to Anatolia. Kurds called the Armenians ‘Fille’ in a special reference to Palestine. Those ‘Filles’ were sent back to their homeland during deportation. The number of Armenians who died during the armed conflict is not more than a few thousand.”
Firat further noted that Armenians and Turks lived in urban residential areas, while Kurds inhabited rural areas. He asserted that when Armenians began slaughtering Turks, the Kurds sent armed forces to the urban areas in an effort to protect their Muslim brethren. Because they had lived together in urban areas, Armenians mostly killed Turks rather than Kurds, he said.
Stressing that the incidents were triggered by the Armenians, Firat also stated that Hamidiye units were founded for the purpose of protecting Muslims from the Armenians.
His grandfather, Sheik Sait, was an influential figure, Firat said, and claimed that Sait urged Armenian leaders at the time not to give in to Western provocations and attack the Muslims.
Firat regretfully noted that Sheik Sait’s efforts were not fruitful and Armenians initiated a large scale campaign of massacre and slaughter, and that the Ottoman administration armed Kurds as the European countries armed Armenian guerrillas.
Firat also added that the majority of Armenian casualties were caused by famine and illnesses during deportation, and not by direct armed conflict.
Those who Armed Armenians Also Claim Genocide
Firat claimed that Armenians possess an inherent feeling of resentment against Kurds. According to Firat, this feeling was first created by Western countries, which offered the Kurds to a chance separate from the Ottoman state and form an independent country to be inhabited by both Kurds and Armenians.
Asserting that Europe has continued this conspiracy, Firat concluded that those who had provoked and armed the Armenians in the past are now in a similar fashion attacking Turkey with the genocide laws.
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