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The U.S. House has passed a resolution that calls on the government of Turkey to end repression of the remnants of ancient Christian and pre-Christian civilizations and return the property taken from them.
House Resolution 306, spearheaded by Representative Ed Royce (R-California) and Howard Berman (D-California), was recently passed by a huge majority, calling on the State Department to raise the issue. Aram Hamparian of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) tells OneNewsNow the persecution has been going on for many centuries.
"This includes the Armenian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Greek Church, the Syriak Church -- many of the Christian communities that have been present in Anatolia since biblical times and even before the time of Christ," he explains.
The more serious persecution occurred early last century.
"They were largely seized during the period of the Armenian genocide, which started in 1915, which was an effort to wipe out the entire Christian population of the Ottoman Empire. And it very nearly succeeded in doing that," the ANCA executive director laments. "Armenians and Syrians, Greeks, Pontians and others represented over two million of the citizens of the Ottoman Empire, and today they represent less than one percent."
About a million and a half people were killed, and now only a handful of churches exist, compared to thousands that were in Turkey prior to the alleged genocide. Turkey denies the latter and has lashed out at the House for passing the resolution.
But despite opposition from Turkey's prime minister and the Obama administration, ANCA chairman Ken Hachikian says the adoption "represents a powerful victory for religious freedom."
Originally posted by calnorak
Not that I don't think this is a good idea, but WTH are we doing trying to dictate another sovereign country what to do?
House Resolution 306, spearheaded by Representative Ed Royce (R-California) and Howard Berman (D-California),...