2745) Letters, "OnLine Fax/Email Sending Forms", Campaigns And Articles For President Obama

1. Send Your Message by Fax or Email Through Turkish Coalition of America Online Form
2. Send Your Message Through Assembly of Turkish American Associations Online Form
3. FTAA's Open Letter To Senator Menendez
4. Turkish American Community Letter to President Obama -TCA - Signatures and References Attached
5. To The President Obama: This May Change Your Opinion On Armenian Issue. Please Read...
6. Open Letter To President-Elect Obama : Win Turkey As A Key Partner" Faruk Logoglu
7. Letter To President Obama: Turkey In An Arena Of Trials Inauguration Day
8. Open Letter To Senator Barack Obama by Yuksel Oktay
9. Letter To Obama by Ergun KIRLIKOVALI
10. Open Letter to Senator Barack Obama on the Armenian Issue
11. TurkishForum's Letter Of Facts To President Obama
12. Turkey-Armenia Relations and International Law, Nursen Mazici - Radikal
13. The Apologia of Genocide Recognition by Sukru M. Elekdag
14. Please Submit Others Here By Commenting Below

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Send Your Message by Fax or Email Through Turkish Coalition of America Online Form
WRITE TO CONGRESS
CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSMAN NOW

The Armenian lobby and its supporters in Congress have announced that Representatives Adam Schiff (R-CA) and George Radanovich (R-CA) along with Armenian Caucus co-chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) are introducing another “Armenian Genocide Resolution,” similar to the resolutions in previous years. They are calling it “human rights legislation.” The Armenian National Committee of America is asking Armenian activists to urge their representatives to become “co-sponsors” of this legislation.

This is the time for Turkish Americans and friends of Turkey to push back. Once a member of Congress signs on as a co-sponsor, he/she makes a near commitment to vote for it. NOW is the time to contact your member of Congress and urge him/her NOT to co-sponsor and NOT TO VOTE for this resolution, if it is introduced. A strong reaction from our community NOW is crucial.

Compose Message

Message Recipients: Your U.S. Senators Your U.S. House Representative Delivery Method: Fax Email

Subject: DO NOT SUPPORT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

Required text to House:
(this text will appear at the beginning of your message)
Some members of Congress, on behalf of a narrow ethnic constituency, are reportedly recruiting others to co-sign a soon to be introduced new resolution that would validate the Armenian allegation of genocide. I strongly urge you NOT to become a co-sponsor of this resolution and to vote against it, should it come to a vote.

Talking Points
Click the red arrow to select any of the following text for inclusion in your message.

I strongly urge you NOT to become a co-sponsor of this resolution and to vote against it, should it come to a vote. These resolutions have created nothing but mischief in the past and the new one will be no different.

The proponents of these resolutions frequently propose a consensus among scholars that the events of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire were genocide. THE FACT IS that there is NO consensus on this issue and many historians do not accept the genocide thesis. They include internationally acclaimed scholars of World War I and the Middle East, such as Bernard Lewis, Norman Stone, Andrew Mango, David Fromkin, Guenter Lewy, Pierre Nora, Malcolm Yapp and Justin McCarthy, to name a few.

The resolutions seek to legislate history based on incomplete, partisan and in some instances falsified information. While portrayed as “non-binding,” they create high emotions among Turks and Armenians and prejudice the continued study and understanding of the Ottoman Armenian tragedy by endorsing a one-sided narrative. While portrayed to unwitting members of Congress as an “emotional” or “humanitarian” gesture toward Armenians, which will close this chapter of history, Armenian lobbyists openly discuss these resolutions as stepping stones to eventual reparations and land claims against the Republic of Turkey, which did not even exist at the time.

If pronouncing convictions of the high crime of genocide was to have been left to politicians, the United Nations would not have given authority exclusively to the International Court of Justice. However, it is precisely because of the grave implications of a genocide charge that a special legal process has been established to prosecute it, and the United States adopted this process when it ratified the U.N. Genocide Convention in 1987. With resolutions of this nature, Congress is usurping its power and creating a dangerous precedent.

To quarrel with a genocide characterization—the crime of crimes - is not to deny lesser crimes or atrocities. In fact, the Ottoman government itself prosecuted and convicted nearly 1,400 individuals, executing scores, including a provincial governor, for crimes committed against Armenians.

One of my key objections to this kind of legislation is the lack of reference to the nearly 2.5 million Muslims of the Ottoman Empire who perished during the same period of time. The well documented massacres and ethnic cleansing of Ottoman Muslims in Eastern Anatolia, committed directly or assisted by Armenian rebels are ignored or outright denied by the proponents of this legislation.

Needless to say that the resolution soon to come before you also hurt bilateral efforts between Turkey and Armenia to come to terms with their mutual history and achieve reconciliation. These efforts include the Turkish Prime Minister’s standing invitation to Armenia and third countries to form a joint commission to study the facts based on the archives of many nations.

This kind of resolution will jeopardize American national interests and security, as it will damage US-Turkish relations. Turkey is a key ally of the United States. In 2007, the last time such a Resolution was introduced, former Secretaries of State Alexander Haig, Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, James Baker, Lawrence Eagleburger, Warren Christopher, Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell stated: “We must recognize the important contributions Turkey is making to U.S. national security, including security and stability in the Middle East and Europe. The United States continues to rely on Turkey for its geo-strategic importance. Turkey is an indispensable partner to our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan , helping U.S. troops to combat terrorism and build security.”

At a time when the United States is seeking to improve relations with the Muslim world, a resolution that singles out a genuine historical controversy and construes it solely to recognize Christian suffering at the hands of Muslims would poison efforts to establish good will.

Required text to House:
(this text will appear at the end of your message)
So-called Armenian Genocide Resolutions serve no contemporary US policy purpose, dispense dubiously selective morality in response to special interest lobbying, hurt American interests, and the principles of fairness and justice. Today, America is fighting two wars, faces an economic crisis of historical proportions and depends on the good-will and support of nations like Turkey. I urge you to put national interest ahead of special interest and respectfully ask you NOT to support and VOTE AGAINST the “Armenian Genocide Resolution.”
Required text to Senate:
(this text will appear at the beginning of your message)
Some members of Congress, on behalf of a narrow ethnic constituency, are reportedly recruiting others to co-sign a soon to be introduced new resolution that would validate the Armenian allegation of genocide. I strongly urge you NOT to become a co-sponsor of this resolution and to vote against it, should it come to a vote.

Talking Points
Click the red arrow to select any of the following text for inclusion in your message.

I strongly urge you NOT to become a co-sponsor of this resolution and to vote against it, should it come to a vote. These resolutions have created nothing but mischief in the past and the new one will be no different.

The proponents of these resolutions frequently propose a consensus among scholars that the events of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire were genocide. THE FACT IS that there is NO consensus on this issue and many historians do not accept the genocide thesis. They include internationally acclaimed scholars of World War I and the Middle East, such as Bernard Lewis, Norman Stone, Andrew Mango, David Fromkin, Guenter Lewy, Pierre Nora, Malcolm Yapp and Justin McCarthy, to name a few.

The resolutions seek to legislate history based on incomplete, partisan and in some instances falsified information. While portrayed as “non-binding,” they create high emotions among Turks and Armenians and prejudice the continued study and understanding of the Ottoman Armenian tragedy by endorsing a one-sided narrative. While portrayed to unwitting members of Congress as an “emotional” or “humanitarian” gesture toward Armenians, which will close this chapter of history, Armenian lobbyists openly discuss these resolutions as stepping stones to eventual reparations and land claims against the Republic of Turkey, which did not even exist at the time.

If pronouncing convictions of the high crime of genocide was to have been left to politicians, the United Nations would not have given authority exclusively to the International Court of Justice. However, it is precisely because of the grave implications of a genocide charge that a special legal process has been established to prosecute it, and the United States adopted this process when it ratified the U.N. Genocide Convention in 1987. With resolutions of this nature, Congress is usurping its power and creating a dangerous precedent.

To quarrel with a genocide characterization—the crime of crimes - is not to deny lesser crimes or atrocities. In fact, the Ottoman government itself prosecuted and convicted nearly 1,400 individuals, executing scores, including a provincial governor, for crimes committed against Armenians.

One of my key objections to this kind of legislation is the lack of reference to the nearly 2.5 million Muslims of the Ottoman Empire who perished during the same period of time. The well documented massacres and ethnic cleansing of Ottoman Muslims in Eastern Anatolia, committed directly or assisted by Armenian rebels are ignored or outright denied by the proponents of this legislation.

Needless to say that the resolution soon to come before you also hurt bilateral efforts between Turkey and Armenia to come to terms with their mutual history and achieve reconciliation. These efforts include the Turkish Prime Minister’s standing invitation to Armenia and third countries to form a joint commission to study the facts based on the archives of many nations.

This kind of resolution will jeopardize American national interests and security, as it will damage US-Turkish relations. Turkey is a key ally of the United States. In 2007, the last time such a Resolution was introduced, former Secretaries of State Alexander Haig, Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, James Baker, Lawrence Eagleburger, Warren Christopher, Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell stated: “We must recognize the important contributions Turkey is making to U.S. national security, including security and stability in the Middle East and Europe. The United States continues to rely on Turkey for its geo-strategic importance. Turkey is an indispensable partner to our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan , helping U.S. troops to combat terrorism and build security.”

At a time when the United States is seeking to improve relations with the Muslim world, a resolution that singles out a genuine historical controversy and construes it solely to recognize Christian suffering at the hands of Muslims would poison efforts to establish good will.

Required text to Senate:
(this text will appear at the end of your message)
So-called Armenian Genocide Resolutions serve no contemporary US policy purpose, dispense dubiously selective morality in response to special interest lobbying, hurt American interests, and the principles of fairness and justice. Today, America is fighting two wars, faces an economic crisis of historical proportions and depends on the good-will and support of nations like Turkey. I urge you to put national interest ahead of special interest and respectfully ask you NOT to support and VOTE AGAINST the “Armenian Genocide Resolution.”

Send Your Message Now!

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Send Your Message Through Assembly of Turkish American Associations Online Form
IT IS TIME FOR US TO ACT NOW

Dear Friends and Members of the Turkish-American Community:

At the beginning of a new era “Yes We Can”, as Turkish Americans this is our opportunity to join together and organize better than ever before to activate our community, to have our voices heard, to show our strength and to take action. Challenges ahead of us could only be overcome by uniting together and making sure that our local representatives know who we are.

Chaos always leads the way to opportunities to change for better. It is our responsibility to catch this spark at this time and reach out the right way to the New Administration and members of the Congress and Senate to enlighten them on Turkish American community, on Turkish American relations and to remind them the importance of fostering this relationship. It is critical to do this out reach well as they take office and send the message out before the inauguration, as there is reliable news that President-Elect Obama may use the g-word in his April 24 proclamation, and embolden Congress to pass a resolution.

IT IS TIME FOR US TO ACT NOW.

As ATAA, we have sent out a letter to President-Elect Obama and will follow up with another letter. We are sending out letters from the ATAA to each member of the Congress and Senate to remind them of the importance of Turkish American relations and to congratulate the new members.

We encourage you to send out letters to your Congress and Senate in your district offices and then to follow up with calling for an appointment and visiting them. Please also spread news about this campaign to Turkish Americans and friends of Turkey you know, to do the same.

To make it simple for you to send out letters you can use the CapWiz system provided by the Turkish Coalition of America. Please enter your zip code below; and your name and address information on the following page. Two letter templates randomly appear on the action alert page. Your letter will be faxed automatically to your Representative.

It is the residents of this country that can make a difference in the Turkish American relations and it is up to you to take action. We must have every resident send a letter to their Congressman and Senator.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at (202) 483-9090 or at assembly@ataa.org.

PLEASE KEEP US INFORMED OF YOUR FOLLOW UPS AND LET US KNOW IF WE COULD BE OF FURTHER HELP.

We thank you for your efforts.

Sincerely,

Nurten Ural, President
Assembly of Turkish American Associations
Take Action Now! Enter Your Zip Code

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FTAA's Open Letter To Senator Menendez January 29, 2009

Dear Senator Menendez,
On behalf of over 100.000 New Jersey residents of Turkish and Turkic descent, we are writing with our concern over your recent public positions on a variety of issues which affect our community.

Sparked by your remarks during the confirmation hearing of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and your widely publicized participation in events organized by Greek and Armenian American lobby organizations, there is a growing perception among our community that this close relationship comes at the expense of our interests.

Rather than perpetuating the ancient animosities and hatreds on these shores, Turkish Americans have focused on establishing their existence in this country as hard working, productive citizens of this great nation. Our community in New Jersey and around the United States is just as well organized as the adversaries of Turkey. However, in contrast to them, we have focused our volunteer energy, resources and attention on strengthening the economic, social, cultural and political ties between the United States and Turkey, on celebrating our culture in America with a view to enriching the social fabric of our society, and on creating bridges of friendship between the American and Turkish people. As Turkish Americans, we too can find plenty of historical grievances looking back, but we refrained from seeking redress or revenge from anybody by poisoning the social harmony of our new country or from advancing any special agenda at the expense of the greater national interests of America .

We may hold us naïve in our belief that our elected representatives should serve the greater good of our country, put the interests of this nation first and seek to advance peace and dialogue among nations by re-instating America ’s prestige in the world. However, this is precisely the promise of our new President and we hold you to this promise.

Mr. Senator, we are deeply concerned by your stated positions with respect to the Armenian genocide allegation. We are not historians and do not pose as historians. This is precisely why we support the standing invitation by the Turkish Republic to Armenia, and in fact the world, to establish an independent international commission of historians and experts with full access to all related archives to reach a comprehensive narrative of this painful period in Turkish-Armenian history. This invitation includes a commitment to accept such a commission’s findings. We also support bilateral efforts by Turkey and Armenia to find a resolution and to move forward, but oppose politicizing of the issue by third parties. But most importantly, we abhor the denial of the death and destruction that befell our ancestors as moral and other judgment is passed on our history. At the least, when taking sides in this contentious issue, it would be incumbent on you to recognize their deaths with the same empathy as you do others.

On Cyprus , you also seem to consistently side with Greek and Greek Cypriots. We found it particularly odd that you would refer to Cyprus in the context of the Secretary of State’s hearing, without mentioning that the solution that you seek on Cyprus was already overwhelmingly rejected by the Greek Cypriots, while supported in great numbers by Turkish Cypriots. However, in the bizarre world of politics, the Turkish Cypriot community remains punished for its political good deed by an inhuman international embargo, while the Greek Cypriots were rewarded with European Union membership.

Turkey and New Jersey share many bonds of common interests. New Jerseyans are a wonderful mix of people which includes Turks, Armenians and Greeks. We assure you that on the community level, when not disturbed by Washington politics and the special interest of a few, we get along perfectly well. Turkish Americans contribute to the well-being, the economy and social life of New Jersey as law-abiding productive citizens in all walks of life. As a majority Muslim community, we contribute to dialogue and peace among our various communities of different faiths, as well as a better image of America abroad. We may not be as visible as others, but you represent us too. We hope that you will keep us in your heart and mind, when dealing with issues that resonate so strongly in our communities and we urge you to be fair and even handed as you approach them. Please know that we are at your service as you serve our nation and state.

Respectfully yours,
Kaya Boztepe.
Federation of Turkish American Associations
President

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Turkish American Community Letter to President Obama -TCA - Signatures and References Attached February 6, 2009
The Honorable Barack H. Obama
President of the United States of America

Dear Mr. President,
As presidents of Turkish American community organizations nationwide, we congratulate you on assuming the Presidency of the United States of America. We wish you success in confronting the many daunting challenges facing our nation and the world today.

We would be remiss in our obligations and rights as United States citizens, however, to neglect to highlight a stumbling block in restoring America’s standing abroad. It would be stating the obvious to observe that Armenian special interest lobbies are pressuring your Administration and Congress to label the tragic events in the waning hours of the Ottoman Empire during World War I as the crime of genocide. To dispute the characterization as unsubstantiated by the weight of reliable evidence is not to withhold sympathy from Armenians and others, including Ottoman Muslims, who also suffered harrowing casualties during World War I. And to accept this one-sided characterization unilaterally by ignoring independent and impartial assessments by Middle East historians and scholars would be both grossly unfair and potentially incendiary to Southeast Europe, the Caucasus and the Middle East.

History is replete with examples of false narratives born from bigotries that advance a political agenda rather than the truth. The Armenian claim of passive victimhood stands on such shaky historical footing. The attached partial list of scholars should demonstrate that, at the very least, the question of whether to apply the term genocide or not divides the scholarly community. Many reputable scholars, mainly historians of the Ottoman Empire, World War I and the Middle East have refrained from applying the term to describe the tragic civilian losses suffered in the early 20th century in the Ottoman Empire. Their work also diverges from, in many cases contradicts, the historical narrative from which descends the charge of genocide.

To quarrel with a genocide characterization—the crime of crimes, which requires exacting standards of proof as required by solemn treaty obligations and constitutional due process—is not to deny lesser crimes or atrocities. In fact, the Ottoman government itself prosecuted and convicted nearly 1,400 individuals, executing scores, including a provincial governor, for crimes committed against Armenians. On the other hand, the equally well documented massacres and ethnic cleansing of Ottoman Muslims in Eastern Anatolia committed directly or assisted by Armenian rebels, which were acknowledged by independent observers, are routinely ignored or denied today.

The number of Armenians who died in the World War I years and their causes can at best be conjectured; and, conjectures are not legally admissible evidence. Scholars in Ottoman history generally agree that the Armenian deaths resulted from a multiplicity of causes: inter-communal warfare, the conditions of the forced relocations, murder, famine, disease, deficient medical care and austere conditions of life during wartime. The fact remains that there is no reliable assessment of the Armenian death toll or its categorization according to causation.

Further, contrary to assertions made by Armenian proponents, scholars in Ottoman history would also generally agree that there is no record of Ottoman Muslim animosity towards Armenians based on religion or ethnicity. Many Armenians in fact served at the highest echelons of the Ottoman government and the Ottoman parliament.

Few people throughout history, separated by ethnicity and religion, have shared such peaceful co-existence and developed such cultural affinity, as Turks and Armenians have for over 900 years under the Seljuk and Ottoman administrations. Nothing we argue in this letter should be construed as an effort to diminish the loss of innocent Armenian lives. We mourn their losses as ours and hope they too will find it in their hearts to mourn for our ancestors.

Mr. President,
Your Inaugural address proclaimed an era of responsibility. Turkey has shown such responsibility with respect to this contentious issue. It has voiced willingness to accept the findings by an international commission of scholars and experts with access to all relevant archives, including those of Armenian organizations that remain closed today. Armenia should be urged equally to accept the formation and conclusions of such a commission. We see such an effort as the fairest method for assessing the truth, which will pave the way for reconciliation, in lieu of politically charged legislative or executive decisions by third parties.

On behalf of Turkish Americans nationwide, we thank you for your consideration of our views and concerns and extend once again our congratulations and best wishes for your success.

Signatories List SIGNED BY (as of February 5, 2009) (Signatures on File)
Niyazi Ozkiroglu American Association of Crimean Turks
Esen Erdemir American Turkish Association of Houston
Talha F.Uzun American Turkish Association of Indiana
Demet Cabbar American Turkish Association of Washington, DC
Tayfun Selen Anadolu Club Inc. New York
Nurten Ural Assembly of Turkish American Associations
Ali Nasibov Azerbaijan New York Association
Tomris Azeri Azerbaijan Society of America
Ahmet Erentok Azerbaijan Turkey America Foundation
Ergin Cherif Balkan Turks of America Association
Ilhan Velioglu Delaware Valley Muslim Association Selimiye Mosque
Kaya Boztepe Federation of Turkish American Associations
Serap Odabas Yigit Florida Turkish American Association
Yilmaz Arhan Istanbul Sports, Cultural and Education Center
Mehves Sonmez Istanbul University Alumni Association of USA
Nureddin Demircan Karacay Turks Mosque and Culture Center, Inc.
Timur Edib Maryland American Turkish Association
Ilhan Bayram Mevlana Mosque Association
Atilla Pak Middle East Technical University Alumni Association
Cigdem Crawford North Florida Turkish American Cultural Association
Atilla Soran Pittsburgh Turkish American Association
Gokhan Gelisen Society of Turkish American Architects, Engineers and Scientists, Inc.
Goknur McAvoy Southern New England Turkish American Cultural Association
Abdullah Khoja Turkestanian American Association
Yavuz Atila Turkish American Association of California
Ernie Kirk Turkish American Association of Central Ohio
Senem Ozbay Turkish American Association of Louisiana
Saduman Gurbuz Turkish American Association of Northern Texas
David Shultz Turkish American Association of San Antonio
Refik Gedelec Turkish American Chamber of Restaurateurs
Mehmet Reyhan Turkish American Community Center
Hatice Dinc Turkish American Cultural Alliance of Chicago
Didem Seyhoglu Turkish American Cultural Association of Michigan
Sevket Acar Turkish American Cultural Society of Colorado
Halit Turan Turkish American Cultural Association of Florida
Mazlum Kosma Turkish American Cultural Association of Georgia
Erkut Gomulu Turkish American Cultural Society of New England
Arif Gecir Turkish American Eyup Sultan Cultural Center
Engin Turkalp Turkish American Friendship Association of Hawaii
Ibrahim Onaral Turkish American Friendship Society of the United States
Serdar Karakuru Turkish American Medical Association, Inc.
Fahri Ekiz Turkish American Muslim Culture Association
Hakan Kurt Turkish American Youth Association
Gokhan Mutlu Turkish Children Foster Care
G. Lincoln McCurdy Turkish Coalition of America
Hamit Demirkan Turkish Cultural Alliance Inc., NY Hars Birligi
Ali Sencer Turkish Cypriot Aid Society
Mehmet Hassan Turkish Cypriot Cultural and Educational Association
Mesut Vardar Turkish Society of Rochester
Begum Dinlec Turkish Women’s League of America, Inc.
Ferit Demirbulakli Turkocagi, Inc.
Fatih Demirci United American Muslim Association of New York
Abdurrahman Bezirkan Young Turks Cultural Aid Society

The notion that “Most Western Scholars” consider the Ottoman-Armenian tragedy as “Genocide” is untrue.

Below is a partial listing of scholars, who have refrained from applying the genocide label to the events of 1915 or whose work exposes parts of the traditional “Armenian Genocide” narrative as significantly flawed.
Batkay, Timothy, Associate Professor of Political Science, Montclair State University
Childs, Timothy (dec.), former Professor of Ottoman History, Johns Hopkins University
Courbage, Youssef, Researcher, National Institute of Demographic Studies, Paris, France. Author of Christians and Muslims under Islam (1992), Fayard Press
Cuthell, David C., Executive Director of the Institute of Turkish Studies and Associate
Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
Davison, Roderic (dec.), former Professor of Ottoman and Turkish history, George
Washington University. Author of Turkey: A Short History (1998), Eothen Press, 3rd edition
Duben, Alan, Professor of History, Istanbul Bilgi University
Dumont, Paul, Chairman of Turcology Department, March Bloch University,
Strasbourg, France. Author of Mustapha Kemal invents modern Turkey (2006), Complex Press
Dunér, Bertil, former Senior Researcher, The Swedish Institute of International Affairs, Stockholm, Sweden.
Dyer, Gwynne, Military Historian and Journalist, Author of Turkish 'Falsifiers' and Armenian 'Deceivers': Historiography and the Armenian Massacres, Middle Eastern Studies 12 (1976)
Erickson, Edward J., Author and Researcher, Birmingham University, Retired Lieutenant-Colonel (U.S. Army), Author of Ordered To Die, A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War (2000), Greenwood Press
Fargues, Philippe, Member, National Institute of Demographic Studies, Paris, France. Author of Christians and Muslims under Islam (1992), Fayard Press
Fromkin, David, Professor of International Relations, History, and Law, Boston University. Author of A Peace To End All Peace (1989), Avon Books
Georgeon, François, Senior researcher, (CNRS) National Center for Scientific Research, Paris, France. Author of Histoire de l'Empire Ottoman, (1989) Fayard
Gunter, Michael M., Professor of Political Science, Tennessee Technical University. Author of “Pursuing the Just Cause of Their People”: A Study of Contemporary Armenian Terrorism (1986), Greenwood Press
Hurewitz, Jacob Coleman (dec.), former Professor of Middle Eastern Politics, Columbia University. Author of Middle East Politics: The Military Dimension (1982), Westview Press
Jäckel, Eberhard, Professor Emeritus of Modern World History, Stuttgart University
Levy, Avigdor, Professor of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Brandeis University. Author of Jews, Turks, and Ottomans: A Shared History (2002), Syracuse University Press
Lewis, Bernard, Professor Emeritus of Middle Eastern History, Princeton University. Author of The Emergence of Modern Turkey (1961), Oxford University Press, 3rd edition
Lewy, Guenter, Professor Emeritus of Middle Eastern History, Massachusetts University. Author of The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genocide (2007), University of Utah Press, 2nd edition
Lowry, Heath, M. Kemal Ataturk Professor of Ottoman and Modern Turkish Studies, Princeton University. Author of The Story Behind ‘Ambassador Morgenthau's Story’ (1990), Isis Press
Mango, Andrew, Author, Historian and Researcher, University of London. Author of Ataturk: The Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey (2002), Overlook TP and The Turks Today (2004), Overlook TP
Mantran, Robert, (dec.) Former Professor of Turcology, University of Aix-Marseille, France. Author of History of Turkey (1993), University Presses of France
McCarthy, Justin, Professor of History, University of Louisville. Author of The Armenian Rebellion at Van (2006), University of Utah Press and Muslims and Minorities: The Population of Ottoman Anatolia and the End of the Empire (1983), New York University Press
Nora, Pierre, former Professor of Contemporary History, The School of High Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS, Paris), Member of the French academy, Paris, France
Oberling, Pierre, Professor of Ethonology, Hunter College, CUNY.
Rémond René (dec.), former president, The National Foundation of Political Sciences. Author of Les Droites en France (1982), Aubier Montaigne
Roux, Jean-Paul, Former Director of Research (CNRS), National Center for Scientific Research , Paris, France. Author of Mustapha Kemal Ataturk and New Turkey (1982),Maisonneuve et Larose
Rustow, Dunkwart A. (dec.), former Distinguished Professor of History, CUNY Graduate School. Author of Political Modernization in Japan and Turkey (1964),Princeton University Press
Salt, Jeremy, Visiting Associate Professor, Bilkent University. Author of Imperialism, Evangelism and the Ottoman Armenians 1878-1896 (1993), Routledge Press and The Unmaking of the Middle East (2006), University of California Press
Shaw, Stanford J. (dec.), former Professor of Ottoman and Turkish History, UCLA. Author of History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey (1977), Cambridge
University Press and From Empire to Republic: The Turkish War of National Liberation, 1918-1923 (2001) Turkish Historical Society
Stone, Norman, Professor of International Relations, Bilkent University. Author of World War I, A Short History (2008), Penguin Books and Eastern Front: 1914-1917 (2004, 2nd Edition), Penguin Global
Strachan, Hew, Professor of Contemporary History, Oxford University. Author of The First World War (2004), Viking Press
Veinstein, Giles, Professor of Turkish and Ottoman History, Collège de France. Author of Government and Society in Ottoman 16th and 18th centuries (1994), Variorum Press
Wieviorka, Annette, Senior Researcher (CNRS), National Center for Scientific Research, Paris, France
Williams, Brian, Associate Professor of History, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth
Yapp, Malcolm E., Professor Emeritus of History, University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies
Zarcone, Thierry, Senior Researcher in Turkish history (CNRS), National Center for Scientific Research, Paris, France. Author of Turkey: From Ottoman Empire to the Republic of Ataturk ( 2005), Gallimard Press

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To The president Obama: This May Change Your Opinion On Armenian Issue. Please Read...
9 Feb 2009 From: dilek .. To: obama.barack@

Dear Mr. Obama...

Our "Perennial Victim" friends, the Armenians have a knack of starting the story in
the middle and finishing it in the middle. They omit the beginning and the end of it. Turkish Government's attempt to tell the story referring to the historians, pages and pages of documents of which nobody cares to read, bores the hell out of me...It sounds like somebody is guilty as charged and trying to defend himself and doing a bad job of it...Don't you think? So I have decided to summarize it for you. Bear with me, because it is quite a tale...

Let me describe the background first...Our Armenian friends were considered our brothers...They were in the government. They have flourished in commerce, arts, music and never had to do the military service either. In fact when our grandfathers went to war, they asked their Armenian neighbors to take care of their families. I am writing these facts so that you can get a grasp of the brotherly loving relationship which existed between two communities. This went on for centuries.

After the 1st World War, Ottoman Empire got weak. They came from all over the world like Piranhas, Mr. Obama, just to grab a piece of us. At this point, our brothers, the Armenians were lured by the promises of the outside forces and decided to carve a piece for themselves. Some of them turned terrorists almost overnight... killing... burning... pillaging the towns in the Eastern Anatolia... Do you know that they have killed 150.000 people within one night... Armenians never mention this story...

So the Ottoman parliament decides to send the Army to crush this terrorist movement. Now Mr Obama you do relate to this... Don't you? Couple of terrorist maniacs have his the Twin Towers and killed 3000 people and you have used your "Right to Defend Your Country" and attacked another country which had, in fact, nothing to do with this heinous act. But, Hey... Your president, then, said that they had something to do with it and without questioning, off you went to Iraq. Up till now 1.500.000 Iraqis got killed. As a matter of fact you have used your "Right to Defend Your Country" Mr. Obama, everyone has a right to defend their country when they are under attack from inside or outside... Ask Israel... They will agree with me...

Let us continue, Ottoman Army went a bit too strong, and that region had Kurdish tribes and these guys are fierce, Getting stabbed in the back by their Armenian neighbors for them was hard pill to swallow. they have very strict laws about honor killings and vendettas, which would make "Friday the 13" movie like a comedy show. What I mean is that killing 150.000 people did not go well in that region, to say the least...Oh Yes...The REGIONAL RUMPUS" I call it, has happened... Good and Proper... But wait till you hear the end of the story....

The Ottoman Parliament decides to punish the members of the Army who were responsible of going too far and instigating this havoc. They condemn these guys to death... Do you know Mr. Obama that on the Death Warrant, there were seven signatures belonging to Armenian Ministers who were part of the Ottoman Parliament... And at this time, the governor of Istanbul, The capital city of the Ottoman Empire was in fact ,an Armenian?... Nothing happened in the western part of Turkey, Mr. Obama... Nothing... Now I ask you... What kind of "Genocide" is this?

By the way, if you look deep into the smoke-screen, you will see a region called "Karabagh" Between Azerbaijan and Armenia...which is occupied by Armenia. Are these Genocide claims and Karabagh occupation related? Or am I watching too much "CSI Miami" and Horatio is getting to me?

Congratulations to you and to your family. I wish you a very successful presidency. I hope that you leave the political lobbyists in the Lobby and don't invite them to the Oval Office... I, myself believe in you, believe in your principles,All the best to you Mr. President... And Thank you for reading my letter. I remain

Sincerely yours....

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