The world is still silent, while the terrorist groups are eliminating nations, peoples, and deleting pages in the history.
In the last days, periodically information is received about a new hotbed and great human losses occurred in the world, non-Muslim population is massacred and exterminated in North Iraq. What is going on in Iraq? What can we do to help the casualties? With regard to these questions, “Aravot” talked to expert on genocide studies, also candidate of historical sciences, also senior researcher at the Institute of History at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, also the professor at the U.S. University of Chicago, Anahit Khosroeva.
– What is currently going on in Iraq? Which are the reasons and causes of these exterminations? Who are fighting against whom? Are these interethnic or religious fights? Can these events be qualified as “genocide”?
– Since June 2014, the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) began its terrorist activities in Iraq, which is a Sunni grouping and once was a part of Al-Qaeda terrorist organization. The members of the organization are not only Iraqis but also extremists from the entire region. Their goal is to create an Islamic huge state with strict Islamic laws, which will be formed in the Middle East in terms of territory with further goals to be expanded. Iraq’s major cities like Fallujah, Mosul and Ramadan are already under the ISIS control. And they have now taken the direction to the capital, Baghdad. Several cases are recorded when they had crossed the Syria and a few days the Lebanese border. Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki and his government are no way able to prevent the ISIS terrorist acts who kill not only Christians encountering on their way, particularly Assyrians, but Yezidis, as well as Shiite Muslims. In my opinion, what is happening in Iraq definitely can be called and qualified as a genocide, evidently, all the reasons are available.
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– Aren’t peacekeeping troops stationed in Iraq? Isn’t there anyone who can stop the terrorists attack?
– There are no peacekeeping troops. The only so-called “defenders” is Peshmerga Kurdish troop, which is unable to protect the population and is too weak to be able to stop the killings and terrorism. Two days prior to Peshmerga Kurdish forces’ retreat, Iraq’s largest Christian populated Karakosh city and the nearby small Assyrian-populated towns and villages. Fifty thousand local Syrians have taken the road of migration.
– When does the organization get so much money for implementing such large-scale operations?
– Of course, they have a lot of money for implementing their plans. There are many Muslim extremists, who provide funds to ISIS from their oil capitals. Therefore, today, many humanitarian organizations turn to these Muslim groupings to stop financing the ISIS. But apart from that, they, the members of this organization are plundering everything. They get to the banks in the daytime and rob the banks. According to official data, they got 400 million dollars from Mosul bank robbery…
– How does the international community react to all of this? Isn’t it possible to prevent such disorderliness in the 21st century?
– The international community, unfortunately, looks in surprise and incomprehensible indifference at what is going on. It sees very well and keeps silent. When in the early 20th century, the Genocide of Armenians, also Assyrians, and Pontiac Greeks was taking place in the territory of Ottoman Empire by Young Turks, the international community was also silent. At the time, I can somehow understand, there were no so many means of information, perhaps, in some parts of the world, people were aware of what was going on. But today, before our eyes, people are likewise massacred, forced to leave their homes, are emigrated, taking with them only the things that fits in their hands. It is very hot there in this time of summer, and ISIS closes up the water pipe for days, people are dying from dehydration and diseases. Of course, they also have a daily bread problem. The Assyrian churches that stand in Iraq over 1000 years, today, are bombed and destroyed. There is not even the trace of it. Yesterday, it was officially announced that 200 thousand Assyrian families have abandoned this place for the nearby countries. Yezidis likewise have fled to the mountains in despair. These people need a help from the international community.
In the last few weeks, the Assyrian community organized massive demonstrations and protests all over the world, the same is now done by the Yezidi community. Assyrian and Kurdish MPs of Iraqi parliament appealed to the President of the United States for help, and finally, on August 7, after many requests and pressures, the U.S. President Barack Obama issued an order to send food and fluid to Iraqi casualties, and of course, if necessary, to give a counter-blow to the terrorists. This gave rise to a little hope among local people. At this very moment, great protests are taking place in major cities of the U.S.
– What can the Republic of Armenia and Armenians do as people who had seen genocide to help the people who are currently experiencing the same pain?
– Unfortunately, today, Armenia has its own problems with neighboring state as domestic so as especially foreign. I think that the only thing that can be done is perhaps to send humanitarian aid to the casualties, and ideologically unite with the Western superpowers to stop the horror that these people experience every day. Note that so far no international media has covered the carnages in Iraq. The only news channel in the Fox News. Now, when the U.S. President Barack Obama finally referred to only Yezidi Massacre and even qualified it a genocide neglecting the Christians: Assyrians and Armenians, living in Iraq, now all the news channels and media began to cover these events around the world. According to Obama, the American armed forces would apply to military intervention only in the Kurdistan autonomy capital, Erbil, and only if ISIS intimidates the Americans living in that city and there. To remind that the USA Consulate is located in Erbil. What is going on currently in Iraq seems to be the exact recurrence of what happened 100 years ago in the Ottoman Empire. It was then and now that a choice is given to Christians, either to change the belief, or pay taxes, which are so high that no one can or is able to pay it, or leave the country, by officially donating their homes and belongings to the Muslims. This is an urgent matter and requires an international solution.
Interviewed by Melania BARSEGHYAN
“Aravot” Daily
09.08.2014
