Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Heartfelt greetings to the Armenian people on the anniversary of their genocide by the Ottoman Sultanate. Elias Bejjani/April 24, 2024
The Annual Remembrance Day of the Ottoman massacres against the Armenians, Maronites, Syriacs, and Chaldeans between the years 1914-1915.
In the archives of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there is a document dating back to the year 1916, which quotes the Minister of War of the Ottoman Empire at that time, Enver Pasha, as saying: “The empire must be cleansed of the Armenians and the Christians of Mount Lebanon. We eliminated the Armenians by the sword, and we will eliminate the Lebanese by famine.”
Sefo (killing by the sword): massacres targeting Assyrian Syrians and Iraqis, instigated by the Turkish army and carried out by Kurdish tribes. It began in 1914 and continued for several years, killing 400,000 Syriacs. The Turkish state denies its occurrence. Between 1914 and 2023, the proportions of Christians in the Near East declined to the point of extinction, something that only happened with the Mamluks.
Today, we also sadly remember the two hundred thousand Maronite martyrs of Mount Lebanon, who died in famine at the hands of the Ottomans from 1915-1918, in addition to the Sefo massacres, against the Chaldean Syriacs, Assyrians.
Every April 24, we reiterate: Recognizing the massacres and genocide inflicted upon the Armenian, Syriac, Assyrian, and Chaldean peoples is a historical necessity for the path of honesty and truth.
Greetings to the resilient peoples who have preserved their collective memory, thrived, and excelled across all times and places. Armenian_genocide Sifo massacres
The anniversary of the Armenian Genocide teaches us that justice is a cause that transcends generations and cannot be erased by the passage of years or even decades. Salutations to all activists who have struggled and continue to struggle for the official recognition of this genocide, endeavoring to transform this solemn anniversary into a national day dedicated to purifying memory and delivering justice to the victims and their families.
From the depths of our hearts and with resounding voices, we extend our sincere salutations and reverence to the Armenian people for their unwavering commitment in defending their faith, beliefs, nationalism, existence, and civilization. Each year on April 24, the Armenian people renew their sacred vows and commitments to preserve and safeguard their faith, existence, and cause.
One hundred and nine years following the genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Sultanate against the Armenian people based on religious, ethnic, racial, barbaric, and instinctual grounds, this resilient people, dispersed throughout the world, continues to hold steadfast to their faith in their Lord and their inherent right to a dignified life and just cause. One and a half million Armenian civilians, including children, the elderly, men, and women, were ruthlessly slaughtered with premeditation and design at the hands of the criminal Ottoman forces. Those who survived the atrocities were subjected to abuse, forced emigration, and homelessness.
Heartfelt greetings and commendations to this steadfast and faithful people, who were the first in the world to adopt Christianity as their official religion. They are a people who have faced adversity with faith, piety, and patience, giving rise to numerous saints and righteous individuals, and continue to produce martyrs even today.
As a Lebanese Maronite Christian, I not only empathize with the Armenian people, share in their pain, support their just cause, and uphold their faith in Christ the Redeemer and all Christian values, including love, forgiveness, and redemption, but I also take pride in the active Armenian community in my homeland, Lebanon, which has contributed and continues to contribute to its preservation and defense.
In the twenty-first century, silence is no longer acceptable under any pretext concerning the Ottoman genocidal campaigns against the Armenian, Syriac, Aramaic, Chaldean, Maronite, and Greek peoples.
Today, it is imperative for all the peoples of the world, international human rights and humanitarian organizations, and religious institutions to acknowledge the genocide inflicted upon the Armenian people and to pressure the Turkish government to recognize this genocide, followed by the implementation of all necessary humanitarian and legal measures.
Heartfelt greetings to the Armenian people on the centenary of the Ottoman genocide they endured.
It remains certain that whoever evades earthly judgment and justice will not escape the accountability, justice, and fair reckoning of the Lord on the Day of Final Judgment.
