I congratulate the organizers of the 1.5 Million Meals for 1.5 Million Lives effort for 24 April. (http://asbarez.com/193670/this-april-24-lets-feed-1-5-million-people-to-commemorate-armenian-genocide/).
The campaign reminded me of that, although the authorities knew the figures appeared in the news were highly exaggerated in 1915, they preferred to turn a blind eye since this helped collecting more aid for the displaced people. Surely, the more people benefit, the better. However, I wish the lie which looks rosy at first, but actually bore a much more severe perception building effect, hadn't helped masses to buy the genocide allegations so heartily without suspicion over a century. Anyway, I hope the campaign proves successful since we are having hard days worldwide.
Aid has always been invaluable in hard days, and the Yedikule Armenian Hospital, Istanbul must have appreciated the 1.000 Liras granted by the Ottoman Government in 1916, one year after the so-called genocide of the Armenians, by the Cabinet Decree on the left.
The decree above was shared with me via Facebook. Another photo I found relevant to today's theme shows the Governor of Erzurum in 1915. He is probably in front of the city hospital and the headline reads: No place left to bury those who died from typhus, which came from the same channel.
As Armenians and their friends remember 1915,
I remember
all military and civil losses and sufferings of WWI 1914-1918
and
all Muslim losses and sufferings in the former Ottoman lands between 1912 - 1922
Here is an extract from one of my earlier blog posts:
"The Caucasian Front was opened by the attack of Russian troops led by Georgy Bergmann on November 1, 1914. The Russians advanced so far as Bitlis and Mush southward and Trabzon along the Black Sea coast. With a sudden attack starting on January 11, 1916, the Russian Army captured Erzurum on February 16, and Erzincan on July 2, 1916.
During this period Eastern Anatolian Muslims fled home in fear. This was an example of displacement which takes place when war requires people to move from their homes due to the danger. From the provinces invaded 1,604,031 people fled in total as recorded by authorities. More people must have left without informing authorities taking care of themselves. 701,166 people, that is 43 percent of registered refugees lost their lives (Öğün, 2004, p.36)."
....
"Sufferings of Eastern Anatolian Muslims during WWI were totally ignored and underestimated. Jeremy Salt (2013)'s following statement comprises not only the ones who could not run away and were killed, but also those who perished during this forced migration: "What is never mentioned in the standard narrative is that probably between two and 2.5 million Ottoman Muslim civilians died in this war from the same range of causes [attacks of outlaws, hunger and epidemics]. They are the ghosts never talked about because the news correspondents, consuls and missionaries were only interested in the suffering of Christians. The Muslims have disappeared from history as if they never existed."
Bitter Displacements of Wars, Dec 1, 2015
(https://tinyurl.com/y94el8t8)
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