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I agree. Solidarity to Armenians.
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Wasn’t one of Hitler’s “excuses” for the Final Solution was that “nobody remembers what happened to the Armenians in 1915.”?
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It’s an awful situation there, 65,000 people left, the whole highway between Stepanakert (NK’s capital) and mainland Armenia is just a river of cars.
Meanwhile Europe and the US shift from buttock to buttock and look at their shoes as they hope for some cheap Azeri gas to make up the Russian shortfall. Sickening.
Some interesting background here:
https://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/90631
https://eurasianet.org/plans-for-doubling-azerbaijans-gas-flows-to-europe-on-hold
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2023/09/28/no-one-s-going-to-fight-for-us
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No, Gurny. This is an overreaction. The talk of agendas, no matter what the topic is, obscures that the more important thing is what is happening to others. Do some people harbour anti-Muslim prejudice? Yes, but that doesn’t hide the issue that Azeris have attacked Armenians and made them flee for safety. My main concern is with that right now on this issue. I wouldn’t support Azeris being attacked in the street, nor any other Muslim, based on this. However, I do not see why this should be the focus and suspicion made on anyone supporting Armenians.
I cannot speak for anyone else here, only myself, but I do not think my own concerns are from a Christian bias. I am not a Christian, even though you could say that I am from a culturally Christian background, given that my ancestors grew up with it. I don’t see why the identity of the victims should matter. Islam is capable of discrimination and bigotry like other faiths, political ideologies and creeds are. I also worry about the situation of the majority Muslim Kosovars right now at the hands of Christian Serbs. Yet if Serbia stages another invasion of Kosovo I don’t think we’ll see the same urges of caution against tarring all Christians and worries over some of the Islamist groups who would stage sympathy for the Kosovars (if they do – they’re not so vocal about the Uighurs). I have also raised the Rohingya above and Uighurs before. Both Muslim groups facing genocide and persecution. We shouldn’t let the fundamentalists seizing of a cause to betray our concern for the victims.
As for whether an outlet is pro-western and anti-Russian. Well, western media is a lot more diverse in thought than Russian and more acceptable than the other way round. At least western outlets aren’t making apologia for a brutal and murderous state that is beyond the limits of acceptability. Deservedly a pariah state. A state that has murdered thousands of innocent Muslims itself in Syria with indiscriminate bombing attacks on cities, under the justification that they are all terrorists.
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OK, Gurney. I suspected it was more about me and my professed faith when I read your first response. I shrugged at that point but Sidey’s reasonable perspective has drawn our your true motivation so I’ll give some detail ..though I’m a little less than optimistic that you’ll modify your position regarding my ‘compassion’ or otherwise.
My ‘sudden’ interest specifically in Armenia has lasted many years. I work with and support a Charity that has given aid to Armenia for years. I was there ten months ago giving aid specifically to the increasing number of injured and displaced folks from Nagorno Kharabakh. Clearly when this came to a head a couple of weeks ago I would be distressed.
I also give financially to another more generalised charity that gives aid to other areas of need such as South Sudan or Yemen. I also host a monthly prayer group in my home and have given researched information and led prayer for the countries you mention.But there’s no doubt that I feel called to concentrate my meager time and resources to the Armenia situation.
As far as ‘favouring’ Christian groups I would add that my wife volunteers at a refugee charity teaching English to refugees and asylum seekers.. 95% of whom come from places like Syria and Afganistan. Several have come to our home as friends. When the former Jugoslavia broke apart 20 plus years ago I was part of a group from several churches who brought 23 families to Leeds. They were a mixture of Serb, Croatia and Bosnian Muslims ..often mixed marriages with nowhere to go. The majority were Bosnian Muslim. I took time out of my business for 6 weeks to run the Centre and then agreed to stay ..eventually with pay.. until they were resettled 18 months later.
I know that you are concerned about ‘the Christian right’. Two suggestions from. One would be to not caricature a diverse spectrum of people who carry a particular label so that they can be shoehorned to fit your own agenda. Secondly ..use your own energy and resources and compassion to help the poor folks that you highlighted.1 user thanked author for this post.
You’re missing my point Sid – I’ll have another go – I’m not questioning the importance of what’s happening in NG, I’m questioning the sudden interest on here, when there are other humanitarian calamities worldwide which are far worse and involve far more civilian victims starving or meeting a brutal, bloody end – as you rightly say – yet they pass without comment, particularly from those who we might expect to show some Christian compassion. Why might this be?
We could say that about any topic brought up like this. If someone brought up the plight of the Rohingya, someone else could ask why they’re not talking about the Armenians, Uighurs or Yazidis. There is no evidence on here that anyone has selective compassion for such human rights issues, so I don’t really see the point in such speculation.
On a side note, there has been an increase in such disruption to the global geopolitical climate for a while now and I do wonder if it is because of a more isolationist USA allowing China and Russia to spread disruption. People bemoan US influence, and often with good reason, but the alternatives seem to be worse. This was Obama’s big mistake for me; he was decent on domestic policy, but his foreign policy was weak and let the wolves in. Biden has been ok, but could be a lot better, but the Republicans are likely to be a lot worse. Especially as they signal cutting back for support of Ukraine and talk of pointless conflict in Mexico.
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