April 26, 2021

The American Mideast Coalition for Democracy praised the Biden Administration for designating the Turkish massacre of Armenians in 1915 a genocide. The declaration was careful not to accuse the present government of complicity in the genocide, but made clear they were referring to the Ottoman Turks of that era. After its loss in WWI, the Ottoman Empire collapsed and their prior Middle East Arab territories were given as protectorates to Great Britain and France. The modern Middle East emerged from that time, but the Armenian genocide has remained an open wound for many.

“The Biden administration has taken this important first step but it must also be recognized not only as the Armenian Genocide but the attempted genocide of all indigenous Christians of the Middle East that long predated the rise of Islam,” said AMCD co-chair John Hajjar. “Many former Presidents have promised to do this, but President Biden actually did it. Credit where credit is due.”

“The massacre and long march of the Armernians into the desert where they died of hunger and thirst and were set upon by Arabs and Kurds is one of the most horrendous crimes in history,” added AMCD co-chair Tom Harb. “The Ottomans massacred many other Christian populations during their period of Middle East domination as well: Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Greeks and Maronites. Bravo to the Biden Administration for recognizing these historic facts.”

“No doubt this will bring Erdogan down a peg,” remarked AMCD Executive Director Rebecca Bynum. “He has been very open about his ambition to revive the Caliphate, which Ataturk had eliminated after the War. This will pour cold water on that ambition and that’s a good thing.”