Today Al-Jazira newscast was inundated with hoo haa over the Turkish prime minister's statement that the “Armenian genocide was an international lie”. This is clearly his personal opinion and its not like he is imposing his will on that of everyone else. Yet, the powers that be, are up in arms over this statement, shouting “the first genocide of the 20th century”. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu accused Pope Francis of conspiring against Turkey when the pontiff echoed these very same words which were initially uttered by his predecessor John Paul II. Both of whom conveniently forgetting the Roman Catholics Church's hand in the atrocities during the Spanish Inquisition, the anti-Protestant reformation, the anti-semitism in medieval Europe, the relationship with Nazi Germany, the medieval witch hunts and the endless sexual abuse controversy, to mention but a few.
The Austrian parliament labelled Turkey's involvement as “the terrible events as genocide” resulting in the recalling of the Turkish ambassador to Austria, which Ankara said “permanently damaged” the countries’ relations. Its a really big mystery as to why the western world now suddenly sees the “systematic genocide” by the Ottoman government against the Armenians as a crime, whilst in the midst of war. WW1 dates from the July 28, 1914 to 11 November 1918 and the Armenian extermination played out between 1915 and 1917, smack bang in the middle of WW1. Millions of people of all religions and ethnicities lost their lives in the First World War especially considering that the Otterman empire was the worlds greatest empire, ruling for longer than any other and at war for most of its existence. It is very obvious when making an omelet one has to break a few eggs, likewise engaging in war guarantees deaths and casualties. This year, 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the Armenian extermination and any first hand account of this event has been buried a long time ago.
In my opinion, denial of God is a far more heinous crime than denial of the Armenian genocide or even the denial of the Jewish Holocaust. Holocaust deniers aught to be protected by the universal right to free speech as preached by the the US First Amendment right. But the modern western world's hypocrisy on freedom of speech borders on crazy because it essentially puts the importance of mortal man above the belief in God Almighty.
For years Atheists and Agnostics have had free reign to blaspheme against God Almighty and ridicule religion to their hearts content, in public, without any repercussions. Since time immemorial the Jewish Pharisees and Sadducees ridiculed and denied, mocked and “crucified” Jesus Christ without repercussions. Not to long ago a media cartoons of prophet Muhammad, raised a few eyebrows but nothing happened to the perpetrators. In fact they released a second bout of offensive cartoons because there was absolutely no possibility of prosecution. But if anybody dared to say the Armenian genocide or the Jewish Holocaust didn't happen they are prosecuted to he fullest extent of the law and face prison time. The United Kingdom, France and the United States, Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and Israel etc, all have laws against the denial of the Holocaust. Countries like Germany, Austria, Hungary and Romania, all of whom were among the perpetrators of the holocaust, ban symbols associated with Nazism and criminalized publicly disputing the official version of Holocaust.
Germany is said to have shot/ killed / gassed 11 million people over a 6 year period from 1939-1945. This equates to 1 million 830 thousand people per year or 152774 people per month, or 5093 people per day, or 213 people her hour , or 9 people per minute. Can you even imagine any regime capable of continuously killing 9 people every minute throughout a 24 hour for 72 months. At the same time manufacturing uniforms, arms and ammunition, tanks and planes, building bunkers, having parties and fighting the Allied forces on several fronts and flying sorties to the United Kingdom. It is kind of difficult to comprehend. But it did happen, so whether it is 11 million or 11 hundred, genocide is a no-no and wrong on so many levels. But to be forced into believing a historical event without the right to question is a greater wrong, because its mental rape on a global scale.
In the not so distant past several people were imprisoned for denying that Auschwitz and Treblinka ever happened. British historian, David Irving was arrested in Austria for a 16-year-old violation of that country's "Holocaust denial" statute. Facing 5 years on jail time.
Former-lawyer Sylvia Stolz, previously convicted for denying the Holocaust once again denied that there was insufficient evidence for the Holocaust in a 2012 speech during an anti-censorship congress in Switzerland. She has been sentenced to 20 months in prison.
Dr. Frederick Toben an Australian citizen and a Holocaust denier was arrested by British police at London's Heathrow airport during a stop on a flight from the United States to Dubai and faces five years in prison.
Robert Faurisson (born 25 January 1929) is a Franco-British Holocaust denier and former academic several letters to French newspapers, especially Le Monde which deny various aspects of the Holocaust. He was fined €7,500 fine, and given 3 months' probation sentence.
And the list goes on ......
