KeghartViken L. Attarian, Montreal, 8 January 2015
For the past 24 hours I have been deeply disturbed with what has been going on in France. For three reasons: first, I was a big fan of one of the murdered cartoonists Wolinski who was also a great French artist of Bandes Dessinées. He had a raw, in-your-face style and mad talent that was unique and inimitable; the second reason is because I have relived the days of the murder of the Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and the subsequent demonstrations of solidarity in Istanbul.
Finally, because I witnessed like many of you, the cold-blooded killing on our TV screens of the wounded and already downed policeman who was apparently Muslim.
In tribute, I have expressed my solidarity in the only way possible, as someone who has believed that ideas and freedom matter.
The poem reflects these themes and emotions.
Viken L. Attarian, Montreal, 8 January 2015
For the past 24 hours I have been deeply disturbed with what has been going on in France. For three reasons: first, I was a big fan of one of the murdered cartoonists Wolinski who was also a great French artist of Bandes Dessinées. He had a raw, in-your-face style and mad talent that was unique and inimitable; the second reason is because I have relived the days of the murder of the Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and the subsequent demonstrations of solidarity in Istanbul.
Finally, because I witnessed like many of you, the cold-blooded killing on our TV screens of the wounded and already downed policeman who was apparently Muslim.
In tribute, I have expressed my solidarity in the only way possible, as someone who has believed that ideas and freedom matter.
The poem reflects these themes and emotions.
Resurrection
Your God and mine are the same
I pray.
You kill in his name.
The Creator gave you spirit, thought
Your mother who has brought
you forth
Into this world,
Did they both not in you inspire
That only for freedom you should die?
God tells you to freely use your mind
Yet blindly you murder your own kind,
Whose sacred place is in the mosque,
Where you come together with those who
to the Creator themselves give
But the keeper of peace
you let not live.
As the darkness takes your heart
How dare you shout the name of God?
Against your bullets we all rise
Strong in numbers, in words, ideas
From our eyes
We dry our tears
In billions we raise our pens
We do not kill but we fight
For freedom
Because we write.
Keghart
Keghart
Keghart
4 comments
Are the Charlie Hebdo attacks what they appear to be?
I reserve the right to question what is being presented to the public regarding this most recent killing spree and that it may be a false flag operation.
I also have problems when societies selectively invoke "freedom of speech" where certain forms of incendiary, libelous commentary are allowed to be paraded around as speech freedom. In this brave new world, freedom of speech nowadays means to have the freedom to attack/insult/ridicule certain practices and beliefs and NOT others. As Armenians, we also are witnessing scenarios where Turkey's genocide denials are being argued in court as being permissible because it is a form of speech freedom. (Naturally, that right is not accorded to anyone in Turkey who would like to acknowledge the Genocide….there, such freedoms of speech are criminalized.)
Freedom of Speech and “Freedome of Speech”
The limits of freedom of speech are open for debate in the courts of public opinion or in the courts of law but not in this manner. The Charlie Hebdo act is brutally evident to what it is and too transparent to mask anything else.
I for one as an Armenian do not support criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide or the Jewish Holocaust. I find it absurd to resort to courts to penalize the ignorant, the uninformed or those who deliberately resort to lie under the guise of scholarship.
I am all for making those who deny the Armenian genocide subjects for educating or of ridicule in the courts of public opinion where it matters or making them objects of Charlie Hebdo cartoons.
Freedom of Speech is Subjective
Sireli Vahe jan,
I greatly appreciated your comment. Yes, it's true freedom of speech would mean allowing anyone to deny the Jewish Holocaust or the Armenian Genocide. However, in this day and age, Holocaust denial is considered "hate speech" and laws about that are not going to be repealed any time soon. Therefore, it would make more sense for Armenians to aim for that status regarding Genocide denial than to do the reverse. Of course, there are Turkish forces at work who saw to it to taint the judicial process and prevent the criminalization of Armenian Genocide denial in France, so we are obviously being held to a double standard. So are others who must endure hateful, libelous verbal/written attacks in the name of "speech freedom." "Freedom of speech" means you are only allowed to say things that are pleasing to the ears of those who rule in the halls of power.
As for the Hebdo killings, I maintain that things are not what they appear to be. So I guess we must agree to disagree.
Armenian hate speech
I suggest that we Armenians be very careful about labeling others' speech or writing as "hate", especially if we are accusing others of breaking some vaguely defined "hate speech" law.
These laws are becoming very popular in Europe and North America and, generally speaking, they are very harmful.
I say this because the Turks may well turn around and say that our talking about the Armenian Genocide (which Turks will say is unproven) and our ire is "hate" directed against the country of Turkey and its people, etc., and that in calling Turkey or the Turks "genocidal" we are spreading "hate" against a "minority".
Please be wary of joining with the "pc" and left-of-center crowds, and certain other unmentioned collections of people who wish to shut up those who disagree with them.
It can all easily come back to bite you.
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