House Panel Approves Resolution Calling On Turkey To Return Christian Churches Confiscated During Ottoman Empire…
Golf clap.
(CNS News) — The House Foreign Affairs Committee recently voted 43 to one in support of a resolution that calls upon the Republic of Turkey “to safeguard its Christian heritage and to return confiscated church properties” — a step the Turkish Embassy described as “deeply regrettable.”
The resolution (H.Res. 306), introduced by Reps. Edward Royce (R-Calif.) and Howard Berman (D-Calif.), cites the “Ottoman Empire’s oppression and intentional destruction of much of its ancient Christian populations, including over 2,000,000 Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, Pontians, and Syrics,” and adds that Turkey “has been responsible for the destruction and theft of much of the Christian heritage within its borders.”
The Ottoman Empire, from 1300 to 1922, was an Islamic-governed empire that covered much of southeastern Europe and parts of North Africa and the Middle East. In 1923, with the empire’s official dissolution, Turkey became one of its successor states.
Posted by ZIP on Friday, August 5, 2011, at 8:31 am | 
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It seems a bit late and what is the point? And how much did we pay for that committee to meet for this pressing world safety issue?
DOWN ON ALL INTERNATIONALISM!!!!!!!!!!
OK, I am a conservative and what most would consider a fundamentalist Christian. I don’t agree with cutting extremism any slack, but, come on! Is this serious? The Ottoman Empire has been dead for almost 100 years! Why are we stirring this pot? How would the US react if Turkey called on us to restore “confiscated” Indian lands? I think we would, rightfully, tell them to take a long walk off a short pier. And we have had the same continuous government for almost 230 years. I don’t give anybody a pass for atrocities committed, but to hold a current government responsible for what a completely different previous government did seems an utterly foolish waste of time and breath to put it mildly and sets a potentially dangerously destabilizing precedent (anyone up for suing India for any wrongs we can dig up about the British Empire? How about demanding Russia repay us for our expenses during the Cold War? GET REAL WASHINGTON!).
Can we hold the cavemen responsible for killing the dinosaurs, how much money can we get from them.
So why not also call for the turnover of the mosque in Jerusalem to the Jews; sinc eit stands on the site of their temple?
It has pissed me off for a long time at how much time and energy is spent by our ELECTED officials representing PEOPLE IN OTHER LANDS. That is one of my pet peeves with my own Congressman Chris Smith of NJ. He’s a good guy overall, but he loves to dabble in other countries social issues and human rights. While I admire his values in that regard, as a Rep he has no business leaving the country unless it has to do with a constituent directly – and that better be friggin’ seriously important when he does. If he wants to go and fight oppression in other coutnries, then go, but not on my tax dollar and not while he is supposed to be representing me in Washington.
Free Constantinople
500 years of occupation is enough!
With idiots like this in charge it’s no wonder we’re so f**cked. Why not pass a resolution condeming Italy for the massacre at Masada?
Since the ottoman empire no longer exists its about time they did
I agreed with all posted thus far in that it is not only a waste of our resources but a futile effort and not in our national interest.
Additionally, with the dismantling of everything that Attaturk had acccomplished, is this really the best time to tilt at windmills while Turkey falls by the wayside?
A lot of people will taste misery and oppression in the new islamic Turkey and the world is that much more dangerous.
They’ll only burn down the Christian churches when Turkey decides to go full-Monty Islam in the not too distant future.
This is what we need to see! Way to go!
This far from being idiotic but is the result of electing
tea partiers instead of RINO’s
Just remember, Turkey is trying to get Italy to hand over St. Nicholas’ bones interred in Italy to keep them safe from muslims…
Of course muslims want to get their hands on Santa.. to destroy them..
Don’t believe for a second that any Christians would be able to protect them..
Free Constantinople!!!
Agreed.
Free Constantinople.
Our Lady of Victory, pray for us.
This post title emphasizes the second item on the resolution, not the first.
I’m not sure that much–if anything at all–can be done about the confiscated church properties, but the call for Turkey to “safeguard its Christian heritage” absolutely needs to be spoken. The same should be said to Egypt, the Sudan, Iraq, and many other countries where Christian populations are being driven out or slaughtered. Christian churches and homes are being torched right now, even as I write this. I think this resolution is much more akin to our concern over the dominating spread of Islam than it first appears.
Millions of Christians–most notably the Armenians–were starved and butchered in the early part of the 20th century:
“From the 16th century through World War I, major portions of Armenia were controlled by their most brutal invader, the Ottoman Turks, under whom the Armenians experienced discrimination, religious persecution, heavy taxation, and armed attacks. In response to Armenian nationalist stirrings, the Turks massacred thousands of Armenians in 1894 and 1896. The most horrific massacre took place in April 1915 during World War I, when the Turks ordered the deportation of the Armenian population to the deserts of Syria and Mesopotamia. According to the majority of historians, between 600,000 and 1.5 million Armenians were murdered or died of starvation. The Armenian massacre is considered the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies that a genocide took place and claims that a much smaller number died in a civil war.” [from "Infoplease.com"]
I am actually quite surprised that the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed this, and by 43 to 1. I commend them for speaking out–and believe that the return of church buildings is certainly not the primary focus of this resolution.
(Apologies for the length of this post.)
Oh the glory!