men, women, and children were killed, and their honour and property
placed at any man's mercy, they would reply that this people have
murdered Moslems in the Vilayet of Van, and that there have been found
in their possession prohibited arms, explosive bombs, and indications of
steps towards the formation of an Armenian State, such as flags and the
like, all pointing to the fact that this race has not turned from its
evil ways, but on the first opportunity will kill the Moslems, rise in
revolt, and invoke the help of Russia, the enemy of Turkey, against its
rulers. That is what the Turkish Government would say. I have followed
the matter from its source. I have enquired from inhabitants and
officials of Van, who were in Diarbekir, whether any Moslem had been
killed by Armenians in the town of Van, or in the districts of the
Vilayet. They answered in the negative, saying that the Government had
ordered the population to quit the town before the arrival of the
Russians and before anyone was killed; but that the Armenians had been
summoned to give up their arms and had not done so, dreading an attack
by the Kurds, and dreading the Government also; the Government had
further demanded that the principal Notables and leading men should be
given up to them as hostages, but the Armenians had not complied.
All this took place during the approach of the Russians towards the city
of Van. As to the adjacent districts, the authorities collected the
Armenians and drove them into the interior, where they were all
slaughtered, no Government official or private man, Turk or Kurd, having
been killed.
As regards Diarbekir, you have read the whole story in this book, and no
insignificant event took place there, let alone murders or breaches of
the peace, which could lead the Turkish Government to deal with the
Armenians in this atrocious manner.
At Constantinople, we hear of no murder or other unlawful act committed
by the Armenians, except the unauthenticated story about the twenty
bravoes, to which I have already referred.
They have not done the least wrong in the Vilayets of Kharpout,
Trebizond, Sivas, Adana, or Bitlis, nor in the province of Moush.
I have related the episode at Zeitoun, which was unimportant, and that
at Urfa, where they acted in self-defence, seeing what had befallen
their people, and preferring death to surrender.
As to their preparations, the flags, bombs and the like, even assuming
there to be some truth in the statement, it does not justify the
annihilation of the whole people, men and women, old men and children,
in a way which revolts all humanity and more especially Islam and the
whole body of Moslems, as those unacquainted with the true facts might
impute these deeds to Mohammedan fanaticism.
To such as assert this it will suffice to point out the murders and
oppressive acts committed by the Young Turks against Islam in Syria and
Mesopotamia. In Syria they have hanged the leading men of enlightenment,
without fault on their part, such as Shukri Bey El-Asli, Abdul-Wahhâb
Bey El-Inglîzi, Selîm Bey El-Jezairi, Emir Omar El-Husseini, Abdul-Ghani
El-Arîsi, Shefîk Bey El-Moweyyad, Rushdi Bey El-Shamaa, Abdul-Hamîd
El-Zahrâwi, Abdul-Kerîm El-Khalîl, Emir Aarif El-Shehâbi, Sheikh Ahmed
Hasan Tabâra, and more than thirty leading men of this class.
I have published this pamphlet in order to refute beforehand inventions
and slanders against the faith of Islam and against Moslems generally,
and I affirm that what the Armenians have suffered is to be attributed
to the Committee of Union and Progress, who deal with the empire as they
please; it has been due to their nationalist fanaticism and their
jealousy of the Armenians, and to these alone; the Faith of Islam is
guiltless of their deeds.
From the foregoing we know that the Armenians have committed no acts
justifying the Turks in inflicting on them this horrible retribution,
unprecedented even in the dark ages. What, then, was the reason which
impelled the Turkish Government to kill off a whole people, of whom they
used to say that they were their brothers in patriotism, the principal
factor in bringing about the downfall of the despotic rule of
Abdul-Hamîd and the introduction of the Constitution, loyal to the
Empire, and fighting side by side with the Turks in the Balkan war? The
Turks sanctioned and approved the institution of Armenian political
societies, which they did not do in the case of other nationalities.
What is the reason of this sudden change of attitude?
It is that, previous to the proclamation of the Constitution, the
Unionists hated despotic rule; they preached equality, and inspired the
people with hatred of the despotism of Abdul-Hamîd. But as soon as they
had themselves seized the reins of authority, and tasted the sweets of
power, they found that despotism was the best means to confirm
themselves in ease and prosperity, and to limit to the Turks alone the
rule over the Ottoman peoples. On considering these peoples, they found
that the Armenian race was the only one which would resent their
despotism, and fight against it as they previously fought against
Abdul-Hamîd. They perceived also that the Armenians excelled all the
other races in arts and industries, that they were more advanced in
learning and societies, and that after a while the greater part of the
officers of the army would be Armenians. They were confounded at this,
and dreaded what might ensue, for they knew their own weakness and that
they could not rival the Armenians in the way of learning and progress.
Annihilation seemed to them to be the sole means of deliverance; they
found their opportunity in a time of war, and they proceeded to this
atrocious deed, which they carried out with every circumstance of
brutality--a deed which is contrary to the law of Islam, as is shown by
many precepts and historical instances.[N] ...
In view of this, how can the Turkish Government be justified at the
present time in killing off an entire people, who have always paid their
dues of every kind to the Ottoman State, and have never rebelled against
it? Even if we suppose the Armenian men to have been deserving of death,
what was the offence of the women and children? And what will be the
punishment of those who killed them wrongfully and consumed the innocent
with fire?
I am of opinion that the Mohammedan peoples are now under the necessity
of defending themselves, for unless Europeans are made acquainted with
the true facts they will regard this deed as a black stain on the
history of Islam, which ages will not efface.
From the Verses, Traditions, and historical instances, it is abundantly
clear that the action of the Turkish Government has been in complete
contradiction to the principles of the Faith of Islam; a Government
which professes to be the protector of Islam, and claims to hold the
_Khilâfat_, cannot act in opposition to Moslem law; and a Government
which does so act is not an Islamic Government, and has no rightful
pretension to be such.
It is incumbent on the Moslems to declare themselves guiltless of such a
Government, and not to render obedience to those who trample under foot
the Verses of the Koran and the Traditions of the Prophet, and shed the
innocent blood of women, old men and infants, who have done no wrong.
Otherwise they make themselves accomplices in this crime, which stands
unequalled in history.
In conclusion, I would address myself to the Powers of Europe, and say
that it is they themselves who have encouraged the Turkish Government
to this deed, for they were aware of the evil administration of that
Government, and its barbarous proceedings on many occasions in the past,
but did not check it.
_Completed at Bombay on the 3rd September, 1916._
FÀ'IZ EL-GHUSEIN.
[Footnote N: Fà'iz El-Ghusein here gives a list of citations from the
Koran, the Traditions, and from Moslem history in support of this
view.--TRANSLATOR.]
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