From Taurus to Gaza: 110 years Since the Bleeding of the East
A Round Table Organized by Hayat Al Howayek Foundation for Cultural Studies at the Independence House - Bchamoun, Lebanon
The MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs Presides Over Its Sessions
Words Stresses that Christians Are Not a Minority in the Region, Even If Their Numbers Have Declined
You can find some photos at the end of the text.
Hayat Al Howayek Foundation for Cultural Studies held a round table entitled “From Taurus to Gaza: 110 years Since the Bleeding of the East,” on Thursday 23 May 2024, at the Independence House - Bchamoun, Lebanon, in the presence of religious, social, cultural and political figures, thinkers and invitees.
The conference included five sessions focused on the region's issues and the systematic displacement and destruction which is being subjected to. It was presided over and moderated by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs. The opening session began with a speech delivered by Mr. Zainoun Attieh, General Director of Hayat Al Howayek Foundation for Cultural Studies, in which he highlighted the importance of the conference and the recommendations it would issue.
Afterwards, Professor Michel Abs delivered a speech in which he said: “A century of displacement, killing, impoverishment, threats, conflicts, and destruction, the loss of society’s entity at various levels, not to mention the threats and losses, and all the agreements made are being hatched against the region, and millions are begging for everything… We are dealing with new threats in the region with a new concept, and it may witness new events... Our role in the land of our ancestors, where faith began, is becoming clearer, through resilience and steadfastness for the good of our society.”
Then, His Eminence Archbishop Atallah Hanna, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Sebastia, delivered a speech in which he said: “From Jerusalem, this Holy city, we affirm that targeting the Christian presence in our Holy Land and in the entire East has not ceased for nearly two thousand years. They are working to weaken Christians in this East... We address you at a time when Palestine is bleeding, as it is being subjected to genocide and ethnic cleansing... Christians are not a sect, they are a Church and a group called to be salt and leaven in this land.”
In the same context, the Deputy Hagop Pakradounian, Secretary General of the Dashnak Party, addressed a speech in which he said: “We live in an era of revolutions and global wars with local repercussions. We live in a time of contradictions and a time of false resonant slogans... We live from martyrdom and mass graves... The attempts to erase memory express the appetite and identification of many criminals, and the failure to realize that the East is not for sale or trade essentially opens new doors for further colonization and dismantling.”
After that, Melfono Habib Avram, President of the Syriac Association, gave a speech in which he said: “Being silent about evil is evil... We are against all genocide, displacement, occupation and extremism... This is the challenge, especially in our East... We are in a state of bleeding, loss, and minds are drowned in fanaticism. This conference contributes in formulating thought, and rejecting genocides, massacres, and what is happening in the region.”
In the second session, Mrs. Vartine Ohanian, a former Minister, a researcher, and Director of the Zvartnotz Centre for Special Education and Rehabilitation, spoke about the Armenian Genocide. Mr. Ashur Giwargis, Head of Assyria Patriotic Movement, highlighted the Assyrian/Syriac genocides. As well as, Mrs. Rand Wehbe, a researcher and journalist, talked about the massacres and displacement in Palestine.
In the third session, Dr. Antoine Sfeir, a Lawyer in Beirut and Paris, and Professor of Law at the American University of Beirut, presented a legal approach to genocide (and its denial) and the resulting public and private property and constitutions. Prof. Dr. Chawki Attieh, Professor of Demography at the Lebanese University, highlighted the demographic engineering and the formation of the Eastern entities in the first half of the twentieth century.
In the fourth session, Dr. Rouba Attieh, a researcher, documentary filmmaker, and Professor of cinema at the Lebanese University, talked about the impact of demographic engineering on the cultural formation of the East. In addition, Prof. Dr. Lubna Tarabey, Professor of Anthropology at the Lebanese University, highlighted the importance of knowledge production specialized in preserving memory from a cultural standpoint.
The last session was devoted to discussion, where participants proposed their recommendations and remarks to be later submitted to the relevant authorities.
