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Continue of Exclusive interview with Samuel A. Weems...

TDN: From your research do you see any links between hatred and terrorism?

WEEMS: Sadly to say, with the Armenians hatred and terrorism appear to be one and the same.

TDN: Do the allegations increase prejudice against Turkey and have
Turkish-American relations been effected by the allegations of genocide made by Armenians?

WEEMS: I am sorry to say-yes, this is correct. I am also sorry to say that the reason so many Americans believe this Armenian tall tale is because the
Turks have ignored these false claims for all these years and no one has
stood up to tell the truth about the bogus genocide claim. There is an old
political saying in America: "If you tell a lie big enough and often enough
and no one challenges you-a great number of people will believe the lie no
matter how big it is." This is what the Armenians have been doing since
1918 and the Turks have not come to America and disproved it.
In the last few years, though, I have noticed some increased level of activities among Turkish Americans, especially with the emergence of Turkish Forum, a cyberspace think-tank. They seem to respond to anti-Turkish allegations almost instantly and wage spirited counter campaigns. Turkish Forum letters are signed by Turks from the U.S.A., Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, which is impressive. They do a great job in publishing information to the Turkish Community around the world and by tirelessly defending the cause of Turks. I have great respect for individuals who work diligently every day to insure that the world knows the truth.
While this is all good, it is not nearly enough. Turkish Forum needs more support and contribution from Turks to organize and spread truth to the United States and the world. More needs to be done by organized grass roots campaigns to counter the ongoing anti-Turkish efforts. If this isn't done, Americans will simply believe what they hear, especially if it is repeated often enough and never objected to. This is a fact of life. Hitler was right. Tell a lie a 1000 times and people will believe it if it is not refuted. Turkey doesn't need to be subjected to the big lie and this is a major reason why I wrote the book and I hope that not only Americans start asking questions of the Armenians--I also hope the Turks will awake, stand tall, and fight the good fight of truth. The Turks are world famous for their fighting ability. I have a family member who fought next to Turks in Korea. He recalls how the North Koreans were very fearful of facing the Turk fighting man. It is time now for the Armenians and others to become fearful of facing the Turk on the stage of world opinion!

TDN: Have you met with leaders and members of the Armenian communities in Turkey? Can you compare their life and status as a minority in Turkey with that of the status of minorities in Armenia?

WEEMS: I have visited with Armenians in Turkey. They live very well and have the same total freedoms that Turks enjoy. It appears that many Armenians, who live in Turkey, especially the ones who live in the big cities are well off financially and they live prosperous and peaceful lives. Many own good businesses and are in total harmony with Turks.
On the subject of minorities in Armenia, there are only about 5% minorities left in Armenia. There are only a small handful of Muslims remaining and they are forbidden to practice their religion. There is no way to compare except to say that Armenians living in Istanbul, for example, live in the sunlight of a modern world. What few Muslims who remain in Armenia live in is the blackness of a moonless cloudy night of the dark ages of past history, many hundreds of years ago.

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