Press Release AGBU STRONGLY CONDEMNS ISIS ATTACK ON THE SACRED HOLY MARTYRS CHURCH AND ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL IN DEIR-EZ-ZOR September 30, 2014 For immediate release The Armenian General Benevolent Union is outraged by the desecration by ISIS militants of the Armenian Genocide Memorial Church and Museum in Deir-ez-Zor, Syria. The sacred Holy Martyrs Church and Armenian Genocide Memorial is one of the world’s most prominent sites of remembrance, dedicated to the memory of the more than 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide. The church stood to commemorate and honor Armenians who died on the march to Deir-ez-Zor by the order of the Ottoman state during the genocide. Along with the church’s magnificent architecture, the museum also housed the remains of Armenians who were massacred nearly a century ago. AGBU considers this senseless act of destruction by an isolated militant group an expression of misdirected anger. The attack threatens the spirit of tolerance, diversity and coexistence in the Middle East, where Armenians, along with other ethnic and religious communities, have been an integral part of the region’s rich cultural and religious heritage. The organization calls upon all nations, international institutions, humanitarian and peace-building organizations, together with both Muslim and Christian spiritual leaders, to make their voices heard against these criminal groups whose attacks aim to disrupt not only peaceful coexistence and stability in the Middle East, but also global security. Established in 1906, AGBU (agbu.org) is the worlds largest non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world. For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit agbu.org. PHOTO CAPTIONS: der-zor-church01.jpg: The Holy Martyrs Church and Armenian Genocide Memorial in Deir-ez-Zor was constructed in honor of the victims of the Armenian Genocide and consecrated in 1991. der-zor-church02.jpg: News of the destruction of the sacred church was met with outrage by the Armenian community and condemned by international partners.
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 08:26:56 +0000
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