President Joe Biden was commended by Christians, as per a report, for deciding to call Turkey's murder of Armenian Christians a "genocide" during Saturday's 106th anniversary of the said tragic event.
The Christian Post reported that the International Christian Concern released a statement that applauded Biden as being the "only president since Ronald Reagan" to condemn the said massacre for what it is.
"President Biden is the only president since Ronald Reagan to refer to this mass atrocity perpetuated by Ottoman-era Turkish authorities against Armenian Christians as a genocide. The Turkish government has failed to take responsibility and has actively denied their role in this, allowing them to pursue genocidal policies against Armenians such as in Nagorno-Karabakh," ICC said in their statement.
In the said statement, ICC noted Biden "mourned the many Armenians who had suffered and lost their lives during the genocide." ICC went on to say that past American presidents "opted not to use the word genocide" during the celebration of the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day since they were pressured by the Turkish government. ICC also pointed out that Biden even took the effort to call the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, regarding his decision.
"We at ICC commend President Biden for standing up to Turkey with this designation. Armenian Christians continue to suffer because of the systematic Ottoman campaign of 1915, and the United States owes it to the Armenian community to stand with them in solidarity by recognizing their suffering," said ICC Advocacy Director Matias Perttula in the statement.
As heirs to the oldest Christian nation, Armenians are an integral part of the global community of Christians and ought to enjoy freedom from persecution," Perttula continued.
ICC also pointed out that the Turkish government condemned Biden's statement and continued in denying the matter. They cited Turkey Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Mevlt Cavusoglu in tweeting for rejecting Biden's statement that he termed as "based solely on populism."
The Christian Post added that, besides ICC, there were other individuals and organizations that welcomed Biden's statement such as the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and Rutgers University Center For The Study Of Genocide And Human Rights Director Alex Hinton.
Hinton was quoted as describing Biden's affirmation of the genocide as "absolutely momentous for the victims" and "for all of us" for "it's centered around respect for the dignity of the person."
In addition, the Christian Post quoted USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin and Vice Chair Tony Perkins in commenting on the matter. Manchin said through a statement that Biden's statement "recognize the tireless efforts of survivors, their decendants" and all those who worked "on the right side of that terrible history". Perkins added that this decision of Biden would bring "some solace and consolation to Armenians around the world" while giving everyone a "renewed commitment to speak up and stand against the perpetration of crimes against humanity everywhere".
Evangelist Franklin Graham praised Biden, on the other hand, in Facebook for finally doing something right.
"President Joe Biden did something right today. He called what happened in 1915 when the Turkish Ottomans slaughtered over a million Armenians 'genocide'-and he's absolutely right. Thank you for this stand Mr. President. I believe when someone does something right, they should be commended for it, even if you don't agree with them about other things," Graham said on Sunday.
Biden released on Saturday the statement on the Armenian Remembrance Day acknowledging the Armenians who died of genocide during the Ottoman-era and highlighted that the event is meant to "honor the victims" so that everyone will "remain ever-vigilant against the corrosive influence of hate in all its forms."
