Illinois Türk Destek Sayfası

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Subject:

USA Taxpayer  Opposes Historical Distortion in Illinois Curriculum (105 ILCS 5/27-20.3)

Message:

Dear Representatives,<br />
<br />
We write as hard working tax payer from district as a American of Turkish roots  to respectfully express my concern over the existing provision in Illinois law (105 ILCS 5/27-20.3), which compels the inclusion of the contested claim of an "Armenian Genocide" within Holocaust and genocide studies. While I  wholeheartedly support teaching about universally acknowledged atrocities like the Holocaust, embedding historically unresolved claims as fact undermines both academic fairness and intellectual honesty.<br />
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The events of 1915 unfolded during the upheaval of World War I in Ottoman / Turkiye?a period marked by widespread instability and interethnic strife. No international court or local court , including the International Court of Justice, has formally declared these events as genocide. Furthermore, in the landmark 2015 Perinçek v. Switzerland case, the European Court of Human Rights reaffirmed that such classification remains subject to ongoing historical analysis and debate of opinion .<br />
<br />
Unlike the systematic and well-documented horrors of the Holocaust, the tragic events in the late Ottoman Empire involved complex wartime dynamics, including armed uprisings and alliances between Armenian nationalist factions and invading Russian forces. These developments led to loss of life across all communities, including countless Ottoman Muslims and Jews . Framing this history through a singular lens misrepresents its complexity and risks politicizing education.<br />
This legal requirement places Turkish-American students and families in an unjust position and potentially complicates U.S.-Türkiye relations particularly concerning for a nation as critical to NATO?s stability as Türkiye. I  urge l you to review this policy to ensure historical education reflects a commitment to accuracy, diversity of perspective, and scholarly rigor.<br />
Thank you for your attention to this important issue. We welcome the opportunity for continued dialogue and thoughtful consideration.<br /><br />
Respectfully,

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