Attempts by Turkish Historians to Justify Cemal Pasha's Genocidal Policy

Abstract

This article explores a thesis put forth by some Turkish historians suggesting that Cemal Pasha, the Ottoman Empire's Minister of the Navy during the Armenian Genocide, was allegedly more tolerant towards Armenians than other Young Turk leaders. Proponents of this thesis claim he opposed deportations and massacres, advocating for a more lenient policy. The article systematically refutes four main arguments supporting this narrative.

Cemal Pasha's policies toward Armenians may initially seem different from those of other Armenian Genocide perpetrators, but they were fundamentally the same. Like his counterparts, his ultimate goal was the eradication of Armenians as a nation. He also advocated for their destruction, primarily through assimilation.

              The justification of key architects of the Armenian Genocide, like Cemal Pasha, is particularly dangerous because it may foster the misleading and unfounded image of a "pro-Armenian Turk" within Armenian society and among Armenians more broadly.