Křesťané před volbou: stát se muslimem, nebo zemřít? K otázce konverzí k islámu během arménské genocidy

Abstract

This article focuses on the issue of Christian conversions (forced or voluntary) to Islam during the Armenian genocide. The essay examines the ideology of turkification that was behind these efforts, including Ottoman government- sponsored orphanages as a direct means of assimilating Armenian children. It pays particular attention to the process of ‘rebuilding’ the Armenian nation in the immediate aftermath of World War I sometimes called ‘national reconstruction’. In the final part the paper deals with the phenomenon of the ‘Hidden Armenians’ in contemporary Turkey.

Keywords

• Armenians
• Genocide
• Conversion
• Islamisation
• Ottoman Empire