WELL KNOWN ARABIST AND ORIENTALIST, FOUNDER  OF  THE  ARMENIAN  SCIENTIFIC ARABIC SCHOOL

I am very proud to have the possibility of’  evaluating the work of one of the internationally well known Arabist and orientalist professor Nikolay Hovhannisyan. I know him very well through his numerous valuable and original works, published not only in Armenian, but also in Arabic, English, French, German and other languages in different countries. I know him also from personal contacts, first in Egypt in 2006-2007, when we were together working on the establishment of «Center of the Armenian Studies» in Cairo University, and then in Yerevan, December 2010, at the International Conference «The Crime of Genocide: Prevention, Condemnation and Elimination of Consequences. In the Light of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide», when he was a Moderator of that important scientific meeting. The Arabists and Orientalists of the world know him by his creative ideas and conceptions, by his new approaches to the key problems of the Arabic world and Genocidology. 1, as an Arabist, can confirm that the works ot the Armenian talented researcher Nikolay Hovhiannisyan , published in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait and UAR, as well as England, USA, Germany, Canada, Russia, Italy, Hungary and so on, has raised contemporary Arabic studies and Genocidology to a new level, stimulated the study of the above mentioned subjects in different universities and scientific centers of the world.

We are used to the original scientific works of Professor Nikolay Hovhannisyan, always arousing great interest of the scientific world. But his latest study under discussion §Armenian Genocide. Armenocide - Most Genocidal Genocide. In Ten Languages of the World¦, was real sensation. It is an original and fundamental study, a  phenomenon   which has not its precedent. It is a new say not only in the field of the Armenian genocide but in the field of genocide in general. The key problems of the Genocidology were and are in the center of Professor Nikolay Hovhannisyan’s scientific interests. In fact he is one of the founders of the Genocidology as a new global scientific direction. He has published more than ten monographic. studies and about 70 articles on this subject. And he discovered step by step the characteristic features of that phenomenon. From this point of view it is neccessory to mention his previous work «The Armenian Genocide in the Context of the Genocidology» in which he examined for the first time such significant concepts of the Armenian Genocide as victimization, victim and executioner, Genocidal State and Genocidal Society, coming to the conclusion that the Ottoman Empire was a genocidal state, where the Armenians and all non-Turkish peoples of that Empire, Arabs, Greeks, Assyrians and others, were victims, while the Sultan and Young Turks Regime were executioners, who raised the policy of the Genocide to the level of state policy. And the Armenians became the first victims, losing  their  Fatherland - Western Armenia.

And this pivotal idea has found a new confirmation in his work on the §Armenocide as the most Genocidal Genocide¦ on the basis of new primary sources, including  the  Arabic  sources.

The following step towards  making  such a unique study as the Armenian Genocide in ten languages of the world was «Arab Historiography on the Armenian Genocide», which was published in Armenian, English, Persian /in Tehran/ and recently in Arabic /in Cairo/. The Armenian professor included for the first time very rich and important Arabic sources in the field of the Armenian Genocide studies. The results were shocking. The Arabic sources confirmed the main conception that in 1915 it was programmed by the leaders of young Turks and carried out in barbaric and brutal forms the Genocide of Armenians which the Arabic sources qualified as the black page of mankind and the  first  Genocide of  twentieth  century.

After these works it was quite natural the publication of §The Armenian Genocide. Armenocide - the Most Genocidal Genocide. In Ten languages of the World¦, the scientific significance of which goes beyond the Armenocide. It is a phenomenon of world significance, a unique study, opening new horizons before  the  Genocidology.

This book in fact consists of two parts.

In the first part the author discusses the contemporary stage of the international recognition of the Armenian genocide and its tendencies in the near future. Professor Nikolay Hovhannisyan demonstrates on the basis of  the official documents that the international recognition ot the Armenian Genocide has recorded great progress. On the other hand the denial of the Armenian Genocide by the Turkish government is more and more weakening and minimizing its chances, in this case the author pays special attention to the trial of the leaders the Young Turks by the Ottoman legal court in 1919-1920, which sentenced them to death for the Armenian, genocide. On the basis of the verdict of the Ottoman court, Professor Nikolay Hovhannisyan suggests to review the non-recognition by Turkey of the Armenian, genocide, considering that Turkey has previously recognized it once. We consider that this concept is very interesting, and  deserves  to  be  developed  in  the  future.

The second part of the book consists of the publications of the texts, included in that book, in ten languages of the world - in English, German, Russian, French, Turkish, Japanese, Hungarian, Arabic, Armenian and Persian. Here we want to draw attention on the following fact. All these translations have been done not by the initiative of the author, but as the result of local initiative, which witnesses the great interest in many countries about the study of this author on the Armenian Genocide.. We consider it also as an  expression of deep respect to the author and his recognition as one of the great specialists in Genocide. It is not a collection of different works. They  are   interconnected  logically and by one and the same subject of study.

One of the important achievements of this study, is the scientific discovery    of the humanitarian role of the Arabs  local administrative and religious leaders, intellectuals - in rescuing the Armenian caravans from total annihilation. lt is known that during the Armenian Genocide were killed more than 1,5 million Armenians. Due to the Arabs’ humanitarian attitude hundreds of thousands of Armenians were saved and later they formed the basis of a new Armenian Diaspora, in  Syria, Lebanon,  Iraq, Jordan, Egypt  and  other  Arabic  countries.

At the end we  would  like to underline the author’s style of writing and elucidating  the key problems. In our opinion there are three characteristic features.

First, the academic style, which is reflected in the creative ideas, profound understanding and commentaries of the Arabic texts and the ideal structure of the hook.

Second, the wise way of transferring the scientific information to readers, to help them understand the special attitude of muslim Arabs towards the Armenians.

Third, the political-humanitarian position of the Arabs towards the Armenians during the Armenian genocide , the existence of mutual respect between the Arabs and Armenians, the active role of the Armenian communities in the political, economic and cultural affairs of  Arabic countries.

So we can conclude, that «The Armenian Genocide, Armenocide - The Most Genocidal Genocide. In Ten Languages of the World» by Professor Nikolay Hovhannisyan, is a new word in Genocidology, a unique study, having no precedent. It is a very serious contribution to both Armenian and World Genocidology. It is a study, written in a high academic level, which, there is no doubt, will stimulate further development of that field of science and work for prevention of new genocides. It would help of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

The above mentioned factors and reasons are the main causes to appreciate very highly this unique study of the outstanding scientist and talented specialist in Genocidology Nikolay Hovhannisyan.

We recommend this phenomenal study for the «State Prize of the Republic of  Armenia» for 2011.

PROF.  MUHAMMAD  REFAAT  AL-IMAM (EGYPT, CAIRO)