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Responses of the Ottoman Armenians to Military Service Law of 1909: idea and practice
Abstract
This presentation examines the attitudes of Anatolian Armenians to the extension of compulsory military service to non-Muslims in 1909 by utilizing the contemporary journals in Armenian language published in various cities in Anatolia such as Sivas, Erzurum, Tokat, Izmit as well as booklets, brochures of the time. It documents their ideological willingness, enjoyment, and excitement for military service in the Ottoman army as an indicator of equal citizenship although they had some hesitation, confusion, and even fear most of which resulted from either complexity of bureaucratic regulations or lack of information about what they would face in the barracks. How would their Muslim peers meet them? How would their commanders treat them? What would be the physical conditions of the barracks? They worried about such questions which remained unanswered since there was a lacuna in the collective memory of the Armenians about the military service experience given that they had not been taken into the army massively before that date. This was one of the significant reasons of their hesitation and fear. Religious authorities were also worrying about whether Armenian soldiers could follow their religious feasts and practices in the army and more importantly whether they would be compelled to convert to Islam. Despite all these concerns, Armenian opinion leaders and institutions, both religious and political, tried to encourage and motivate the youngsters for military service, and informed them about the legal procedures they had to follow. Those Armenians who tried to circumvent the military service were condemned and denounced by other Armenians as a shame on Armenian national honor.
Discipline
History
Geographic Area
Ottoman Empire
Sub Area
19th-21st Centuries