20, May, 2016

The twenty first of May, 2016, coincides with the commemoration of 152 years of the end of the Russian-Circassian war. It is a reminder of the Tsarist Russian Empire’s devastating war against Circassia, the foreign occupation of the Circassian homeland, the physical liquidation, genocide, forced displacement and deportation, and all the other disastrous consequences that befell the Circassian nation.

It does not matter how long it takes the Circassian nation to restore its usurped rights; time is on their side. The proper time will come, since the Circassian rights have no statute of limitations. They are protected by international laws and norms. 

The cooperation and coordination between all Circassians is the key for success. A peaceful, nonviolent future move will lead to achieving the objectives. The Circassians ought to use the documented evidence and international legal terms. The wise move could be to follow the example of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, or Nelson Mandela.

It's not surprising that, when Circassian activism was revived and became active, different ways and means were utilized to go around the achievements. Since the Sochi Olympic Games, Russian methods were revised, and the Russian propaganda machine started spreading rumors in different media outlets, including the Social Media on the Internet. They utilized pro-Russian agents, journalists and academicians to use methods of psychological warfare, including intimidation and enticement.

Generally speaking, media outlets have a constructive role in reporting what is going on in many parts of the world. Unfortunately, some of them, with the help of some writers, tend to paint a misleading and deceiving image, spread wrong information, or even mix facts with confabulations, resulting in the production of wrong impressions about the subject discussed.

This commemoration of the Circassian Memorial Day should concentrate on the brutal behavior conducted against Circassians. Hibernation, in a matter of the size of the Circassian Question, is neither logical nor realistic. It is also not acceptable. The path is known and the objectives will not change. No matter what the forces that are pushing against the current are trying to do, in the end, Truth Will Prevail.

We conclude with a quote from Nelson Mandela:

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”