Religion - how many people will die in its name? Will the massacres ever end? Religion is a very powerful thing, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Wars over religious thought have arisen over the years, making it a common thought in our world's history. The Armenian genocide is just one of many wars of belief. In April 1915, the Ottoman government launched a new movement against the Armenian people. This horrible act continued until 1923, when the Turks invaded the empire and took control of it. In 1915, there were about two million Armenians, and about a million had disappeared by 1918, while thousands were homeless and refugees. (Adalian) By 1923, almost the entire Armenian population had disappeared. By this time, the Turks who had invaded the Ottoman Empire had conquered Western Asia, North Africa and Southeast Europe. (Adalian) The main place of government control in the empire was Istanbul (Constantinople), and the Turks practiced the Islamic religion, making them a "martial people." Armenians, or Christians, were considered second-class citizens and were not guaranteed total security. (Adalian) As Armenians were not Muslims, they had to pay taxes and were denied many privileges. Armenians had lived in the Middle East for over three thousand years, spending hundreds of years before the Turks began to invade them. Abused Christians were ashamed of being the first genocide of the 20th century, let alone having their rights taken away. (“Armenian Genocide”) At that time, the Turks seemed invincible, but today they seem to never be able to win a single battle. Since they were so indomitable, they had all the unjustified Armenians under their thumbs, taking all their...... middle of paper ...... and the genocide took a toll on the occurrence of the Holocaust , it is a well-known fact: Hitler knew about the manifestation of the Armenian genocide. (Kifner) So, do you think religion has an effect on our world? Think about it: without religion, perhaps none of these wars would have happened, and innocent people might have lived a long time. But without religion, we would not be the same world as today. Works Cited “Armenian Genocide”. United Council for Human Rights. Armenian Youth, Federation. No. Internet. November 15, 2013. http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/armenian_genocide.htm Kifner, John. No. The New York Times Web. November 21, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/ref/timestopics/topics_armeniangenocide.htmlRouben Paul Adalian, Armenian Genocide. No. Internet. November 18, 2013. http://www.armenian-genocide.org/genocide.html Travis, Middle East Quarterly, pp.. 27-35