Armenophobia in Azerbaijan

Deliberate socialization: this category covers special institutes of socialization, such as nurseries, kindergartens, schools (with mandatory secondary education), vocational schools, technical schools and universities. This list can be supplemented by all kinds of public organizations. “All of these serve a single goal: align a young individual to the ideal personal standard established by all societies. To a lesser or greater extent, it is always a forcible process”

The sociologist names five principle ways of how an individual reacts to deliberate socialization: submission, renewal of environment, ritualism, escapism, and creative revolt.

Later, I asked the 4-year-old son of my elder sister a question:

– Who is an Armenian?

– A terrorist.

– Who is a terrorist?

– They kill children.

Then he came dragging a huge book entitled The Armenian Terror probably thinking that it would be easier to explain if he showed me some photographs.

– All these children were killed by Armenians, he said, it’s even on You Tube!

– How do you know all this?

– Grandma told me…

A 5-year-old girl at school: A daughter of my friends gets ready for school and has begun attending a nursery class. After she came home today, she told her mother what they had been taught at school. The teacher gave them their third lesson.

– Armenians made us unhappy and miserable. Remember this, children. Who are our enemies? Right, Armenians. Learn this well, I will surely ask you about it during the next lesson. Armenians slaughtered our ancestors, completed her speech the 20-year-old teacher.

The girl’s mother was left dumbfounded as she was told this. I also think that this is a sad thing to happen: a 20-year old young teacher and the brain of a 5-year-old baby. Why do you need to hammer this into the head of a 5-year-old girl?

The implication of Azerbaijani schools into the state propaganda presents the perilous prospect of fostering a generation of vengeance brought up exclusively on feelings of malice and hatred, with a traumatized mind.

In 1990s, we heard rumors that Armenians whispered into the ears of their newborn children: Turks are your enemies. I don’t know if the rumor was true, but back then it made many of us feel sorry for Armenians. But as we can see, over time people increasingly resemble their enemies.

Imagine that! Telling a 5-year-old child: “Armenians made us unhappy and miserable!

In the new Azerbaijani society with its warped set of values, children are brought up in line with the new patriotic philosophy translated into the maxim: “If you love your motherland, hate Armenians”.

The groundwork for socialization is laid in early childhood starting from the moment of forging relationships with peers, developing the perception and sense of self.

Sevinj Parvana, A Conversation in Passing:

(a rhymed story in the form of a dialog for children aged 5-12)

– Don’t cry, my little daughter. Let Armenian infants cry.

– Mummy, and where are Armenian infants?

– On the very bottom of hell.

– Why to let them cry? Shouldn’t we pity them?

– No, no pity. Let the snake bite them, if I lie.

– The infants???

…

– Mother, I want to play with Armenian children, ha…

…

– No, no… I want to play with Armenian children

– No, you can’t, my little daughter. They are far from us.

– How far? In the hell?

– Yes, in the hell.

…

– Where are the children themselves? Mother, can I play with them?

– No, my little daughter. They are bad children. We can’t go to them. They will take your toys away and break them.

– Why is that? Don’t they have their own toys?

– They do, but they will want your toys. That’s why they are so bad.

– I will give my toys to them to play. They will give them back later.

– They won’t give them back. They won’t want to. They never give back what they’ve taken.

– Then, I will not give them.

Baku, 2009

The socialization encompasses the process of indoctrinating mindsets, precepts and dictates setting up a lifetime program.

G. Ibragimova: I’ll tell my son the whole truth without holding anything back. I’ll tell him: “Son, learn to distinguish good from bad. And remember that every nation has both good and bad people; Armenians are the only nation which doesn’t have good people, or there are too few of them. The great poet A. S. Pushkin venerated worldwide used the obscene word ‘Armenian’ whenever he disliked the person!”

And my main third covenant is the following:

“My son, listen and remember, Armenians are our deadly enemies. Don’t leave your enemy unavenged! If you meet an Armenian even in the most civilized country of the world, treat him as a creature that sucked the blood of your people! Never forgive the enemy! If you forgive, then let the bread of your motherland, your father’s blood and your mother’s milk be cursed!!!”.

It is amazing how the author of these lines genuinely believes herself to be a conscientious and tolerant person.

<…> You call me chauvinist and accuse me of insulting the entire Armenian nation. A writer accusing an entire nation would just belittle himself/herself. A conscientious person would never venture to accuse an entire nation. All I do in my writings is to exhort the children of my people to be vigilant and to keep away from Armenians.

The next stage of building armenophobia in Azerbaijan targets the young people and hinges on natural fears already inculcated in childhood. The main message goes along these lines: “Armenians take our places”, “they bewitch our men”, “Armenians are deformed and depraved”. In other words, this represents a classical form of demonization and dehumanization of Armenians.