Letter: ‘Child labor’ claim is a historical inaccuracy

Re: “‘Orphan rug’ was made with child labor,” Mailbag, Nov. 30. The letter written by Carole Weling shows how ignorant some people are when it comes to historical events. Mr. Balayan’s letter of Nov. 23 does not condone child labor. What it does is put in perspective the events that led to the making of the rug. The gratitude shown by Armenian children to the United States is the central issue in this matter, not “child labor” and profit.

For Weling to label this as “forced child labor” and oppose displaying it for all the people to see and understand what these children went through during the genocide and how grateful they were to be alive is outrageous. No one profited from making this rug, so how could it be “child labor” as the term is commonly defined? The Armenian community of Glendale would love to have the rug displayed not only in Washington, but also right here in Glendale where more than 40% of the population is of Armenian descent. When, and not if, that happens, Weling is welcome to see it, but she probably won’t.

Alex Janikian
Glendale