On this date, September 13th, in 1915, the Turkish Ottoman Caliphate proclaimed the "Temporary Law of Expropriation and Confiscation", which declared that all property owned by Christian Armenians was now confiscated by Muslim Turks.  This followed the Tehcir Law (Temporary Law of Deportation) of May 1915, which authorized the forced resettlement of Armenians living under Ottoman rule, and the forfeiture of their property.

According to "Facing History and Ourselves," Ottoman Senator Ahmed Riza opposed the new law:

Riza pleaded with his government to allow the deportees, “hundreds of thousands of whom, women, children and old people, are helplessly and miserably wandering around the streets and mountains of Anatolia, to return to their original places of residence or to settle wherever they wish before the onset of winter.” He then submitted a draft bill that proposed to postpone the Temporary Law’s application until after the end of the war, arguing that the Temporary Law was “contrary to the provisions…of the Constitution. [It] is also inimical to the principles of law and justice."

Riza complained that the confiscation of Armenian property had to stop until debate on the measure had begun. Furthermore, he explained: "It is unlawful to designate the Armenian assets as “abandoned goods” for the Armenians, the proprietors, did not abandon their properties voluntarily; they were forcibly, compulsively removed from their domiciles and exiled. Now the government through its efforts is selling their goods….Nobody can sell my property if I am unwilling to sell it….If we are a constitutional regime functioning in accordance with constitutional law we can’t do this. This is atrocious. Grab my arm, eject me from my village, then sell my goods and properties, such a thing can never be permissible. Neither the conscience of the Ottomans nor the law can allow it."

The conscience of the Ottomans and their law notwithstanding, the law passed overwhelmingly.  The Armenians had other things to worry about than the confiscation of their property, as the Turks were committing full-scale genocide at this point.  Armenian men, who had been forcibly conscripted into the Ottoman army, were disarmed and sent to "labor battalions", where they were executed.  Armenian women and children were forced to march to the Syrian desert, without food or water.  Ottoman troops systematically robbed, raped, and killed them during the march.  When the survivors arrived at the destination, again, no supplies were provided, and they starved to death.

The Turks set up 25 extermination camps, where prisoners were poisoned, drowned, and burned, and then dumped into mass graves.  Cattle cars were used to transport the prisoners to the camps.  A "special unit", Te?kilat-i Mahsusa, was set up to handle the extermination.

Former President Theodore Roosevelt called the Ottoman actions in Armenia "the greatest crime of the war."  Turks to this day continue to violently deny that the genocide occurred.  Modern Turkish-Armenian publisher Hrant Dink was murdered in 2007 for making reference to the Armenian Genocide.  His murderer was treated by the police as a Muslim "hero".  Egyptian scholar Bat Ye'or said succinctly, "The genocide of the Armenians was a jihad."

Previous Days in the "Religion of Peace™":

Sept 12: Salvation of Vienna
Sept 11: Sept 11
Sept 9: Smyrna Greece Massacre
Sept 8: Monastir Macedonia Massacre
Sept 7: Nigerian street-crossing jihad