Islam and Secularism, and even more Atatürk

Dear reader,

Turkey is a Muslim majority country. At the very least, over 90% of the country is Muslim. Of those, the vast majority follow Sunni Islam and most of the rest are Alevi Muslims. I see mosques about as frequently as churches back at home. Meanwhile, I have not heard any church bells here, but the Islamic call to prayer is sounded five times daily over loudspeakers.

I bring up Islam for several reasons. For one, I know a lot of those reading this are curious as to what life is like in a Muslim majority country. Naturally, I can’t answer that question as a practicing Turkish Muslim, but I’ll try to give as good of insight as a foreigner with limited contact with Islam can have.

The lines are always this long in the evening during Ramadan.

There are many obvious differences. As already alluded to, the landscape looks very different from anywhere else I have been to, if only for the presence of mosques. I have not had pork once, let alone seen it on any menu. I see women wearing all different kinds of Hijab (see photos below) and the Koran on bookshelves. With Ramadan having begun only days ago, it is more conspicuous that ever, as many here observe it by fasting during daylight hours and crowd. Although most cafes and restaurants remain in service throughout the day, many are unusually empty. Several close their windows, as to not distract those that are fasting. But they hardly lose any business, for famished patrons crowd outside, patiently waiting for dusk and repast.

Yet, I have yet to consciously interact with Islam. I have visited a handful of mosques by now, but I haven’t compared beliefs with anybody here and I still know only a little about the religion. Although Islam has always been fascinating, my curiosity has not been raised to this high of a level yet. I’ll probably look into it more after I finish summer school.

Islam is especially complicated in Turkey. Its presence cannot be denied. Yet, because Istanbul is especially secularized, it can be difficult to see how Islam manifests itself. Although these values are hardly espoused by everybody, there is a very strong secularist tradition in modern Turkey. In politics, this is evidenced by the strong views people tend to have on the subject. Until recently, the state tended towards hostility against Islamic expression in public. Mind you, this is not the secularism most of you are familiar with. In the United States, belief in secularism and religion coexist because American secularism is more concerned with the state's power over religion, not the other way around.

Without having familiarity with the issue, it's an enormous paradox: The vast majority of the country, including the state, follows Islam. Public expressions of Islam occur all the time. For example, Ramadan feasts and the prayer calls. Also, wearing the hijab in school is technically illegal, but nobody bothers to enforce the law anymore. The state controls religion, but ironically does so under assumptions characteristic of Sunni Islam.

The apparent contradictions do not end there. There are a few that are hardly religious but zealously adhere to the secular values espoused by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the republic and modern-day Turkey. In one word, he embodied arête, but since none of you probably knows what means... His significance to modern Turkey cannot be denied; among other accomplishments, he revitalized much of the country and saved it from imperial domination. Yet, as I am learning in class, many of his other actions had terrible consequences that linger to this day.

His legacy and near legendary status in Turkey is an important feature of not only politics, but society at large. There even is a mythos of Atatürk that is not unlike those of prophets of long ago; superhuman saviors that deliver their nation from tyranny at its most critical moment. Many shops and cafes display small portraits of Atatürk on their walls, and monuments to him are commonplace in Istanbul. It is also illegal to say anything bad of Atatürk in Turkey, which might explain in part why we scrutinize Kemalist values in class, not Atatürk himself. Even in that space, where I think is safe to be outspoken, I find myself being a little hesitant to criticize him directly. Nevertheless, many people, even foreigners, fall in love with Atatürk.

That there is the boy that chopped
down the cherry tree!

Although this devotion to Atatürk might seem excessive to many, reverence to foundational figures is extremely commonplace. Most countries even have myths surrounding their founding fathers. The United States is far from being an exception. Much of the time, these myths can blur the distinction between religion and politics. Alternatively, they can also reveal the lack of division between the two. If that seems like a contradiction, I assure you that all contradictions are only constructs for our own uncertainty. I personally look forward to deconstructing as many as I can.

Exterior of the Suleymaniye Mosque

Interior of Suleymaniye Mosque

Atatürk the front-line commander.

President Atatürk

Atatürk the wall-flower.

Every morning, I say, "Hello Atatürk."

I swear I'm not obsessed.

Negotiation

 Dear Reader,

You might have noticed that I haven’t posted for over two weeks. Well, reader, although I love Istanbul and the great opportunity I have, it has been a frustrating two weeks. Therefore, I decided to blog after my anxieties ease. After two and a half weeks experiencing Athens and Istanbul, the small annoyances and miscommunication began to affect my mood substantially. There were a number of practical errors that bothered me: only I couldn’t access my meal plan money, I briefly thought my phone didn’t work, and my Turkish class is really difficult. Yet, even those issues reflected my status as an American in another country.

I also started to feel not only annoyed, but also disconnected from everyone else. I am learning Turkish at a rapid rate, but I know there is no way I’ll really be able to connect with any of the locals here until I work on my Turkish for, at the very least, six months. Luckily, I am going to be abroad for a longer amount of time, but that doesn’t alleviate the current problem very much. I always feel foolish when I resort to asking locals if they speak English. I know that I am not being presumptuous, but it definitely looks like I am. I can see it in they way people respond to me whenever I do that.

There are other difficulties that I have as well: contending with the traffic, taxi drives, false friends, knowing when to bargain and not knowing the layout of the city. Ultimately, I know these are problems that can only be experienced by somebody with enough resources to actually travel, but what allows me to recognize these issues as somewhat temporary is knowledge of culture shock.

A couple of you might have already started nodding your heads: “Ah... the young lad is going through culture shock”. But since most of you probably aren’t Irish psychologists, I’ll elaborate. According to Macionis and Gerber, culture shock is the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration or a visit to a new country, or to a move between social environments. It’s something all of you have experienced, be it moving to a new neighborhood or being a freshman in high school. Technically speaking, it happens to all of us very frequently. Yet, I insist that culture shock in another country is unlike anything I’ve experienced before.

Luckily, I knew about culture shock ahead of time, thanks to DePauw’s off-campus study office. They explained that there are four phases: honeymoon, negotiation, adjustment and biculturalism. I definitely know that I have been through the honeymoon phase already, though sometimes I still experience the euphoria of being in Istanbul. Yet, this euphoria does not have the same presence as it did when I first got here (see earlier posts). Like most honeymoon periods, it eventually ends.

As far as I can tell, there are many ways in which people can respond to culture shock. One can stereotype, learn more about the culture, study the language, socialize with locals and / or with other foreigners, isolate oneself, drink to oblivion, or find a new hobby. There are many ways of coping, but not all of them make culture shock any easier. I’ll leave it for you to decide which options help, and when they do. One of my goals is mastering biculturalism. At the moment, I suppose it is attainable, but it does not mean total assimilation.

A friend of mine, M, explained to me very well that there are some differences that one cannot reach. Last night, I took a taxi from Taksim with him. In the ride, I tried to converse with the driver in Turkish, as I usually do, but this guy gave me the cold shoulder. It was not as if he didn’t spoke Turkish; he understood M’s Turkish very well. Several hours later, I brought it up in a conversation with M. He looked at me and said, “You want to know the difference?” He gestured to me to hold out my arm against his. My tanned, but white arm starkly contrasted with his darker skin, which had “Redskin” (in Turkish) tattooed. It really comes down to that.

Thus, dear reader, there are differences we cannot overcome. We cannot change other peoples’ attitudes and assumptions, nor can we completely understand their backgrounds. This does not just apply to the few Turkish people that demonstrate resentment towards Western tourists; racial constructions are nearly universal.Yet, we should do more to understand one another, especially those with very different identities. In doing so, you might be able to  understand what reasons people have for acting a certain way. By virtue of recognition, you'll probably learn more about how your own background affects your own behavior.

I know I will be doing both, as my privilege to have the great opportunity of doing so obligates me to the task.

Saygılarımla
 


I took a few photos this week when I visited Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar.

The place was covered with visitors! Even more so than Aya Sofia

A very small, but elegant mosque.

Another beautiful view of the straits from the palace.

It was nice to get some shade in the palace gardens.

Exiting the palace through the imperial gate.

Entering the Grand Bazaar.

The Grand Bazaar is one of the oldest, but one of the liveliest shopping areas of Istanbul

I'll have that one.

Complimentary tea, as to emphasize that many cultural encounters are pleasant.

Studying Istanbul

Dear reader,

In many ways, student life in Istanbul is not all that different than back at home.

Instead of books, we mostly get copies.
Long wait, but much less expensive!

My two classes are very intriguing. Although I still know only a little Turkish, I’m far better off than I was thanks to the language course. For instance, making purchases at shops is much less time-consuming now that I know how to ask for the price and understand the amount they offer. My political class is essentially a critical survey of political issues in Turkey. Nearly half the class are American exchange students and almost everyone else is Turkish, which makes for an interesting clash of perspectives when the United States enters discussion...



Totally kidding. There is definitely some resentment over American policies, but it does not translate into any sort of distaste toward Americans in general.

 As interesting and helpful as my classes are, they are intensive and each meet for two hours. When classes were done on Thursday, I was more than ready to start exploring the city some more. 

Not having quite mastered public transportation in Istanbul on Friday, I pretty much just took a bus that I knew was heading south and got off wherever it took me. Şişli seemed like a pretty cool place, so I stopped there and walked around. I didn’t actually do too much other than walk around and look at the city. I grabbed a döner sandwich and did some window shopping. It was kind of like walking down Michigan Ave in Chicago; there were more expensive shops and malls in this area.

I made my way south over to Taksim, which is the largest plaza in the northern part of Istanbul. Here everything was significantly less expensive and a little more authentic (for lack of a better word). Many of the shops, like back near campus, were halfway into the ground, so I had to really watch my step. I bought three used books from a small store to read later. It was especially easy to get lost in deserted areas, as by now it was past 17:00 (military time is used in Turkey). That said, I easily found the most beautiful views of the Golden Horn from there.

Not my photo. My camera couldn't capture what I saw. Just imagine sunset and being closer to the ground.

 I eventually started walking back north. Having tired of walking, I stopped by Tophane for a little nargile (hookah). I read Ottoman history for a good two hours and and, having had enough history and nargile, I found the next bus and made my way back to the dorm. Somehow, my feet were only a little sore, as I had been on the move for a good nine hours.

I got a slightly earlier start the next day, because I wanted to visit Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia / Aya Sofia. I didn’t get around to Topkapi though, because I spent a very long time at Aya Sofia. I had dreams of being here since when I was ten, and it was very fulfilling just being there. For those of you that don't know, Aya Sofia is an 1.800 year old mosque. In its long history, it has also been both a Orthodox and Catholic cathedral. It was built near the end of the Roman Empire as a church. Under Justinian II of the East Roman/Byzantine Empire, the church was burnt down and was rebuilt as the largest cathedral in the world. It held that distinction for approximately 1.000 years, until 1520. Muslims worshiped here as recently as the 1920s, when Aya Sofia was converted into a museum as a part of secularizing project undertaken at the time. As you will see, it probably remains among the world's largest. I posted some of the photos below.

After having hummus and Iskender for supper, I walked around some more to see some of the smaller shops in Beyazit. I'll share them when I visit there at a much earlier part of the day. I ended up visiting a few of the smaller mosques in the middle of the Golden Horn and walked through the peninsula. When I found the nearest bus stop, I got back to my place and slept for a good eleven hours.


Saygılarımla

Largest calligraphy plates in the world. The inscriptions are both bold and lofty.

The majority of Byzantine Emperors were crowned at the large circle.

A Minbar, the Muslim equivalent to a Christian pulpit.

Ironically, the Catholic crusaders did the most damage to this mosaic.

The place was full of mosaics of Byzantine emperors paying homage to Jesus and Mary

.

Walking along the Bosporus

 
Dear Reader,

Istanbul, to say the least, is incredible. Upon my arrival on Thursday, I was awe struck by the landscape and sheer size of the city. Istanbul dwarfs even Athens. Sitting at the front of the bus, I could see no end of the city even at the top of one its seven hills. There seemed to be no end to the minarets and red roofs until we reached Boğaziçi University, which buttresses the Bosporus strait and offers a wonderful view of the Asiatic side of the city and beyond.

Not this clean anymore...

 I rested very little from Thursday through Saturday. If I was not sleeping, I usually walking or participating in the orientation process. Even when we could rest I chose to explore the city on my own. I limped into my room last night with seven blisters on my feet. Unfortunately, my orientation group stopped very little. So, dear reader, the monuments and minarets of Sultanahmet will be posted here when I have the opportunity to appreciate the wonder of ancient Constantinople. I spent today mostly reading around campus and in open air cafes.

I was also constantly drinking water. Or beer.

Although not in the heart of Istanbul, Boğaziçi University is urban. There are three campuses situated along one kilometer of road. I live on the western extremity of the west campus, while most of my classes are at the main campus about 600 meters to the east. As I will have to deal with city traffic, I won’t be able to sleep walk to class like at DePauw. Luckily, my first class does not begin until 11:00 am.

The walk to the main campus is very pleasant. The first half of the commute takes me past cafes and restaurants offering everything from iskander to Adana kebabı, and, of course, cheeseburgers as well. Grocery stores and other small shops offer many conveniences. It’s nice not having to go to Walmart for a change. The next half of my commute takes me through a very beautiful part of campus that is full of trees and wonderful views of the Bosporus strait. I will allow the photos to speak for themselves.

Saygılarımla

Arrival in Athens!

Not having had internet connection and lack of camera use for the past several days, this blog post will be rather long and without pictures. Sorry!!!

Unlike what is usually the case, I woke up Monday feeling anxious instead of being groggy. Yet, the excitement of leaving the country only culminated when O’Hare first came into view. The morning was peaceful enough. Having prepared for the trip since I returned home from school, there was not much left to do. Yet, as I was about to have my luggage checked, the Virgin Atlantic register at check-in warned me that I possibly might not be able to enter greece without an itinerary from AIFS. Reason being, I needed to present proof to Greek customs that I only intend on staying a few days. This was news to the family, even though my mother was a frequent flyer. I didn’t buy a round trip ticket, meaning that to the distant observer, I might very well be moving to Greece without proof of me leaving the country within the week. Nevertheless, Theresa, my AIFS program coordinator, managed to send a copy of the itinerary to Virgin, whom proceeded to give the fax to me for presentation at Athens airport.*

Mom almost burst into tears then and did so again at the security checkpoint, where we split ways. She probably did have after I turned around. I can hardly be more grateful to anybody else in the world. Dad was doing okay though, though I'll miss him too. Having said that, I couldn't have been more ready to get on that plane! Without grabbing a bite or a even a weekly I headed straight for my gate. I got there about a half hour early. I had to meet with a Virgin manager, whom had my itinerary, so I didn't get anything to eat.

However I ate fairly well on board. It may have been just as well that I struggled at checking, for they bumped me up to premium economy! While I cannot compare Virgin Atlantic’s economy (standard) with its premium, my situation is much more comfortable than any seating I have ever had on United, American or Southwest. I hardly remember my other long flights to Hawaii and London, though I have the feeling that this very well may be the first time I’ve flown business, or comfortably even. Pity that I didn’t have my camera out in time for supper; it was airline food, but it’s as good of a meal as I have ever had on a flight. I chose pasta, which came with a small salmon salad as a starter, and a small bottle of red wine to enjoy. Much better than Southwest Peanuts!

In flight I supposed that it would do me well to reflect upon possible thesis ideas and read through Foucault's lectures on the importance of free speech. I found his observations on the nature of truth telling to be fascinating, or what he calls parrhesiatic acts. He spends well over fifteen pages ruminating on what it is to be parrhesiatic. In short, to be parrhesiatic is to express one's true opinion at  a risk palpable to them. The act of whistle blowing is a perfect example of this, and Bradley Manning probably provides the best contemporary example of what it is to be parrhesiatic.

It is notable that Foucault believes that this act of frank speech is what forms the cornerstone of free speech in the West, a value that seems to be championed above almost all other democratic values. Yet, the act of whistle blowing remains almost as dangerous as ever. It makes one consider how far we’ve actually come: while whistle blowers today won’t lose their heads as Plato almost lost his they still act at the risk of their livelihoods. After reading enough Foucault for the day and having glossed over the airline catalog, I listened to Lang Lang through Virgin's media interface and fell asleep.

I spent a bit of time at Heathrow walking around and waiting impatiently for my next flight. My flight on Aegean Airlines was nowhere near as comfortable as my Virgin flight, but to be fair, I did fly economy instead.

My experience at Athens airport was a little hectic. I was both tired and hungry, and look more like a clueless tourist for it. I thought I had lost my camera on the plane, which was concealed to me in my carry-on until after the ordeal of trying to find it at the airport. After being given vague directions to the "lost and found", the security guard insisted that I would be guided by her at the terminal until I returned to the airport lobby. I must have really looked like a stupid American to them (or tourist)!

It was 6 pm yesterday when finally I settled in Athens at the Acropolis Select Hotel. This day felt even longer than yesterday, probably because I kept falling asleep for short periods on my flights. I got about two and a half hours of rest in my Virgin flight, and about three on my way to Athens. I didn’t eat much either. I had a piece of Quiche and some mushrooms for breakfast, but I’ve only had a frappe latte since then. I walked around Plaka with my roommate, Evid, looking for a bite to eat. Being hungry, I found almost everything a saw looking delectable, but had no desire to eat anything. I'll blame that on jet lag.

Anyway, Plaka, aka the "neighborhood of the Gods" is in the vicinity of the Acropolis, which was in view much of the time. I learned that Farilou street, which goes Plata and my hotel, is also one of the oldest streets in Athens; almost as old as the city itself! The open shops in the narrow streets were also nice and quaint, but the shop keepers are a little annoying because they sell hard. I hear there more like that in Turkey ...guess I better get used to it.


My hotel room is small, but very comfortable for the both of us. The television has a nice picture and an English news program, which is more than enough for me to zone out with. What I liked most about the room was how one of our key-cards was needed to power the lights and television. It looks like a great way for the hotel to save energy. Meanwhile, the elevator was built for my 5‘3” frame! Even I barely fitted in with my luggage. Breakfast was great though.

I'll add more to this post later... gtg!

*They didn't ask for my itinerary at the Greek border. Can't complain too much, of course. That said, Theresa and the Virgin staff were remarkable and I cannot thank them enough for their outstanding work and service.

What I hope to learn

Less than an hour away from the ancient heart of Istanbul, Koc University’s proximity to the hearth of Turkish culture and history is a great advantage to anybody wanting to understand the distinct nature of the Turkish mosaic. The ideas that circulate within Istanbul’s universities and journals reflect the major issues confronting Turkey. If I had to choose one reason for studying in Turkey, it is be to gain insight on the great variety of Turkish perspectives and ideas relating to societal and political issues. Specifically, I am interested on discourse upon Kurdish identity and the right to free speech.

If I am to understand these thoughts better, it is best to know the language from which these ideas spread. For this reason I want to acquire a basic understanding of Turkish, from which I can take advantage of opportunities much closer to home, that is in Washington D.C and New York. As DePauw University, my school, does not offer Turkish language courses, this may very well be my only opportunity to study the language in my undergraduate years, and I want to get started with a formal education of Turkish as soon as possible. Learning Turkish will allow me to interact with the people, at a level critical to understanding national mentalities.