A Word on Turkish Islam

Most of my posts on this blog tend to be light-hearted; this one is not. I was extremely disappointed in the supposedly progressive Turkish culture that stands apart from much of the Islamic world.

I volunteered in (Muslim parts of) Bosnia three years ago and experienced a strain of Islamic culture that was very much married to modernity and the West; people wore American-style (if a bit ragged), watched American and British TV, listened avidly to musicians from across North America and Europe, devoured the internet, and saw no contradiction between their identity as Muslims and their place in the modern world.

For many Turks, especially (and most notably) those of my own generation, this did not seem to be the case. To highlight just a handful of examples from my brief time in Istanbul:

-The midday call to prayer sounded while we were in the Grand Bazaar: Having spent time in Bosnia, it was not unusual for me to see dozens of people rushing about to be at a mosque in time. When we were initially fenced into a corner of the bazaar by faithful who converted the alleyways into prayer spots, I was not particularly taken aback and was actually quite impressed to hear the hustle and bustle of the bazaar shut down almost instantly. But after a handful of minutes I noticed a few things: 1) it was all men praying, and 2) most of the older people in the bazaar were still minding their shops and ignoring the whole process; it was the younger ones, people my age, who made up the bulk those facing toward Mecca. After I finally found a way around them, I noticed one woman shopping for candy with her children while wearing a full burqa, with all of her daughters in hijabs. I wondered if she was required to leave her home by her husband with one on, but away from his glare was not so faithful as many of the men were.

-Walking along the Bosporus later that day, we stumbled upon what we lightheartedly labeled "Istanbul Beach": on the large boulders that made up the shore all the way around the Old City, people were sunbathing, fishing, and jumping into the water. It was not unlike what one might find in any city on a hot day. Except that as we continued walking, we noticed that of the literally hundreds of people sunbathing, not a single one was a woman. It was clear that it was not yet socially acceptable for women to shed their clothes by the water on a hot day.

-Indeed, of the many, many people who sought our business, in front of restaurants, shops, and stands, not a single one was a woman. Not one woman was inviting customers in, waiting tables, involved in the transaction of money, or anything else you might expect in a modern cosmopolitan city like Istanbul.

-Perhaps most shocking of all, though: when I tried to link to Youtube in one of the posts I wrote while in Istanbul, I was shocked to discover that the website is blocked by the Turkish government.

None of this meshes with the brand of Islam I saw in Bosnia and that I was led to believe predominates in Turkey. I found there a culture where women are not just second-class citizens but are often an entirely separate underclass. I found a place where religious extremism seems to be stronger among the younger generation instead of weaker. I found a place where the government controls what information their people read, and where propaganda reigns supreme (I didn't need to know Turkish to know, looking at signs or observing TV, that the reaction against Israel's recent raid on the aid armada is fierce and furious and that the Israeli side of the story wasn't often being presented).

It's worth pointing out that many Turks would fit right into Sarajevo culture, and New York for that matter (and many do upon their emigration); most of them enjoy nightlife, drinking, and conversation. Most women do not wear burqas, and many do not wear hijabs. Some are bikini models, and many are flirtateous. (Moreover, many women choose to wear burqas or hijabs on their own; it is their faith and it is important to respect that).

But the Istanbul I was led to expect was progressive, a shining star in the Islamic world. It is hard to know for certain after just 48 hours, but if such an Istanbul ever did exist it does not now. The city I visited seemed to be in constant clash between secular modernity, religious fundamentalism, and a middle ground that seems to be increasingly silenced. I can only imagine what rural Turkey is like.

In any case, the European Union's continued denial of Turkish applications for membership is not just based on discrimination; there is a very real and (I now know) wellfounded concern over human rights. Turkey has the potential to lead the Islamic world into the modern age, especially as prosperity in the country increases over the coming century. But it also has the potential to slip backwards (and perhaps pull the rest of the Islamic world back with it), and that fact is well worth the attention of power brokers in the international community. Something is stirring there, and it is not necessarily good.u