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TURKEY IS SECULAR, BUT REALLY NOW...
Get Religion
http://www.getreligion.org/?p=26905
Feb 18 2010
I am not an expert on Turkey and I know that. However, I have been
to Istanbul twice and, on one occasion, had a chance to talk to some
pretty well informed people -- Muslims and Christians -- about the
situation there.
Here is what I heard, basically. Turkey retains its pride in its
secular approach to life and government. However, the overwhelming
reality is that more traditional forms of Islam are growing in
influence and power. This creates tensions which are easy to see.
Enter "Turkey" and "headscarf" into Google and see for yourself.
So the secularism is on the surface and, from time to time, this leads
to trouble with religious minorities that struggle in what is actually
an overwhelmingly Muslim culture, with its own unique history. Ask
the Armenians. Ask the Eastern Orthodox bishops associated with the
Ecumenical Patriarch.
Tensions also exist with other minorities who clash with the cultural
norms.
This brings us to a Washington Post story that ran the other day under
this headline: "Dissident Iranians find refuge in Turkey." While the
story deals with several issues that are driving people out of Iran
and into Turkey, the emphasis is on the plight of Iranian gays and
lesbians and, to a lesser degree, feminists. Here is a sample passage:
Clutching his cellphone, his main link to the country he fled to escape
arrest late last year, Hamid Safari walked past storefronts in the
southern Turkish city of Isparta. Alternately playing back downloaded
images of Iranian street protests and songs by Madonna and Beyonce,
he ignored the curious stares of passing Turks. His long, flowing
hair and well-groomed eyebrows are telltale signs of gay men in Iran.
"I try to blend in," said Safari, 25. "But there is only so much I
can do to avoid notice."
One of 1,356 Iranian refugees who have fled into Turkey since June,
Safari is seeking asylum overseas. Some have paid smugglers $1,500 or
more to spirit them out of Iran; others risk arrest and deportation
by attempting to cross directly into Western Europe. Still others,
like Safari, arrive at the Turkish border and hope for the best --
Turkey is one of the few nations not to require an entry visa for
Iranian citizens.
Since Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005, oppression of gays has
intensified, according to human rights groups. Many gay refugees
here, including several who have been lashed by authorities for
their sexuality, said they never labored under the illusion that
Ahmadinejad's rivals would support their cause. But they saw a change
in leadership as part of a longer-term solution.
Some basic questions come to mind, start with this rather simple one:
What was the basis of the persecution in Islamic Iran and how is that
linked to the tensions -- even if they are milder -- in "secular"
Turkey?
Clearly there is more to this than religion, but it is hard to imagine
that religion plays no role in this story.
So, here is what you do. Take this Post report and put it in the word
processor of your choice. Here is what happened when I did this.
Search for "Sharia" -- no results found.
Search for "Islam" -- no results found.
Search for "Muslim" -- no results found.
I would have thought that religion played a role in this story, after
discussing some of these issues with people on the ground in Istanbul.
I guess I was wrong. I guess I was seeing a ghost or, even, more
than one.
PHOTO: The poster was produced by Mike Tidmas, a gay artist in
Amsterdam as part of a campaign against Iran's crackdown on gays.
Get Religion
http://www.getreligion.org/?p=26905
Feb 18 2010
I am not an expert on Turkey and I know that. However, I have been
to Istanbul twice and, on one occasion, had a chance to talk to some
pretty well informed people -- Muslims and Christians -- about the
situation there.
Here is what I heard, basically. Turkey retains its pride in its
secular approach to life and government. However, the overwhelming
reality is that more traditional forms of Islam are growing in
influence and power. This creates tensions which are easy to see.
Enter "Turkey" and "headscarf" into Google and see for yourself.
So the secularism is on the surface and, from time to time, this leads
to trouble with religious minorities that struggle in what is actually
an overwhelmingly Muslim culture, with its own unique history. Ask
the Armenians. Ask the Eastern Orthodox bishops associated with the
Ecumenical Patriarch.
Tensions also exist with other minorities who clash with the cultural
norms.
This brings us to a Washington Post story that ran the other day under
this headline: "Dissident Iranians find refuge in Turkey." While the
story deals with several issues that are driving people out of Iran
and into Turkey, the emphasis is on the plight of Iranian gays and
lesbians and, to a lesser degree, feminists. Here is a sample passage:
Clutching his cellphone, his main link to the country he fled to escape
arrest late last year, Hamid Safari walked past storefronts in the
southern Turkish city of Isparta. Alternately playing back downloaded
images of Iranian street protests and songs by Madonna and Beyonce,
he ignored the curious stares of passing Turks. His long, flowing
hair and well-groomed eyebrows are telltale signs of gay men in Iran.
"I try to blend in," said Safari, 25. "But there is only so much I
can do to avoid notice."
One of 1,356 Iranian refugees who have fled into Turkey since June,
Safari is seeking asylum overseas. Some have paid smugglers $1,500 or
more to spirit them out of Iran; others risk arrest and deportation
by attempting to cross directly into Western Europe. Still others,
like Safari, arrive at the Turkish border and hope for the best --
Turkey is one of the few nations not to require an entry visa for
Iranian citizens.
Since Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005, oppression of gays has
intensified, according to human rights groups. Many gay refugees
here, including several who have been lashed by authorities for
their sexuality, said they never labored under the illusion that
Ahmadinejad's rivals would support their cause. But they saw a change
in leadership as part of a longer-term solution.
Some basic questions come to mind, start with this rather simple one:
What was the basis of the persecution in Islamic Iran and how is that
linked to the tensions -- even if they are milder -- in "secular"
Turkey?
Clearly there is more to this than religion, but it is hard to imagine
that religion plays no role in this story.
So, here is what you do. Take this Post report and put it in the word
processor of your choice. Here is what happened when I did this.
Search for "Sharia" -- no results found.
Search for "Islam" -- no results found.
Search for "Muslim" -- no results found.
I would have thought that religion played a role in this story, after
discussing some of these issues with people on the ground in Istanbul.
I guess I was wrong. I guess I was seeing a ghost or, even, more
than one.
PHOTO: The poster was produced by Mike Tidmas, a gay artist in
Amsterdam as part of a campaign against Iran's crackdown on gays.