My first Islamic Nation-Turkey

Blue Mosque.

As my life travels have not included Northern Africa, the Middle East or Malaysia, it is not surprising that I have not visited a Muslim country until now.   While Christians (a collection of denominations-Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Pentecostal, Anglican (Church of England), Latter-day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Quakers and others) represent the world’s largest religious group, 33% of the population, almost a quarter (21-23.4%) of the world’s population is Muslim. The third most common religion is to be non-religious, 16%. (Yes, I know it sounds like an oxymoron.) While, the fourth largest collective religion is Hinduism (14%), which I was introduced to in India. 

Picture of Pat and me in the Courtyard of the Blue Mosque.

 Surprisingly to me, based on 2005 figures, only 0.22% of the world’s population is Jewish. In the United States, only 0.3% of the population is Muslim, while almost 5 times that, 1.4 %, of the US population is Jewish. (What likely distorted my perception on the statistics of Jewish people is that 40% of Jews live in Israel and another 40% live in the US. New York, Florida, Southern California and Southern Nevada being locations with a large community of Jewish people.)  Prior to this trip, my exposure to the Islamic religion was limited to a few young patients; one, a 4 year old home health patient whose family were Muslim. It was a bit tricky working on his feeding issues in my daytime treatments during Ramadan.  

Interior of Blue Mosque.

 

Iznik Tiles in Blue Mosque.

Jews, Christians and Muslims are monotheistic faiths, with writings in the Torah, Bible and Qu’ran (Koran), respectively, and share the belief that God was the creator of the universe and that he revealed himself to prophets. Additionally, all three faiths believe there are morals and laws which the faithful must follow.  The laws common to all three faiths include:  worship one God, live a righteous life, there will be judgment after death with reward or punishment in the afterlife.  Each religion has a different holy day of the week.  Friday (with afternoon prayers) for Muslims, Friday sundown to Saturday evening for Jews and Sunday for Christians.

Andrew cruising the Golden Horn with Sűleymaniye Mosque in the background.

 All three religions believe that Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses were prophets but differ on two individuals, Jesus and Muhammad. Christians and Jews do not accept Muhammad as a prophet.  Jews do not accept the Christian or Muslim beliefs about Jesus as the Messiah (Muslims do not believe Jesus was the son of God.)  Jews are still awaiting their Messiah.  According to the Muslim religion, Muhammad, born in 570 AD in Mecca,  lived 600 years after Jesus and was the prophet that received God’s (Allah’s) final revelations. There are 5 mandatory acts shared by all Muslim communities: declaring there is no other god except God and Muhammad is God’s messenger, pray 5 times a day, give 2.5% of ones savings to the poor and needy, fast and control oneself during the blessed month of Ramadan, and at least once in your life make the pilgrimage to Mecca (in Saudi Arabia). 

Sűleymaniye Mosque.

Interior of Sűleymaniye Mosque.

Turkey’s Islamic character was revealed to me daily, at least 5 times, predawn, midday, afternoon, sunset and nighttime, with the call to prayer from the minarets of all mosques.  We also visited three mosques: the grandiose Blue Mosque (completed 1616; designed by Mehmet Ağa), so named because of the blue Iznik tiles that adorns the interior; the Sűleymaniye Mosque (completed 1566; designed by Mimar Sinan) perched on one of Istanbul’s seven hills near the Grand Bazaar; and hidden near the Spice Market, the Rűstem Paşa Mosque (completed 1560; designed by Mimar Sinan).  The graveyard outside the Sűleymaniye Mosque was strikingly beautiful.  The white marble headstones engraved with calligraphy or striking designs with blue irises growing and in bloom between or out of the tombstone conveyed a somber respect for those who were buried there.

Cemetery outside Sűleymaniye Mosque.

 The mosques were so foreign to my concept of places of worship with their minarets (the Blue Mosque has 6 of them), the courtyards (terrace at the Rűstem Paşa Mosque), the unadorned interior with obvious absence of golden alters and holy statues and wooden pews, segregation of men and women worshippers, removal of shoes and the covering of women’s heads with shawls.  The last custom reminded me of the Catholic Church when I was very young and girls and women were required to have scarfs or lace doilies on their head when inside the church. 

Interior of Rűstem Paşa Mosque.

Walking the streets of Istanbul, I observed all levels of modest dress on the Muslim women.  Some were dressed in long black gowns (burquas) with black hijabs with only their face and hands exposed.  Other women were covered as extensively but in tan long jackets with geometric-design scarfs of muted colors.  While I am the first to complain about the other end of the spectrum with women donning 4 inch skirts with heels just as long and I often wish to see more modest attire on women, I do love being able to express myself with the clothes I wear.   The color, style, material and texture of my clothes plays a subtle role on my mood.  I found the modest Muslim outfits subdued me (likely the intent for this dress on men). Perhaps, some of my suppression stems from my past when a woman dressed all in black with two inches of white bordering her face, stood  in front of my classroom each day instructing me and other 6 year olds. 

Iznik tiles in Rűstem Paşa Mosque.