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TURKISH CULTURE
POLITICS AND RELIGION
Turkiye is a Republic and a Secular country. Religion and politics are separate.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk 1881-1938 was the founder of the Turkish Republic. He made many changes to Turkiye, among them equal rights for women, abolition of compuslory religious dress and the introduction of a new language.
The latter major change was implemented in only five months. This language is based on the Latin rather than Arabic alphabet and Ataturk's view on this was that Turkish people, young and old alike, would be able to be educated to read and write in a far shorter period of time than when learning Arabic. He saw this as a major step forward for the Turkish education system and for the future of Turkiye.
His views on women were that everything we see is a creation of woman, and that if we give the opportunity of progress to just one gender and not the other, then imbalance in society will arise. What a wise and forward thinking man he was.
He had great respect for women, for their rights and their role in society.
Although the majority religion is Islam, all religions are allowed equal freedom to practice and educate.
TURKISH DRESS
The majority of Turkish men and women wear western dress including tee shirts and shorts, jeans etc, but you will also find some women wearing the headscarf and long sleeved tops and long skirts.
TURKS AND KURDS
I found the Turkish and Kurdish people to be very warm, hospitable and genuinely friendly and helpful, and they have a great sense of humour which is just part of their character.
Language was no barrier to communication, most shop keepers and cafe bar owners speak and understand some English and many are fluent, which I find admirable as my Turkish was completely non-existent on my first visit. But even where there was no English spoken, communication was never a problem and the mutual hand gestures and facial contortions were sometimes even more enjoyable than using speech.
I was walking to the shops one day when an elderly man approached me and handed me a bunch of grapes, indicated for me to enjoy them, raised his cap, smiled and walked on!
Another day as I was walking to the town centre, a woman came out of her home and called a cheery 'Merhaba', I responded with 'Merhaba' and after that it was all hand gestures and a lot of laughter.
However, I got the gist that she was on her way to work and had invited me to call in for coffee next time I passed her house.
Similarly, I was admiring the lemon and pomegranate trees and the simplicity of a newly planted garden one day when an elderly man approached me and invited me in to take a closer look. It was all his own handiwork and beautifully laid out and he was so proud of it that I just had to take some photos of him and his beautiful garden. I was presented with some lemons, a pomegranate and some fresh herbs in appreciation for taking the photos.
It was precisely this genuine curiosity and desire to communicate on the part of the local people that made me feel so comfortable.
I INTEND THAT I AM ALWAYS ALIGNED WITH, OPEN TO, IN RECEIPT OF AND THANKFUL FOR -
THE GOOD STUFF!
I INTEND THIS FOR YOU TOO!
SO BE IT!
AND SO IT IS!
THANK YOU UNIVERSE!
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