In Turkey for once-in-a-lifetime experience

Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey.
Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey.


Date posted: June 23, 2013

MYRA BLACKMON

By the time you read this, I will be in Istanbul, as part of a group beginning a week-long tour as a guest of the Gulen Movement. We will visit tourist sites, but also meet with media folks, spend time in schools and universities and enjoy several dinners in private homes. We will be with a small group of folks from the Athens area, most of them connected to the University of Georgia.

While I’m always excited to travel, this trip promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We will be with Turks, not just tour on our own, which I did with great ease and success last year. On this visit we will have access to people and institutions that a regular tourist might not even know about, much less visit.

I’m particularly interested because our hosts are Muslim. The Gulen Movement operates largely on Sufi principles, known to many of us through the poems of Rumi that our own Coleman Barks has made his life’s work. They subscribe to an approach of love and tolerance, with an emphasis on gaining understanding rather than converting. I’m sure they would be thrilled to add followers of Muhammad, but that is not their primary purpose.

My husband has read widely on the history and development of the Muslim faith, while I am mostly ignorant of those details. I know a few Muslims, all of whom are fine, caring people with a gentle approach to life and its challenges. There are different ways to practice all major religions, and that applies to Islam as well.

The Muslims I know bear not the slightest resemblance to the fire-breathing terrorists we see on the news. I grieve the ignorance and prejudice that pervades much of our public discussion. I shall welcome the opportunity to understand how their faith drives their daily lives, and to share how my Christian faith guides mine. We serve the same God and share more common tenets of faith than most Americans are willing to admit.

Our itinerary includes visits to the Jewish Museum and Christian sites at Ephesus. The Hagia Sophia, now a museum, has served Christians and Muslims over its centuries of history. When I visited last year, I was struck that Muslims had preserved the ancient Christian symbols and art, even while putting their own front and center.

All this reiterates the Gulen teachings of tolerance and openness.

At the same time, I understand that the Gulen Movement is the subject of some controversy in the United States, the most notable local example being the collapse a couple of years ago of Fulton Science Academy, a public charter school. Affiliates of the movement operate more than 100 charter schools in the United States right now, and have been successful in business using practices that many Americans deplore. Best I can tell, they have not broken any laws.

I simply don’t know enough to make a judgment, even after reading lots of pros and cons and talking with some people with more experience with the group. I will do my best to keep an open mind. I’m not afraid to ask difficult questions, but will do so tactfully and at appropriate times. My role here is guest, not reporter. As a matter of fact, the invitation came to my husband, and we are covering the costs for my participation.

Our schedule for the next week will be pretty hectic, with little or no time for me to do any substantive writing. Instead, I will file brief pieces with observations, unusual experiences and any insights I may gain, which will be published on the editorial page as I send them. When I have wireless availability, I will Tweet as @athensmyra. I haven’t been very active on Twitter, so I often don’t think of that first. I also have a Facebook page, Athensmyra in Turkey.

Yes, I’ll miss Athens, but, as the Prophet Muhammad said, “Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have traveled.” I’ll keep you posted.

* Myra Blackmon, a local Banner-Herald columnist, works as a freelance writer, consultant and instructional designer.

Source: OnlineAthens, 22 June 2013


Related News

Woman says she miscarried baby due to stress under police custody

A Turkish woman, whose identity remains anonymous, has said in a recent video recording that she miscarried her baby due to the stress she experienced under custody.

AK Party’s Deputy Günay joins intra-party opposition to prep school ban

Another deputy from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has criticized a recent government plan to shut down prep schools, saying that these institutions are not the cause of problems in the education system but a consequence of the current system. Günay’s remarks come one day after the AK Party referred Kütahya deputy İdris Bal to the party’s disciplinary board for expulsion after he opposed the government’s plan to close prep schools.

Turkey: Alarming Deterioration of Rights – Coup Attempt No Justification for Crackdown on Peaceful Critics

The government misused terrorism laws against followers of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gülen, whom the government accuses of masterminding the July coup attempt, The mass arrests and removal of safeguards against detainee abuse led to rising reports of torture and other ill-treatment in custody.

Denmark charges Turkish informants as spies

A broad ranging investigation by the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) has resulted in trials being opened against three people who informed on Turkish citizens living in Denmark to the Turkish government, Turkish news portal Gazete Duvar reported on Monday.

Jailed journalist facing new trial for not calling Gülen movement a terror organization

Journalist Emre Soncan, who has been behind bars for 20 months, is facing a new trial for not describing the Gülen movement as a terrorist organization. Soncan, 36, used to work for Turkey’s best-selling Zaman daily, which was closed down by the Turkish government in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016 due to its links to the Gülen movement.

‘Selam: Bahara Yolculuk’: a true story on the big screen

ALİ KOCA / ISTANBUL The 2013 Turkish movie “selam” (Greeting) told the stories of volunteers who embraced humanity outside Turkey’s borders; it was a movie that was appreciated not for its cinematic qualities, but for the sake of the beloved memories of those pioneers who went to territories they knew very little about to open […]

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

A Permanent Kimse Yok Mu Mission to Be Launched in Jerusalem

Sabotage: government-Gülen movement relations

Can the West believe in Islamic progress?

Turkish gov’t planning slaughter of jailed Gülen followers in staged riot, lawyer claims

Brazilian Intellectuals and Artists Defend Turk against Demands for Extradition to Turkey

‘Hizmet is really something that demonstrates what’s universal about Islam.’

People overwhelmingly support democracy as answer to Kurdish issue

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News