ON THE ROAD TO ISTANBUL

         

           Saint Augustine famously said: “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”  Having escaped my insular corner of the planet for an all too short trip to Turkey, Israel, and a few Greek Islands, this quote is indeed an understatement.

          We all know people who live compact lives in homogeneous communities and believe they have all the answers to the problems facing humanity.  It is my experience that the smaller an individual’s worldview, the more imbedded the position that his/her beliefs are the singular solution to political, social and economic problems.  Conservative fundamentalists of all persuasions are not travelers.

          Istanbul in modern Turkey is a sight to behold.  Fourteen million people in a swirling melting pot covering three thousand years of Greek, Byzantine and Ottoman history.  The City spans both the European and Asian continents.  It makes the cultural diversity of New York City or Toronto feel superficial.

          Istanbul is a city of 3000 Mosques where the call to prayer can be heard from every corner.  The political structure remains democratic and secular.  Istanbul is one of the fastest growing metropolitan economies in the world. The Turks are proud of their heritage and hope to be the first Moslem country admitted to the European Union.

          There are 19 Turkish American Community Centers within the United States.  Their stated purpose is to: “represent a broad spectrum of Turkish American society, promote secular democracy and respect toward diverse lifestyles.”

          To not understand (or care) that countries like Turkey, China, Russia, India or Brazil are as much a part of the fabric of humanity as we are, is to miss what it means to be human.  Diverse but equal.  Discovering that there are hundreds of paths seeking the same answers.  Acknowledgement of cultures that were thriving as advanced civilizations long before Christianity or Western Europe were a reality.

           Our last day in Istanbul was a holiday.  We saw large crowds jam into the inner city, weddings in the parks, young children with ice cream, and thousands practicing their faith.  Just like us.

          Mark Twain’s conclusion in Innocents Abroad that: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts”, is true now more than ever.  Those of us without the means or good health to travel can utilize other methods to learn more about foreign cultures and beliefs.  And to embrace them when they appear in our community.

          Politicians pushing “English only” agendas, demanding that only Christian values are worthy of being assimilated into American culture, or insisting that an American Moslem could never be President, should be compelled to spend a week in Istanbul.  It would be a humbling and heartwarming experience.