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Jealous of this street seller that has a great view of the sun setting while people pass by in Taksim square, Istanbul, Turkey.
3/6
My first contact ever with muezzins calling from the top of their minarets was precisely in Istanbul 30 years ago. At the time I enjoyed an enchantment with the repetitive, slightly swinging, tone of the call. I felt there was a deep charm in the chant. I got in contact with this feeling again only two years latter when I visited Morocco. And again I felt a sort of enchantment with the mystical chant of the muezzins.
It's a bit difficult to tell precisely what I thought was the meaning of the message of the muezzins. But a possible translation is that there was a feeling of resignation in the chant, just as the muezzins were saying to the faithful that they had to endure patiently the earth's pains, while they could not access the gifts Allah's heaven had to offer them.
The feeling I got now from the muezzins call was rather different from the one I got in my first stay in the city. I admit the words they are saying may have not changed, but I'm sure the tone is different.
I don't know who has changed most, me or the muezzins. My perception of Islam has certainly changed in the meantime. While before I was more candid, it's clear I'm now part of the post 9.11 world and all that means. I've felt the muezzins call this week in Istanbul as a sort of militant scream. No more resignation, but a call to the faithful to be involved in the disciplines imposed by religion on earth.
In 1982 I saw a small number of women with their heads covered by scarfs. Now that number has increased by a very large proportion. And what has impressed me in this visit to Istanbul is that the degree of body coverage has also increased and the tones of the clothes have darkened. Several women are even using full black burkhas only showing their eyes.
What is happening in Turkey is not that different in this respect from what has been happening in other islamic countries. Less than two years ago I saw a very similar situation in Malaysia. This is a phenomena which pervades the Islamic world, particularly in those countries that used to have more laic and tolerant governments.
I admit that the use of the chador and the burkha may have a rationality similar to the use of uniforms in some western schools. Rich and poor women become undistinguishable. Further they can enjoy a certain freedom of movement when they have their faces fully covered. For some mature women this might have the extra benefit of hiding widening shapes. But if there are so many "in favour" arguments for the use of the burkha, one thing that keeps escaping me is why this rule only applies to women while the ordinary muslim husband does not differ that much from the average western man.
I was told the use of the muslim dressing by women will keep growing in the near future. I admit that might be so. May be I'm wrong but my impression is that this will contribute to keep muslim countries away of a healthier development.
Religion as an organized institution almost everywhere originates uniformity. The faithful are treated as the herd who is led by the shepherd. Contemporary society however rests on a quite different basis. The new industries are ever more based on individuals' creativity. The repetitive production of the same product over long periods of time is no more. The most innovative organizations these days have their success based upon the tolerance and diversity nurtured in their areas of origin. Richard Florida has already told this story a few years ago in his "The rise of the creative class" published in 2002.
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A sweet warm (hot actually) treat on a cold night. Traditionally roasted chestnuts seller among the busy crowd in Taksim square, Istanbul, Turkey
A little slice of Turkish nightlife at a Taksim Square deli in Istanbul, Turkey, where business is good on this spring evening. The bright neon lights have drawn in a crowd of patrons looking for a bite to eat.
I had a great time walking the city that night, experiencing the local culture, and capturing a few moments along the way.
Taken in Istanbul, during the demonstration in Taksim Square of June 2013.
More shots of that days here: "The days we fought"
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
John F. Kennedy