It's Rumi In Here

 In generosity and helping others
                           be like the river.
In compassion and grace
                            be like the sun.
In concealing others' faults
                            be like the night.
In anger and fury
                            be like the dead.
In modesty and humility
                            be like the soil.
In tolerance
                            be like the ocean.
Either appear as you are or
                            be as you appear.  

On Wednesday I walked among the ruins of the oldest settlement in Europe, Çatalhöyük (outside Konya, Turkey). 

.... and in the first church of the Roman Empire, Aya Elenia, (Sille, Turkey).  

 

Thursday we met Esin Çelebi, the 22-times-great granddaughter of Mevlânâ, known to Westerners as Rumi.   As is customary in Turkey, we were served çay while listening to her speak.  She sat along side us in a circle at the Ususlararasi Mevlânâ Vakfi (InternationalMevlânâ Fondation).   A lovely peace filled the room.  As Esin Hanim spoke in her soft, eloquent, refreshing Turkish, I was moved by her golden, calming aura.  Her words were precisely chosen as she spoke of the foundation's goal of spreading the teachings of her ancestor, Mevlânâ.  

 

Love is the cure,
for your pain will keep giving birth to more pain
until your eyes constantly exhale love
as effortlessly as your body yields its scent.                      -Mevlânâ

We then visited the museum and gravesite of Mevlânâ.   Mevlânâ (Rumi) is a bit misunderstood in Western society.  Mevlânâ Celaleddin Rumi (1207-1273) was a great Turkish and Islamic mystic.  He is part of the Sufi branch of Islam.  In order to understand Mevlânâ, one must have knowledge of Islam.  Here’s where Westerns go wrong, as I’m pretty sure every Westerner has zero familiarity with Islam.  (I almost went on a rant about this but refrained.  Applause!  My goal on this trip and in life is to constantly grow and learn.  I will be the change I want to see in the world.)  Islam is a religion based on love and peace.  An essential part of Islam is pluralism.  Pluralism is a positive attitude to diversity.  It recognizes different cultures, religious communities, and their peaceful-coexistence in a given environment.  Diversity and pluralism in Islam are as such:  in the Divine Unity there is also the unity of creation. God’s creation is one and God’s guidance is one.  The ultimate goal of creation is to worship God and manifest His glory.  Although Prophets (not just Muhammad but prophets of other religions as well) are many, their essential message is one in the same.  Islam underlines a historical continuity of divine revelation, beginning with Adam and ending with Muhammad. 

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."           -Mevlânâ 

Among his works, which cover love and tolerance, the Mesnevi is well known.   “Sema” has become one of the symbols of the Mevlevi path, or the path of Mevlânâ. Accompanied by music and systemized by certain rules, the whirling movements of “Sema” represent the human’s approaching to reality, leaving the ego though love and wisdom, his annihilation in God, and his returning again to service as a mature human being.  You may have heard of them as the Whirling Dervishes (Dervish).  I bought two books about "Rumi" and I can't wait to read them.  I want to know all there is about this man and his ways. 

Speaking of love and tolerance, Turkey’s history is chalk-full of it.  During the Ottoman Empire, which dissolved not even a century ago after WWI, the Millet System was in place.  (The Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923 after the Turkish Independence War).  The Millet system is the self-management of different religious communities according to their own laws, customs and traditions while living under Ottoman rule.  Communities of Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Ottoman Empire experienced a high degree of equality among all the Ottoman subjects.  Each group was given full jurisdiction and autonomy for the operation and maintenance of their own social, religious and educational institutions.  All people acquired and shared the same status as full members of the State.  Jewish, Greek, and Armenian merchants dressed and acted like Muslims, belonged to the same class, and enjoyed the same rights and privileges.  Many of the skillful non-Muslim subjects took active part in the administrative services.  So there you have it: Anatolia has long been a place of thoughtful acceptance of all people. 
 
 “O son, never forget! Make the people live, so that the State lives on.” 
                       -Shaykh Edibali, the Teacher of Osman I, the Founder of the Ottoman State

With the start of the Republic of Turkey, the religious diversity of Anatolia decreased.  In fact, in 1923 a contract was signed between Greece and Turkey inciting the largest population exchange in history.  1.2 million orthodox Christians left Turkey for Greece and 500,000 Muslims migrated to Turkey.  Turkey is about 99% Muslim today.  The country’s ethnic diversity is still alive and present.  Speaking of Muslims, for the first time in my life I was in a mosque.  It was beautiful.  The men and women of our group entered together as it wasn't prayer time.  During the time of prayer, it's customary for women to enter and pray separately. 
 
As if all of this wasn’t enough excitement, I can also now say I’ve been to a Turkish bath.  Enough said. 

Friday we went on a tour of the Parliament building.   After the tour we dinned at the Parliament building.  I swore I wouldn't take pics of food like everyone else but I caved once the food was being served to me at Parliament (where normal people aren't allowed).  The first dish was artichoke, the second spinach with Turkish yogurt.  Both were exquisite. 

Our jaunts for the day (the list just keeps going) concluded with the Turkish Constitutional Court.  We were informed upon our arrival they’d hosted a delegation from Montenegro that morning… and then us in the afternoon.  Hilarious.  We don’t even compare to a delegation from another country yet we were treated like royalty!  We walked into a plush conference room where sweets, notepads, and water were awaiting us at our seats.  Mehmet Oguz Kaya, the Secretary General, shook hands with all of us and then sat at the head of the table.  He explained the philosophy of the court, joked with us, and çay was served.  After some more discussion about the workings of the Court, the servers entered again with special Turkish ice cream that was the best thing I’ve ever tasted.   It’s made from goat’s milk.  We concluded the tour with pictures sitting in the justices’ chairs and GIFTS! 

Just another day in Turkey....