Moving To Turkey an Islamic Country In 2005, the choice to relocate in the Middle East, not to mention, an Islamic country was easily the most frightening decision I ever made. This was terrifying for numerous reasons, including the new culture, I would be unemployed, and that I had only been married for six months. Although, I was raised by a Turkish, Muslim step-father, I was not prepared to live in a country that still enforced Sharia Law, I was ignorant to the language, and, would be facing newlywed issues. First, I was scared of a different and exotic culture, in addition, there were religious rules that I was unfamiliar with. Turkey is a predominantly Islamic country; I was worried about having to convert to extreme Islam. My imagination ran wild, like a cheetah after a deer, with fears of all the negative Islamic horror stories I was seeing in the media. I was more accustomed to a comfortable religious environment, correspondingly, rules were suggested not forced. …show more content…
I could not speak Turkish, as a result, I couldn’t even apply for local positions that were offered. Upon entry to Turkey, a visa simply cost 20 USD, however, to pay for a working residency permit was relatively pricey. Without a steady income, of course, there wasn’t any hope in moving out of my in-laws home any time soon. Thirdly, there was the fear of living as a newlywed in the same house as my legal relatives. My in-laws were already disappointed with having an American daughter in law, coupled with, this was not my first marriage only made matters worse. I was fearful my husband, despite, how much I knew loved me he would not stand up for me. Fear constantly gripped me that he would turn out to be a controlling, abusive husband and would forever rule my every
When Britain announced that it would withdraw aid to Greece and Turkey, the responsibility was passed on to the United States. America was afraid of spreading of communism because of that President Harry S. Truman asked military and economic aid for Greece and Turkey and established a doctrine named as the Truman Doctrine that would guide U.S. diplomacy for the next forty years.
Islam has been a dominant force throughout Turkish history. During the Ottoman Empire, Islam ruled every part of the theocratic state, but after the demise of the empire, Turkey's rulers led the country away from political Islam. The modern Turkish state has a strictly secular government, and Islam has been relegated to the personal sphere. Although Turkey has experienced a rise in fundamentalism in the past twenty years, the separation of church and state has remained relatively intact. Even with this increase of fundamentalist Islam, the wide majority of Muslims in Turkey are moderate and tolerant. They have adapted to modern life and value Islam for its moral and spiritual messages. Islam is a guide for right living and ethical conduct rather than a political system. Turkey constantly struggles to balance Islamic life with a secular government. Although the government wants to maintain a strict separation between religion and politics, it cannot ignore the power and influence that Islam has in the lives of the Turkish people.
Muslim women living in the US: A pilot study. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 10(3), 257–262. doi:10.1080/13694670600630556
After 9/11 many people thought, people that come from Middle-Eastern decent or people that practice the Islamic region were looking to harm America. It changed these people’s lives and their futures. When someone is looking to get a job, housing or even education, first impressions are crucial. Since people look at them differently they can be denied all of these necessities. If someone is not granted these necessities, it is not fair but more importantly it can be hard to make an adequacy living. In
Burns, Thomas J. "Islam." Religion and Society. OU Campus' Dale Hall, Norman. 14 Apr. 2014. Lecture.
On another note, we have a young lady who moved from Colorado to Cairo. In “The Comfort of Strangers” by G. Willow Wilson, this young lady has “converted to Islam” and wanted to spend time getting to know the language and culture that was associated with her religion. In her case she moved from the U.S. to a country that had many rules and regulations when it came to the religion and culture. For example, when she moved to Cairo she had to adjust to the fact that men and women were traditionally segregated in a lot of public and private settings. She found it very difficult when traveling because on the trains in Cairo the women was separated from the men. If you happened to board the train in the men’s cart and you were a women, then you would
“You are in America, speak English.” As a young child hearing these words, it did not only confuse me but it also made me question my belonging in a foreign country. As a child I struggled with my self-image; Not being Hispanic enough because of my physical appearance and not being welcomed enough in the community I have tried so hard to integrate myself with. Being an immigrant with immigrant parents forces you to view life differently. It drives you to work harder or to change the status quo for the preconceived notion someone else created on a mass of people. Coming to America filled me with anxiety, excitement, and even an unexpected wave of fear.
When my family and I got in the plane that would take us to the U.S., I was very excited. It was as if I had butterflies in my stomach. I was also nervous because I had heard of people that were turned away when they got to America because the government was not letting as many immigrants into the U.S as they had in the past. Therefore, my whole family was a little anxious. Two things could happen when we arrived at the Washington, D.C., airport. We could either come to the United States to chase after “the American dream”, or we could be turned away which meant that we would have to return to our country of origin.
My first memory was when I was three years old; I remember it was me, my brother and my parents sitting in the car and stopping at a mini-market to pick up some chips on our way to the swimming pool. I have no idea why this memory is plastered in my head because there was nothing special about that day; we used to always stop at the mini-market with my brother and parents to pick up some chips on our way to the swimming pool. Although I was born in Syria, I spent the first four years of my life in the United Arab Emirates. My father had a good job, and we lived in a nice house and had a normal life, actually it was ironic since me and my family seemed to be living the American dream in an Arabic country. Since I don’t remember much of the UAE days I cant tell u much about it, all could tell u is that any parent would wish to raise their children in the environment that I was raised in. My father went to work, my mother took care of me and my brother, and all me and my brother had to worry about was the amount of French- fries we were going to eat at the swimming pool that day.
Hassouneh, D. M., & Kulwicki, A. (2007). Mental health, discrimination, and trauma in Arab Muslim women living in the U.S.: A pilot study. Mental Health, Religion, and Culture, 10, 257-262.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13694670600630556.
299). The study consisted of having in-depth personal interviews to share their experiences of being a Muslim American woman (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 300). Veiling to these women was a way of freedom while also having a Muslim identity (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 301). It was also a source of behavior control, to not be sexually objectified, a way of commanding respect from others and even a source of checking their own behavior (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 301). One of the women interviewed said, veiling to her was a way to feel connected to other Muslim woman who veil (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 302). Veiling can be a way to feel connected to your religion and God as well as being connected to those who practice the same faith, it can be considered an act of membership. Many of the women interviewed noted they have been removed from planes, been treated unfairly, and have had strangers shout at them all for just being Muslim and being more visibly recognized from veiling (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 303). This is an example of how media can affect the general population. When the media only shows radicals and compares all Muslims to being terrorist or dangerous they are actually putting Muslim people at risk of being assaulted in public. Muslim woman in particular are more at risk for being assaulted as they are more identifiable. So while veiling can be a source of empowerment and freedom for women it is a double-edged sword because it also puts them at further risk of being
Islamophobia has become a new topic of interest among social sciences, political leaders and media commentators. People amongst society have developed this phobia towards Islamic religion and people. It has become a novel “form of racism in Europe and American based on discrimination ...
...in my working experience. I am glad that i have gotten to lear more about their beliefs and practices, because I will have to be sensitive to that in my line of work. Some precessions that I now know to take could be anything like avoiding talk about bacon to making sure I dress extra modestly. I look forward to working with Muslims and learning more about their religion and culture.
Throughout history, the middle east has often been the focus of news reporters. A middle eastern country that has not been exempt from this, is Turkey. Turkey has not only been a focus, but it also has had a very long, complicated history.
I come from a Muslim household influenced by my mother 's traditional, rural Pakistani roots. Each of my sisters entered arranged marriages at the age of 18. While my mother values education for women, she also raised me to appreciate the traditions from which I come; she held to strict standards reinforced by deep-rooted propriety. I struggled to fight for my own education in a community that constantly encouraged me to