I just read a wonderful and uplifting article. This article was about a man who travelled around Turkey. He had visited several towns and festivities during which he met extraordinary people. There is a situation he describes that made an impression on me. At one point during his trip, the tour group is invited into the home of the mayor of a village. Once inside this house he paints a portrait of what is going on inside the house; children and grownups making music and dancing. Even the writer does a little dance he claims that Turkish dancing is easy. The author points out that the mayor kept emphasizing how welcome they were in his home. That the Turkish people are hospitable is not a big surprise but it is the following that I found remarkable. The mayor takes the author into a room where his Quran bag hangs. A Quran bag is the bag in which he keeps his Quran. Then the mayor says: “In my Quran bag I keep a Quran, a Bible, and a copy of the Torah. It reminds me that Jews and Christians, like we Muslims are 'people of the book' — we all worship the same God." In these times of trial and tribulation; 9/11, Israel-Palestine, Taliban, Geert Wilders and other misery it is a refreshing sound. This is a man living in a country in which Islam is the most practiced religion. At the moment the Islam is one of the most criticized faiths in the world due to extremists and terrorists. Yet there is this man who is open minded and acknowledges that all these different religions are based on the same faith and god. Luckily, this man is not the only one with these ideas and most people will probably share his opinion. With all the negative news you hear lately it is these kind of encounters you can read about that will uplift your spirits.
Love,
Rosalie
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