Turkey: It’s Not Europe, But It’s Not the Middle East
Last week, I spent seven days in Istanbul, Turkey with my dad. For a moment, I thought I was in Western Europe, and I was literally on the European continental side most of the time while I was there. Yet, the tall, winding minarets of the mosques reminiscent from the Ottoman Empire and its magnanimity reminded me that this place – Turkey – was different from Western Europe, most assuredly because of it’s dominant religion – Islam. We met Muslim Turks that drank wine as well who prayed daily. This behavior can also be found in other Islamic culture states, but it seemed to be more accepted in this state. Turkey is 98% Muslim, but they are also very nationalist and proud of their Ottoman history and former President Ataturk's achievements in secularizing the nation. This new culture wasn't Middle Eastern culture but not Western culture either. That's the beauty of engaging and encountering a new culture – it changes y...