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September 7, 2008
‘İftar’ to The Left, Beer to The Right
[Originally published in Turkish Daily News]
If you want to get a glimpse of Turkey’s diversity by spending just an hour on the streets of Istanbul, do what I did the other day. Take a public boat (“vapur”) ride to Kadıköy, and when you get off, walk straight ahead to enter the “çarşı,” or marketplace. You will come across dozens of narrow streets that are full of all sorts of little shops and restaurants and which are toured by people from all walks of life. Young girls in miniskirts, maxi-skirts or headscarves are strolling nearby males that vary from thick-moustache-and-big-belly tough guys to backpacker expats. And while believers at iftar tables anxiously wait for the sunset in order to utter “In the name of God” and start to eat, others sip huge glasses of beer and roll dice.
This is interesting because in Turkey iftar and liquor represent totally different, and sometimes conflicting cultures. Islam forbids alcohol, and devout Turks refrain not just from drinking but also from even getting close to liquor. Some take it so seriously that they use only alcohol-free perfume and mouthwash. Even “sitting at a table of liquor” is an annoyance for conservative Muslims.
İftar, on the other hand, represents the high time of observance, the holy month of Ramadan, in which the first verses of the Koran were revealed to Prophet Mohammad. While pious Muslims fast during the whole month, others at least show some respect by the abstinence from sin. If about 60 percent of Turks fast for Ramadan, then the majority of the rest at least stop drinking. (According to my non-scholarly but informed estimates.)
Fasting and drinking are seen as so contradictory that their co-existence sometimes leads to unpleasant events. Every year, Turkish papers report incidents of secular folks who happen to drink in a conservative neighborhood during the holy month and are faced with strong disapproval. There have been times that the “how-dare-you-profane-the-Ramadan-by-your-filthy-booze” reactions have involved physical abuse and ended with fights. So, generally, iftar and alcohol don’t go well together.
Yet things seem to be changing – at least in Kadıköy. Here I found restaurants that serve iftar and restaurants that serve beer. And there were not even two meters between them. Moreover, there were even restaurants that serve both at the same time.
“Oh, sure bro, that’s not a problem here,” said Necmi, 46, who is the "chief waiter" in one of the busiest restaurants, the Köfte and Balıkevi (House of Fish and Meatballs). “We serve both iftar and alcohol; nobody makes a fuss about it. At some tables, a group sits and some guys do their iftar while their friends get beer. Everybody is happy.”
I approach one fast-breaker, Kerim, 29, who is enjoying a lentil soup with his covered wife, Necla, 24. “Do you feel it's a problem that people are drinking beer at the next table?” I ask.
“No,” he says. “It is not my business. But you should try the soup. It is just delicious.”
The diversity of Kadıköy Çarşı grabs you at every spot. There is a bakery right at the corner that is selling “Ramadan pide,” a type of round bread that is made exclusively for iftar tables. Most of those waiting in the long line to grab some of the just-made pides are ladies in headscarves. But right next to them stands a guy who looks like a young version of Leon Trotsky. He is selling used books that vary from erotic novels to conspiracy theories about UFOs.
From a nearby rock bar named Zeus, I can hear “Powerslave,” a powerful song from the legendary Iron Maiden. (Well, you would need to be well versed in Heavy Metal to catch that.)
Some shops sell long tunics that go well with headscarves. Another shop sells “ethnic dress” from India, while others carry fishnet stockings and thongs. On some tables, people are playing cards or rolling dice. Walk for only a minute from that act of vice, and you come to a little mosque in which believers are taking “abdest,” the ritual wash for prayer.
Even heroes seem diverse here. The wall of the “Historical Live Fish Gallery,” which sells all sorts of apparently edible sea animals, is filled with huge portraits of not just Atatürk -- which is very common -- but also two Ottoman sultans: Fatih Mehmed and Yavuz Selim. In Turkey, these historic figures are easy to find on different walls, but generally they are also hard to find next to each other.
“I walk by this Çarşı almost every evening,” says Esra, 20, a college girl who has a silver piercing in her lip. (Oh my, that looked painful.) “It is always this crowded and there are all sorts of people,” she says. “I find it cool.”
Kadıköy Çarşı is a tiny area after all, but it probably still tells us something about Turkey. The direction this society is heading has been a bone of contention for some time. Secularists see more headscarves around and fear that the country might be destined to become another Iran. Conservatives, on the other hand, are constantly complaining about the erosion of traditional morality and family values and the onslaught of hedonism.
The truth is probably somewhere in between. Turkey is becoming neither yet another Iran nor another, say, Amsterdam. It is becoming what Turkish columnist Haluk Şahin recently dubbed “ucubistan,” or “strangeland.” You could also call it a heterogeneous and colorful society.
Posted by Mustafa Akyol at September 7, 2008 1:43 PM
As I wrote on my blog, referencing this article, I am still puzzled as to why, simply out of respect, the people with the need to drink alcohol do not do so in the presence of devout Turks, at least during the month of Ramadan.
Is it too much to ask? Would secularity be stained by such respect? The same goes for the faithful. Return the favor by accepting the liquor loving Turks the same as you would your own.
It certainly looks to be the case, at least in the case of the faithful, from your example.
But I also know people who break their fast by drinking raki. Pathetic!
Posted by: metin at September 7, 2008 8:16 PM
Dear Metin,
It is absolutely none of your business if people prefer to have a drink or two, even during the Ramadan. I, for one, would not even consider stopping consuming alcohol, having sex etc. during the Ramadan. In fact, the more I read such statements as yours, the more tempted I get to do the exact opposite. And you´ve got to RESPECT this!
Posted by: Parviz at September 8, 2008 3:01 PM
naming Turkey heterogenous and colorful society by having look at Kadıköy of Istanbul sounds better to me, perhaps this is one of the reason why i think Kadıköy as the best and most wonderful place of Turkey (even of the world). However unfortunately Turkey does not only consist of Istanbul or Kadıköy.
Posted by: Kubilay Ant at September 9, 2008 2:56 PM
Dear Parviz,
You are absolutely right in what you mean. And you can definitely have all the sex you want (in the privacy of your own choosing), since I don't have to be subjected to watching it.
And I haven't actually said people shouldn't drink in front of those who fast.
What I meant was: Would YOU show RESPECT for those who do fast...
To be honest with you, non-Muslims at my workplace show me the respect by not even eating at their desks, even at my insistence they do...
Good Day!
Posted by: metin at September 10, 2008 1:32 AM
Mustafa this is the best article I have read from you! This perfectly sums up our wonderful country. The Europeans see us as Islamic. The Arabs see us as Western. Yet the truth is we hit the sweet spot! We are both Islamic Westerners. I suppose you could say we cannot fit either category - we are only Turks! Not fit for generalisations!
Posted by: Muratcan at September 10, 2008 2:37 PM
Dear Metin,
It is the choice of those non-Muslims not to eat in your presence during Ramadan. Fine with me. But my choice is to eat and drink whenever, wherever and whatever I deem fit. And yes, this does include wine, beer or raki during the Ramadan in place and time of my choosing (unless explicitly forbidden by the law of the land). What has this got to do with respect? Why don't you show some respect for me by raising a glass of champagne at the New Year's eve? Or is it that your choice is more deserving respect than mine merely because you believe it is divinely ordained? Yours is a very shallow logic, and very shallow understanding of the concept of respect.
Posted by: Parviz at September 10, 2008 9:08 PM
Parviz,
You win, I lose...
I am a civil libertarian myself, and would fight for the rights of a Hindu not to have to see Muslims slaughter cows on his street... just the same as the Muslim's right to do what his religion preaches... But still, the Muslim should 'respect' the Hindu's beliefs, and take his business elsewhere, possibly to your street...
And, by and large, I was referring to people who break their fast by drinking 'raki.' Hypocritical, wouldn't you think?
By the way, there is a milder way to make your point, rather than come across very confrontational...
And you are welcome to eat, drink all you want in my presence, if you so choose... I dare insist otherwise... That wasn't the point.
I wouldn't allow anyone to disable your right to drink champagne (any night), but that still doesn't mean my respect for you has to be proven by me raising a glass (unless the glass is half full).
And if I do drink alcohol the rest of the year, I at least abstain from it during Ramadan, purely out of respect for my fellow kind... at least in their presence...
:)
Posted by: metin at September 11, 2008 3:16 AM
Metin,
It is just that my concept of respect is different from yours. I value personal liberty higher that any groups' or its members' right not to be offended. It is that simple.
No, you definitely don't have to drink even a drop of alcohol, if you believe your God forbids it. And rest assured, I won't take this as a sign of disrespect towards my secularist feelings. I merely ask the same respect to my right to drink. By the way, I have observant, conservative friends. I am far from considering them as second class people. But none has so far voiced any objection against me raising a glass of wine. There are a lot of other, much more important, ways of showing respect towards people who are different from you.
Posted by: Parviz at September 11, 2008 6:36 PM
I dont find such an atmosphere a healthy atmosphere.
The younger generations will eventually start getting influenced by one.. that shall become the trend.. and only one, not both..
As one gains, other will gradually disappear and get the sulk from most.
Posted by: Fesh at October 16, 2008 12:29 PM
Beer and Iftar!!
It is an Abomination!
Posted by: Shafee at November 1, 2008 5:30 AM