Being Turkish.

It is not so simple to explain.

When you wrote or say “Being Turkish”, it can be seen so simple but this sentence obviously donot explain just to belong to a race.

Being Turkish is not just to be born within Turkey or it is not just to be born as Turkish.

It is, in fact, to understand that you are stucked in a race and its dogmas which are traditional, cultural and family structure in a land that you can never imagine to live.

As far as we have been told since we were born, Turkey is a heaven with its geostragetic location, climate, cultural and traditional structure. Is it?

Now, I am 37 years old, could be identified as well educated, bilingual Turkish guy and understand very well that Turkish well told story is really a story.

Let me describe for whom doesn’t know very well Turkey. Turkey is an islamic and secular country which lies among Asia and Europe. It is not like Iran, Saudi Arabia or Egypt and it is also not like any European country. It is really hard to make a benchmark for Turkey and to compare it with other countries.

To be more clear on what I try to describe, you can make a comparison between Iran and Saudi Arabia or Syria and Egypt. These are more similar countries to make a comparison.

I think that the main problem here is coming from the understanding and the life style of Turkish people.

10 years ago, it was more secular and you can describe Turkey more European. Now it is less secular and you can describe Turkey more Middle Eastern and more islamic.

Now a new question takes place from here: Being more or less secular is the key of living as European style?

If you are an islamic country, I think that the answer will be probably yes.

Being more or less secular is like the pans of a scale. The ratio of what you are let you turn your face to a side unfortunately.

You can check and see that issue clearly from Turkey’s Politic History for last 10 years.

We are living in Turkey, in a culture that we get used to. It is a bit orientalist, a bit western. Not one, maybe both.

Our companies ask from us to work in a European discipline with an orientalist manner. That is not nonsense, that is what we have.

Our government ask from us to live like Orientalists but to pay for this life like Europeans. That is also not a nonsense, that is our gift.

We are Turks, living in a land which lies between Asia and Europe, and we knows where did we come but we don’t know where to go.

Respect is a word that we donot like. Our most educated people also has a savage and barbar side somewhere deep inside.

We are educated musulmans, secular in our politic life, conservative in our daily life.

I can tell you easily that we are the members of a community that you can never forget if you meet.