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Photo credit: thebesttravelled.com

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Informed Not Knowing- An Introduction to the digital story of Suphi Turker. 

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Informed Not Knowing- An Introduction to the digital story of Suphi Turker. 

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As I began to prepare myself for the interview with Mr. Turker I had little to go on other then knowing he was originally from Turkey, that he had a wife and 3 children, and he now lived in Falmouth, Maine. I began to inform myself in regards to the culture and the beliefs of Turkish people so that I at least felt as though I had some understanding and some knowledge as to his culture. I wanted to approach the interview with the idea of informed not knowing. I wanted to feel as though I had some level of cultural understanding while at the same time not assuming or holding prior judgments as to what Suphi's story may consist of.  While doing some research I was surprised to find that there were not many cultural differences between Turkey and America. Other then the majority of Turkish citizens being Muslim- which even then they do not fully uphold the Islamic traditions, they will quickly defend there religion and discredit other forms of religion but cultural norms of the Islamic religion such as no drinking, not socializing with others and not going out to public events are not strictly upheld among many of the Turks that practice within the Muslim religion. As I began the interview with Suphi Turker I began to realize that the assumptions I had about a person who was not born in America where just that, assumptions, and that it is possible to share many cultural beliefs and traditions and to have many similar experiences with immigrants. I begin with this introduction as I feel it is important for anyone to approach situations with some knowledge, yet an open mind to change whatever thoughts or beliefs we may have come into the situation with. It is with this process we can all work towards becoming culturally competent.

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Memories as a child growing up in Istanbul, Turkey

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Memories as a child growing up in Istanbul, Turkey

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Suphi Turker spend the first 16 years of his life in Istanbul, Turkey. He attended elementary and middle school in Istanbul but went to a boarding school in Cambridge, France for high school. During Suphi's years in Istanbul he has mostly fond memories of his childhood. He grew up in a family that was considered upper class as his family, who were previously land owners in Turkey, owned a business in Germany selling oriental rugs all over the world. Although Suphi may have been considered upper class among his fellow Turkish people he himself never felt that way as his father was a very modest man that taught the importance of having just what you need.
Although Suphi was Catholic he associated and had friends that were Muslim. He recalls a memory of his friends giving him a Koran to put in his pocket to save him from going to hell, as they believed if you were not Muslim then the only place for you was hell. Around the ages of 10-15 Suphi recalls political issues happening within the country, "it was like terrorism but internal terrorism" he says,  "from people within the country itself retaliating against one another". He recalls going to church on Sunday mornings, "We would get ready to go to church on a Sunday and my father would look under the car to make sure there was not a bomb."
During his education while in Istanbul,English was the main spoken language as all the schools in Turkey taught English as the countries primary language. It was difficult for Suphi to learn the language as his family spoke French, but he was lucky enough to have further education during the summer as his parents sent him to England for summer school.
When Suphi spoke with me I never got a sense from him of fear, anger, or hate towards the Muslims in his country even though they were the dominant religion, and he always felt like an outsider in his own country he never experienced personal turmoil to give him a negative view of Muslims in his country.

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When your religion makes you the minority In Your own country

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When your religion makes you the minority In Your own country

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Suphi Turker was born in Istanbul, Turkey during this time and still today the Muslim religion was/is the dominant religion in the country with the most recent percentage estimated to be 95% Muslim. Suphi however grew up in the Christian religion which only accounts for 2% of the population, "you may have a Turkish passport," says Suphi, "but your not Turkish if your not Muslim."  Turkey however was not always a Muslim country it was not until about 1960 that the religion and government in Turkey began to change. When I asked Suphi what it was like to celebrate Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter for example he said,  "we celebrated with a Christmas tree we just had to hide it away from windows." Today however Suphi says that Istanbul has become so industrialized that you can go to the local mall during the holiday season and see Christmas trees throughout the shopping center, you can walk down the streets and see lights and decorations but the celebration of the birth of Christ is not recognized it is considered a way to bring excitement for the New Year.

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Once a Greek Orthodox Christian Church, later turned into a Mosque and now stands as a popular historic museum in Istanbul.
Photo Credit: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hagia-Sophia

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Historical Background on how Turkey Became a Muslim Country

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Historical Background on how Turkey Became a Muslim Country

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Istanbul is the most industrialized and most populated city in Turkey with an estimated 14 million people living within the city limits. Turkey was home to many Greek and European Orthodox Christians, but as Suphi explained, "Turkey became mostly a Muslim country due to a population exchange with Greece." This exchange brought thousands of Muslims from Greece to Turkey which in turn forced many of the Greeks out as they were faced with massive taxes and anti-Greek programs. "Istanbul lost it's entire Christian and Jewish Heritage with this exchange." (Chastain, 2015) Although most Turkish people are Muslim, Turkey is not an Islamic country. Even though you are automatically registered as Muslim when you are born, unless your parents declare otherwise, many Muslims in Turkey do not follow all of the beliefs and rules of the Muslim belief and the Koran. Turkey is the only Secular Muslim country in the world- Secularism "is a belief system that rejects religion, or the belief that religion should not be part of the affairs of the state or part of public education." ( Karates 2015) As a child Suphi remembers that in school there was a class on practicing the Muslim Religion but because he was Christian he was exempted from having to attend.

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Is Turkey An Islamic Or Secular Country?

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Why Does Turkey Hate Its President? http://bit.ly/21p3bz0 Subscribe! http://bitly.com/1iLOHml While Turkey's president has enacted religious policy, the country's constitution declares that it is secular. So how secular is Turkey?

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Photo credit: researchgate.net

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College in America-  "I Finally felt Part of Something"

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College in America-  "I Finally felt Part of Something"

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Suphi knew that America was known for its schools. He also always felt as though he had to build his future outside of Turkey due to the religious strife and the strong belief that there was no future for Christians in Turkey.  After graduating from boarding school in France he arrived to the U.S as a first year college student at Pennsylvania State University. Suphi has very fond memories of his time at Penn State. Coming from a country with over 14 million people as a population just in Istanbul where he grew up, the university consisting of 50,000 people was no major adjustment for Suphi. He states that, "for the first time I felt like part of something," I went from being a citizen of a country where I was considered and treated as an outsider to a country that I had no prior citizenship to but felt part of. "I would often say I am more american then american's, other then my Turkish passport I felt like an American."  As an immigrant to the United States Suphi does not recall having any negative experiences entering the U.S. or having anyone treat him negatively due to being Turkish. When you put it in perspective, culturally Suphi was not that much different then his fellow American students. He celebrated well known American holidays, he spoke English, and he practiced a widely accepted and well know religion within the United States. For Suphi coming to America was a very positive experience, and is why he still lives here today. However he does feel that things have changed from when he first came to America, "I don't feel a person coming from another country feels the same amount of welcome as they used to." He feels that what America wanted by creating diversity has now become something that America can not handle, as the population of cultures increases the ability for America to keep up with the cultural demands decreases.

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One of the things Suphi misses most about Turkey- The Food! 

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One of the things Suphi misses most about Turkey- The Food! 

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Photo Credit: albuneatravel.com

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Suphi, his wife, there three beautiful children, his mother and there dog currently live in Falmouth, Maine. Suphi is a Real Estate Agent and Investor and dreams of having his children experience other cultures to be exposed to life outside of Maine, "I love Maine, but diversity wise it lacks."  In regards to having any desire to go back to visit Turkey Suphi says, "I would feel comfortable to go back to Turkey as a tourist but not to live." He describes Istanbul, Turkey as the most beautiful city in the world the views, history, buildings, water and the food are amazing. The one things he misses most about Turkey is the food, "In America we are always in a hurry and our only options are fast food places, in Turkey because there is not a lot of processed food even when you are in a hurry you are able to get delicious healthy options." Suphi enjoys living in a country where his religion is recognized and his children have the opportunity to attend a good school, and build relationships that are not formed based on religion.

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Photo Credit: Suphi Turker

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Chastain, M. Endangered species: Christianity at the brink of extinction in Turkey, 2015 http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/04/21/endangered-species-christianity-at-the-brink-of-extinction-in-turkey/
Karatas, F. Unspoken facts about Turkey, Istandbul Travel Blog. (2015)
https://theothertour.com/unspoken-facts-about-turkey/
Hansen, C. The vanishing act of the church in Turkey, Christianity Today  2008http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/2008/august/vanishing-act-of-church-in-turkey.html