Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, Istanbul, Turkey

The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art is just off the Hippodrome, a converted palace that is truly as elegant a museum as ever you might find.  It was a joy to walk through the halls of this beautiful building. The exhibits were laid out historically.  My guide, Mehmet Tetik (www.turkishguides.org\tetik) helped make sense of the migration of the Turkish people, then the  developments once they moved from the steppes in the north to Istanbul.
The Kurds are a people without a country, now living as a million and a half in Turkey, but also in Syria and Iraq and Iran.  They were here before the Turks. The Turks were pushed out of their lands north east of the Black sea.
It was a rainy day with sleet.  Mehmet said it only snowed four times a year in Istanbul so this was one of those days.  His daughters school was closed and those who didn’t have to drive didn’t.  The Museum wasn’t busy as a result and even more enjoyable to walk about and look at the beautiful books, ceramics, rugs and other exhibits.

 






Mehmet told me that Raqquett was the town that ISIS had taken over. It is an ancient city with a deep spiritual past. It is a shame now that is is caught up in civil war.



The calligraphy and drawing in these ancient Korans was beautiful. I was reminded of the Celtic monastery scribes. Each Koran was hand created and carried it’s own personal and religious history down through the ages.



I’ve loved visiting the museums and art galleries of Istanbul because most everywhere there are English translations that make the experience more enjoyable for me.  Here and there one sees the influence of the far east.






Intricate mosque door with dragon door handle. Mehmet explained that representation was not accepted inside the mosque but could be found outside. Dragons were examples of far east influence.




Keys to the Ka’ba in Mecca.

Reliquaries with Hairs of Mohammed.

Prayer carpet from Mosque with individual places for each person to pray.

Illustration of non religious books.

Dogs and Muslim

"The "Qur'an strongly enjoins Muslims to treat animals with compassion and not to abuse them" - Wikipedia

"The Qur'an applies the word "Muslim" not only to humans but also to animals and the inanimate world".

"In verse 6:38, the Qur'an applies the term ummah, generally used to mean "a human religious community", for genera of animals."

"There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end." Qur'an 6:38

However that said, "The majority of both Sunni and Shi'a Muslim jurists consider dogs to be ritually unclean. It is uncommon for practicing Muslims to have dogs as pets. " Wikipedia

However, "dog is not an unclean animal based on the inclusion of a dog among the seven Sleeprs as recorded in the 18th verse of the 18th chapter of the Qur'an."

Myths (as stated by Dr. Ayoub M. Banderker
"It is not haraam to own a dog, though it is not hygienic to keep a dog in the house."
"It is not harram to touch a dog or any other animal."
However, If the saliva of a dog touches you it is necessary to wash the part of the body touched or the clothing touched by the dog's saliva.

"No Animal has been cursed in any way... In Surah Kahf mention is made of the companions of the Cave and their dog (S18:18:22)
-Dr. AyouB. M. Banderker (Veterinary Surgeon) writing on Animal Abuse and Welfare in Islam

Dogs and Islam: The Devil and the Seeing-Eye Dog
Stanley Coren PHD FRSC
- quoting a University Muslim expert "Muslim beliefs about dogs are sometimes confusing and contradictory. The majority of both Sunni and Shi'a Muslim Jurists consider dogs to be ritually unclean but these beliefs are not unanimous. The jurists of the Sunni Malik Schoo disagree with the idea that dogs are unclean, and those of the Sunni Hanafi School are ambiguous, allowing trade and care of dogs without religions consequences. However all these opinions are based, not on the Koran itself, but on the Hadith, which are commentaires, analyses, and interpretations of the Koran. It is these Hadith that suggest that to be touched by a dog is to be defiled and requires an act of purification.....If we look directly at the Koran it turns out that dogs are mentioned five times and are never described as being unclean. In fact the longest group of passages including a dog is quite positive and it relates to the story of the Seven Sleepers.....According to Moslem tradition, the dog Kitmir was admitted to paradise upon his death."

"Certainly an unclean animal would not be admitted to paradise," the professor commented. "

Mohammed ordered "kill all dogs' however "On reflection, however, he mitigated his decree, for two major reasons...The first was religiousL canines constituted a race of Allah's creatures....the second, more prgamatic was that some categoris of dogs, particularly guard dogs, hunting dogs and shepherd dogs, were useful to humans and hence had earned their right to exist.

"Some legends say the prophet himself actually owned one or more salukis that he used for hunting....In fact one passage in the Koran quite specifically says that any prey that is caught by dogs during a hunt can be eaten. No purification other than the mention of Allah's name is required of it."

Mohammed apparently accepted dogs therefore but not 'black dogs because the believed that the Devil often appears masquerading as a black dog."

Politically there is further the Middle East conflict between ancient Zoroastrianism religion which stood in the way of new islam and the Zoroastrians revered the dog. Historically it is common that 'gods of the old religion are converted into the devils of the new religion."

I was interested in this as none of my Muslim patients has objected to my pet therapist, Gilbert. He's also an amazing hunting dog and a guard dog in addition so I'm sure that Mohammed would not want him dead especially if he saw how he caused an old withdrawn man who was suicidal come out of himself, give up his suicidal ideation and return successfully to community. Even as important if anyone saw Gilbert flush and find partridge they'd see his heavenly destination guaranteed. All we have to do is get him to bring the birds back rather than just leading me to them. But he's a young dog and even then his bark is ferocious when he wakes me from sleep because of some stranger coming innappropriately near whereever his master and he are sleeping.

I'm afraid we're both cave dwellers in a sense so he is an 'indoor dog' and no doubt he'd benefit from more grooming. He doesn't shed and personally I do believe his lack of hygiene is no worse than children. I also believe that the whole 'sterile movement' is cause for the decrease in the immunologically protection of so many. Our forefathers immunologically were a tougher group partly because of their exposure to 'dirt'. Thanks to Gilbert there is some 'dirt' in my life no different from that brought in the soles of shoes. Our butts are affected too by sitting on floors and for me by the activities of prayer, meditation and roughhousing. Gilbert is a happy part of all my activities.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A Step into the Darkness - film

A Step into the Darkness was just one of the many films I picked up in the discount bin at Rogers so I could have something to watch while I ate dinner on my sailboat I'm not connected to cable or satellite for television shows and movies.
It's a film by Atil Inac.  If I'd seen the trailer I might have thought it was something I'd like to watch on the History or  Discovery channel. The filming of the countryside of Iraq and Turkey is worthy of National Geographic.
The cover shows an outstanding single woman carrying a bundle, looking perplexed in the dessert. I might have thought it a feminist pity pot movie with that overplayed communist twist of the plight of the underdog.  I might  even have thought it was a Disney creation where the little train that can does.  There's that kind of promotion in the thing.
But the movie wasn't any of these.  It was something far more.  It opened my eyes to the war by those who have no 'sides', the real casualties of conflict.  This really is about 'collateral damage' and the human spirit.
It moved me in a way few movies can.  It was that different and that deeply sensitive with enough action and intrigue to keep the plot ahead of the tears.
Subtitles and English.  It was billed as "A unique film shot on location inside Iraq in the midst of an ongoing war".
Suzan Genc, the star, won the best actress award at the Ankara International Film Festival.  The movie itself won several international Best Pictures.  But what do critics know.  I found it in the discount bin and watched it with rapt attention through all the drama, character unfolding and excitement to the extraordinary unpredictableending.
I'm telling you it's good.  It's really good.

Deuteronomy and Democracy

A self proclaimed minister burnt the Koran last week.  It caused some moslems to kill in reaction to the attack on their religion.  Two wrongs don't make a right.
The Old Testament, the Bible shared by Christians and Jews and Moslems, has it's own questionable recommendations.  I am however thankful that my father and mother didn't take the Bible literally.  However now that I'm older and more impatient and irritable,  I can see some merit in the recommendations of Deuteronomy.
"If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. They shall say to the elders, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious.  He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard."  Then all men of his town shall stone him to death."
Note that the authority structure in this model is a "top down" authoritarian structure. It is neither patriarchal or matriarchal but authoritarian. It's the opposide of democracy. Authoritarian structures  put the power into the hands of the born with power, those older and those more powerful together, than one alone.  It's the rule of the military assigned  or the judge. The 'elders' can give the death penalty to the young.  As 50% of the prisons here are thought to be filled with people who have had problems with drugs and alcohol it's of interest that the son to be stoned to death is a 'drunkard'.
Alcohol and drugs are associated with 'anti authoritariasm".  Do to their effects on the devolution of the brain, they create a desire for 'license' , not freedom. The "license to kill' means you can kill anyone without consequence or accountability. The 'freedom to kill' is something we all have but 'freedom' comes with consequence and accountability.
The greatest leaders have been the greatest followers.  Learning involves first obedience.  It also involves listening.   It also involves learning.  Arrogance is the trait of misplaced pride in which a person believes they 'know it all' and need not learn further. It's not uncommon among the young.  Right now my young dog wants to run across roads to sniff Fifi without any knowledge of the power of cars.  Much of the authority in the world especially related to the young or to others ignorance is for theirown  protection.
It's not possible for everyone to know everything in a society of specialization.  A notice says don't go in the broken nuclear reactor. Historically it didn't need 100 pages of legal documentation which is written in the arcane language of unreadable 'legalese' for people to decide, "yes, I won't enter the broken nuclear reactor."    Some adolescents would have everyone stop and explain to them 'why'.  Some journalists are like this, as well.    It's the 'arrogant" who feel that they have a right to being 'taught' for 'free' what others have spent years understanding.  Lawyers and their ilk would have one read all the legalese that comes in catalogues attached to 'firehoses'. My suspicion is that the nuclear reactor problems all can be explained by technicians stopping to read the legal 'small print' before turning the 'off' or 'on' buttons at the nuclear reactor stations in crisis.  I believe too that those who have written much legalese with a sense of 'license' will be held accountable in the higher court of 'freedom'.
When I was younger I never understood why older people were more amused at the Darwin Awards than I was.  Now I find myself chuckling each year when the Darwin Awards are declared.  More and more I find myself saying, "Don't go into the broken nuclear reactor."  Then when the person wishes to discuss this and argue with me and there's no group of elders who will stone this person for me, I hear myself saying, "Don't say I didn't tell you." It's then I remember my father's and mother 's voice.  Much to my surprise there are things that 16 year old don't know that 50 year olds do.  I love my parents more every year I survive to remember the basics they instilled in me as a child.
In Canada too many people believe democracy is about being able to drink Labatts beer instead of Molsons. They further think democracy is about being able to smoke marijuana and have free heroin.  Alot of people are getting stoned in Canada but not by the elders.
A minister who burns the Koran claiming to be holier than now would likely kill an adolescent first chance he got as well.  That ministers regime is what the 'pro democracy' forces around the world are fighting against.  That minister doesn't understand 'freedom' but instead wants 'license'.  He's arrogant.  He lacks respect.  He needs to serve a term or two in Kundahar, outside the wire.
The Holy Bible is not a hot house plant.  It doesn't need to be the only book on the bookshelf.  All over the world countries have banned the Bible and burned it because Jesus was  the greatest revolutionary. He was the democractic leader of all times, the first small 'c' communist.  What he said that so upset the authorities was  that  the name of God the Father was Abba, that is "Papa." or "Daddy".
I'm sure my Father would have gladly given me over to the elders when I was a profligate drunkard adolescent.  Papa kept me in his home instead. My Daddy took me back when I came home later, the Prodigal Son.