E-coup in Turkey

I remember military coup of 1981 in Turkey. I was in second grade and the military had taken control of the country, bringing an abrupt (albeit painful) end to civil strife between right- and left-wing political groups. My parents were relieved. My teacher was relieved. Everybody felt safer -- including the children. The months following the coup were somewhat startling. Every night, the national TV channel broadcasted groups of "terrorists" caught in various cities. My dad sent me to my room sometimes when these news came up, because he didn't want me to be affected. But I already was so drawn into the stories, there was no escape. I recorded everything I saw and heard -- the woman who was attacked in her house for her gold bracelets, the butcher who was shot in his shop because he claimed the wrong political side, the teachers who were held at gunpoint in the classrooms. The military, acting in defense of the common people, had stepped in to re-establish order.

Following the coup of 1981, it took some years for Turkey to transition into a freer environment of social debate. Some criticised the military intervention as undemocratic, but all were appreciative of the chance to start anew and to have a chance at becoming a prospering, forward-looking nation.

Years have passed, faces of fighters changed, yet the cycle has remained the same. Turkey is yet again at a significant cross-roads. The military issued the following release on Friday evening:

http://www.tsk.mil.tr/bashalk/basac/2007/a08.htm

For those who cannot read Turkish, let me translate: It's essentially a statement directed to those politicians who are using religion (Islam) to manipulate people and to bring a backwards regime to a modernized country. The military, it says, is closely watching these developments and is ready to step in to protect the secular regime.

Everyone I know at home is making tongue-in-cheek remarks and calling this an e-coup. Today, more than 1 million people marched in Istanbul. My family and friends went, my parents' friends and my friends' parents went. The people who want a decent future for themselves and for their children marched. They demanded that reason reign over hypocracy and that their lives are not curbed by some corrupt, archaic theological order.

It's sad that we still argue in this day and age whether women and men should be segregated in public buildings and whether local groups should be able to organize made-up celebrations in Prophet Mohammed's name in elementary schools. Imagine the same energy being spent on the sciences, the economy and the arts. Yet, it's time to put a firm fist on the table to stop the nonsense brought upon us by these pseudo pious people who are trying to command the whole population with a vote based on 20%. If you want to discuss religion and pray, do it at your home, do it at the mosque, don't bring it to the schools, don't use it to govern.

I cannot go to Istanbul to march with friends and family. But I can raise my voice, write and publish. This is not about advocating a military regime. I am for a secular order, and so is the military.

Another Inconvenient Truth?

So I got the famous email that has been circulating since the beginning of April. I mean the one about the Holocaust being removed from history curriculum in schools, in the UK. The supposed intent was not to offend Muslim students. Having just finished a book on urban legends, I jumped on the case and wrote back to my friend who sent me the email: "This is a hoax, no such thing, no civil authority would dare deny the Holocaust," I wrote. Plus, as a Jew who has grown up in a predominantly Islamic culture, I knew first hand that these claims could not be generalized to the larger Muslim population.

Proud to have squelched a rumor, I went on about my business for a while. When I wanted to write about the incident, I did a bit of digging around. Only then I realized that there was actually one school in Northern UK that did stop teaching about the Holocaust because it didn't want to create a riff among its students. Some teachers felt ill-equipped to handle the topic...

I'm sorry but since when did history became a matter of convenience? If more teachers explained how the Holocaust came about and taught their students how to recognize signs of social manipulation, fewer people would be typecasted or attacked. And when I say people, I mean everyone--regardless of religious background.

If you hear something, say something

Imus has to go... not even worth the debate. There's probably a corporate mess at all the stations airing his show -- loss of advertising dollars, jobs, political fights, you name it. None of it surprises me.

The morning show anchor interviews one of the women on the Rutgers basketball team. Apparently she was tempted to just let the comment slide by. She was not going to raise her hand. The anchor is perplexed by this attitude. I am not. I know exactly where she is coming from: Him saying something doesn't make it so. Her saying something doesn't erase his racism. Maybe she's tired of raising her voice, withstanding comments, striving harder than everyone else so that noone can question her state of perfectionism.

But lucky for her, the man had a microphone in his hand. It was on air, but it went on tape. Everyone heard him. Now everyone needs to say something.

Dear Martian

I cannot believe I went this long on a cross-cultural communication blog without touching upon cross-fires between men and women. Here's the most recent story that explains why the Mars and Venus series are best sellers:

Scene: A friend promises to introduce an eligible bachelor to a chiquelette.

Enter: The eligible bachelor sends an email almost mistaken as spam, titled "hey."

(Some sort of) communication begins: "You come highly recommended..." (Who? What? A UPS package arriving at your door? The menu at a three-star hotel restaurant?)

Communication (hardly) continues: "Your friend warned me that your Turkish." (Too bad the bar exam doesn't check for insensitive idiots who can't spell.)

"What is it that you actually do?" the Martian asks. Chiquelette patiently explains. She politely asks what he does even though she knows -- she is already ticked off, she's just waiting to strike. And he delivers: "That doesn't sound like much of a job anyhow. How much are you paying your employer for that?" Unaware of his gastly mistake, the flirt 101 drop out continues, "I went to Turkey, loved the food. Do you cook like that? If so, that should be the first thing you should tell people about yourself," he wraps up in a bad salvo.

Chiquelette smacks: "People have to do and say a lot before I cook for them, none of which include the statements you just made. This is a very poor beginning," she writes - but she means the end.

Martian writes back apologizing and encouraging chiquelette to re-read his messages and find the light tone in them.

Chiquelette deletes his emails. She makes a mental note to ask her friend what she exactly had in mind when she said "he is really funny."

The Martian, Mr. Hey and others don't realize but it's actually pretty easy to reach her. A simple hello. And if you're interested, don't dally, just say so. Oufff!