As someone who has had the first first hand experience of a major earthquake, I can say, the impact an earthquake causes is not limited to the the houses and the infrastructure. In fact, one of the the most debilating consequences of an earthquake is its psychological impact. I believe it induces a very deep fear and triggers a number of health problems including heart attacks.

I always thought of myself as a brave person, well not a coward at least. I remember having sleepless nights and a deep fear in the aftermath of the earthquake. Years followed on but the fear remains where it is.

During those 45 seconds, I thought that was it, and that the building would not be able to handle it. But it did, almost all other buildings in the neighborhood did too. Despite the scary clanging noises they made while they hit one another, and in contrast to the apparent first glimpses of a massive catastrophy, everything seemed calm during the first few minutes after the incident. Then we began receiving news from the epicenter of the earthquake which was like 100 kilometers to where I lived. If it happened under or offshore Istanbul, we wouldn´t be that lucky.

Japan has built a magnificent civilization. If that earthquake happened in Istanbul, that would turn the city into a ghost town. We just don´t have what it takes to handle it. In other words, discipline, technology and money...

Engin Ardic says in the cartoon:

I wish you grabbed that skinny revolutionary girl and give her a kiss. Maybe that would

turn her into a liberal.

turn her into a liberal.

The Alevi sect of Islam can be considered as a Turkified Islamic faith. Once upon a time, before Yavuz Sultan Selim, the majority of the people in Anatolia were Alevis. The sultan famously massacred the followers of Pir Sultan Abdal sawing the seeds of hatred between the government and the Alevis. 

Alevis are the followers of Ali - a friend of the prophet´s who was assasinated in a mosque while praying. The followers of Ali, refused to go to mosque and opted for a new kind of temple called Cemevi meaning "gathering house". Their rituals are very different from those of the Sunnite majority. They are very proud about being more open minded than the Sunnites.

Sunnis meanwhile, consider Alevism as a form of deviation. They think Alevis violate some of the most essential rules of the religion therefore committing blasphemy. Some bigots among Sunnis made up stories claiming the Alevis perform some sort of a group sex called, "mum söndü" or the "candle is off". These stories are the products of a mentality that can´t tolerate any civil interaction between men and women. Alevis are often abhorred by the Sunnis and vice versa.

One of the problems the Alevis have is the lack of government support for the administration of their religious affairs. Although, all Turks muslim or not must contribute to the expenses of the mosques through funds raised from tax  money, Alevis are not allocated any funds. The Religious Affairs Authority in Turkey represents and serves the Sunnite muslims exclusively.

The Sunni Sect, capitalizes on the Hadiths of the prophet himself. They aim at living the way Mohammad lived. Though all his hadiths were recorded years after his death.

Alevis are known for their rich musical tradition. They are responsible for an essential part of the Anatolian folklore. Their semahs, and baglama playing techniques are very interesting.  They have "dedes" or grand fathers in their communities who acts like a sort of ombudsman. The famous Janissaries were also Alevis and they were loyal to the Bektashi tradition.

I agree that there is something wrong with the textbooks. We could add to that the bigotry of some teachers who fill students brains with nationalistic, religious and superstitious stuff.

This is not particular to Turkey however. It is done though in a somewhat indirect manner in most of Europe and in a comparable manner in countries like Greece, Bulgaria, Albenia and of course Armenia. These countries are full of people hating one another as a result of the relentless efforts of their state propoganda machines.

I always remember a dialogue started by my philosophy teacher in high school. He asked the class whether they believed in genies. The class answered: "No!". He went on to say, Don´t you have an inexplicable fear for example when you go to the edge of say a bushy corner thinking that something might pull you down despite you must normally feel absolutely safe where you are standing. There was a mixed reaction from the class this time. The teacher continued, "This is an instinct that we have to protect us from the unknown. Because unknown creatures do exist."

So far so good, once he had the attention of the class he went on to rave about how black cats could actually be genies and the stuff like that.

As an atheist myself, I don´t think I have found the right answers, my atheism is just a proof of how ignorant and helpless I am. I am not in a position to assert, it is rather like a complete surrender. I just can´t do anything beyond groping in the dark.

Religion and society are so intertwined terminating one results in the termination of the other. Religion is like a vitally important limb. When you cut it off, you render society crippled. It doesn´t cure anything, nor does it answer any question but it does act like placebo and its absence could result in dire consequences.

Christians have the most dominant power in the world today. Considering the amount of money flowing into the sytem and the reach of the network, we could conclude it is both omnipresent and omnipotent.  The Pope is still sitting in Vatican controlling a majestic power. Every major conflict in todays world is almost invariably between the Christian West and some Islamic country.

Muslim countries on the other hand, open up their doors to Europeans. Their resources are collectively used. Christian West acts like a more equal partner, when a doubt arises about the safety of the resources exploited, military option is always on the table (for example, the 6th Fleet is waiting off shore Libya at present.)

In other words, the entire world has been taken hostage by this seemingly secular regime. The fear you mentioned has turned the world into a proving field. I know this Christianity is not quite in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ himself (who happens to be a nice peaceful chap) and it has not much to do with secularism either.

 Quoted from Daydreamer´s post:

It´s easy to complain about terrible Europeans hating Islam. But it isn´;t so. Europe should stand against everything that may kill its secularism, human rights and equality regardless of whether it´s Islam, Catholicism or Marxism. In other words, everybody should be free to pray to whomever they want either in the privacy of their own house or in a place of religious cult like mosque, church or synagogue, but nowhere else. And religious rules should always be inferior to national laws.

Silly me, I accidentally deleted Daydreamer´s message. I hope she has a copy somewhere or she can reconstruct it somehow. I was trying to delete another message. My apologies.

Well, if you fly like a bullet, you will find your target sooner but you will miss so many fine details in the process.

Do you think Europeans deserve a standing ovation for all the efforts they have paid for achieving multiculturalism? This point does not reflect in the laws that are passed in the parliaments, speeches addressed to people by politicians and the apparent need for being anti-Turk, anti-muslim if one wants any success in the elections. In fact, people are getting used to the notion that Europe is nothing more than a Christian club and it wants to firmly close its doors to other religions and cultures. Otherwise, Europe would not deny rights legitimately won by Turkish people in line with legal agreements.

Your reply is full of misunderstandings and casts quite a shallow perspective to say the least. You are also hovering on the verge of insolence with some of your statements about me. Not particularly this last one, but in general. I suggest you take me a bit more seriously, if you really wish to communicate and possibly learn from another contributor.

None taken.

Cheers.

I have deleted this message since it was found offensive to native Americans by a member.

We could be more proud if we could get involved in the development of some of these technologies ourselves.

We just keep paying on those fragile mobile phones and repeat the investment at least once in every two years. We had domestic mobile equipment producers (like Raks) and they have long collapsed. Where is the beef now?