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Yesterday I spent a beautiful Saturday night glued in front of TV... I tried to catch glimpses of streets, I was peacefully walking just 2 months ago.. When I decided to travel to İran, everybody advised me to go before the elections and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the time..How right they were....People were hopeful about the coming election, hopeful about the days to come. Their hopes, became my hopes, but how could I forget the fact that democracy and religion are tricky businesses in this part of the world. I should have known it better because I also live in this part of the world.
I travel a lot. The negative part about travelling a lot is the fact that I keep forgeting about the places and names after a while, but I always remember the people that I met. Now I worry about the safety of the people that I met in İran. The friends I made, the people I met on the streets who usually offered me tea, the young ones who tried to practice their Turkish that they learned from Tv, the shopkeepers that I bargained and joked, our guides who worked very hard for an unforgettable trip.... What was common in all of them is; they love their country, they know that they deserve better.. I feel sorry for their shattered dreams and mines...and I hope that the worst is over...
Photo: wall paintings and posters from İran
Thinking of Istanbul as well as Iran and wondering why it all works so well in Turkey but not elsewhere? Turkey is the model for progressive Islamic countries (my uninformed opinion). Will the young people of Iran create a state like yours or be thwarted? Thanks for images.
ReplyDeleteI want to thank you for this incredible post. I too am watching this story unfold and reading the paper daily. I have travelled to the Middle East and just fell in love with it.
ReplyDeletealso thanks for visiting my site. We were in Turkey last year and it was amazing.
I pray for peace all the time!
ReplyDeleteI hope the people you know are OK...
ReplyDeleteand this election process turns out to be what the people deserves... that their hopes can be a real thing at the end.
Beautiful post. It is so hard to imagine people treating others badly especially since we all do want the same things - to live safely, to be happy. Love your posts and thanks so much for visiting OSH!!!
ReplyDeleteI hope the worst is over too. I feel for those who are risking their lives to stand up for their freedom. What a time...
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you so much for this beautiful post...
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of Iran I always think back to my days in the Air Force. We [U.S] were on very friendly terms then back in the early 1960s. I taught many Iranian Air Force Officers in my classes back then. It was all part of Mutual Assistance in those days. The people I knew were very easy to get along with, friendly, intelligent and great to be around. I think about some of them now and wonder what might have become of them. It is hard to reconcile some of what we see on TV these days with relations that existed back then. thanks for your post Aysegul.
ReplyDeleteDave Stanton