Steves shows the reader a Turkey on the crossroads between old and new. He gives us a picture of a modernizing Istanbul which shows a microcosm of a country undergoing a tense political moment (page 150). As the country becomes more connected with the West, old traditions die out, but in the back corners of the country, many live as they have for centuries: a shepherd tends to his sheep while his son plays a bone flute (page 155). Contrasts like these define most of the developing world. In the U.S., our culture has modernized far more than Turkey's. It also is more willing to abandon old ways.
7.
In the chapter, Steves speaks of the misconceptions Westerners, especially Americans, have about Muslims and Muslim countries. To many of us, Islam immediately brings to mind images of crazed terrorists and angry fundamentalists who want to destroy peoples of other religions. But as Steves shows, this couldn't be further from the truth. The vast majority of Muslims carry little ill will against the West and are perfectly welcoming to Christians. It's a little strange to think that such similar belief systems would stir between themselves such hateful feelings, but that is the way of our world.
It's probably because Christianity and Islam are so similar that there's so much animosity between them. There holy sites are virtually the same, so when they clash over them, the differences are emphasized, even though many of their core values are fundamentally the same.
ReplyDeleteNayha Murugan
What specific media besides the news do you think could lead to the common notions in America that many Muslims hate America? Do you think these notions were created by America to promote specific ideologies within America? What do you think they are? Do you think there are other fundamental elements of an Islamic society that are twisted in the West's point of view, and why do you think these have been changed?
ReplyDelete-Alex Menezes