Romanus Maduabuchi

I have sat in classes on intercultural and interfaith relations. I have read books and other materials by and on Fethullah Gulen. All my classroom and book learning appeared a spoonful in the ocean of knowledge I acquired through a trip to a land where faiths and cultures meet and enrich one another, where the inhabitants enjoy their past and present side by side. This is a recount of my trip to Turkey, a land important for mutual understanding of faiths.

Growing up in Nigeria all I knew about Turkey was their football teams, both national and club-sides. However, that was an introduction to deeper thoughts - if Nigerian football players could play in Turkey and were well received, my conclusion was that Turkey must be a welcoming country. As I came to the United States of America for graduate studies and got involved with interfaith activities, my professor introduced me to Rumi Forum where I had my firsthand encounter with Turks. My initial experience confirmed what I thought about Nigerian football players in Turkey; the Turks were warm, welcoming and hospitable. After the first encounter my interaction kept improving.

My chance came and I took it; I was in the party of May 17th to 25th delegate that traveled around six cities of Turkey and visited some significant sites. Being greeted at the airport with roses was quite a moment for me. It felt special, and at the moment I realized that I was not in Turkey for vacation or sight seeing… I was here for a mission – to witness culture and to spread that culture to the world. It was a culture of peace. This culture of peace can come through a dialogue of encounter with others in a world filled with religious animosities fostered by ignorance. Again, the real Turks, not only the American Turks were indeed hospitable.

In addition, I was awed by our visit to Hagia Sofia museum. I have read about this structure, studied about it in a History of Christianity class but in this trip I got the opportunity to physically see what I think is one of the most interesting structures built in history. That Hagia Sofia is the oldest domed building is wonderful, that it has served three religions, still more wonderful. Nevertheless, why am I fascinated by this building? Firstly, historically, it was a site for pagan temple, then a church [Mother Church], then a mosque and finally now a museum. My second fascination for this building is for what it teaches - the possibility of mutual co-existence. Walking around the building, viewing all the multi-cultural and multi-religious paintings, I contemplated all the faiths and cultures that came together at Hagia Sofia.

Our trip was themed interfaith and intercultural. Hagia Sofia defined what we were about - a dynamic group of people from different faiths, who desire peace through a dialogue of encounter, through education and through action. We came to learn and to teach by our presence. My greatest teacher was Hagia Sofia, the holy wisdom in her magnanimity and poise. Be sure that I took as many pictures of my eloquent teacher as possible.

Education offers two important life recipes: logic and ethics – how to think and how to live. Visiting the the schools, so called “Gulen Schools“, founded by the supporters of the Fethullah Gulen movement was another highlight of my trip. As the administrators explained the operative philosophy of education of their school, it was as lucid as sky that logic and ethics are being served to the students just as Turks were serving us with delicious Turkish cuisines. Counting on what is going on these schools together with continuous effort of transnational education initiative of the Fethullah Gulen movement, the future of peace is bright as the schools promote understanding while offering quality education.

What will Turkey be without the human beings – the Turks - but an empty, vast dusty land? It is the people and their rich history that make a place so delightful. The history is etched into the land and buildings, bringing the place alive. The generosity of the Turks flowed like the Bosphorus River on which we enjoyed a boat ride. I was grateful for the warmth by which I was greeted by the people at our every stop. I savored the joy of celebrity status, as young children swamped around me for pictures and punctuated discussions. Some even mistook me for Tiger Woods [the golfer]; some thought I was a football player. The evidence was there to see that the Turks trusted my group; they cherished our presence as much as we cherished their hospitality. They taught me that their culture is welcoming, and their faith peaceful indeed. These were the sets of lessons that Rumi Forum had taught me earlier in USA but in the trip I learned those lessons to be pure Turkish Delight.