I saw something today that made me realize two things.
That Faith is the great Redeemer of the World.
And that Türkiye has a future.
Let me be clear.
I saw a man pray today before this relic here.
It was a very small enclosure situated behind the Harem of the Sultan inside the Domalbahce Palace.
What I witnessed was a beautiful multifaceted thing: an act of contrition, an act of devotion, an act of moral ablution, that is to say purification of sins via repentance.
It all comes down to Faith. You either own it. And decide to abide by God.
Or you do not. You hesitate. You live in perpetual limbo. In fear of what may befall you at the end of your erstwhile existence.
But the man I saw today had no such qualms. He was serene. He was one with the act of praying. He was at peace with his sins, his trials, his tribulations.
This man was most probably Turkish. He could have been foreign. I don’t know. But my gut feeling tells me he was native. And his devotion is by no means singular. Like him there are many in Türkiye.
Turkish people are brave. They are steadfast. They are obstinate. They are also very warm and caring and decent.
Unlike many other nations whose sons and daughter have lost their way, Turkish people have kept theirs. They are a secular breed, but they keep the faith. It doesn’t rule them but it guides them. It keeps them righteous.
Here people are very normal.
It is this decency, this normality that ensures Türkiye’s future.
Götterdämmerung 