Over spring break a group of twelve Jewish students, five Muslim students and the Jewish and Muslim Chaplains traveled to Turkey on an interfaith trip designed to stimulate discussion about religion and politics. The group left Mar. 6 and visited both Istanbul, regarded as the country’s cultural capital, and Ankara, the political capital. The endeavor was the brainchild of Muslim Chaplain Imam Abdullah T. Antepli, and Jewish Rabbi David Leipziger.
“This trip was a continuation of dialogue on campus,” Antepli said. “As we were discussing what to do next, we thought of heading a Jewish-Muslim trip to Turkey. It was a transforming experience for all the participants and an excellent trip.”
“The whole point of the trip was to try to build a foundation that we could continue at Wesleyan,” said Joel Mahmud Bhuiyan ’06.
With this idea in mind, the group paired Jewish and Muslim students who didn’t know each other as roommates.
Students also had the opportunity to experience how religion and politics are fused in Turkish society.
“It was a very interesting synthesis of secular and religious sects,” said Benjamin Smyser ’08.
Turkey is a predominately Muslim country, but Jews have been there for 500 years, since the Spanish Inquisition. The group was impressed by how well the two communities coexist.
“Islam is not an inherently violent religion, which is the stereotype we have in the States,” Bhuiyan said. “They are normal people living everyday lives.”
The group met with two religious figures while there, including the nation’s chief rabbi and Eric Edelman, a former US ambassador to Turkey.
In addition, they visited several mosques and synagogues, and even attended a Jewish circumcision ceremony.
“On our second to last morning there, we went to morning prayer at a mosque,” said Andrew Inchiosa ’07. “We got up before five and around 5:15 on a Sunday morning, there are thousands of people walking along with us. There were all these different vendors and people waiting outside. It seemed like the morning prayer was a part of daily life that I had never experienced before. This certainly shaped the way I viewed how people could practice religion.”
“One of the most amazing things I experienced was watching the Islamic culture being Jew-itized,” said Alana Miller ’08. “The same melodies were heard in both the mosques and the synagogues. One culture was actually adapted into the other.”
The group had regular discussions and check-ins while in Turkey.
“We had three or four check-ins, the first one was on the bus,” said Jessica Strom ’07. “Everyone spoke about their religious standpoint and how they practice or don’t practice.”
“Some of us wanted to have discussions about Israel-Palestine, but [David Leipziger] decided to not include it,” said Yaneez Nojib ’08. “Maybe at some further stage in interfaith dialogue we could go over this issue.”
Students who went on the trip hope to make a documentary about their experience to be shown on campus and possibly at national conferences.
Another trip is already being planned and the group hopes to make it a yearly occurrence, with continued funding from the University.
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