Reflections on My Recent Month-Long Sojourn in Turkey

Kipling's axiom that "east is east and west is west and never the twain shall meet" is conclusively refuted.

Istanbul is a city of 20 million people out of a country of 70 million. I have never been to any urban metropole where the people were more friendly or more kind. One should take children there, if you have them; Turks love children and will dote on yours, even if they do not know them.

Coming from a country of uncouth barbarism as I do, the general level of hospitality and conviviality is a little disconcerting at first; you have trouble believing it is genuine. I was in Turkey for a month. It is genuine.

Constantinople was the capital of a Europe united as a Christian empire. The Turks take pride in their entire heritage and the historical remains scattered throughout the city of Istanbul are reason enough to spend 2 weeks there--in the vain hope of scratching the surface.

The brilliant humanist and Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan designed the most amazing mosques...No photograph can do them justice...In addition, every human being should visit the Agha Sofia and stand at the world navel. Then look straight up.

Pictures of Turkish artists and poets adorn park benches and bus stops. Like ordinary Arabs and Iranians, Turks will often quote a line of poetry when attempting to explain something.

Thanks be to Allah that the EU could not get past its prejudices and admit Turkey when Turkey was interested in membership. The Turks, being Turks, found another way and now the EU needs them more than they need the EU. There really is justice in this world.