Turkish Adventure By Jim Buie

Advice to Friends Considering A Visit to Turkey

Yes, I think you can manage Turkey by yourselves, not in a packaged tour. The people are enormously friendly and helpful -- they'll take you by the hand and lead you where you need to go, for free, whereas in Italy, if they do that, they'll ask for 20 Euro for 15 minutes of assistance. 

Should Western Tourists Be Concerned About 'Increasing Islamization of Turkey'?

Question posed on Rick Steves' Facebook page: "Are you concerned about the increasing Islamization of Turkey? It seems that they are moving stealthily but steadily toward sharia law. We have canceled plans for a third trip there because of it. What are you sensing?"

My response: I am an American who has been living in central Turkey -- Kayseri, supposedly one of the more conservative cities -- for 2 years and I can assure you that "increasing islamization" or "moving steadily toward Sharia law" is not a major concern for us. We have found Turks here to be amazingly hospitable, quite tolerant of our religious differences and interested in our perspectives.  Do not be fooled by hysterical predictions of  a "clash of civilizations" between the "Christian, civilized West" and "savage, Islamic radicals taking over the East." Turkey most definitely does not fit into that paradigm, if any country does.

Drill Deeper:

• 15 Turkish Educators, All Muslims, and One American Christian, on Pilgrimage Together to 'City of Prophets'

• Visiting the Purported Home of Prophet Job (Ayoub)
• "What if?" Ashley Perks, an American who has lived in Turkey since 1997, writes about the positive changes that have occurred since the moderately Islamist government came to power in 2003. Acknowledging that many of her expat friends are "deeply suspicious, even cynical, of the projects and programs of the ruling party and its ultimate intentions," she suggests they lack perspective.  "Those of my friends who have not been here as long as I have are, in my view, being too quick to cry wolf, not having experienced how things were just a short decade ago...Unlike many of my expat friends, I have absolutely no fear that Turkey is being dragged into Shariah law, regardless of the religious leanings of the present ruling party. Indeed, this country is a far more pleasant place to live in than it was 10 years ago."