SaigonNezumi.com

Here is a nice documentary on Islamic Architecture that should interest the likes of architects such as Antidote to Burnout.  I learned a lot from this documentary hosted at Google Video.  I want to travel to Isfahan, Iran, and Samarqand, Uzbekistan, some day to visit the beautiful mosques (masjids) there someday.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8018912082115778034

Today I finally figured out how to set my Al-Fajr Clock to the local prayers times for Saigon, Vietnam.  I purchased the Al-Fajr CW-05 clock when I was back in the US.  It has been a pain to set the clock for Saigon until I read, umm, the instructions closely.

1. Select city code 999-999 press (SET)
2. Select city code 58-2 press (SET)
3. Select -34 press (SET)
4. Select 18:17 press (SET)

I pressed 34 instead of -34 for number 3 so the prayer times were off.

Now everything is working right

Salat Time 0.9 is available from the Android Marketplace for my G1.  It is getting easier to remember the prayer times now.

I was going through my image folders from a backup I made nearly 4 years ago when I found some pictures I thought were lost.  They sure brought back some memories.

Back in the Summer of 2001, I was interviewed by a television crew from STV, one of the leading television companies in Turkey.  The television crew interviewed roughly 30 Americans for broadcasting with Yeni Hayatlar (New Lives) during the 2001 Ramadan month in Turkey and the Turkish speaking world.  My story was quite interesting for them for my experiences with Islam and the Muslim communities in Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic (See my website Salaam Central Asia to learn about my experiences in Turkey and Central Asia).

The interview went very well but I was not able to see a finished clip until December, 2001.  I forgot about it until I met with Fetullah Gulen and his community in Pennsylvania on my way to Istanbul.  I remembered that he told me that I looked different in person (he had already seen my program on STV via satellite).  I had no idea what he meant until I arrived into Istanbul a couple days later.

During an advertisement for Yeni Hayatlar, I saw a ‘fat’ looking, umm, me on TV.  Oh my God, nobody realized that interviewing me outside in very humid conditions, sweating profusing to boot, would, umm, make me look fat.  The footage inside my apartment, I looked normal, but outside, oh my God!!!

Anyway, the series was a success and books are still being sold in Turkey.  I still get occassional emails from Kazakhstan from Central Asians who saw me on STV.  Finding me at SaigonNezumi.com kind of boggles them, I am not like the guy STV portrayed me as being very religious and spiritual.  For me that is funny since I do not consider myself religious at all, though I am very spiritual

So have at it, here are my ‘fat’ pictures:

I visited Istanbul, Turkey, back in December, 1999, for the first time on a flyover from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to the US. I immediately fell in love with the city. During my stay at Indiana University in Bloomington, I met Bilal Erdogan, the son of current Turkish Prime Minister’s (Recep Tayyib Erdogan) and was quite impressed at the intelligence of young Bilal. I met Prime Minister Erdogan at Indiana University many months before he became the Prime Minister of Turkey. The whole Erdogan family are to be greatly respected for their compassion and love of their religion, Islam, and the Turkish people.

I visited Turkey for 3 weeks in December, 2001. Later the following summer, I lived in Turkey for 3 months. Several of my Turkish friends were supporters of the AK Party, the current ruling party of Turkey. Yeah, the were devout Muslims but no where near the fanatics that many secular Turks want to claim AK members to be. Abdullah Gul would make a great President for Turkey. The AK Party has done an amazing job during their reign. I hope the military can use some restraint and let democracy continue to take hold in Turkey.

Turkish poll crisis goes to court

Turkey’s disputed election of a new president – pitting secularists against the ruling Islamist-rooted AK party – has gone to the constitutional court.

I met Fetullah Gulen in Pennsylvania in late December, 2001, before my trip to Istanbul, Turkey, with a Turkish friend, Cuneyt. The first time I saw him was when everyone was performing the morning prayers.  I remember him quite well for when I was introduced to him, he gave me a really tight hug and picked me off the ground.  I was shocked since everyone told me he was not very healthy anymore.  The man I met was very strong.

One of the things that I respect Fetullah Gulen most is how he inspired many Muslims around the world.  If you meet these Muslims, you will be shocked at how much they love Hocafendi (an honorary name they give to their teacher).  I met many of his followers for the first time in Kazakhstan and later in the Kyrgyz Republic.  They answered to Fetullah’s call by organizing schools around the world.  Some of the top students to come out of the former Soviet Union studied in these Turkish schools.

Though I was never part of his followers, I enjoyed being with this group in the US and Turkey.  The Muslims I tend to relate more too were the Kazakh Muslims I met in Taraz, Kazakhstan, back in April, 1999.  They were part of the Yeni Asya Vaqkfi.  I attended one of their madrasah’s in Taraz where they read chapters from Said Nursi’s “Risale- Nur.”  Said Nursi is a very profound writer and his book is very interesting to read.

In all honesty, if you want to get a different perspective on Islam than the one you see on TV, I highly recommend you read the works from both Said Nursi and Fetullah Gulen.  You will immediately understand why these two men are influential among Turkish and Central Asian Muslims today.

For more information on Fetullah Gulen, visit: http://en.fgulen.com/ 

For more information on Said Nursi’s “Risale-i Nur,” visit:  http://www.risale-inur.com.tr/rnk/eng/tarihce/bsn.htm

For my article on Islam in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, visit: http://www.amerasianworld.com/islam_in_kazakhstan.php