Religion in Turkey

Overview

Although roughly 99% of Turkey’s population is Moslem, this medical tourism destination does not identify itself as an Islamic state.  A secular nation with no official religion, Turkey grants total freedom of religion to its citizens.  After the decline of the Moslem Ottoman Empire, the country changed its day of rest from Friday to Sunday.  It also adopted the Gregorian calendar.  In more recent years, many religious symbols in public places – including the Moslem Hijab - have been banned.  Although Turkey has earned unfavorable comments from some of its Islamic neighbors, many believe that the country’s increasing secularization well help boost its bid to join the EU.   

Islam

Around 80% of Turkey is Sunni, with a minority of Shias and Allawis.  Turkey’s Moslems are among the most tolerant in the world, with non-Moslems being allowed to visit mosques as tourists.  Even with the separation of religion from state in Turkey, however, the country’s Moslem past is apparent.  Cities like Istanbul would lose much of their grandeur without the towering minarets dotting their skyline.  Straddling East and West, this medical tourism seeks to appease its Moslem population on the one hand while appealing to secular ideals put forth by its European neighbors.  

Whirling Dervishes of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi. 

Rumi was a 13^th century mystic who believed that whirling was just one of the ways a person could come closer to God.  After his death, his followers continued the tradition of dancing in trance-like abandon, and have bought their hypnotic whirling performances to the sounds of hymns to the four corners of the world.   If you’re in the country in December for your medical tourism vacation, make a trip to Konya for the annual commemoration of Rumi’s shrine – the celebrations feature enthralling performances by men in conical heats (symbolizing the tombstones of their egos) and white shroud-like billowing cloaks.