Muhtesem Yuzyil: SELEN ÖZTÜRK:

This is a short interview that I did with Selen Ozturk who plays Gulfem in Muhtesem Yuzyil. I asked her what were the life lessons that helped her throughout her life; surprisingly she has some very fresh ideas.

SELEN ÖZTÜRK

©Maryam Ismail 2012

Selen Özturk dreamed of becoming an actress as a teenager. This dream came true when she won a scholarship to Hacettepe University’s Actors’ Conservatory.  She currently stars as Gülfem Haseki Sultan, mother of Murad Şezade and the wife of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent in the Turkish television series Muhtşem Yuzyil. 

 Child’s Play:

Never give up your childhood instincts. This has been one of my cardinal rules. I use my playfulness to make me more creative, proactive and courageous in my personal as well as in my professional life. Life is a gift; in it we get only one childhood. Keeping the blessing of this experience (the inner child) alive continuously keeps us pure, alive and happy. Like a child I am not afraid to try new things, to be spontaneous or to dreams beyond the limit. And that’s why I will never let my my inner child die.                                          

First Know Yourself and You’ll find Out What You Want:

It is so important to know yourself; to be self aware and to discover new facets of one’s personality along the way. When I was 14, I saw a musical play and realized that I wanted to be a actor. I had to work hard and make a lot of sacrifices to achieve this goal. Because I was passionate and committed to follow this path, I didn’t really have much difficulty to persuade my family to support my decision.

Afterward, I realized that I had to study and become more aware of the world around me. I began this journey by reading vociferously, traveling, making careful observations and learning more about people-all these things became part of this path I’ve chosen. I know that these adventures, challenges and fun will continue non-stop with each step forward. There you have it, a professional journey without a final destination.

Let the Music Move You:

Music has been a big part of my life since early childhood. I sing, play the piano and guitar. My name is Selen which means ‘’sound’’ in Turkish. And so I’m living according to my name. I find my way by following the sound and rhythm of life. And one day this love of music led me to acting; that’s when I decided to spend my life pursuing both. All the theater productions I’ve performed in have been musicals. Hopefully it will continue on this way.

Believe In Your Dreams:

I love to dream. Every chance I get, I let myself just drift off into these dreams. They bring me great joy and happiness and hope. As a child I used to imagine myself as a character in the cartoons I liked to watch. And now I’m lending my voice to a lot of these cartoons. So you might say that I’ve in some way achieved this dream of being one of these hilarious characters. That’s fun, don’t you think?

Another dream of mine was to be a character in a period piece-grand costumes, larger-than-life sets, and a magical atmosphere. Every little girl’s dream is to be a princess in fairy tale. And now, in Muhtesem, I am just that-a lady in a palace, in a wonderful, historical, TV series. As you can imagine, I am having a ball. All of this proves that you should never ever give up on you dreams, they just might come true.

The Power of Love:

Every choice I make is motivated by love. Love, for me is the essence of life and great source of power. It’s a positive kind of power that I’d like contribute to. Every relationship in my life is formed out of a sense of love. As is my choice of profession–acting. Love is a divine emotion, strengthening our bond with life. In order to be a full human being, one has to have defined, experienced and known love. Only through discovering love, one can really truly enjoy success and happiness.

Maryam Ismail

One Dream Done: Arundhati Roy

The Indian author Arundhati Roy speaks at the Sharjah International Book Fair. Duncan Chard for the National.

Roy against the machine

Maryam Ismail

Nov 13, 2012 

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Normally, arriving 30 minutes early for a Sharjah book fair event at the Sharjah Expo Centre's huge conference hall would guarantee you a seat, but not this time. Every chair except for two rows of reserved seating was taken; the walls of the auditorium were lined with people. A few minutes and about a hundred people later, Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, the president of the Emirates Publishing Association, presented Arundhati Roy to a standing ovation.

Earlier that day, when I spoke to Roy, we talked about her work as a writer, her books and her experiences as an activist, championing human rights, environment issues and the anti-globalisation movement.
Her activities have not been without controversy. Vocal in her opposition to her country's nuclear policy, its ambitions of becoming a free market and the issue of Kashmir (she supports its independence) have incurred the wrath of Indian nationalists, and after she spent two months visiting the Maoist rebels in the Indian forests in 2010, highlighting the plight of India's tribal people, the Adivasis, she was accused of being a national traitor.

However, she dismisses the idea that she's any kind of activist.
"I don't even know what an activist is," she says. "I don't know why people keep saying that I am an activist as if I'm walking around, carrying a banner all the time. I write because I have a space in which I can be heard and that is what I do. I write about my society and its issues."
Prior to meeting her, I expected the 50-year-old writer to be a fierce woman, full of angst and anger, but instead I found that she possesses both the infinite tenderness of a mother and the reckless rage of a suicide bomber, to paraphrase from The God of Small Things. Wearing a burnt orange cotton sari with an olive green blouse and long, white beads, she is a gracious woman who seems so instantly familiar that you want to greet her with a kiss on the cheek. And while her countenance may make you stop in your tracks, watch out: she carries a pen filled with the ink of ire.

In her work, she is known for focusing on the uneven tug of war between global capitalism and those under its feet. When The God of Small Things won the Booker Prize and sent Roy's international profile skyrocketing, she used the clout to unleash a blaze of dissent against India's nuclear ambitions, political corruption and the marginalisation of its poor and powerless.

The God of Small Things, which centres on the lives of twins, a boy and a girl, growing up in Aymanam Kerala - where Roy herself grew up - is a book that gives you butterflies in your stomach; it's filled with tastes, smells and sounds. It brings coolness to your skin and a twinge of pain to your heart. Remarkably, I can still conjure up these images after having read the book only once, 14 years ago, in 1998.
Roy is the daughter of a Syrian Christian mother and a Bengali Hindu. Her mother moved her family to Aymanam after divorcing Roy's father. It was an experience, Roy says, that strongly influenced her writing of The God of Small Things.

"In the Syrian Christian community, I grew up as an outsider," she recalls. "People would say: 'Why don't you go back to your father?' Then, there was the caste system, albeit a hidden one, but nonetheless very rigid. In retrospect, it was the battle to understand who you are."
The caste system is an issue that's obviously close to Roy's heart. But is there anything that can be done to change the national consciousness?

"The debate about changing the society's mindset began with Bhimrao Ramaji Ambedkar [the architect of the Indian constitution] and [Mahatma] Gandhi. The constitution was a compromise where caste was institutionalised. People like to think of Gandhi as someone that was against the caste system, but this is a lie. Gandhi himself believed in the caste system. He said that the untouchables should remain scavengers and Brahmins should take care of the spiritual needs of society - that every caste should remain where it is, but we should respect them.

"There is such intellectual dishonesty going around in India concerning him and his history. He is a fascinating figure, but he should not be someone that we cannot question or talk about - this is wrong."
Another cause Roy is associated with is anti-globalisation, a topic which she has written about extensively. Does she think her work, together with that of others such as Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein and Howard Zinn are collectively making a chink in the globalisation machine's armour?
"I think it's hard to say," she says. "There is a chink in the machine, but I don't know if it is because of our work. The machine is creating such enormous disparity, such enormous violence, that there is bound to be a blowback. How can I take credit for that? I don't know."

The God of Small Things has yet to be followed by a second novel but, after 14 years, she confirms that another is on its way. An attempt to squeeze out some details is met with a sly chuckle.
"I am writing a new novel, but when I finish it, it will be as much as a surprise to me as it is to you."
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Crafty Gemini: Sewing Stretch Fabrics

Crafty Gemini is my new fav for learning to sew and advice on crafts.

Yes, this is a tad away from my normally, politically charged gloomy self. Yes, I do think about other things. Like sewing. Shopping is just too depressing. I went to H&M's just to have a look at the sales and found a. clothes that were too hot to wear after January and b. skirts that make better head bands because, hummm, use your imagination. So, I am making my kids clothes. A knit dress and a long shimmery gown. Pictures might be forthcoming. Anyway, I'd like to hook you on to my girl Crafty Gemini- Vanessa Wilson who is no joke. I found her when I was looking for a video on YouTube on how to make homemade soaps. I had found some other videos, but hers were clear and precise. She even has a phone app!

Ya gotta love her.

Hoping for Change-Sigh

This is something that I wrote in 2010. Although things are a little different from back then, some things are are worst. Back then, we were just worried about impossibilities, like the entire population of America having its water supply compromised by terrorist,  but now that the Muslims are asserting their right self determination along their own values, it's time to bring out the ammo. Libya was the first trial and now Mali; just when we thought the war was over. Obama, said that the war on terror was over, then he said, he got Osama, then Al Qaida was weakened. An now what is the excuse? Ya Rabb, musaidinah!

Time to move on America

Maryam Ismail / 9 April 2010

People in our part of the world love to say, ‘the Jews control everything in America… All of the US presidents are Jews excluding Barack Obama; he has other problems’. Conspiracy theories make me laugh. That was until I listened to the two speeches given at this year’s annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) meeting.

Then the entire scenario unfolded before me like the end of the film, Ocean’s 12. Suddenly, everything I’ve ever seen had a new meaning. It became clear, that words like insurgent, terrorist, and militant were selectively taken from the word wall of Zionism. Placing these words into an ultra-mediated discourse has made them almost as ubiquitous as milk and sugar.

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and US Congress member Eric Cantor, took the team teaching approach, in giving their version of Israeli history, 101 and 102. Netanyahu played expert historian, and participant of the death-defying struggle of his people, painting the bloody and arduous history of the Jews of the past three millennia across a global canvas.

Next, Cantor, gave his introduction to modern US Jewish history which recounted the tale of 20,000 German-Jewish children on a ship who were denied entry to the US and were sent back to Germany, because Congress refused to pass a bill granting them entry. To make up for it, we see the end result, the state of Israel. Then we got to the real point of their speeches: Palestine, Islam, and terror.  I don’t know if it’s delusion or blindness, when Netanyahu spoke about Israel’s attempt at peace with Palestinians while at the same time saying that they have no right to their homes in Jerusalem.  “Amen” added Cantor.

Suddenly, Netanyahu’s geography got funky. He compared my home state of New Jersey (one of the smallest states in the US), to Israel. Building a scenario where Iran and Hezbollah (which he says has 60,000 missiles) were ready to pounce on this innocent and beleaguered mouse (Israel) which is already scratched and bruised. New Jersey is not Israel.

Trenton, the capitol of New Jersey couldn’t defend itself against Iran or Hezbollah. However, Israel with its endless source of conscripted military and white phosphorus, US-made and donated technology and weaponry, could and often does, annihilate anyone that has threatened it.

That’s my spin on it, but it won’t be coming to a movie theatre near you any time soon.

My jaw dropped when Cantor laid out his 12-step media plan to keep the world focused on the US “war on terror.” “From Yemen to Afghanistan to Pakistan, terrorists are not going to lay down their arms against America if we abandon Israel. We must do everything possible to hold the media accountable and empower our communities at home with an understanding of the true nature of our shared struggle with Israel.” 

Suddenly, that 1950’s film, the Blob came to mind. As if there isn’t enough hype and hysteria surrounding the world of Muslims, it seems that this is just the beginning.

First, the story was of 19 mad men, allegedly all from the Arab world. Then they somehow had a connection to Afghanistan. Then anthrax. Then old vials of Ricin were found in a refrigerator in Iraq. Now there’s this talk of American wannabe terrorists. You see how it goes from a little rock with a ball of jelly in it into a bloodthirsty monster devouring humankind?  Cantor does a remake with a mental montage of his version of Muslim world: “The American people know who stands with us in our fight against terrorism; we know who wept at candlelight vigils when America was attacked on 9-11 (I shed a tear for my friends in the WTC basement) and we know who sends teams of doctors and millions of dollars halfway around the world to save lives in Haiti.

"In the same way, we Americans also know who teaches their children to emulate suicide bombers (hmmm); who danced and tossed candy around in the streets on 9-11 celebrating that horrible day (A Fox News re-mix). And we do know who names their boulevards, schools and their public squares after terrorists," Cantor proclaimed. 

Am I the only person who believes this guy has gone off his rocker and is tired of this spiel?  It’s time to think differently, to stop rehashing this rhetoric. We have to think of the global common good. This constant search for bad guys is not healthy. No disrespect to those who’ve died and are dying in this mess, but a death is a death and everyone cries when their loved ones are gone.

In the words of the great comedian, Bernie Mac, “America, let’s move on.”  I hate to say it, but if we don’t there’ll be no end of the Jihad Janes, Petey the Petrol throwers, and Wally Wahhabis, because this theme is coming back home, ‘if you’re not down with the latest theme on terror, you’ve got to be a terrorist.’

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/opinion/2010/April/opinion_April48.xml&section=opinion&col

Prayer in Mall Masjids: Where Did Everybody Go?

What’s going on? I’ve noticed that in terms of the malls, there are less women praying along with their children in the Mall masjids. I also had a similar experience during this 2012 Sharjajh International book fair where it’s claimed that there were 70,000 visitors a day. Yet, in the past, during the prayer times, it was almost impossible especially on the women's side. Even if you when to pray up to fifteen minutes early, their was no place in the bathroom, in the masjid and even in the halls. However, this time, as I sat there waiting for the Maghrib athan, I sat there all alone. Finally as I was leaving there were about three people coming to pray. Even during other times there were very few people praying. The same thing with Asr prayer yesterday in Sahara Center. It was Friday and the mall wasn't very crowded, but there were lots of people there and yet, during Asr prayer there was only about 10 or 12 people praying. In the past, during this time, you’d have to wait for enough people to stop just so you could get out of the mosque (it’s prohibited to pass in front of someone praying).And now, their was only one person praying behind me in the second row. 

Why is this? Now, when there are seemingly more and more Islamic classes, but less people praying. Also, there is the problem of fajr. Perhaps it's two things, those who pray have left the malls. They have decided these are places of fitna. They are in a way, how many awful songs have I heard describing acts that would land you in jail if you talked about them in public? Then despite the signs asking people to please where respective clothing, in some cases, even though, some might think that these signs are for non-Muslims, there are some Muslims who are guilty of dressing inappropriately. 

Then there is also, the factor of the 3ddy culture, where Islamic values are not held in the respect that they deserve. There's a demand for respectful clothing, but there are very few places that sell them I went to H&M to look for a shirt for my muhajjabet daughter, and found a mini skirt that would make a nice head piece for her. Yanni, that it was that small. In the past, I would see Emirati girls wearing their traditional jilbabs, they were beautiful and covering well. Now, it very rare. I am not blaming them. It's just perhaps that they feel that it's an old thing. Then they should buy they latest fashions. Allahu 3llum. The other is that there are very few options and if they have money, why shouldn't they spend it on their kids. Why shouldn't these kids dress like the ones they see on those kids on the MBC channels? 

There is a slow withdrawal of the Islamic presence. 

It’s been two years now that they've stopped the Fajr prayer on the loudspeakers, now we can hear only athan and iqamah, the call to wake up and the call to stand for prayer. What does this mean? I am no sure, what I do know is that it can not lead to any good. Perhaps people will let it go, but as Emiratis struggle to keep their culture in tact, but how can they when much of this culture is linked to Islam? Without Islam what will be left of Emirati culture? Without prayer, what kind of hope will be left for a better future? I am of the opinion that it’s taqwa of the people that has kept UAE strong, prosperous, and thriving. It is also, the same thing that made Turkey rise within the past few years. Without it, it was a disaster, and without it and/or with its decline, it has had awful results.