BEING AND BECOMING MUSLIM Rottmann, Susan Beth
In Pursuit of Belonging,
06/2019, Volume:
4
Book Chapter
Today is Ramazan Bayramı (Ramadan Holiday or Eid al-Fitr), and Leyla and her children break their month-long fast with a hearty breakfast of fried dough, fried hotdogs, boiled eggs, black olives, and ...shepherd’s salad, which consists of cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, onions, olive oil, and lemon juice. Of course, there is also tea. After breakfast, Leyla changes from sweat pants into jeans and a flowered blouse. She dresses Mert and Hande in new clothes. It is time to begin our rounds of holiday visiting. It is called “bayramlaşmak” in Turkish, which literally translates as “making the holiday” and which means visiting
Excitement is in the air! The day of Mert’s circumcision celebration has finally arrived. Long before the hundred or so guests arrive, Leyla’s youngest son, Mert, is dressed in the traditional ...circumcision outfit: a white cape with a white, feathered fringe worn over a gold embroidered vest. He has a sword around his waist and an adorable pointed hat on his head. He appears to be dressed as a miniature Ottoman prince, prompting family and friends to declare him a “Little Sultan.” Mert starts the evening in good spirits but gets crankier as he is the center of attention—frequently
INTRODUCTION Rottmann, Susan Beth
In Pursuit of Belonging,
06/2019, Volume:
4
Book Chapter
“Stay strong. You will surprise yourself with how strong you can be,”¹ Leyla advises her neighbor Melis. Melis is distraught over having found her 17-year-old daughter, Sahra, in an intimate embrace ...with their Qur’anic recitation instructor. “I almost killed myself after I found them together,” she tells Leyla. If word gets out, Sahra’s honor will be tainted, reflecting badly on the whole family. Even more troubling for Melis is that the fallout from this event will likely result in the exposure of additional family secrets for which Melis is wholly unprepared to deal with right now. “People tell me about
