Why Watch a Turkish Soap Opera?

I've been spending time watching a Turkish soap opera over the last few months. (You got to love Netflix---it gives you an opportunity to waste time watching pop culture from all over the world!) The title is Ertugrul Resurrection and it's about the life of the father---Ertugrul Gazi---of the man usually credited with founding the Ottoman Empire---Osman Gazi.

A modern coin from Turkmenistan with an artistic
rendering of Ertugrul. From their central bank c/o
the Wiki Commons.  

It's a "ripping yarn" with good production values (one British website calls it "the Turkish Game of Thrones"), but the reason why I am interested in watching is because it gives me an eye into how other peoples see their own history and the cornerstones of a different culture. This isn't to say that it is historically accurate, but if it isn't exactly true, it does allow me to see the myths that inform another currently existing society.

What does Ertugrul Resurrection tell me about Turkish and Islamic society?

First off, that their history informs them with the idea that they have been surrounded by enemies, horribly abused, and, only managed to survive by the "skin of their teeth". In the first season we are introduced to the Gazi tribe, which has been forced to migrate from central Asia to the Middle East because of attacks by the Mongols. They have suffered from starvation and eventually migrate to land near Aleppo in modern day Syria. While there they suffer at the hands of Templar Knights (Christian Crusaders) who have a fortress nearby and who are conspiring against the Muslims and seeking to convince the Pope to order another crusade.

Secondly, we see that the organizational structure of the Gazi tribe is far, far more complex and cosmopolitan than the stories that Europeans tell about themselves. They aren't just a tribe of Turks trying to find their way in the world, they are very self-consciously part of a larger Seljuk Empire that has been badly damaged by the Mongol invasion, but still is a "live" part of people's understanding of themselves. In addition, they also see themselves as being part of the larger pan-Islamic civilization. Indeed, the hero of the series---Ertugrul---repeatedly states that the only reason why the Crusaders and Mongols were able to shatter their world was because the Muslim leaders refused to unite against their common enemy. And at least half of the plot revolves around internal intrigues by members of the society who either plot to seize power for themselves directly or in league with its external enemies.

The double-headed eagle emblem of the Seljuk Empire.
Artwork from the Selcuk University, Turkey, c/o Wiki Commons.

I find this a real contrast with the way Canadian, American, and, British history is portrayed. First off, none of our nations have really suffered significant defeat from our enemies.  Pearl Harbour, Dunkirk, etc, were merely momentary set-backs and our armies have always been ever victorious. Moreover, our historical dramas never have any sort of significant internal power struggles or really divided opinion about where we should go as a society. Problems came about, but always a dynamic leader arose that was able to unify the nation almost instantly:  Lincoln, Roosevelt, Churchill, etc, were always ready and waiting when they were needed.

Moreover, our societies are organized completely around the nation state. There was never a real commitment to a genuine multi-polar world where equal nations joined together because of a common understanding of the world. Christendom was, I suppose, like this during the Crusades, but that ideal was so badly damaged by the wars of religion that no popular culture I know of would try to suggest that they were anything more than doomed to failure from the outset.

Even more interesting is the complexity of what we would call "civil society". One of the key characters who moves the plot is a Sufi Master by the name of Ibn Arabi (another real historical figure) who comes from Al-Andalus which was a Islamic society in what is now Spain. He encourages Ertugrul, saves his life several times with his groovy mystical powers, and, prophesies that the Turks will eventually "bring justice and peace back to the Islamic world" (ie: found the Ottoman Empire.) 

In addition to the weird, secret world of the Sufis, this show suggests that a secret society known as the "White Beards" were really "pulling the strings" of the Turkish society and working to create a long-term, battle against the Mongols. Every tribe has a highly placed secret agent who reports back to the White Beards, and they have enormous power over the tribes. The group's leaders first meet with Ertugrul after he defeats the Crusaders and tells him that he needs to get his tribe to move from Syria to Anatolia (in modern Turkey) in order to fight against the Mongols. At a later meeting where representatives of all the tribes gather, the White Beards split the tribes into two groups and tells one half that their tribe will be martyred fighting against the Mongols so the other group can gather it's strength and become powerful enough to eventually overcome. The representatives all cheerfully take on their respective duties and head out to fight a war that will take decades to resolve. (I haven't seen anything similar to this in any Western popular portrayal of our history!)

Another aspect I find fascinating is the economy that is portrayed in the series. The Turks are a pastoral people, but while the men raise the livestock, the women have workshops where they process the wool into fine textiles---cloth and rugs---which are then sold to travelling traders who take their production out to the wider world. The hard currency raised this way is absolutely essential to the well-being of the tribe. This means that the women are an absolutely essential part of the economy of the tribe, and their needs are taken very seriously.

Even more to the point, as a warrior society that is at the brink of extinction because of Mongol persecution, women are considered an essential part of the military and expected to learn how to fight. They carry daggers thrust in their sashes just like the men. They also have swords and know how to use them. In one episode the leader of the tribe---a woman---is lying wounded in bed during a Mongol attack. The men are out fighting, and several women are in the yurt guarding her. A bunch of Mongol warriors burst in and the women kill all of them with scimitars and daggers. (The moral of the story is "don't mess with Turkish women!")

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I suspect some readers are by now asking themselves "Why is Bill blathering on in such detail about a Turkish soap opera?" The reason why is because I think that watching this show gives me at least a glimpse of an understanding of what is currently going on in the Middle East.

There are a couple things in the show that "set off" flags for me.

One of the warrior characters goes off on a little diatribe about how he loves to kill "non-Muslims". Given the fact that the only people that he has hadto deal with as an enemy are Christian Crusaders and Pagan Mongols, this sorta makes sense. Having said that, the hero of the show "liberates" a huge Templar treasure when he conquers their castle and makes a point of sending some of the loot to the Christian villages in the neighbourhood, who paid into this horde because of the oppressive rule of the Knights. There is also a Jewish character in one episode who helps hide Ertugrul when Crusader spies are seeking to kill him. But having pointed out these counter-examples, one does understand that the show does portray non-Muslims as being the fundamental enemies of justice and freedom for the people of the Islamic world. I suspect that given recent history it wouldn't be hard to find similar sentiment in the modern age.

One point that really struck home was the way no one is ever just a "casualty of war" in this show. Instead, they are "martyrs". To my ears that sounds weird. When I think about the term, I think of Christian missionaries being fed to lions or burnt in the arena at the behest of a Roman Emperor. It's strange to think of a soldier being a "martyr". But having said that, watching this show has helped me understand statements coming out of Iran saying that General Qasem Soleimani is a "martyr".

Qasem Soleimani, "martyred" in a drone strike on the orders
of President Donald Trump. Image c/o Wiki Commons.
Cropped by Bill Hulet

Another thing that I find weird is the way people are very upfront about being interested in getting revenge on other people for their actions. Lord knows, our society pays very little attention to the core teachings of the Gospels, but the "turn the other cheek" ethos is deep enough that I rarely hear much out-and-out calling for simple revenge. Instead, there's something of an attempt to suggest that, as Gandhi famously said, "The doctrine of an eye for an eye just leaves everyone blind". (I recall having the same feeling when I read Simon Weisenthal's book The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness. That book also questions the absolute commandment to forgive that seems to be a basic tenant of both Christianity and Buddhism. Weisenthal doesn't discard this idea with regard to the Holocaust, but he does wrestle with it and ultimately---if memory serves---never does come to a decision about whether forgiveness is possible in such extreme situations.) 

Simon Weisenthal, Holocaust survivor.
Public Domain image c/o Wiki Commons.

This too explains some of the things that I've seen on the newscasts about what is coming from Iran. We need to remember that in the West "revenge" is an idea that large swathes of the population dismiss as being something that our leadership should never follow. Instead, our leaders often at least pay lip service to the idea that instead we should be building our foreign policy around the idea of avoiding future conflict instead of trying to play "tit for tat". The impression I get from Ertugrul Resurrection is that in Islam revenge is considered a perfectly acceptable motive for future actions. If this is true, it's important that we citizens understand this point when we are thinking about foreign policy.

Ultimately, the thing to remember is that while there are tremendous similarities among all people, there are also significant differences between cultures. It's important to remember that when we watch the news. And I would suggest that people should put at least some effort into understanding the differences between cultures if they really want to understand what is going on around them.

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Furthermore I say onto you, the Climate Emergency must be dealt with!