In English it takes two words to say "law" and "religion" and those two words carry two different bundles of meaning. In Arabic and Turkish, traditionally one word, din, meant both. Splitting or uniting the ideas and assumptions behind those words makes an enormous difference in the way society functions. But were Christianity and Islam really that different from their beginnings? Have they changed over time? Are they more like or unlike each other today? Can they coexist in peace or must conflict and violence continue? And is violence or terrorism required, or can it be reformed away? The ways in which Christianity and Islam each began starts answering these questions, and obscure historical events like the Papal Revolution and the Mihna help too. The unconscious assumptions of the modern West as it invaded the Middle East both militarily and culturally provide answers as well, and so do the differing reactions within Islamic societies. Looking at these divergent historical paths helps expose the hidden assumptions causing Christians and Muslims to misunderstand each other today. This is not an easy book to read. Given the subject matter, it can't be. Hopefully it will reward the reader with insights into today's issues. More than that, it should bring hope as we meet many Muslims working to correct what they see as wrong interpretations of Islam and to reform Islam.
I was born in Michigan, and earned a B.A. degree from Hope College, in Holland, Michigan, in 1988, and a J.D. degree from Wayne State University Law School, in Detroit, Michigan, in 1992. I've practiced law for nearly 25 years. In 2006, my wife and I decided to move with our three girls to Istanbul, Turkey. I taught in the Law Faculty of Yeditepe University in Istanbul for 2 years. Following that, I taught in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Sabancı University, in Istanbul, for 6 years. Courses given there included Comparative Constitutional Law (Turkey and the U.S.); Law, Business, and Society; Comparative Legal Thought; and, History of Western Law. We all learned Turkish (granted - the kids is better than ours), and made many new friends. Talking with the girls as they grew up in Istanbul about the fact that different cultures are often that - just different - not better/worse or good/bad was an education for us all. Living and working in another country was enriching to the entire family in many ways, some of which we're only just beginning to discover. In 2012 we, (plus the 2 kittens bought on arrival in Istanbul, by then comfortably middle-aged felines) moved back to the U.S. Since then I've practiced law again, and taught a little as an Adjunct Professor, while my wife is teaching High School ESL. Our three girls are either at Michigan State or will start in Fall 2016. They've enjoyed their Turkish classes there. Our oldest shares her Turkish poetry online, and our middle child regularly trades good-natured insults in Turkish and Arabic with some of the Turkish and Arabic dorm staff. We currently reside in the quiet and green resort community of Holland, Michigan, but miss Turkey and our friends there.
