-Sir,(that's what they usually call me) they want you to go to Kenya, will you go?" says the sound on my phone (Celalettin Yüksel) while picking za'atar ( thymine) in the hills of Iznik, and goes on: if I agree, must get a picture of the front of my passport and hurry. Why wouldn't I?
All along, I've had a hobby of traveling, seeing new places and reconnoitering.
But such situations have transformed the hobby to duty. For instance: The Organization of Sacrifices in India (2008), the way open to Palestine (2009), Mavi Marmara (2010) were some of the things we should take part in. Well, now the route was Kenya. It doesn't matter to us Kenya or Konya. We are ibn'us sebil (son of the road). All world belongs to Allah. So we should have traveled in the world of Allah, and we should see the people of the countries we will go and their circumstances.
Systems have passed away before you. Do but travel in the land and see the nature of the consequence for those who did deny (the messengers).
---- Kırmızıyla gösterdiğim yer Türkçede yok ama ayette orada durak olmadığı için ayetin hepini koyma ihtiyacı hissettim.
There are other verses like this, which encourage travel advise us to travel, to take lessons, and to have knowledge in the Qur'an. So I think it would be great to read history, to know what archaeology is, to be curious about anthropology, to know the geography of the world. Muslim who does not know that Medina above of Mecca, gets low marks in the exam. It immediately appears how weak the religious archaeology of a person who cannot distinguish between Shiism and Shafii. Then we have to read, travel and criticize them before it's too late.
Let's begin the preparations
After the phone call, I return to Istanbul and apply for a passport. The next after, the passport is delivered to my address. But officials of Sadakatasi said to me that I must be vaccinated against yellow fever. Kenya checks it out at the entrance. Karakoy, borders and coastwise health general directorate said to me that would be good to get permission from my doctor so that they could vaccine. Because we were asked if we had chronic heart and kidney diseases in the forms we needed to fill. I had to get the acknowledgment, especially for kidneys, because I had both. So, thank God we took care of that.
I met my fellow travelers
Within that period, I'm in contact with Umit Bilbay. He's the manager of our group, a young and calm person. Sadakatasi officer Ahmet delivers our tickets through e-mails.
ıt was recommended that we have to be very careful when taking pictures, not gargling even at the hotel in Kenya. After all, we are going to a country whose living standards are lower than Turkey's.
I go to a grocery store and buy a few borlotti beans in olive oil and a peanut bar and confectionery for Kenyan kids. The salesgirl, who learns that the candies are for Kenyan children, immediately bought a kilo for them.
On Sunday, August 19th, I meet my friends at Sadakatasi building - all of them is young- Me, Umit Bilbay, Mustafa Tarik Kaderli and Nuh Recep Gur formed a small group. We take a taxi to the airport. THY Airbus 330 took off at 20.00 and our air journey, which will last about seven hours, has begun.
Country for rent
We arrive in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, around 3:00 a.m. the weather is cold because it's winter here. But winters are like the May of our beautiful Istanbul. I'm cautious, wore my cardigan.
Interesting! I'm in Africa, but the things are sparkling. There's no litter or cigarette butt. Because smoking is forbidden in the country. What a beautiful!
Abdullah and Abdulkerim greeted us. Abdullah is director of the organization in Kenya, Abdulkerim is a driver. We're spending time together. Because in a few hours, we're getting on the plane and going to Kisumu.
It's the first time we've come to a country. We’re peeking through the around. The driving on the left-hand side of the road but driver's seat on the right. It's an unusual situation for us. But that's what the British did.
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Difference between Turkey and Kenya
They are not impetuous unlike us. They’re very calm people. There are a lot of people walking on expressways. I reached the conclusion that the most plentiful things here are poverty and time.
The most problematic topic is the toilet. The people have difficulty in geography dominated by Christian and local religions. The toilets you find are both very unhealthy and no water. Also, rain is a lot, too. We have been caught in the rain many times. When I asked them they said that they couldn't drill due to lack of money. But there was another answer. The water doesn't stayed the soil, and goes deep. I also saw it. A large pool surrounded by thick nylons was opened on the side of the road, where the equatorial line is passing to keep rainwater in it.
And Alı
After some confusion and fajr prayer, Abdulkerim get us at the door of the domestic flights. We arrive in Kisumu after about 40 minutes. Ali greets us on the exit. Ali who tasked to take care of us is the principal of an Arabic language school. We're heading for Kitale in his car. We're keeping going in Africa. We've arrived in Kitale. We checked into a hotel. It was the Jehovah's Witness’s hotel, we did not know, and we caught the men at the meeting. By the way, let me indicate this one. The streets of the city are asphalt. But when you leave the main street, unimproved road all around. I specifically looked around, but I couldn't see any litter. I even took a picture of the dirt roads. Let's look at us: The litters of picnickers create small hills. Why don't you take your litters with your memories?
In the morning, we left the hotel for salat al-eid and went to the mosque where prayers would be performed. The situation in the mosque: a person on the front line says Allahu akbar and mosque community that is following him say Allahuakbar. Then the same person says salavat for h.muhammad and his companions, progeny, and wives and the community is following him. Afterward, salat al-eid was performed and we congratulated each other’s Eid. We welcomed the eid where 4770 km from Istanbul without our families and loved ones. Shadi Shirazi poetized these:
دلا عيد ست هركسي دست يار هىش بو سد
غريبم , بيكسم, من دست غام , غام دست من بو سد.
"The heart wishes that everyone to kiss the hand of your loved one
I'm a wretch, I'm an outcast I kiss the hand of sadness, sadness kisses my hand."
We're spending the Eid away from home.
We'll go to slaughterhouse and start to slaughter. The tripod was installed and the camera was placed. We're explaining to the attendants how to slaughter. Mustafa and Recep are responsible for the camera. Umit calls the names of the shareholders. I say Allahuakbar and read the verses from en'am sura then the sacrifice is slaughtered. May Allah accept.
…
The slaughtering and cutting into pieces of the sacrifices are finished. It’s time for distribution, and we're taking care of it. We're going to go to Bugoma, 90 km from Kitale, and we're distributing the remaining shares. We're going back to Kitale at night. Ali leaves by saying he'll be here at 4:00 a.m. he came in the morning as he said. We went somewhere on Bugoma for slaughtering and distribution. If we'll have gone back, why didn't we stay in Bugoma at night? After completing our work today (the second day of the eid), we set off for Kisumu. We went by plane from Kisumu to the capital, Nairobi, and checked into our hotel later in the night. Altitude is high in Nairobi, hence the weather cold in the city. Security is very problematic in the city. That's why it's good to be careful.
We arrived in Mombasa early in the morning. We were greeted by Serif, who a teacher, his son Hussein, the bus operator, and his assistant Abdullah. We slaughtered the sacrifices and delivered the shares. May Allah accept.
Mombasa, a city established by Arab merchants. The proportion of Muslims is 70%, this rate is around 37% across Kenya. Measuring of Kenya is 580,000 square kilometers and home to 50,000 people. As in all of Africa, after the riots and civil commotions, independence was declared in 1963 under the leadership Jomo Kenyatta. Gross national product per capita is $1,367. It's insufficient.
In fact, Africa was not such a poor continent. It had a home to very rich states and even empires in history. The famous traveler Ibn Battuta describes how emperors of Malli threw the solid golds to the people in the eids. Slave trade, civil wars, underdevelopment, drought and hunger, dictatorship, terrorism that began from the 15th century have played a leading role how Africa became an underdeveloped continent. (Dr. Mükerrem Miftah, Vuslat Magazine August 2018 issue)
Millions of Africans were taken by ships to the Americas and, were prevented their personality and employed as slaves in unimaginable circumstances. Those brought to this continent thought that all the white people present in the world were Christians and just black people were Muslims.
Only western imperialist powers were are a decision-maker in Africa. They didn't refrain from exploitation Africa for the prosperity of the West. Shortly, the main reason underdevelopment of Africa is the political, administrative and economic structures established during the colonial period.
No doubt that the sacrifices work in these regions every year will create an emotional atmosphere for the local population but what is important is to agenda and execution of sustainable and permanent structures. In today's world, it is a fact that most of the international affairs - especially social, medical assistance and education - are done by the hands of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Sadakatasi Association, which is one of the organizations honor of our country, is making up for the shortcomings in this field with its various organizations based on voluntariness. We should support this eximious association with financial support (orphan supporter, water wells opening, school building, alms, sacrifice, akikah, etc.) and moral support (attending meetings, make feel them that we are with them), and we should contribute beneficialness works. I wish Sadakatasi success and convenience in this blessed work. All the best.
Mehmet Barazi
