• Roberts MN et al. A Ketogenic Diet Extends Longevity and Healthspan in Adult Mice. Cell Metabolism, September 2017.

The travelers on this path endear their beloved to those they reach through the tongues of disposition and representation, their most powerful arguments. They always inhale the truth and spread it wherever they go. Hence, they attain Divine love, stage by stage. They constantly repeat the statement of the Prophet, the Master of Discourse: “Endear God to His servants, so that God may love you too!” They travel to the farthest corners of the globe, carrying “talk of the Beloved” on their lips. This is a Divine rejoinder, as vast as oceans, that rewards drop-like kindness. The expression “worth the world” fails to state it befittingly.

Being under the tutelage of the Prophet and following his footsteps is one of foremost ways and means that lead a person to endear the Almighty. All who know and accept Him and enter His spiritual atmosphere are saved from inattentiveness as far as they internalize and live according to His light-diffusing scriptures, which are messages coming from His attribute of speech. Hence, they start seeing everything through the lens of insight. While their eyes watch the signs in the temple of the universe, their ears effervesce with zeal when they hear the miraculous word of God reciting the laws of creation in the huge sanctuary of events. They respire by the following lines of the poet:

“You exist, O Lord; You exist once and always,
You are always in my mind, in my heart and in my soul!”

They deeply weave together contemplations starting from faith (iman), knowledge of the Divine (marifa), love of the Divine (muhabba), and love and yearning for a reunion with God. They start murmuring the melodies which are portrayed and voiced by the paragraphs, sentences, and words of existence and events, and they say, “He.” Hence, they mention Him and constantly remember Him in words. See how exquisite a man of love and elation put this experience into words:

“This universe is entirely a colossal book,
Whichever letter you search, it denotes God.”

Hearing this voice, and reading that anthology of messages and understanding the immensely expansive meanings expressed by them, requires a seeing eye, a hearing ear, a rationalizing reason, an unrestrained discernment and understanding, and a vast curiosity and love of knowledge. It is very difficult, rather impossible, for imitators who are entangled by the glaze of imitation and unable to jump over the fences of forms and figures to sense and eventually internalize this. When all neurons in the brain lack such an expansive sense of faith, and hearts lack sincerity and profundity, the light of Divine knowledge does not exist in this spiritual anatomy either. Love does not exist in a heart and soul where there is no light and illumination of Divine knowledge. The breezes of ardent desire for reunion with God do not blow there.

Individuals who dedicate themselves to communicating His message and endearing Him to others enter the atmosphere of being loved in this way. They crown their lives with manifestations of presence in the Divine. They passionately utter His names day and night, without committing any blunder, just as they continuously run the marathon of good deeds. They sigh and say, “sincerity”; quiver as they remember “being under the constant watch of the Almighty”; contemplate resignation to God and hasten from one vista to another for more reflection. Without being delayed by steep hills, deep vales, and seas of pus and blood, they march toward God’s favor and reunion with the All-Truth, without expecting anything corporeal or ethereal. Individuals attaining this horizon watch with deep sorrow those who are entangled by worldly pomp and fame. As they weep and moan inwardly, they avoid the traps the unfortunate ones have tripped over and move forward to rip love and interest for the vanities of life from their hearts!

They say, “We hit the path of love like mad and we seek no honor!” (Sayyid Nigari) and they always mention Him. They consider the most enchanting expressions as a waste of words if they are not about Him and shift to talk about the Beloved. They scan the horizons observed in their dimensions of the soul (ruh) and inner secrets of their heart (sir).

They know their willpower is connected with all of these feelings, thoughts, and privileges, but only as an unnecessary condition; they are fully aware to credit everything to a distinct Divine favor and the exclusive will of God – they never compromise their faith in the Uniqueness of God, for the sake of which they could renounce everything. According to them, the confines of willpower are very narrow: determination and perseverance are not adequate causes; corporeality and bestiality are handicaps blocking the path leading to real humanity. In the face of all these, they deem considering all privileges as their natural right a sort of obscured blasphemy. Hence, notwithstanding all types of achievements and rewards, they murmur the considerations of:

“A slave as I am, I am not worthy of this gift
Why am I being granted this favor?” (M. Lütfî).

Attributing everything to the breadth of Divine compassion, the expansiveness of His favor, and His surprise manifestations, they voice the constant recitation of “Everything is from You, You are the All-Sufficient / O Lord, I turn toward You!” They hurry towards the Paradise of the Sultan of the Sultans, the One Who responds with His infinite favor.

Indeed, this caravan of the holy, which always marches toward Him, has set out on this path by sealing the openings of their inner realms against strangers from the beginning and drawing breath from the Divine attendance. They have constantly remembered Him along the way and been engaged with the consideration of Him. They have not wanted to hear alien songs in the realms of their hearts and emotions. They started speaking by first reasoning that all words should be in reference to Him and each discourse should be rhymed by His mention. They concluded their speech by citing Him. Moreover, by considering all expressions and conversations that do not mention Him as waste of words, they made their discussions and consultations more profound by their talk of the Beloved. Almost always, they made the following considerations the voice of their inner excitement:

“I wish all the creation in the world would love my Beloved,
I wish our talk would always be about the Beloved…”

Saying, “Either speak about the lover or stay silent / If you will, open your arms wide for that!” (the first line is from Fuzuli, the 16th century Turkish poet), they completely seal their doors against strangers.

In contrast to those souls devoted to God, who constantly inhale these considerations on the path of prophets, there are others who are deprived of a lofty goal in their lives, who are egotistic, victims of avarice, power-addicted, rotten human beings with dark souls and feelings are the aides of the devil. This latter group has never quit maligning the devotees on the path to Him. These dark souls have used various methods of oppression and domination to annihilate the devoted souls – yet, they have been the ones annihilated. They have waged war against the light, which the Divine has endowed to the devoted souls who endeavored to represent it. They have lied and defamed, trying their best to block the path of the travelers of light. However, they themselves have been defamed by means of their own wickedness and meanness, for the travelers of love and munificence have been following the footsteps of the prophets and they are under the protection of God. Nobody will be able to eradicate those who have been scattered by God on the plain of service and have grown like ears of grain. Nobody will put out the torch lit by God. Because behind that illuminating torch is the mercy of God, the will of the All-Glorified, and the decree of the Beneficent Bestower of Bounties. How nicely Ziya Paşa puts it:

“God’s Decree is not moved by muscle strength,
A candle lit by the Lord cannot be blown out!”

Therefore, it may be said that the wrongdoers have revived the practice of the hypocrite Ibn Salul, yet in vain was their endeavor! Because behind the travelers of Truth is the help of God;

“God, the beauty of whose glory is apparent in all corners,
In hearts is a shadow of that manifestation;
Sensing this, one wanders and seeks Him everywhere,
And the sweetest memories loom before his eyes.
Each color, voice and pattern is an expression of His existence…”

May God speed you, O the valiant souls of Hizmet and the people of the Qur’an!

• Brown BJ et al. A Neural Basis for Contagious Yawning. Current Biology, August 2017.

Our circulatory system is how blood reaches our organs and muscles. The necessary blood flow for each organ is precisely adjusted to its needs. Failure in the proper flow of blood may cause many problems in our health and worsen the conditions of our overall wellbeing. The brain and heart are vitally important for our body, so the design of their mechanisms feature even more complexity than any other organ. For example, when you try to solve a difficult mathematical problem, the problem-solving area of the brain starts to work immediately. We can understand this by using fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) films. Using fMRI, it is possible to see where activity increases in the brain. As activity increases, so, too, does blood flow to that part of the brain. Conversely, when we are asleep, brain blood flow significantly decreases.

At rest, the amount of blood that goes to our muscles is around 1.2 liters per minute. Certain muscles can receive up to 20 times as much during intense sports activity. While doing sports, the organs of the abdomen, the kidneys, and the skin rest, allowing more blood to flow to the muscles, thus reducing the amount of blood they use. While exercising, the amount of blood pumped by the heart, to compensate for the excess blood needed by the muscles, is tripled.

The heart is equipped with mechanisms that can adjust the amount of blood pumped according to the working quantities of the organs – and therefore, their blood needs. This is a complete automatic arrangement; it requires no thought or awareness from us.

If the heart cannot pump enough blood, it is called heart failure, and this means that the heart itself, as well as the brain, liver, kidneys, and all other organs, are not getting enough blood. Failure begins in the liver and kidneys. If the brain does not get enough blood, dizziness, fainting, and other disruptions occur. If the muscles can’t get enough blood, a patient is afflicted by fatigue, weakness, dementia, severe aches, and, of course, the inability to do work.

If the heart pumps too much blood, then many diseases, especially hypertension, appear. This makes the heart tired, as it works too much – and once again, heart failure occurs.

The heart pumps blood to the aorta, which is the largest artery. In the aorta, blood must flow very quickly, ensuring that the organs get the food and oxygen they need. The aorta has the highest blood pressure, since it is the first vessel that receives blood from the heart. The vein wall is created thick, elastic, and robust so that the high blood pressure doesn’t tear it apart. As you move away from the heart, the number of vessels increases, the blood pressure decreases, and the blood starts to flow more slowly; the walls of the veins gradually get thinner.

The capillaries are created with a great structure-function fit. The capillaries, both themselves and their walls, are created to be very, very thin. At the end of arteries, just before the capillary vessels (arteriole), the blood pressure and velocity are reduced. The aim is to prevent the high pressure form damaging these very thin veins. In the capillaries, blood travels slowly. Why? Because these are the shopping veins. The body’s 100 trillion cells get all the oxygen, glucose, fat, protein, vitamins, antibodies, and hormones from these blood vessels. In addition, all cells give their carbon dioxide, urea, creatinine, uric acid, and all other waste products to the blood in the same capillary vessels. If the blood in the capillaries was as fast as in the big arteries, then the vessel could not withstand it, and the blood would tear away the walls without the cells getting their nutrients and without shedding their garbage. And if there was even a little scratch on our vessel, we would not be able to stop the bleeding.

After passing through the capillaries, the blood is accelerated again in the small veins. There is more blood in the veins. The wall of the veins, which are deep below the skin’s surface, is thicker than the capillaries but thinner than the arteries. As the wall is thinner, the internal space is wider; the veins are a kind of bloodstream. The small veins connect to the main veins, which empty blood into the heart. In order to pump blood to the heart, the blood pressure of each pulse must be sufficient for all the blood in the body to be pumped back to the heart. Neither more nor less. The mean blood pressure of the heart is 100 mmHg. At the point where the blood circulating eventually reaches the heart, the mean blood pressure is 0 mmHg. As an example from daily life, it is like you hit a ball with your foot: as the ball reaches its target, its energy finishes and stays at the exact point you want. Our heart reaches the target with every stroke. Thus, at the point where the blood has already completed circulation, the pressure applied to it is zero. Thanks to this incredible adjustment, the heart does not waste power.

• Zhang J et al. Nondestructive tissue analysis for ex vivo and in vivo cancer diagnosis using a handheld mass spectrometry system. Science Translational Medicine, September 2017

According to Roy (2004, xi), “[g]lobalised Islam refers to the way in which the relationship of Muslims to Islam is reshaped by globalization, westernization, and the impact of living as a minority.” Roy (2004) defines global Muslims as those who have either settled in the West permanently or are trying to distance themselves from a local version of Islam by identifying with the worldwide Muslim community (the Ummah).

In studying Muslims in the West, one must take into account “the instances and places of reciprocal [historical] influence between the cultural constructs of the European and Muslim worlds” and the transcultural space created by this mutual influence in “the context of globalization, characterized by the mobility of cultures and religion” (Cesari 2004, 5). According to Cesari (2004), the Americanization or Europeanization of Islam cannot be separated from the space and time dimensions of global Islam, as well as its political crises. Cesari (2004) also posits that Islam should be examined as a process of the local, national, and international levels; it is the conglomerate production of cultural meaning and symbols. Hence, it is important to avoid the trap of essentializing Islam and Muslims based on assumptions on a single level, especially without considering Islam at all three levels.

All immigrants face challenges in their new countries. For Muslim immigrants or their offspring in the West, these challenges are heightened. How can Muslims successfully integrate without losing their rich, unique religious heritage?

“European Islam is connected with the stakes and political and cultural difficulties of the Muslim world, as demonstrated by September 11,” and key issues that are being debated about Muslims in the West such as pluralism, citizenship, and religious education cannot be limited to the national contexts of the West due to cultural globalization (Cesari 2007, 22). Although there is an interconnectedness of the Ummah, Western Muslims are not an exact reflection of issues elsewhere, since they are at the heart of religious and cultural developments connected to the Western context. Accordingly, cultural globalization has had an accelerating effect on the formation of a hybrid European or American Islam. This “hybrid” Islam is based on tolerance and respect for the other, which has been a product of Muslims living in the West (Cesari 2007, 23).

European Islam is a nascent phenomenon in that “the emergence of such an Islam does not imply the rediscovery of an Islam sui generis, but the invention of a new religious model, through the intensification of contacts among European Muslim communities, the confrontation of their uncertainties and the hybridisation of their practices” (Bougarel 2007, 20). This hybridi[z]ation is likely to grow stronger in the large cosmopolitan European cities as Muslims try to find solutions to their common problems, such as ethnic and religious discrimination, and requires a shared intellectual space where diverse communities can exchange ideas (Bougarel 2007). In its current form, European Islam “often encompasses phenomena that are quite distinct, or even largely opposed to one another” (Bougarel 2007, 1).

Pauly (2004) argues that a clash of identities takes place as a result of the establishment of minority communities in the West. Such clashes can be traced back to religious as well as broader cultural differences between the migrants and the majority populations, and integration can be a vehicle for bridging such identity gaps (Pauly 2004). Angenendt, Barret, Laurence, Peach, Smith, and Winter (2007) outline the integration strategies used by European states in recent years. These strategies have either generated mixed results or been criticized.

Dialogue with Muslim councils is one strategy that has been applied in Britain, Germany, and France – to mixed results, as the councils need to build youth participation, deliver tangible results effectively, and increase diverse participation.

Another strategy, primarily in Italy and Finland, has been a multicultural policy that promotes religious symbols. This approach encourages cultural differences and supports migrants in preserving their religious identities. Multiculturalism has its critics who claim that it promotes isolation rather than integration, all while creating economic disparities. In Britain, however, multicultural policy has fostered migrant social mobility in adults (no data on youth was available at the time of my research) (Angenendt et al. 2007).

In contrast to multiculturalism, France has attempted to transform migrants into French citizens first and Muslims second by diminishing their religious identities, specifically through a ban on religious symbols in schools. Similarly, in Germany headscarves were banned for teachers in certain states. Forced integration contracts and citizenship tests in countries such as Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark require migrants to learn the native language and social norms. In general, such programs have been received negatively by Muslims, who view them as unwelcoming (Angenendt et al. 2007).

France is an interesting case of mixed approaches. Despite a tradition of harsh secularism, France also has proposals ensuring employers hire minorities – and a university actually started recruiting students using what the U.S. calls “affirmative action.”

In a similar vein, Britain and the Netherlands passed stricter anti-discrimination laws in an effort to extend equal opportunities to migrants. Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands have also attempted to teach Islam at schools.

Not all tensions in European Muslim communities are between immigrants and native citizens. According to Pauly (2004), Muslims in Europe suffer from a lack of political representation and cooperation between different communities. There are many divisions across heterogeneous ethnic, philosophical, and national boundaries. There are also clashes that emanate from countries of origin, such as the one between Turks and Kurds (Pauly 2004).

To create a Euro-Islamic identity at peace with the larger societies of their respective countries, instead of isolating themselves Muslims need to become active and get involved in all aspects of social life. There is no inherent conflict between such involvement and their faith or religious requirements (Ramadan 2004). Economic and political involvement is the way to a successful hybrid European Muslim identity that strikes a balance between the two extremes of total isolation from the larger society and abandonment of Islamic identity (Pauly 2004). Accordingly, Muslims should not be afraid to integrate into their European home lands. They should be able to blend their British, French, German, or American culture with their faith, shaping hybrid identities while enriching the cultures of their home countries.

In this respect, Gülen Movement (Hizmet) volunteers exemplify such an effort and could serve as an example for Muslims living in the West. In Germany, for instance, the Gülen Movement has worked on transforming the image of Muslims, focusing on reintegration of immigrant youth into the German education system. Furthermore, Hizmet has realized social engagement and dialogue with the German non-Muslim community by establishing cultural and dialogue centers to build bridges between cultures, all while offering a cosmopolitan and tolerant form of Islam. According to Hunt and Aslandogan (2007, 19-20), “[o]riginating in Turkey but becoming increasingly transnational, the [Hizmet] movement represents novel approaches to the relationship between faith and reason, peaceful co-existence in liberal democracies with religious diversity education, and spirituality.” As Yavuz (2013, 247) contends, the Gülen Movement “has the potential to be the beginning of religious Enlightenment in its Turkish and wider modern Islamic context where we are witnessing a new era of Muslim religious revival deeply embedded in modern processes of neoliberal market reforms and middle classes, open public spheres, democratic governance, modern education and technology-driven globalization.”

Moreover, Turkey’s membership in the European Union could have helped integrate Muslim communities living in Europe to their countries by buttressing the European Union’s credibility among Muslims. Given the current circumstances, this does not seem to be possible in the near future. Such an accession would mean redefining European identity as a more inclusive one. EU membership for Turkey would also help shape the evolving relationship between Islam and Christianity around the globe (Pauly 2004).

In sum, Muslims in the West face both challenges and opportunities in the countries in which they live. The challenges may emanate from cultural differences and identity clashes as well as the failed integration policies of the host countries. Nevertheless, Muslims living in the West can shape a brighter future both for themselves and the global Muslim community by becoming active contributors to their societies – and without any fear of losing their religious identities. There are many opportunities for Muslims living in the West to build bridges between the West and their homelands, as well as among the followers of different faiths. Embracing their host countries, while working as active contributors to society, is the key to building a peaceful future for all.

References

• Cesari, Jocelyne. 2004. When Islam and Democracy Meet: Muslims in Europe and in the United States. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Cesari, Jocelyne. 2007. “The Hybrid and Globalized Islam of Western Europe.” Portability and Exportability. 21.
• Hunt, Robert, and Yuksel Aslandogan. 2007. Muslim Citizens of the Globalized World. Kindle Edition.
• Roy, Olivier. 2004. Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah. Columbia University Press.
• Bougarel, Xavier. 2007. “Bosnian Islam as ‘European Islam’: Limits and Shifts of a Concept.” Islam in Europe. Diversity, Identity and Influence. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• Pauly Robert J. Jr. 2004. Islam in Europe: Integration or Marginalization? Aldershot. UK : Ashgate Publishing Limited.
• Ramadan, Tariq. 2004. Western Muslims and the Future of Islam. New York: Oxford UP.

Tell us how you survive difficult times. Give us your best advice. Share your greatest life lesson. For details, go to our website: www.fountainmagazine.com/essaycontest.

As a highly competitive and commodified industry, sport is not only a weekend, sit-on-the-couch pastime, but is also a political arena where ideologies fight. The recent “take a knee” protest in the US is not a standalone incident. From the ancient Olympic Games to modern-day World Cups, sports have been a means of national pride, and the athletes are considered heroes. Their lifestyles, opinions, and choices are always newsworthy, even if these choices mainly relate to their home countries thousands of miles away.  

One striking recent case is that of Enes Kanter, NBA’s Turkish star, who is at odds with the current Turkish government. Kanter (25) has been an open critic of the government’s corruption. After the July 2016 coup attempt, he started speaking up even more loudly to protest the government’s persecution of tens of thousands of innocent citizens. Justin Pahl talked with Kanter on his life as a devout Muslim in the NBA and on his struggle as an advocate for the oppressed in his home country.

As a follow-up to the story of Abraham (pbuh) in the previous issue, here comes the story of Joseph (pbuh). Two authors, one Muslim and the other Christian, shares their respective scripture’s narratives about the fantastic life of one of the most well-known figures of human history. Joseph (pbuh) is not only a common name in the Abrahamic traditions; his story is filled with many morals to reflect upon, even if they are not Muslim, Christian, or Jewish.

Air, water, bread, and yes, social media – these are some of life’s essentials. No one seems to be unhappy because they are able to tweet or post on Facebook. But, Sage Chen thinks social media is no different than an authoritarian state. With all the data we freely share on social media, we are allowing the platforms we use to have access to an extraordinary amount of our personal information, much of which we would not normally share with others. Chen discusses the many implications of widespread social media use on security, commerce, and privacy.

It is not difficult to predict the possibility of a future earthquake, which can be done by measuring the stress and plasticity of rocks or monitoring micromovements in faults. In countries located between active tectonic continental plates, an earthquake might strike at any moment – yet it is impossible to say when and where. Although it is possible to measure stress, pressure, and vibrations using devices like seismographs, it is not possible to predict which plate will break when and with what force. We may not know when it will strike, but still we can be prepared for it and minimize the destruction. Erecting high-rise buildings on a ground which is not solid enough and with insufficient construction techniques is certainly not a good preparation for earthquakes.

Although humans cannot predict earthquakes in advance, there has been an increase in the number of laboratory studies into animals predicting earthquakes. This isn’t a new phenomenon: former generations are known to have made extensive observations about the matter, yet none were presented as scientific evidence that could withstand scrutiny. Evaluated objectively, these conclusions are not completely irrelevant or groundless; however, they never confidently predict the time, place, and force of an earthquake.

Numerous sources include observations about strange pre-earthquake behavior of many domestic animals such as dogs, cats, cattle, chickens, and rabbits, as well as non-domesticated animals like insects, birds, and various sea creatures. But such behavior could well stem from other factors such as hunger, inter-group competition, and other adverse conditions.

Ants and snakes

Ants and snakes deserve special emphasis thanks to their anatomical and physiological features. Although both species are somewhat deaf to the sounds coming from the air, evidence suggests that they might be able to detect sounds, electromagnetic radiation, and gas emissions coming from the depths of the Earth. In a remarkable story in the Qur’an (chapter al-Naml), an ant detects Solomon’s approaching armies and warn other ants not to be crushed. One may think here of an allusion to the ant’s skill to detect the vibrations generated by the clopping of the horses.

Monitoring ant behavior closely could help with earthquake preparations. If there is a significant increase in the number of ants at one location; if they have left their nests and move differently; or if there is an increase in the number of dead ants for no obvious reason, then an earthquake might be imminent.

A body like an electronic communication center

Despite its tiny body, the ant has a variety of sensory organs. It’s almost as if it were a fully-equipped center for picking up and evaluating pulses. The ant has three small eyes on its head that enable it to detect the intensity and polarization of light, as well as compound eyes on the sides of its head, each with multiple lenses providing 180 degrees of vision. The pair of antennae on its head, filled with receptors for taste, smell, and humidity, make it possible to detect all types of chemicals in the environment and are more important than the ant’s eyes. Some types of ants are almost blind and rely completely on their antennae.

Desert ants have about one thousand lenses in their eyes, while we humans have one in each eye. Rüdiger Wehner and his colleagues at the University of Zurich discovered that each ant eye has 80 lenses specialized in detecting polarized light across the ultraviolet range of the spectrum. Each lens focuses on a different point in the sky. One lens, for example, receives light from 180 degrees, another from 270 degrees, and so on. Even if they cannot see the sun, they can locate it thanks to the specialized cells in their eyes. This enables them to find the right compass direction and to determine the distance they have covered.

Sensory hairs

Especially mind-boggling about ants is the keenness of the special sensory hairs in various regions of their exoskeleton (Figure 1). The hairs on the antennae and the underside of the legs are particularly sensitive. Each hair is attached to the exoskeleton through a delicate joint and moves with the slightest vibration. The sensory cell under the hair is connected to a nerve fiber, and even a slight vibration of the hair causes a chemical exchange signal by which the ant “feels.” Some of these hairs respond to sound waves. These hairs group in certain regions (Figure 2). Considering the complex sensory organs on their head, the fact that they can perceive more than a million chemical and light signals, that the sensory hairs under their mouth and on their legs can send signals, and that they have a brain with as much as 500,000 nerve cells, it seems reasonable to assume that ants can detect an earthquake before it strikes.

A group of scientists from the University of Duisburg-Essen led by Gabriela Berberich studied more than 15,000 red wood ant mounds that lay along some of Germany’s biggest and most active earthquake fault lines, between 2009 and 2012. They monitored the insects’ movements with video cameras, entered the movements into a special software, and kept track of any deviation from the ants’ normal behavior patterns. The ants typically scooted around actively all day and went back to their mounds to rest at night. Yet, right before an earthquake they did not enter their mounds but loitered outside throughout the night. Once the earthquake was over, the ants would relax and go back to their regular routine. Even more interesting was that they did not change their behavior for tiny tremors below 2.0.

To Berberich, red wood ants (Formica pratensis and F. polyctena) can detect shifts in gas emissions with the chemoreceptors in their antennae and shifts in the Earth’s magnetic field with the magnetoreceptors in some of their sensory hairs. It is also possible that ants possess sensory organs that can respond to short-lived thermal anomalies or radioactivity.

Haicheng earthquake

Animal responses to earthquakes has been a topic of interest in China. It has led to survey and research studies. A network of experimental stations has been set up in areas with high seismic activity in order to evaluate extraordinary phenomena and other abnormal behaviors. The majority of the Chinese population lives in agricultural areas, so their proximity to animals makes them close observers. They have reported a great number of abnormal incidences preceding earthquakes, especially in the last 24 hours before a quake. It was found that the irregular behaviors of rats, fish, and snakes started three days before big earthquakes and continued until a few hours or even minutes beforehand.

Snakes came out of hibernation for two months in December 1974 and January 1975. It was as if they were committing suicide. Rats emerged from their dens and started to loiter in groups. These were both unexpected behaviors. The experts who evaluated the situation stated that a big earthquake was imminent.

There was first a series of small tremors. Snakes continued emerging from under the snow; bigger creatures such as cattle, horses, pigs, and dogs displayed restlessness. Thousands of such abnormal animal behavior were reported in the following month. Finally, on February 4, 1975, an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 struck the Haicheng County of Liaoning Province in northeast China. Far fewer people perished because they were warned of the quake thanks to the extensive observations of animals. Officials ordered the evacuation of one million residents of Haicheng a day before the earthquake, so there were only about 2,000 casualties. If the county had not been evacuated, fatalities and injuries would have been expected to exceed 150,000. The Haicheng earthquake is believed to be the only big earthquake that has ever been successfully predicted.

Geophysicist Friedmann Freund from NASA states that rocks under extreme tectonic stresses release electrically charged particles into the atmosphere before an earthquake. The particles react with air or water when they reach the Earth’s surface; they cause the formation of new molecules, like hydrogen peroxide, when they react with water. This chemical chain of events is believed to affect the organic material dissolved in the pond water, turning it into toxic substances for many aquatic animals.

Although there are supporting observations about the abnormal behavior of eels and toads, the findings are inconclusive. Still, there are considerable records of abnormal toad and snake behavior before earthquakes.

Snakes can perceive tremors and infrared radiation, which might help them detect possible weak shock waves or shifts in electromagnetic fields in a region before a powerful earthquake. Because rocks under stress emit infrared radiation – the anomalies of which were recorded by the NASA Terra satellite before a magnitude 7.9 earthquake that hit Bhuj, India, on January 21, 2001 – it is believed that snakes – nighttime hunters that possess a thermal camera for scanning the body temperature of their prey – can detect the infrared radiation that builds up before an earthquake. This infrared thermal “camera” is located inside a cavity between a snake’s nose and eyes.

It was once believed that snakes were unable to hear because they did not respond to loud noises. Snakes do not have external ears, and there is only one bone in their middle ear (columella aurii). However, they should be able to sense incoming vibrations, as they have inner ears. Indeed, a study at Princeton showed that snakes have a very keen sense of hearing. Voltmeter measurements of neural activity indicated that the vibrations from the air reached the inner ear through the jaw bone and had an effect on the brain. It seemed that the sense of hearing in snakes was tuned to the sounds and vibrations made by larger animals.

Studies have shown that snakes can detect sound by using sound pressure and sound-based mechanical vibrations. Experiments that measured the electrical responses of snakes’ head neurons and brain stems found that snakes can hear sounds of very high frequency. Snakes were found to hear sounds 10,000 times lower than is possible for human ears to hear. But how were the sounds transmitted to the inner ear of the snake, which was sensitive to vibrations? As low frequency sounds can be carried through solid substances, the research team wondered whether sound vibrations were transmitted from the ground to the snake’s body.

Subsequent research showed that skull vibrations had the same intensity as the minimum mechanical vibrations snakes could perceive. They directly responded to the vibrations that came from the air to the skeleton, rather than to sound pressure. A snake cannot possibly hear sounds from the air, but they can perceive the sound in a way that is unfamiliar to us. Snakes do not just hear what we perceive to be a sound: their entire body acts like a single organ designed for receiving vibrations, and their brains can perceive these vibrations as if they were sounds. It’s likely that the ribs and spines, covered with keratin scales, play a role in this transmission.

As research develops, we will be able to better understand what other creatures are equipped with troves of wisdom. It could open new windows into our world, allowing us to build safer cities and to appreciate the incredible intelligence of animals we consider to be “simple.”

In this same spirit, here is a work for lovers of books, fine art – and food! Early Islamic Art – based on Prophetic traditions – is a joy to have and behold.

M. Omur Akkor is a practiced chef and author of note. His books on the culinary traditions within the Islamic canon have been deservedly honored with a number of awards.

The recipes in this book are often astonishingly simple, yet they manage to be magnificent. They’re accentuated by dazzling color illustrations throughout the 277 pages of the book. As a writer and ceramist, and also as one who appreciates alleviation from the self, something affirming arose from my soul when this book fell to my hand. 

Together with the food, shown here in gorgeous color, there are full-page photographs of early Islamic ceramic table wares. The designs and patterns, often decorated with marvelously stylized calligraphy of the plates, bowls, and dishes, are purely within the tradition. There are two pictures, among many others, of 10th-century dishes from East Persia that are breathtaking in their simplicity and effect. In the preface it is noted that all the plates presented in the book “have been selected after two years of research from the collections of museums within the Islamic geography and belong to the era between the 6th and 12th centuries. The selected plates were specially made for this book in the workshop of Frig Ceramic within a two-year time span.”

We are offered texts pertinent to early Islamic culinary culture, as well as descriptions of kitchen utensils and foods mentioned in the Qur’an and Prophetic traditions. There are delightful quotes, such as the following from the blessed Prophet, who apparently ate very little and was known to have often subsisted on dates and water, and who maintained that “…the food for one is sufficient for two, and the food for two is sufficient for four.” The very last recipe in the book is called bashi. It is recorded that the Messenger of God also ate “bashi,” in his characteristic modest manner, like this: “coarsely milled barley, one cup of water. Swallow them together.”

Nevertheless, the recipes, all based on the food mentioned in the Qur’an and the Prophetic traditions, will bring to blossom one’s palate. Hopefully, we will have the grace to resist a second portion – for it was another mystic who said that one should never attempt to enjoy a pleasure more than once at a time 

One’s wife, who has yet to be defeated in the kitchen, gazed thoughtfully at haniz. The recipe requires, I quote, “1 goat, salt, half a kilo of clarified butter, flatbread, 1 medium-sized onion. Rub the goat in salt and place it in a copper basin, and cook overnight. Serves 15.”

“We could kill the goat and offer it to any passing Bedouins,” I suggested. “We would have a grand feast, inquire politely after the Bedouins’ wells, both water and oil, and pray that their flocks increase.”

“Goats,” she said, “can be little darlings. I’m unsure about this one.”

Quite naturally, there is a prevalence of lamb recipes in the book. We were attracted to tafayshal, which requires cracked wheat (bulgur), lumps of fatty lamb, water, black pepper, and salt. It is all done in under one hour. Washiqa, on the other hand, requires only lamb shanks, water, and salt, all boiled for three hours. Shiwa doesn’t even require water: it needs only lamb meat, salt, and black pepper.

Perhaps the nicest salad in the book is Shiraz bi-bukul, which is a medley of fresh mint, celery, leek, mild cream cheese, chopped walnuts, crushed mustard seed, and salt. Preparation takes about five minutes.

There are soups galore; mint tea, of course; and terrific sweet things. The quince-with-molasses recipe would be a challenge to resist, although the blessed Prophet maintained that quince soothes the heart. Sirkanjubin is a refreshing drink comprising, water, vinegar, and honey. Fuqqa comprises musk, rose water, honey, water, and ice. It must stand for an entire day before serving.

The Prophet, blessed be his name, was averse to garlic and onions and suggested they were to be first cooked to remove any untoward odor. Our gifted author has added recipes accomplishing the same.

It is sufficient to say we are enchanted by this book. It will test our spiritual endeavors, but Mr Akkor, bless him, has also written a book titled Delicious Dishes for Ramadan. Thus, our evenings will be doubly blessed.

Facebook was the first big social media site. It’s been followed by Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and so on. There are more than 60 social media platforms today, and all have added different layers and functions to our social media interactions.

Although other platforms have reached hundreds of millions of users, Facebook is the most popular: it is closing in on 2 billion users, as of 2017. In 2012, researchers in Norway published a psychological scale to measure Facebook addiction, and their findings confirm that social networking is a “modern” addiction. Here, I will focus on the case of Facebook and I want to examine the psychological consequences and implications of extensive social media use.

Facebook is the largest online entity with the capacity to have direct access to the most extensive and in-depth information about its members. Imagine a state that has the capacity to know what an ordinary person ate on a certain day; with whom he or she has recently become friends; what his or her likes and dislikes are; and what his or her views are on a wide spectrum of issues. A state with that much knowledge would be terrifying.

With the degree and content of data that Facebook has access to, it is awfully similar to this theoretical authoritarian “state.” Through a systematic analysis of this large amount of data, one could professionally identify a member’s emotional and cognitive world and behavioral patterns, thereby gaining predictive leverage over his future preferences, reactions, and attitudes. All of these could be utilized by companies to access more information on their customers’ needs and desires, which could then translate to better advertisement and innovation. This could also be advantageous for security institutions, as such personal information including networks and relationships at the global level, these institutions believe, could help authorities contain and prevent violent terrorist activities. The implications – and potential implications – of widespread Facebook use on security, commerce, individuality, and privacy, are manifold.

Facebook is profoundly shaping our perception of reality. Since someone’s Facebook profile keeps track of his or her “post” history, it provides others with easy access to a brief “personal history.” Many of us develop first impressions about a person from their Facebook profile.

Human beings generally use cognitive shortcuts to figure out what a person is like; our first impressions are very unlikely to change. If someone has been put into a certain box or coded as having a certain type of personality by others, that rash and incomplete image is difficult to change without strong sensual information to the contrary. Even then, this opposing information may fail to change our mind: our brains tend to categorize such information as an exception, according to therapist Noah Rubenstein. The nature of Facebook use – the fact that people often choose to share what they want their friends to know about them (which happens to be the best parts of their lives) – also contributes to the construction of incomplete and distorted images of other people.

As the cliché goes, human psychology is very complicated and every human being is a different world of ideas, feelings, experiences, fears, and hopes. The prevailing practice of getting to know someone through a short visit on his or her Facebook profile results in the consumption of people’s individuality in a way similar to how a commercial good gets consumed. Human beings are not and should not be treated as aggregated pieces of information. It is not healthy nor fair to form ideas and opinions about someone’s personality without observing how that individual’s behaviors and attitudes change under different conditions and with different individuals. As an overarching principle, saying and posting should not be weighted equally with actual doing. One should rather prefer to observe an individual’s behavioral patterns (repetitive actions) before forming any opinions about them. And this can only be achieved with a philosophy that views individuals as aggregates of behaviors rather than as aggregates of pieces of information.

Secondly, intense Facebook use (average time spent on Facebook by a user is 50 minutes a day) might cause one’s impulse to do things to be replaced by the desire to update his or her profile, informing one’s crowd of friends, on Facebook, about what is going on in their life. This deep urge to share the moment indeed harms our ability to live the moment. The logic of sharing on Facebook also fosters a set of standards in regards to potential reactions. For example, if someone’s posts are being liked by 30-40 people on average, this would automatically create a threshold for the acceptable level of appreciation and lead to the feelings of frustration when this level of appreciation is not constantly achieved. This greed for appreciation and affirmation often contributes to the development of a habit of trying to look like the person that our general crowd of friends on Facebook unconsciously and indirectly wants us to become through displaying differing reactions towards our posts on Facebook. By intentionally not being ourselves, or by becoming afraid of appearing as ourselves on Facebook, we are allowing our Facebook identity to be shaped on the basis of the likes and dislikes of an online community and sacrificing our individual differences. This is like being a celebrity and being subjected to the pressure coming from presenting yourself in a way that is acceptable to the larger community. But the difference is that in this situation, the burden of being a celebrity is carried by ordinary people who don’t have access to the economic benefits of celebrity.

Thirdly, Facebook is changing the nature of our fundamental social interactions. For example, celebrating someone’s birthday turns out to be as simple as posting a happy birthday message on that person’s Facebook profile, as opposed to celebrating in a face to face interaction or making a phone call. Sharing someone’s grief is being reduced to adding an “I am really sorry” comment on that person’s Facebook post expressing grief for their loss.

According to Forbes magazine, only 7% of communication is based on the verbal word. That means that over 90% of communication is based on nonverbal cues such as body language, eye contact, and tone of voice.  Social media interactions are not conducive to the exchange of these nonverbal cues that are essential for healthy communication.

Fourthly, active Facebook users occasionally suffer from an informational obesity as they constantly get exposed to unnecessary loads of information about their friends’ private and public lives. From an opposite angle, this leads to a situation where the modern individual who attaches a great level of importance on privacy and autonomy willingly becomes the provider of a great level of visual and verbal information on his or her private life to a mixed audience (people whom he or she just met a minute ago and people who are closest to him or her). This indicates the stark contradiction between the intentions and actions of the modern individual.

Finally, Facebook increases the risk of getting named and shamed in front of an online community if we change or contradict our previous behaviors or beliefs.