Forever young: boosting cell longevity with synthetic biology tools

Zhou et al. Engineering longevity-design of a synthetic gene oscillator to slow cellular aging. April 2023, Science.

Scientists discovered a new way to reprogram the cellular aging process using synthetic biology. A recent study showed that the lifespan of yeast cells can be increased by 82% by utilizing a biosynthetic clock to rewire the circuit controlling normal deterioration. Yeasts are single-celled microorganisms that have been used as a model for the aging of human cells. The team used microfluidics and time-lapse microscopy to track the aging processes across the yeast’s lifespan.

Scientists genetically rewired the yeast circuit that controls cell aging by engineering a negative feedback loop. This in turn resulted in a clock-like device, also named as “gene oscillator,” which drove the cell to periodically switch between two detrimental “aged” states, avoiding prolonged commitment to either and thus slowing degeneration. These molecular tweaks resulted in a dramatically extended cellular lifespan, setting a record for life extension through genetic and chemical manipulations. This study represents a proof-of-concept for a synthetic biology approach to reprogram the cellular aging process and lays the foundation for designing synthetic gene circuits to effectively promote longevity in humans. The team is currently focusing their research on the aging of diverse human cell types, including stem cells and neurons.

Humidity may raise global heat stress

Zhang K et al. Increased heat risk in wet climate induced by urban humid heat. April 2023, Nature.

As temperatures worldwide continue to rise, urban areas are facing increased heat stress and risks. 55% of the global population, 4.3 billion people, live in urban settings, and, unfortunately, many people in urban settlements do not have viable ways to mitigate extreme heat. It is estimated that by 2050, 80% of the world’s population will live in urban settings and be at risk of increased impact from heat. While cities tend to be warmer and drier than rural lands, in the global south, including Latin America, Africa, Asia and Oceania, humidity causes another complicating factor. Using observational data and climate model calculations, researchers found that that heat stress is highly dependent on local climate, and, surprisingly, humidity can also reverse the cooling effect that would come from trees and other vegetation. Green vegetation can lower air temperatures via water evaporation in some conditions, but it can also increase the heat burden in a local microenvironment because of air humidity. The study found that in wetter climates, the summer wet bulb temperatures in urban areas are 0.17 °C higher than in rural regions.

While this variation may look very small, it is enough to cause 2 to 6 extra dangerous heat-stress days per summer for urban residents in these climate conditions. With the projected increase in global temperatures, humidity may amplify the heat risks in cities of the global south. These findings had triggered further research to explore novel approaches to mitigate heat stress and combat a warming climate. Preliminary diagnostic analyses suggest that enhancing urban convection efficiency (the efficiency of dissipating heat and water) and reducing heat storage at night may reduce daytime and nighttime urban humid heat, respectively.

Fascinating feathers of an African bird

Mueller J. Structure and mechanics of water-holding feathers of Namaqua sandgrouse. April 2023, Journal of the Royal Society Interface.

Birds’ feathers are known to have an extraordinary ability to repel water. One particular pigeon-size bird, the Namaqua sandgrouse, has belly feathers that are incredibly efficient at absorbing and retaining water. A sandgrouse can fly over 20 kilometers from a remote watering hole back to their nests in the extreme temperatures of Africa. In a recent study, scientists shed light on how sandgrouse feathers have unique water-carrying abilities. Using high-resolution microscopes, 3D technology and a vast collection of sandgrouse belly feathers, they found that unlike typical bird feathers, which have a central shaft with smaller barbs and barbules extending from it, sandgrouse feathers have two distinct zones. In the inner zone, the barbules have a helically coiled structure close to their base, followed by a straight extension. In the outer zone of the feather, the barbules are straight and do not have the helical coil. The barbules in both zones form protective tent-like structures, and tiny tubular structures in each barbule facilitate capturing water. From an engineering perspective, Sandgrouse feathers offer exceptional bio-inspired designs. Future applications could include netting systems that collect and retain water harvested from dew or fog in areas affected by drought, such as in desert regions. Moreover, the water intake mechanisms of the feathers might influence future engineering designs that require controlled absorption, secure retention, and the easy release of liquids.

Question: What is the essential duty of those who seek to ensure that humanity and faith can be properly represented once again?

Many current problems Muslims are facing can be related to their own approach to faith, which does not go beyond practicing ostensibly, which fails to internalize it properly, and lacks purity of intention (ikhlas) and God-consciousness (ihsan). Their acts and behaviors that go against the criteria prescribed by Islam as well as their failure to observe the bounds of lawful and unlawful undermines the clean name of Islam and Muslims. The primary duty that must be fulfilled by devoted souls – the cavalry of revival – is to revive the values of the life of the spirit and heart, and ensure that these values become part of our very nature with their full vivacity. Saving humanity from formalist and superficial practice of Islam depends on this. Purity of intention is one of the most important of these values.

By analogy, if the content of Islam is a poem, purity of intention is its rhyme. Purity of intention is to perform with a profound consciousness of servitude to God; it is to do all we do in a way that they are eventually connected to Him. As is known, purity of intention is when we do things simply because they are commanded by God, and only in order to attain His pleasure. As noted by Bediüzzaman Said Nursi at the beginning of his First Word, purity of intention means that a person should do anything for the sake of God, begin anything for the sake of God, meet anyone for the sake of God, and act within the framework of seeking God’s pleasure. It is to do all our deeds and errands in order to attain His pleasure. We should ask for His good pleasure and purity of intention every time we raise our hands in supplication. This is such an important point that it would not be too much if we said incessantly, “O My Lord, I am asking for purity of intention and Your good pleasure,” repeating it all through the day. Indeed, it is the highest goal, centered upon the very reason of creation, for a believer to spurn all worldly considerations in order to attain a pure and clear consciousness of servitude to God. In this regard, our quest for peaking in servitude to God should not be made contingent upon even otherworldly expectations, let alone worldly ones, but should be carried out only to earn God’s contentment.

Yet, we should remember that it is not easy to reach that horizon. There are so many things that attack, eat into and gnaw on one’s purity of intention. Human desires, search for ease and comfort, wish for fame, unworthy and tawdry feelings, worldly interests, etc., drive us away from purity of intention and sincerity, preventing us from sailing out to otherworldly and metaphysical domains, and having us deprived of the greatest attainments. Even those people who are walking on the straight path may suffer from breakdowns in purity of intention over time due to lowly feelings and insignificant expediencies if they fail to be cautious in the way they live; and they may be subject to falls even if they assume to be walking in God’s cause, and they may lose while they seem to be winning.

It is not a virtue to fulfill many tasks, undertake great works, and devise grand schemes. The true merit is to be able to make everything done coupled with His good pleasure. Indeed, there is no loftier errand than to seek adherence to deeds that would be pleasing to God. If you fail to attain purity of intention in your deeds and services, you will lose yourself even though you change the color of the world. Even if you seem to be winning, you will end up in the category of unfortunate losers in the eyes of God. The things you think you have achieved will not be long-lived. They will soon fade away. So in everything you do, you should try to attain purity of intention and unremittingly maintain your inner struggle to this end.

The more profound one’s knowledge of God, the more that person will succeed in attaining purity of intention. It is essential that knowledge of God govern the entire self-identity of a person so that s/he can attain true purity of intention. Such people will not forget, not even for a moment, that they are in the presence of God as they open up their mouths, speak, blink, or move their hands or feet. Their looks have inner depth, their attitudes sobriety, their stances dignity, and their words mannerliness… All their acts and attitudes are guided with faith in, knowledge of, and awe of God. They never engage in any unseemly act or attitude. If human identity is embraced and governed with knowledge of God at such a level, that person can attain the profundity in his/her faith and purity of intention in his/her deeds.

The essential duty that must be undertaken by those who seek to ensure that humanity and Islam can be properly represented once again through a novel revival movement is to revive this consciousness of servitude to God. Thus, it is not about encouraging people to fulfill the duty of daily prayers, but it is about making them, as it were, “crazy for prayers.” The task is to make them so obsessed with daily prayers that they would leave their hearts at the mosque after performing one prayer and start to wait for the next prayer impatiently, as described in a noble saying of the Prophet. They should be so concentrated on worship that, immediately after they fulfill the noon prayer, they would complain about the muezzin’s not making the call for the afternoon prayer right away so that they could stand at once at the court of God in respect and admiration, ready for worship, and acknowledge His greatness vis-à-vis their inferiority while in prostration. They should be like that not only for daily prayers, but also for other worships, including fasting and spending in charity or good causes. They should be steadfast in performing all worships with purity of intention and consciousness.

The opposite of such a sincerity-filled awareness of being God’s servants is to perform religious rituals in a casual manner with a consideration to get rid of them quickly. It is the form of indolently performed worshiping where heedless people fail to make their hearts quiver, feel in the neurons of their brains their prayers, and realize the identity of the One before whom they stand. People should at least nurture the intention and endeavor for performing their religious rituals with a conscious manner. Initially, it may not be possible to feel everything with due profundity as this calls for serious and continuous endeavors and efforts. Junayd al-Baghdadi expressed that he attained the horizon of worship and knowledge of God he had desired to achieve only after the age of sixty. Bediüzzaman noted that only towards the end of his life did he start to glorify God in the same manner the favorite great figures would do and hear as if the entire creation said, “Glory be to God,” in his company. Therefore, what matters is that we should have the will to attain such a horizon and work to achieve it at all times.

If you are a candidate for setting sail to vastness and depth in your worships and attain the horizon of purity of intention and God-consciousness of restraint, you will attain your goal sooner or later. Then, you should move on to help others feel the things you have felt. This is the responsibility of those who aspire to take part in this revival. As noted earlier, this is the responsibility for saving people from being Muslims in form, helping them become Muslims in essence, and guiding them to the life of the spirit and heart. As a matter of fact, many people in our time need to strengthen their relationship to God with the help of this spiritual movement so that they can ward off pressures of daily politics.

Human beings are by nature prone to errors; everyone can make mistakes. Still, those people who have attained such maturity will be subject to fewer lapses. And whenever they find themselves in aberration, they will quickly turn to God, pour out their hearts, and ask forgiveness for their errors and sins, getting rid of their stains and purifying themselves. If the people who have attained this level of maturity in any place can come together, they can serve as a core example for other people who will adopt their acts and attitudes.

In our time, such a revival is desperately needed. People who will feel and practice the religion in the same way with Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali (may God be pleased with them) are needed. And we should focus on these lofty ideals, try to attain them and repeatedly pray for God’s help in this quest. All other things are nonessential matters for us.

Friday afternoon, children squeal, play,
families stroll, sit at small tables
under sycamore trees, vendors beckon,
old men sit in shaded classrooms
of the old madrassah, sipping tea,
talking of the book or politics or business
or the things of which old men speak.
The sun warms the stones, minarets, mosque,
walkways, cliff-side, the fortress above.
Glistening green and gold, the storied fish,
(Nimrod’s flames) roll slowly up, surface
to the food the children have thrown, ripple,
then curve back again into the darker green
of the pool’s still waters –
a holiday, a holy day, a day of wholeness.

Urfa, one of the ancient cities in Turkey, was heavily damaged by an unprecedented flood in March 2023. The Pool of Abraham (Balıklı Göl) and Gölbaşı gardens are believed to be the spot Prophet Abraham was thrown into fire but was saved when the fire was commanded to be “cool and peaceful” for him (Qur’an 21:69).

Throughout history religion has, and continues to, occupy a powerful position in people’s lives. Despite doubts raised by philosophers and scientists, religion has thrived in every culture for thousands of years with over 85 percent of the world’s population currently subscribing to some form of religious belief. While this is so, there are many who are critical of religious traditions, especially with respect to certain rituals, which they find strange: fasting all day, going long distances to visit a sanctuary, circumambulating a building, and of course offering sacrifices are among such practices.

Many Islamic scholars have defined worship as submission to God with love and reverence and seeking nearness to Him by doing what He has commanded. Well, what is the place of such religious practices, which look strange to some, in our lives? How do we, as human beings, relate to the notion we call faith?

Neuroscience findings that have emerged in recent years show that we have a very fundamental relationship with faith – and therefore with such acts of worship. Researchers who explore the psychology and neuroscience of religion are shedding light on why, and how, religious belief endures. Neurotheologians contend that the human brain’s structure and operation predispose us to have faith in God. They suggest that God’s biological substrate is located in the limbic system, the brain’s emotion center.  According to Rhawn Joseph, a renowned neurotheologian, the limbic system contains “God neurons” and “God neurotransmitters” (Joseph, 2001). The hypothalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus are among the limbic structures that have been linked to religious conviction. Neurotheologians cite alterations in these regions in functional MRI scans of subjects practicing religious meditation. They argue that if thinking about God alters brain function, there must be an inherent neural drive to believe in God. A study published in 2009 demonstrated that religious thoughts activate the region of the brain involved in interpreting others’ emotions and intentions known as “theory of mind” (Azar, 2010; Kapogiannis et al., 2009).

Thinking about God, it has been found, is akin to thinking about an authority figure, like one’s parents. The difference is related to contemplative practices, such as meditation and prayer, which can alter the brain’s wiring in regular practitioners (Slagter et al., 2011). When the brain activity of long-term Buddhist meditators was monitored during meditation with fMRI and EEG techniques, it has been found that they possess a more robust and well-organized attention system than novice meditators. Essentially, meditation, as well as other contemplative spiritual practices, improve attention and deactivates brain regions responsible for self-focus (Davidson & Lutz, 2008).

For the first time in history, we are gaining insight into spiritual experiences as not being separate from the human body but rather intertwined with human matter, specifically the brain’s matter. Consequently, matter and spirit are no longer seen as opposing forces but rather as interconnected, if not identical (Delio, 2003).

Hamer’s research does not aim to prove the existence of God, which falls within the purview of religion, but rather to demonstrate that spirituality is a genuine phenomenon that can be defined and measured. As Hamer views it, spirituality is rooted in genetics while religion derives from memes – the cultural equivalent of genes – ideas, values, or behavioral patterns passed from one generation to the next through non-genetic means, often by imitation. He posits that religion is influenced by environmental factors while spirituality is influenced by nature (Goldman, 2004; Hamer, 2005).

These cognitions share a common thread that leads us to perceive the world as deliberately designed by someone or something. Young children, for instance, often believe that even minor aspects of the natural world were created with a purpose. If you inquire why a collection of rocks is sharp, they may say, “So animals won’t sit on them and break them.” When asked about the reason for the existence of rivers, they may answer, “So we can go fishing” (Kelemen, 2004). Research suggests that adults also tend to seek meaning particularly during times of uncertainty.

Neuroscientific studies lend credence to the notion that the brain has an innate inclination to believe. This inclination appears to be distributed throughout the brain and likely stems from neural pathways (Kapogiannis et al., 2009). This aligns with the Islamic principle of the “original pattern,” which refers to the innate disposition that God has instilled in human beings. “So set your whole being upon the Religion as one of pure faith. This is the original pattern belonging to God on which He has originated humankind. No change can there be in God’s creation. This is the upright, ever-true Religion, but most of the people do not know” (Qur’an 30:30).

Spiritual beliefs may also contribute to a longer and healthier life. A significant body of research indicates that religious individuals have a longer lifespan, are less prone to depression, are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, and are even more likely to attend dental appointments more regularly (Inzlicht & Tullett, 2010; 2011; McCullough & Willoughby, 2009).

Religion can also serve as a crucial tool for facilitating large, cooperative societies. The continued prevalence and importance of religion across cultures can largely be attributed to its use as a social mechanism. Religion is one of the primary methods by which societies encourage unrelated individuals to treat each other with kindness (Norenzayan et al., 2016). Research conducted in 15 diverse societies found that individuals who practiced a world religion displayed greater fairness towards strangers in economic games than non-religious individuals (Henrich et al., 2010).

The Holy Qur’an emphasizes the importance of combining belief with good deeds, referring to true Muslims as “those who believe and do good deeds” (e.g., Qur’an 2:277; 4:173; 10:4, 10:9, 13:29; 19:96). Virtuous deeds serve as the guiding principle for Muslim behavior, and the concept of a “giving culture” is fundamental to comprehensive development in Islam. Therefore, there are various ways to promote charitable behavior and donations among Muslims. Sacrifice, or Qurban, is a significant method of charitable behavior in Islam. It involves sacrificing (usually) a sheep or a cow during a specific time of the year, and the Qur’an orders that the meat be eaten while also feeding the poor who live in contentment and humility (Qur’an 22:36). Muslims are prescribed to keep one-third of the share, and donate the remaining two. Although it is a demanding practice, many Muslims follow this order each year.

One of the primary purposes of the Qurban practice in Islam is to cultivate piety and increase believers’ consciousness of God. As the Qur’an states, it is not the physical offering of the sacrificial animals that reaches God but rather the devotion and piety of the individuals who offer them (Qur’an 22:37). The practice is meant to bring believers closer to God and strengthen their relationship with Him as the word “Qurban” itself is derived from a root word meaning “closeness.”

Overall, Islam emphasizes the importance of improving one’s relationship with God and with all of His creation. The Qur’anic verses emphasize the significance of doing good deeds and being aware of God’s presence in all aspects of life. This focus on piety and spiritual awareness may explain the prevalence of religious practices that promote prosocial behaviors, charitable giving among Muslims, and the relationship with our Maker. Thus, with the practice of sacrifice/qurban we fulfil our nature of being as we are predisposed to believe in God and develop a closer relationship with him.

References

• Azar, B. (2010). A reason to believe. Monitor on Psychology, 41(11), 53-56.
• Davidson, R. J., & Lutz, A. (2008). Buddha’s brain: Neuroplasticity and meditation [in the spotlight]. IEEE signal processing magazine, 25(1), 176-174.
• Delio I. (2003). Are we wired for God? New Theology Review, 16, 31-43.
• Goldman, M. A. (2004). The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired Into Our Genes.
• Hamer, D. H. (2005). The God gene: How faith is hardwired into our genes. Anchor.
• Henrich, J., Ensminger, J., McElreath, R., Barr, A., Barrett, C., Bolyanatz, A., … & Ziker, J. (2010). Markets, religion, community size, and the evolution of fairness and punishment. Science, 327(5972), 1480-1484.
• Inzlicht, M., & Tullett, A. M. (2010). Reflecting on God: Religious primes can reduce neurophysiological response to errors. Psychological Science, 21(8), 1184-1190.
• Inzlicht, M., Tullett, A. M., & Good, M. (2011). Existential neuroscience: a proximate explanation of religion as flexible meaning and palliative. Religion, Brain & Behavior, 1(3), 244-251.
• Joseph R. (2001). The limbic system and the soul: evolution and the neuroanatomy of religious experience. Zygon, 36,105-136.
• Kapogiannis, D., Barbey, A. K., Su, M., Zamboni, G., Krueger, F., & Grafman, J. (2009). Cognitive and neural foundations of religious belief. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106(12), 4876-4881.
• Kelemen, D. (2004). Are children “intuitive theists”? Reasoning about purpose and design in nature. Psychological Science, 15(5), 295-301.
• McCullough, M. E., & Willoughby, B. L. (2009). Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications. Psychological Bulletin, 135(1), 69.
• Norenzayan, A., Shariff, A. F., Gervais, W. M., Willard, A. K., McNamara, R. A., Slingerland, E., & Henrich, J. (2016). The cultural evolution of prosocial religions. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 39, e1.
• Slagter, H. A., Davidson, R. J., & Lutz, A. (2011). Mental training as a tool in the neuroscientific study of brain and cognitive plasticity. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 5, 17.

The Ottoman Empire had absorbed Bosnia by the middle of the 15th century, and the Ottomans were to leave indelible marks on the Balkans for centuries to come. One demonstration of prowess was built in 1566 through the inspired vision of the architect Mimar Hajrudin: the Stari Most, which was, and is again, one of the world’s most imposing bridges, soaring over the Neretva River at Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

The bridge, which in our time connects the largely Catholic population on the Neretva’s west bank to the Muslim population on the east bank, was destroyed in 1993 during the Yugoslav conflict. On an earlier visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, I found many of Mostar’s walls still pockmarked by shellfire. The Stari Most, however, was rebuilt between 2001 and 2004 to perfect proportions of the original, at a cost of 12.5 million euros and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The houses around it were still in a sorry state, though.

What did it all mean? Perhaps historically it was meaningless as far as our inclinations for war are concerned. The war had come and gone. Bosnia and Herzegovina were disputed on all sides and abused when the former Yugoslavia splintered. The Bozniak Muslim population was cornered and fired upon from the heights surrounding the city. It was horrible. It is always devastatingly horrible. We should hang our heads in shame. In fact, we saw a book titled Shame On You Europe. It seemed pointless to buy the book. There are many ambitious forces in the world, and ambition, geopolitically, seems to have led to war.

Eighteen years on, and we were about to visit again Bosnia and Herzegovina. We drove down from Austria, through Slovenia and Croatia. As we drew closer to Sarajevo, passing through what is a lush green landscape, we saw minarets spiking the sky, marking even the smallest villages.

Sarajevo today is gorgeous and not a little hectic. They sure drive fast in the city, and there seemed to be a Dervish-like whirl of dense traffic. The call to prayer must be something of a novelty for many of the tourists. The magic prevails, however, for there can be no more compelling sound in a public place than this most evocative call to piety. Many of the women in Sarajevo wore the hijab. True, some of the souvenirs may possibly be Made in China, but there is sufficient local color and exoticness to make your head swivel. We drank an awful lot of Turkish coffee, and none of it was awful. Nor was the baklava, or the ubiquitous Turkish delight. You can have falafel and doner kebabs coming out of your ears.

There are more restaurants of all stripes than is decent for any capital city, and they are densely concentrated in Baš?aršia, which as the word suggests is a bazaar district, and is situated close to the Miljacka River. Our favorite restaurant was just across the river. Check out Inat kucá (House of Spite), which obviously has a history that explains the name. The ambience, the interior design and architecture—and the food—are wonderful, and they speak perfect American English.

In the heart of the bazaar, the famous Gazi Husrev-Beg Mosque rests serenely amid the clamor and flow of the crowded lanes around it. I approached the door but the prayers had just finished, the imam was deep in conversation, and I turned away. 

The Caffe Divan is situated in a lovely inner courtyard. There are many Muslim customers, and the background music is a part of the Islamic atmosphere. Within the courtyard, flanking the cafe, is the magnificent “Isfahan” carpet shop. Their motto is, “The purpose of our art is to wipe off the dust of everyday life from our souls.” They have carpets, and plenty more artefacts besides, that are the stuff of dreams and ruined bank accounts. Above the courtyard, up a steep flight of stairs, was an exhibition of calligraphy. The artist is a genius, or a genii, probably both.

The visit was too short with respect to what Sarajevo has to offer. Our taste for the Islamic world briefly sated, we left heading south. A book fell to hand that told more about Sarajevo and the Balkans than could ever be recorded on what was little more than our weekend trip. Tharik Hussain has an impressive body of work to his name, including an award-winning radio program for the BBC on America’s earliest mosques and his recently published Minarets in the Mountains – a Journey into Muslim Europe was excitedly purchased. Hussain receives top marks for this book, in which he traces the footsteps of Evliya ?elebi, the Turkish Marco Polo, to seek out the Muslims of the Balkans. Evliya ?elebi’s Seyahatname – Book of Travels runs to ten volumes and is widely available in Turkish. Only extracts are apparently available in English. An Ottoman Traveller: Selections from the Book of Travels of Evliya ?elebi, edited and translated by Robert Dankoff and Sooyong Kim appears to be a standard work.

Due to the massive influx of refugees, there is today a burgeoning Muslim presence in Europe. Tharik Hussain’s quest, however, was to visit and research the indigenous Muslim populations within the Balkan states, populations that have been in Europe for centuries. Other than the obvious attractions of Sarajevo, Mostar, and Dubrovnik, the central mass of Balkan territories generally pass unseen beneath the wings of tourists flying south seeking Mediterranean sunshine. Hussain undertook a circuitous motor tour—taking his wife and two daughters with him—that included Bosnia and Herzegovina (population around 52% Muslim), Serbia (3%), Kosovo (95%), Bulgaria (10.8%), North Macedonia (32%), Albania (82.1%), and Montenegro (20%). Almost none of these countries are hot-spot tourist destinations, but there is a hugely diverse and rich cultural heritage to be found, and as the statistics show, an appreciable percentage of it is Muslim.

Hussain begins and ends his tour in Sarajevo. He writes, “The minarets seemed to be everywhere and is testimony that Sarajevo had always been a Muslim city, founded in 1461, two years before Sarajevo became an Ottoman district.” As a Muslim, Hussain’s first duty was to visit the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque. He relates that the proceedings there were attuned to Turkish inspiration, in which chapters of the Qur’an were recited ahead of congregational prayer. Hussain’s text is beautifully written and explanatory of Islamic history in the city. The first chapter alone makes purchasing this book worthwhile. The war and the fate of Sarajevo are covered, of course. But Hussain does not dwell too much upon what is common knowledge concerning the horrors the people endured. The text otherwise sparkles.

His first stop after Sarajevo was Mostar, and then some smaller Muslim centers. Then came Visigrad and the border to Serbia. The part of Serbia they then headed for was “…so Muslim it was like Turkey,” Tharik relates. Despite the low percentage of 3% Muslim throughout Serbia, this amounted to the biggest surprise of the entire trip: Novi Pazar in Serbia is 80% Muslim. The entire atmosphere of the place tells of Ottoman influence. Hussain relates: “…I had to check that we had not crossed a border somewhere into Turkey.” There are a reported 66 mosques in Novi Pazar serving a Muslim population of almost 83,000. The obvious conclusion for any traveler seeking Muslim culture in the region, is that Novi Pazar would be a must visit. Tharik devotes more than 20 pages of sparkling prose to the town.

The journey continued to Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, and a chapter titled “The Grandfather of Muslim Europe.” The grandfather was Sultan Murad I who reigned in the 14th century. His tomb was visited by Evliya ?elebi and one Melek Pasha. What followed was a very enlightening description of Kosovo’s history. The modern history of Kosovo is devastatingly depressing. The 1998 conflict saw the rise of the Kosovo Liberation Army when autonomy was refused. Independence was achieved only in 2008 after NATO intervention. 95% Muslim, Kosovo is the most Muslim country in Europe. The chapter covered a great deal of Ottoman history and was enhanced by some excellent descriptions of religious observance.

Then over the border again into Serbia and the city of Niš, which is where resolute tourists stop overnight on their drive from the north of Europe to Thessaloniki and the rest of Greece.

Niš is now a modern metropolis and described as “…an orthodox town, with only the faintest whiff of its lengthy Muslim heritage.” Nevertheless, it turned out to be as full of Ottoman history as elsewhere, but there are now pedestrian zones, malls, and shopping centers. There’s a sufficiency of monuments, as well as a fortress of the 1st century AD covering 22 acres of parkland. There were additions to the architecture and plaques confirming 18th century Ottoman origins.

Then came the short drive across the border to North Macedonia and the capital, Skopje. The chapter began with an obscene rant by a Greek who was very upset about Macedonia, which amounted to a Hellenic nightmare since, as Tharik mentions, “I stood before a Disneyfied Hellenic fairground – though even Disney wouldn’t have got it this wrong.” Greeks are angry about the situation, claiming Macedonia to have originally been Greek. Alexander the Great, however, employed a great many Macedonians in his army, which probably added to the confusion. With 32% of the population being Muslim, there is a fair amount of Ottoman influence to counteract what can only be described as modern misdemeanors. The Sultan Murad Mosque is in a tourist-free area.

Albania followed. Some visitors speak of safety concerns, but Tharik Hussain, his wife, and two young daughters in tow were warmly welcomed and given all manner of assistance. In the deep south of the country lies Gjirokastër, which is designated “A Town Addicted to Prayer.” In Evliya ?elebi’s day, it was known as Egiri, and there had been at least fifteen mosques. It was where scholars of the Hadith came to train. In fact, it is the birthplace of the dictator Enver Hoxha who between 1944 and 1985 undertook to make Albania the first atheist state. Paradoxically, Hoxha’s father had been an imam. But Hoxha killed religion and all who dared oppose him in Albania in purge after purge of vicious excess. Together with some beautiful villages and sites of interest, including the capital, Tirana, a goodly amount of Albanian history was given in the following chapters.

Further reading may include Journals of a Landscape Painter in the Balkans – Edward Lear in Albania. A wonderful, almost poetic book by a sensitive artist about a 1848 tour. The paintings are lovely. Ottoman references abound in what in those times was known as Turkey in Europe. One can’t resist mentioning that Lear also wrote immortal verses for children, including the irresistible The Owl and the Pussycat.

What followed for Hussain, of course, was another border crossing and the Bay of Kotar in Montenegro. Here your correspondent is on familiar ground. We were astonished to find that the euro was the given currency. Apparently, a dispensation from Brussels had acknowledged the inevitable: that Montenegro would eventually be a member state of the EU, and that they needed a new currency following Yugoslavia’s splintering. But Montenegro is not just meant for tourists. 20% of the population is Muslim; there is reason enough for Hussain to visit. The capital, Podgorica, is related to have been little more than a provincial town in the 15th century when the Ottomans arrived. But Evliya notes the town was sufficiently important for the conquering sultan, Mehmet II, to build a fortress there. Together with a visit to the Osmanagic Mosque, Hussain’s indefatigable drive to see everything and, above all, to meet people, continued.

Then back to Bosnia and Herzegovina he went, visiting sites of interest both large and small. Not to be missed was Blagaj, about ten kilometers southwest of Mostar, and the traditional Dervish House. This Sufi brotherhood residence has been called the “the most peaceful place in Bosnia”—and it’s gorgeous, too. Mostar was visited on an extended tour of the country, ending in Sarajevo. There was again an extensive chapter about the city. Followed by a very useful glossary of terms.

With 338 pages of vividly related travel and religious history, the book also sparkles with some excellent color photographs. Who would have known that the Ottomans were so interesting? Tharik Hussain has reminded us that Muslims have long been in Europe. The book is wonderfully descriptive of a European Muslim presence, which has been there for centuries and has often been overlooked. It should be read by everyone, especially Muslims, interested in taking a vacation or study trip in the Balkans.

Can our thoughts and beliefs have a powerful effect on our health and well-being? Dr. Joe Dispenza, a chiropractor and neuroscientist, explores how this can be possible in his book “You Are the Placebo.” Dr. Dispenza argues that the placebo effect, which is the phenomenon where a person’s health improves simply because they believe a treatment will work, is not just a psychological phenomenon but a physiological one as well. He explains that our thoughts and beliefs can induce chemical reactions in the body that can lead to real changes in our physiology, and that we can use this principle to improve our health and our lives.

The book begins by discussing the placebo effect, which is the phenomenon where a person’s symptoms can improve simply because they believe they are taking a real treatment, even if it is just a sugar pill. Dr. Dispenza argues that this effect is not just limited to medicine but can also be applied to other areas of life, such as relationships, career, and health.

Dr. Dispenza then explains how the mind and body are connected and how thoughts and emotions can affect physical health. He argues that our beliefs and perceptions shape our reality and that by changing these beliefs and perceptions, we can change the way our body functions. He suggests that by using our imagination and visualization, we can generate new neural pathways in the brain and reprogram our biology. He provides various examples of people who have used the placebo effect to heal themselves from various ailments such as cancer and chronic pain.

Here are a few examples of the placebo effect that he uses to illustrate the power of the mind in shaping our physical reality:

• A woman with multiple sclerosis who was able to improve her symptoms and even walk again after using visualization and meditation techniques.
• A man with a terminal illness who was able to extend his life by several months and improve the quality of his life by using the placebo effect.
• A study of people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) found that those who were given a placebo treatment experienced a significant reduction in symptoms, even though they knew they were taking a sugar pill.
• A study on patients with Parkinson’s disease found that those who were given a placebo treatment saw an improvement in symptoms, even though the placebo did not contain any active medication.

These examples demonstrate that the placebo effect is not just a temporary phenomenon but a lasting one that can lead to real and measurable changes in the body. Dr. Joe Dispenza argues that by harnessing the power of the placebo effect, we can take control of our health and well-being and generate the lives we want for ourselves.

Quantum physics

The book also delves into the concept of quantum physics and how it relates to the mind-body connection. Dr. Dispenza argues that our thoughts and beliefs can change the way matter behaves and that by understanding this principle, we can change our reality. Dispenza explains that according to quantum physics, the observer and the observed are intimately connected, and that our thoughts and beliefs can influence the way that reality is perceived and experienced. He also argues that the placebo effect is a manifestation of this principle, and that our thoughts and beliefs can manifest actual changes in the body at the quantum level, influencing the behavior of atoms and molecules.

Dr. Dispenza also states that according to quantum physics, the observer can collapse the wave function, meaning that by observing a particle, the observer can determine its state or position. He suggests that in the same way, by focusing on a particular outcome or state of health, we can collapse the wave function and make it a reality.

He describes the concept of entanglement which, in quantum physics, states that particles can be connected in such a way that the state of one particle can instantaneously affect the state of another, even if they are separated by large distances. He suggests that this principle can be applied to our thoughts and emotions, and that we can become entangled with other people and with the environment, influencing their realities as well.

Dr. Dispenza also explores the idea of superposition, which states that a particle can exist in multiple states or locations at the same time. He argues that this principle can be applied to our thoughts and beliefs, and that we can hold multiple beliefs and states of being simultaneously, allowing us to experience different realities and outcomes.

These examples demonstrate how Dr. Dispenza uses principles of quantum physics to explain the placebo effect and the power of the mind in shaping our physical reality. He argues that by understanding and utilizing the principles of quantum physics, we can harness the power of the placebo effect to improve our health and well-being.

Meditation

Dr. Dispenza also provides practical tools and techniques for readers to use in their own lives to harness the power of the placebo effect. These include meditation, visualization, and affirmations. He also emphasizes the importance of committing to a goal and taking consistent action for lasting change. He explains that when we meditate, we enter a state of deep relaxation, which allows us to access different parts of the brain and to change the way that we perceive and experience reality. He argues that by meditating, we can change our brainwaves, which can lead to changes in the body, such as reducing stress and inflammation and increasing the production of healing chemicals.

He also explains that meditation can be used to generate new neural pathways in the brain, which can allow us to overcome limiting beliefs and to generate new realities for ourselves. He suggests that by meditating, we can change the way that we perceive and experience reality, and that this can lead to changes in the body, such as healing from illnesses and improving our overall health and well-being. He insists that meditation can be used to make possible a state of focused attention, which allows us to access the deeper parts of the mind and to direct the power of our thoughts and beliefs towards healing and well-being.

Power of prayer and meditation

Dr. Dispenza’s focus on the importance of meditation in healing reminded me of the similarities between meditation and prayer. Prayer and meditation are both practices that involve connecting with a higher power or spiritual force, and they also share some similarities in terms of their effects on the mind and body.

Both prayer and meditation involve a form of focused attention and concentration, which can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve overall well-being. They also both can be used as a tool to help individuals focus on their intentions, beliefs, and emotions, which can lead to positive changes.

Similar to the importance of meditation, there have been many studies conducted on the relationship between prayer and health:

1. A study published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine found that individuals who regularly engaged in prayer or meditation had lower blood pressure compared to those who did not.
2. A study conducted by the National Institutes of Health found that individuals with rheumatoid arthritis who regularly prayed had less pain and stiffness compared to those who did not pray.
3. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that individuals with advanced-stage cancer who received prayer from others had a significantly better quality of life compared to those who did not receive prayer.
4. A study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine found that individuals who regularly engaged in prayer or meditation had lower levels of stress and anxiety compared to those who did not.
5. A study published in the Journal of Religion and Health found that individuals who regularly engaged in prayer had a lower risk of developing depression compared to those who did not pray.

These studies, along with others, suggest a positive relationship between prayer and health and that prayer can have a beneficial impact on various physical and mental health outcomes. However, it’s important to note that more research is needed to fully understand the complex relationship between prayer and health, and that the results may vary depending on the individuals and the context.

In summary, both prayer and meditation involve connecting with a higher power or spiritual force, and they share some similarities in terms of their effects on the mind and body, such as reducing stress and anxiety and improving overall well-being. The main difference is that prayer is focused on asking for help or guidance from a higher power, while meditation is more focused on connecting with one’s self and the present moment.

Overall, “You Are the Placebo” is a thought-provoking and empowering book that offers a new perspective on the mind-body connection and the power of the placebo effect. Dr. Dispenza’s writing is clear and easy to understand, and he provides ample scientific research and real-life examples to support his claims. The book encourages readers to take responsibility for their health and well-being and empowers them with the tools to make positive change in their lives.

References

Dispenza, J. (2014). You are the placebo: Making your mind better. Published by Hay House Inc.

Dervish is a word that means poor, destitute one. Even though it is used for the poor and helpless in worldly terms, in Sufi terminology it is used for those who are aware of their poverty and helplessness before God. Although poverty and helplessness in worldly terms are associated with beggary, travelers to God are not poor and helpless in that they do not ask anyone for anything. Heroes of truth, who have dedi­cated themselves to God, are content with what He has given them and are indifferent to all other things. Even in hunger and thirst they unburden themselves to God, without revealing their need to others.

A dervish is also regarded as being the threshold to a door. This does not mean that dervishes humiliate themselves before people; rather, it means that they are humble and in their aware­ness of their nothingness before God attribute to Him whatever they may possess that is worthy of appreciation. They are also humble among people because of the Creator and because they are precious works of God’s Art with all the Divine gems inher­ent in their nature.

Sometimes perfect people are mentioned as being the dervish­es of a certain guide. This is because it is important to stress the place of a dervish, both in the sight of God and of people. Besides, sometimes simple, humble, content, and lenient people are called dervishes, while there are some great, sagacious persons with a deep knowledge of God who are known as “a poor one with the heart of sultan,” in that they are magnanimous even though poor.

The leading scholars of Sufism describe a true dervish as one who is abstinent, pious, righteous, patient, loving, tolerant, and steadfast, severing relations with all else save God from the heart, and devoted to His service with the intention and effort of reaching Him.

A dervish takes his or her first step by holding back from sins and by fulfilling obligatory and supererogatory religious duties. The second step is to be loving and tolerant toward everyone, to see the universe as a cradle of brotherhood/sister­hood, and to try to represent the nature and morals of Muham­mad, and the truth of his being Ahmad, upon him be peace and blessings. The third step is to reach the horizon of sincerity and perfect goodness and to develop their theoretical knowledge and belief based on imitation into experience and verified truths.

At the first stage, dervishes are at the beginning of piety, and demonstrate that they are ready to understand the Qur’an and Islam and to start the journey to meet with the Almighty. They are awarded in proportion to their sincerity and purity of inten­tion and advance toward piety and the summits of being pleased with God and finally into the Gardens of Paradise.

God Almighty says: The great among you are those who are God-revering, pious. The last abode of the God-revering, pious will be Paradise and their drink will be the drink of Paradise.

In the second stage, they build relations with all existence, living or non-living, (without, however, assigning their heart to any other than the Almighty) and appreciate each according to its position. They love and embrace everything, repel hostilities with love, and evil with good. Thinking that the road that they are to follow is the road of not showing resentment, but rather that of patience and tolerance, they run toward the rank of being pleased with God, and whisper like Yunus:

You should be voiceless against those who curse, and handless against those who beat. A dervish should have no heart to resent: Therefore, you cannot be a dervish.

In the third stage, dervishes are persons of peace and spiritual vision, having entered the way of seeing, feeling, and know­ing only Him, and being faithful friends of Him. It makes no dif­ference to them whether good comes from friends or evil from enemies. This is even more so if they have heard the voice of the Friend, then they will no longer feel breaths other than His, and will be freed from interest in and worries about any other than Him, acquiring a second nature that is determined by “secret.” They know what they really should know and are freed from bearing a burden of unnecessary information.

Everyone can enter the way of being a dervish. No one who has taken a step on this way is denied. However, entering such a way has some requirements which one who is ready to take the first step on this way is expected to fulfill. Tokadizade Şekip states that the door to being a dervish is open for everybody, but warns that this is the way of offering the soul to the All-Beloved and therefore requires sincerity and perfect goodness:

The door to the Truth is open to a wakeful person, But those who know how to sacrifice their souls can reach God. I have seen many who have come to this dervish convent, Willing and ready to sacrifice themselves on the way of truth.

Prophet Abraham is an excellent example to remind one that reaching God is possible by sacrificing one’s soul on His way. He breasted the fire of Nimrod [1] on this way and, leaving his home and native land, set up his tent in the desert—may our cas­tles and palaces be sacrificed for that tent. In utter submission to God, he took his wife and son and left them in a desolate valley. He offered the “fruit of his heart”—his son who had been bestowed on him in return for many years of desiring a son—to the Ultimate Truth, as a sacrifice [2] In short, he showed such resolution, power of will, and determination at every step, that except for the pride of humankind, upon him be peace and bless­ings, he has no equal in human history. It is as if Seyyid Nig­ari [3] uttered the following couplet about him:

Does one who seeks the Beloved struggle for his own life? And can another who seeks his own life be in quest of the Beloved?

So, being a dervish means aspiring to be a hero of meeting with the All-Beloved, which signifies devoting one’s life to acquiring God’s good pleasure and approval in the conscious­ness of the meaning and purpose of the religious command­ments. It has also been described as being in quest of the Ulti­mate Truth under the guidance of love and zeal and by dominat­ing one’s essence, voice, and carnal soul. This description is also significant. Riza Tevfik, a late Turkish poet and philoso­pher, presenting the characteristics of being a dervish, enlight­ens this point as follows:

Being a dervish means dominating one’s essence; one who is a captive of his ego is not a dervish. It is adopting love as a guide and finding God; it is not sweets, an axe, a staff, a needle or a skewer. Do not sit absentminded in the name of devotion; do not shout, nor dance violently, nor beat your breast! Nor foam by crying “O He, O the All-Living!” Mentioning God is not a part of digestion. Learn the secret about God from your heart; it is the heart which sees the Beloved through love. What causes a wakeful one with knowledge of God to feel that pleasure, is not henbane, nor wine, nor opium, nor anything else. Do not expect wonder from the stone of Najaf, [4] nor separate from human beings, your brethren. You cannot see the Ultimate Truth from graves or tombs; a true man of God is a sultan, not a hermit. Everywhere are heaps of crude souls, what is your relation with them? Take refuge in your heart that tends to seclusion! The world is not as spacious as the heart.

In the beginning, a dervish is a student who studies theoreti­cal knowledge; his or her practicing what is learned is represen­tation; then, feeling and experiencing more deeply what is known and practiced—by each according to his or her capaci­ty—is certainty. The first stage can also be regarded as theoreti­cal Shari‘a, the second as practical Shari‘a, and the third as Shari‘a experienced in truth. A traveler is a dervish during the whole of the journeying, through all of its stations, from the beginning to the end.

Some exacting scholars of Sufism regard being a dervish as an essential condition on the way to meet with God. According to them, being a dervish has the same meaning and importance for the purification of the carnal soul, the refinement of the heart, and the spirit’s acquiring transcendence as treatment, diet and abstention from harmful habits, food and drink do for health. As a doctor’s advice is essential for the cure of diseases, spiritual diseases also require the advice and direction of a spiri­tual guide. The character of an individual is important in the diagnosis and treatment of bodily diseases, which is why mod­ern medicine advises that every patient requires individual atten­tion. This is also true for spiritual diseases and treatment. Each patient may require a treatment which is different, at least, in its details.

For example, for an initiate who cannot be saved from the pressure of corporeality or bodily desires, or reach the level of life lived in the heart and the spirit, austerity is essential. A guide who knows the person and can diagnose his or her disease well, will advise renunciation of the world and whatever in it relates to the pleasures of the worldly life. If the initiate has fully concentrated on the pleasures of the other world without consid­ering the Truly Desired and Sought One, the guide will urge renunciation of the other world with its pleasures and concentra­tion on the Ultimate Truth. If, on the other hand, neither the world nor the Hereafter can keep an initiate from the main goal of the journeying, if both serve to improve concentration on eternity, the guide will open the doors on the world and the Hereafter wide for the initiate. Concerning this, Jalalu’d-Din Rumi says:

The world means heedlessness of God; it does not mean possessing silver coins, clothes, or a family. Our Prophet praised wealth earned in lawful ways and used for the revival and uplifting of Islam, and said: “How good is any wealth earned in lawful ways for a righteous one!” If enough water finds its way into a ship, it causes it to sink, but if it is under the ship, it causes it to float. If you do not put the love of wealth in your heart, then you can swim safely in the ocean of spiritual journeying and initiation.

True dervishes, from the time of Prophet Adam, upon him be peace, until today, have thought and acted in such a way. Even though they were not called dervishes, we can regard the People of the Suffa—the poor Companions who stayed in the antechamber or hall adjacent to the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina—as the first dervishes of the Muslim Umma. They observed both the balance between the world and the Hereafter and the Divine rights to a degree that no one else has ever been able to except the Prophets, and they became heroes of resignation (to God’s will).

After the Companions, all the people of journeying and initiation who have journeyed on the way to God under different titles, such as asceticism or Sufism or being a dervish, have per- formed great tasks, as if they were the soul and blood in the veins of the society, so long as they have had no interest in politics and concentrated all their efforts on belief in God’s Unity and maintaining the Islamic life in this belief. When they have acted to the contrary, they have both harmed society and ruined themselves.

Using being a dervish, which, in fact, is a state based on humility and a feeling of nothingness, for worldly benefits is such a means of contamination of the spirit that nothing other than a special Divine grace can clean it.

Let Mawlana Jalalu’-Din Rumi have the last word:

A luxurious life is a shame on dervishes; a burden in their hearts. How nice is feeling destitute before Him; and being in need of Him on His way. For pomp and luxury on the way to the Beloved are like thorns; they hurt the feet of dervishes.

O God! Make full of blessings my religious life, which is the guarantee of my innocence, and my other life, to which I am bound to go, and my world, in which I can be perfected. And bestow blessings and peace on our master Muhammad, and on his Family and the Companions, all of them.

Notes

1. Nimrod was the title that was given to the Chaldaean kings in Iraq. (Tr.)
2. Prophet Abraham, upon God’s command, left his elder son Ishmael in the valley of Makka together with her mother Hagar. (Tr.)
3. Seyyid Mir Hamza Nigari was a Sufi poet from Azerbaijan. He wrote lyrical poems to express God’s love. (Tr.)
4. Najaf is a city in the southern Iraq, which bears holiness for the Shi‘te Muslims. (Tr.)

No craftsman leaves work he has built unprotected and open to destruction. Sometimes protection mechanisms are more complex than the work itself. Our body, too, has not been created without protection. New scientific discoveries reveal some of the protection measures preventing the body’s thousands of systems, each a marvelous work of art, from being destroyed by a virus or bacteria.

When we are healthy, we tend to ignore how this mechanism ensures all of the mind-stopping biological events continue to function in our body. But at all times, there is a very perfect army protecting our body.

This perfect army, known as the immune system, has unfathomable combat tactics against both the mutated and cancerous “anarchist” cells within itself and the viruses, bacteria, and fungi that may come from outside. As science develops, almost every day a new secret about this system is revealed in immunology labs. One of these is a glazed group of cells emerging in the mother’s womb. This immune system cell, called the “B-1 cell,” was identified as in women’s wombs during a study to map the cells in the human body and classify cell groups. However, it was not easily understood. In fact, while B cells are known as a general group, these mysterious cells of a different character were first discovered in mice in the 1980s [1].

These cells, which appear in the womb in the early stages of the development of mice, produce various antibodies when they are stimulated and activated. While some of these antibodies normally attach to microbes and render them harmless, they also attach to the mouse’s own cells and help expel dying or dying cells from the body. If the defective cells, which are now old and exhausted, are not eliminated from the body, the areas where they are located become garbage, and inflammations that we can call “putrefaction” appear. B-1 cells, then, produce as the first line of defense antibodies against pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria.

After the discovery of B-1 cells in mice, a research group in 2011 reported that they had also found equivalent cells in humans, but these results have not yet been accepted as conclusive evidence. B1 cells are different in many ways from the B cells we have long known. Their most obvious feature is that they play a role in the production of immunoglobulins, which are vital in protecting against disease agents. B1 cells are strategically important in fighting autoimmune and malignant diseases, but the number of B1 cells decreases with age, which makes the elderly more prone to disease. Since the nature and behavioral patterns of B1 cells during health and disease are not yet well understood, discussions about these cells continue [2].

The development of the immune system is a process that is seen with the development of all other systems and organs of the embryo. This takes place in a controlled manner at any time, taking into account new conditions and the possibility that tissues, which develop in a protected and sterile environment (such as the uterus) and differentiate every day, will encounter an abnormal situation, like an alien microbe.

In a sense, the embryo that has embarked on the journey of life is facing elements that can cause thousands of diseases until and after birth. However, it is maintained by a structure that emerges in the whole body, gradually showing the network landscape. In other words, as the embryo develops, each new cell group and tissue is memorized by being marked and encoded by the cells of the immune system for easy future identification. This is how our organs, such as the kidney, pancreas, heart, and our whole body can decode and separate the microbes without making mistakes at the time of infection. What happens if a mistake is made? Autoimmune diseases can develop. During this “misprogramming,” the system that’s supposed to protect the body can instead destroy it.

There is strong evidence that B1 cells are created in the first and second trimesters of human development. Dr. Nicole Baumgarth, a professor at the UC Davis Center for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, said that B-1 cells can play critical roles in early development, and by studying them further, scientists can better understand healthy immune systems in humans.

The human immune system is developed in various parts of the embryo throughout pregnancy. Immune cells begin to be produced from special cells on the vitellus (yolk) sac, which are initially membranes surrounding the embryo from the outside, and then in the liver and bone marrow, the mesodermal that will form the kidneys, sex organs, and dorsal aorta without moving on to the tissues that produce the actual blood cells. It continues to be created from stem cells in the region. The immune cells produced from these basic blood-forming sites are then sent in the form of seeds to developing lymphoid organs and other organs. These studies show that the entire immune system in the embryo develops after being restructured as a distributed network between tissues, specifically focusing on one or several organs.

To make a detailed schematic of the immune system, cells of at least six organs were extracted between the 4th and 17th week of pregnancy using the yolk sac, prenatal spleen, and skin-separated cells, and the distribution of early blood-forming tissue and cell amounts in the lymphoid organs, which are critical for B and T cell development. It has been determined in which period and in which organ about 900,000 cells belonging to more than 100 cell types are grown and encoded and sent to the appropriate places. Finally, the characteristics of the B and T cells created before birth in humans were defined, and the functional confirmation of the unknown antibody secretion of human B1 cells was made.

 These studies can be considered as the first step in what can be done to repair the genome of defective organs by reading them before their formation and to take precautions against congenital immune system disruptions with new technologies that we can call “cell engineering” [3].

Notes

1. N. Baumgarth, “A Hard(y) look at B-1 cell development and function”, Journal of Immunology, Nov 15, 2017, 199 (10): 3387–3394.
2. D. O. Griffin, “Human B1 cells in umbilical cord and adult peripheral blood express the novel phenotype CD20CD27CD43CD70”, Journal of Experimental Medicine, Apr. 11, 2011, 208(4): 871.
3. C. Suo ve ark. “Mapping the developing human immune system across organs”, Science, 2022, 376/6597.

When our plane landed in Chiang Rai, the northernmost city of Thailand, my friend and I were at the peak of our excitement.

We were excited because we were going to meet the venerated Fr. Thomas Michel, a scholar and thinker who had met the Hizmet Movement in the budding days of its interfaith dialogue movement in Turkey; Fr. Michel had become one of the movement’s first dialogue friends.

Thomas Michel was born in 1941 in St. Louis, Missouri. The family’s fourth child, Fr. Michel had an older brother and two sisters. His father worked as an accountant for the US Postal Service, and his mother was a homemaker. Describing his parents as profoundly devout Catholics, Fr. Michel also stated his mother’s diligence at church activities. He cherished the environment in which he grew up; he decided early in his life to become a priest and serve God through His people. In 1967, he was ordained as a Catholic priest and began his ministry.

Fr. Michel was kind enough to welcome us at the airport with his humility, modesty, energy, and loving gaze, although we had never met before. Without delay, we were on our way to his educational institution, 30 minutes from the city center.

Fr. Michel, who was in his 80s, fascinated us with his every gesture and kindness, and got younger in our eyes with his energy. During our conversation along the way, we learned that Fr. Michel had settled in Chiang Rai for an educational project carried out by the Jesuits in a village close to the “Golden Triangle,” where the borders of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand intersect, and that he was working as an English teacher in the school. He gave us a detailed tour of the grounds. Finally, he explained the details of the church they had recently laid the foundation for and built as an annex. When we learned he lived in a room on the second floor of the main administrative building and lived his life as a recluse, my friend and I exchanged glances, perhaps feeling the bliss of meeting another life dedicated to the path of education, similar to the life of the venerated Hodjaefendi, who lived in a small room among his students.

Fr. Thomas Michel is a man of heart who competently understands his time and the age he lives in. He applies this sensitivity and understanding with a positive action-based life philosophy without confining it to the molds of inert thought and spreads and gives color to his ideals and values wherever he goes. When he was a teacher in Indonesia, his Muslim students asked him, “If you want to study Christianity, why don’t you consider studying Islam as a bridge for the followers of both religions to better understand and recognize their faiths?”

Fr. Michel said, “I didn’t know much about Islam until then. I accepted the advice of my students and decided to do a PhD on Islam.”

Although these Muslim students did not realize what a great good they were doing, Fr. Michel would then chart a distinctive path for himself and would become one of the architects of a great friendship between Christians and Muslims.

Having completed his PhD in Islam with a dissertation titled “Ibn Taymiyah’s Al-Jawab al-Sahih: A Muslim Theologian’s Critique of Christianity” at the University of Chicago, Fr. Michel studied Arabic in countries like Egypt and Lebanon and had the opportunity to meet and get to know Muslims in several Islamic countries. Speaking about this period as a doctoral student, Fr. Michel said, “The renowned Pakistani Professor Fazlur Rahman was my Ph.D. advisor. It was under his supervision that I studied the main sources of Islam and in particular the works of Ibn Taymiyah.” All this training would open the door for Fr. Michel to become the head of the Office for Relations with Muslims at the Vatican.

Fr. Michel, who was in charge of the Pope’s relations and communication with the Muslim World at the Vatican between 1981 and 1994, would also meet some acquaintances that would make a great impression. During this period, an official academic exchange program was signed between Turkey and the Vatican to provide mutual education on Islam and Christianity. “On this occasion, I visited and lived in Turkey several times, sometimes for a long duration,” said Fr. Michel, “I gave lectures on Christianity at the theology faculties of universities in Ankara, Konya, and Izmir.” Fr. Michel also said he had the opportunity to visit several provinces in Turkey and get to know many people through various programs. As he recounted some of his experiences, he made us smile and reminded us once again how crucial it is for people of different faiths and religions to get to know one another.

When he came to Konya to deliver a six-month training program, Fr. Michel said, “I had rented an unfurnished detached house, so I went out to buy some things. On my way home, as I was carrying the floor mattress I had bought on my back, the neighbors asked who I was and what I was doing. I told them that I was American and that I had come to the Selcuk University as an instructor. They asked what I taught, and I told them that I was a lecturer at the Faculty of Theology. ‘Then you are a Muslim,’ they said, and I replied, ‘No, I am a Christian and I teach Christianity.’ Some neighbors accompanied me home. Soon they brought tables, chairs, and kitchen utensils. My house was ready in an instant. When I came back from the university after my first shift on Monday, I saw someone I didn’t know sitting at the doorstep of the house. We exchanged greetings. He told me he had been there for some time but couldn’t enter the house, so he waited for me at the door. When I said, ‘I had locked the door and left,’ he said, ‘You don’t need to lock your door, everyone knows one another here. There are no strangers here. Anyway, we will take care of your house and protect it.’ This was something I was not used to.

“The next day, I said to myself, ‘Okay,’ and left the house without locking the door. When I came back from the university, I was surprised by the sight! There was food in the kitchen, my clothes were ironed, and the house was tidy. This continued for the six months I was there.” On the last day, before leaving, to thank the gentlemen and ladies who prepared food for him and helped him daily, Fr. Michel asked the person he had seen waiting outside his door “Can you put me in touch with them? He said, ‘There is no need. Because these people did it for the sake of God, not for you. And since He sees it all, there is no need.’

“This answer touched me deeply and I will always remember it as a living example of the truth of Jesus Christ’s saying, ‘The good deed of one hand should not be seen by the other.’”

Fr. Michel said he had experienced another interesting incident in Gaziantep, Turkey, and that he was more impressed by the theme and the details than the incident itself. “I visited the educational institutions opened by the Hizmet Movement both as part of my duties in the Vatican and on other occasions. I had visited an educational institution in Cambodia. Long after this visit, I met a plumber who owned a small business in Gaziantep, a city I visited on one occasion in Turkey. While talking to him, he told me, ‘I am sponsoring a school abroad.’ When I asked him where and which school he sponsored, he told me the name of the school I had visited in Cambodia. It is rather original and exquisite that a group of Muslims from Gaziantep organize such activities in Cambodia, a Buddhist country, regardless of faith. I was particularly impressed by the dedication of the people and the fact that they carried out projects far beyond their means.” When we asked Fr. Michel the reason for his visible love and affection for the Hizmet volunteers, he said, “I love them because I see them doing the things that I have been trying to do and that I have dedicated my life for. That is why I am happy to be with them.”

He recounted another incident that profoundly moved him: “When I visited Zamboanga, in the south of the Philippines, because of the conflict between Christians and Muslims, to see what could be done to establish peace and tranquility between the peoples of the region, I saw a building in the middle of the conflict and a signboard with the words ‘International Tolerance School.’ I walked inside with my team and saw it was an educational institution where Christian and Muslim children received education together. Witnessing this Hizmet school standing like an island of peace amidst conflicts and tensions, and witnessing the educational activities carried out there, we once again realized the importance of the Hizmet Movement’s contributions.”

Fr. Michel, who was in Turkey in the ’90s, speaks with pride about the students he met there. He says he experienced no negative incidents, that Muslim Turkish university students respected him, and that a relationship developed between them that led to constructive friendships. Fr. Michel got to know the Risale-i Nur by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and met Fethullah Gülen on the advice of his Turkish students. These encounters left an indelible mark on his life. “I had never heard the names of these two precious Islamic scholars before,” says Fr. Michel.

Talking about the meeting between Fethullah Gülen and Pope John Paul II and the preparations for this meeting as the head of the Department for Relations with Muslims, Fr. Michel said, “This meeting proved immensely productive in terms of preparing the ground for miscellaneous exquisite projects,” adding that he welcomed Fethullah Gülen to the Vatican where the meeting was to take place and explained the details of the meeting: “On that day, Hodjaefendi proposed to the Pope a joint university project in which all religions would be taught in tandem with positive sciences, emphasizing the significance of the people of different faiths getting to know one another and that this would contribute significantly to world peace. Finding this proposal appropriate, the Vatican assigned me to do the groundwork and plan the joint project. Subsequently, different initiatives and meetings were held in Sanliurfa.” Fr. Michel expressed his deep regret that this project ran into political and financial issues and wasn’t completed.

When we asked Fr. Michel what advice he would give young people seeking to pursue interfaith dialogue, he said, “Half of our lives are spent cooking and eating, and we always live these moments with someone else. We should find opportunities to share this time with people of different faiths and build bridges of love in this way.” He added, “You will always meet people who hate these activities, but never be disheartened… I always advise everyone, especially Christians, that if they receive an invitation from Muslims to iftar dinners or other programs, they should attend. I tell them, ‘Meet them. You will see that these occasions open doors to so beautiful friendships.’”

Fr. Michel has made key comparative readings and assessments on the dialogue aspects of Christianity and Islam, especially in his books Insights from the Risale-i Nur: Said Nursi’s Advice for Modern Believers and Peace and Dialogue in a Plural Society: Contributions of the Hizmet Movement at a Time of Global Tensions, which he wrote after being acquainted with the works of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and Fethullah Gülen.

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi talked about the importance of Muslim and Christian unity in the 1910s. The word that appears frequently in the Risale-i Nur, is ‘ittihad’ i.e., union, a stronger and more encompassing word than dialogue (Peace and Dialogue in a Plural Society: Contributions of the Hizmet Movement at a Time of Global Tensions, p. 36).

It has been noted that, “The fact Said Nursi mentions only Christian unity and not Buddhist, Hindu and several other faiths in the Risale-i Nur Collection may be due to the fact that Anatolia was not close to these faiths and geographies at the time the works were written” (Insights from the Risale-i Nur: Said Nursi’s Advice for Modern Believers, p. 15).

Fr. Michel points out that Said Nursi refers in his Risale-i Nur to the fact that it would be a great mistake to consider Christianity an enemy, and emphasized that Nursi said that the biggest enemy of both religions are ‘ignorance, poverty and division,’ and that Muslims, Christians, and Jews can overcome this by fighting against them together (Peace and Dialogue in a Plural Society: Contributions of the Hizmet Movement at a Time of Global Tensions, p. 32). Gülen went even further: “The fact Fethullah Gülen says and writes that all faiths in the world, even atheists, should be included in dialogue efforts shows how open and inclusive he is on this issue” (Peace and Dialogue in a Plural Society: Contributions of the Hizmet Movement at a Time of Global Tensions, p. 147). “Fethullah Gülen says the prescription for humanity to avoid a common conflict is common respect and understanding” (Peace and Dialogue in a Plural Society: Contributions of the Hizmet Movement at a Time of Global Tensions, p. 48)

Commenting on the overlapping ideas between Pope John Paul II and Gülen, Fr. Michel wrote that, “Both believe that peace can be achieved through justice and forgiveness” (Peace and Dialogue in a Plural Society: Contributions of the Hizmet Movement at a Time of Global Tensions, pp. 44).

In a section in which he compared Pope Benedict XVI and Gülen, Fr. Michel noted that both emphasized the importance of love and truth in democratic societies, and that at this point they were similar in terms of their interpretations and discourses on religion-democracy, religious freedoms, and democracy-social development: “You can see how Pope Benedict and Gülen want to realize in a similar way what we might call Christian Humanism and Islamic Humanism in the name of modern societies today, where democracies are in fact active and societies have reached this level” (Peace and Dialogue in a Plural Society: Contributions of the Hizmet Movement at a Time of Global Tensions, p. 51).

Fr. Michel stated that Gülen’s educational philosophy is the basis of the education system in Hizmet schools and is a reflection of Said Nursi’s “Unity of Mind and Heart”: “It is seen that Gülen attempts to put forth an education model for future generations in which they can be ‘integrated with their past and best equipped for their future.’” Fr. Michel quoted Gülen on the religion-science divide: “Soon the long-standing conflict between religion and science will come to an end, or at least be recognized as an absurd situation.” He also referred to Gülen’s works, where Gülen has stated that the future of societies will be shaped by the quality of education they give to their youth (Peace and Dialogue in a Plural Society: Contributions of the Hizmet Movement at a Time of Global Tensions, p. 68)

This is just a short introduction to the ideas of Fr. Thomas Michel, a profoundly valuable scholar and thinker who has led interreligious dialogue activities and lived every moment of his life believing in the importance of this issue. We hope that distinct minds—like Fr. Thomas Michel— who believe in the unity, brotherhood, and peace of all faiths can foster this vision and influence the advocates of dialogue and peaceful coexistence through his inspiring life. In this way, a growing number of people can act as antidotes to unproductive debates and tensions and contribute to the peace and tranquility of humanity.

Fr. Thomas Michel – A life dedicated to education and interfaith dialogue

– Born in 1941 in St. Louis, MO as his family’s fourth child

– Ordained as a Catholic priest in 1967

– Took vows as a Jesuit in Indonesia, in 1969

– Completed his PhD in Islam at the University of Chicago

– Studied Arabic in Egypt and Lebanon

– Taught Christian theology at Turkish universities for four years in Ankara, Konya and Izmir

– Served as the Head of the Office for Relations with Muslims at the Vatican between 1981 and 1994

– Served as the Jesuit Secretary for Interreligious Dialogue in Rome and as Secretary for Interreligious Affairs for the Catholic Bishops of Asia between 1994 and 2008

– Served in Indonesia, The Philippines, and Thailand

– Taught in Georgetown University in the US and Qatar

– Published extensively on modern Muslim thinkers such as Said Nursi and Fethullah Gülen

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With the late-2022 launch of chatbots, ads like the one above is becoming more common. As exciting as it appears, many are not sure where this new era is leading. One major question about AI centers around ethics. On January 10, 2023, “AI Ethics: An Abrahamic Commitment to the Rome Call” [1] gathered the three Abrahamic religions and different corporate leaders at the Vatican for the purpose of discussing ethics in navigating this technology. The common agreement was that algorithms should improve the world but not be the ultimate decision-maker.

In his speech, Microsoft representative Brad Smith underlined the importance of considering a religious take on ethics as a moral compass in determining the rules and regulations around AI. Following the conference, the leaders of the Abrahamic religions signed a joint declaration. It urged the developers of AI to follow six principles: AI must be transparent, inclusive, accountable, impartial, reliable, secure, and respectful of the users’ privacy. It is necessary to analyze relevant studies that bring up the positive and negative aspects of AI in order to better understand the rising concern that surrounds it.

Findings from previous AI studies indicate that AI carries about itself a vague identity; hence, it is not totally clear what might possibly go wrong with the technology. Proponents of the technology call for its urgent implementation because machines seem to be working for the benefit of society. For instance, AI is currently being used at fulfilling some Sustainable Development Goals, and the UN believes that technology can assist in overcoming global catastrophes in the future. Some believe AI has potential benefits [2] in industries such as manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, translation, and publishing. Scientific American [3] reported how AI is helping doctors find out possible causes of life-threatening illnesses in order to reduce deaths by 20 percent. Researchers state that medical experts analyze the provided information related to a patients’ condition and make decisions about whether to agree with a machine’s data or not. In this case, health providers are able to take control of the machine, not vice versa. This is one example that demonstrates that people are not blindly relying on algorithms.

Scientists believe that AI can contribute to combating the climate crisis [4] as long as innovators make climate decision-making processes local, democratic, and open. Here we can see further evidence of technology acting as an ally in coping with environmental disasters and illnesses without compromising human authority.

On the other hand, the future consequences of man-made tech is still blurry; there are legitimate concerns that their possible malfunctioning might lead to harmful situations. The launch of ChatGPT has caused major debates about its ethical usage. While generating something based on already existing data, some people think ChatGPT violates the rights of the artists and writers who actually made the work that the program sources. A couple of studies have evidenced cases where machines let down their users. In 2016, Chatbot Tay made by Microsoft initially looked human-friendly but had to be shut down after unexpectedly tweeting pro-Nazi, antisemitic, and anti-feminist remarks. The technology failed at giving sensible responses when Joseph Austerweil, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, tested the machine for morality questions [5].

A study [6] by the National Institute of Standards and Technology showed that facial recognition systems are biased against people of color and women. San Francisco and Berkeley (CA), Somerville, and Brookline (MA) prohibited the government from using facial recognition tools because the biased technology is found to be more problematic in law enforcement and governance. Maria De-Arteaga, an algorithmic systems researcher at Carnegie Mellon University suggested that companies and governments should be very careful before relying on a machine’s intellect and questioned the safety of these technologies. 

While these machines appear uncontrollable and unpredictable, an ethics researcher at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia believes that “they are not unguided” and work according to the instructions and choices made by people. At the Rome Call for AI ethics convention, Mario Rosetti, Professor Emeritus of Theoretical Physics at the Politecnico di Torino, noted that the human brain cannot be compared to an artificial intellect due to the brain’s magnificent structure and function. If the human brain is far more powerful than AI, then there is hope that the technology could be controlled by people. All the previous studies accentuate an argument that AI must not be worshiped.

Since machines are constantly being improved upon, religious and tech leaders have found it important to discuss the ethical issues that surround AI and help innovators minimize their risks. Religious leaders at Rome Call for AI ethics approached the ethical issues of the technology from a spiritual perspective by referring to holy scriptures.

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, President of Zaytuna College, explained how inventions have historically been approached with caution. Yusuf gave the example of a dialogue from Plato’s Phaedrus, in which Thoth (or Theuth) shows his invention of writing to the King as “a recipe for memory and wisdom.” The King responds that this invention will “implant forgetfulness in their souls.” With this example, Shaykh Yusuf was basically pointing to the risk that such inventions may not really serve knowledge, for with such inventions, knowledge is no longer coming from inside but from outside. He also highlighted that the concept of invention always had negative connotations in many religious traditions out of fear of societal destabilization. When the focus is on technological benefits, people might disregard the potential harm, including its alienating, distracting nature which we experience everyday by “constantly checking our phones.” In the past, distraction was considered synonymous with “mental drain.” Kafka said, “Evil is whatever distracts.” While progress might be inevitable, it does not mean all progress is useful. We need to “look down the road at the consequences,” Shaykh said, based on an Islamic juristic principle (al-nazar fi al-maalat) and seriously consider how we can prevent harm. In his speech, Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah reminded that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, “There should be no harm and no reciprocation of harm.” Reflecting on Aristotle’s five intellectual virtues, Hamza Yusuf noted the importance of approaching technology (artistry, craftsmanship) with prudence (phronesis) and wisdom (sophia).

The Jewish attitude is that humans are created in God’s image and that they carry divine attributes within themselves and therefore stand above artificial intelligence. Israeli attorney and professor of law Haim Aviad Hacohen talked about the ancient Babylonian civilization’s failure to appreciate this quality of mankind. The Babylonians had an eager wish to reach heaven through the highest tower. The Bible tells us that this tower was special and that it would have demonstrated the technical and economic accomplishment of that nation. People were obsessed with the idea of conquering the sky, so they excluded God’s opinion and showed no care for the construction workers that built the tower because, as Rabbi Hacohen narrated, “from the high top one cannot really see millions of needy people on the ground who need their attention.” Rabbi Shlomo David Rosen gave an example, saying that “When a brick fell down and broke, people stopped their work and cried. But when a person fell and died, they did not bat an eyelid.” Consequently, people were punished for their arrogant and negligent behaviors when God made them speak different languages.

Previously, Rabbi Eliezer Simha Weisz, a member of the Council of the Chief Rabbinate, said that the Jewish community used to make golems (creatures brought to life using clay and Hebrew incantations) by means of kabbalistic efforts to protect themselves from their enemies. However, the golems were the ones who would be defeated. Even though they were man-made powerful creatures they came out to be weaker than human beings.

The essential argument made by almost every religious leader in the convention can be summed up into one common statement: “Technology has to be used for the improvement of human life and shouldn’t leave anyone behind.” It should not harm but serve humanity. Therefore, human beings must be in control of it and not vice versa. All of the speakers at the event supported Pope Francis’ statement concerning asylum seekers. Thus, technology shouldn’t harm the most vulnerable category of people but assist them in overcoming their hardships.

When all is said and done, it seems that technology is like God’s creation of evil. It is there to guide people in the difference between good and bad, and to stimulate us to seek higher achievements in this life. But this is possible only as long as we control that which is evil, which is not an easy task. Similarly, AI is a man-made invention, and it is inevitably becoming part of our daily lives. Instead of avoiding its usage, it’s better to look for healthy ways of integrating it into our lives. However, whether or not AI will act in favor of, or against, mankind will depend on how it is applied.

References

1. https://www.romecall.org/the-abrahamic-commitment-to-the-rome-call-for-ai-ethics-10th-january-2023/
2. https://www.itu.int/en/mediacentre/backgrounders/Pages/artificial-intelligence-for-good.aspx
3. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/algorithm-that-detects-sepsis-cut-deaths-by-nearly-20-percent/
4. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-ai-can-do-for-climate-change-and-what-climate-change-can-do-for-ai/
5. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/19/technology/can-a-machine-learn-morality.html
6. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/technology/facial-recognition-bias.html