Asian culture

Time to admit, I have a fondness for gin and tonic, or maybe just gin with a dash of vermouth. My undeniable inclination for gin as a choice of drink is easy to explain: It was my first ever drink in life. I did not start my drinking career by taking shy sips of wine or beer, or tasting the cloying sweet liquors my paternal grandmother used to enjoy along with her dense Turkish coffee.

A religious service was held at an Alevi house of worship which has been turned into museum, the Hac? Bekta?-? Veli dervish convent, for the first time after almost two centuries with the cooperation of Alevi associations from Turkey and Europe. 

Turkey celebrated Hıdırellez on May 5, known as the start of Summer in the Turkic cultural world

Turkey celebrated Hıdırellez on May 5, known as the start of Summer in the Turkic cultural world

Though best-known for turning a Central Asian folk song into a campaign jingle for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), newly minted AKP candidate U?ur I??lak's areas of expertise have been shown to extend into the realm of relationship advice given the singer's 2012 comments saying "it is in women's nature to belong to men."

The 43rd annual Belgrade international film festival, FEST 2015, which starts on February 27 and ends on March 8, will feature 90 Serbian premieres, including "Birdman", Alejandro González Iñárritu's film which has received nine Oscar nominations, and Woody Allen's "Magic in the Moonlight".

A group of Alevi associations partnered with the E?itim-Sen teachers' union staged a rally on Feb. 8 in Istanbul's Kad?köy district against compulsory religion classes and forming the education system according to religious rules.

A Israeli beauty queen's selfie has caused a stir in Lebanon, with some Lebanese saying their country's contestant at the Miss Universe pageant should be stripped of her title for consorting with the enemy.
   

The resentment of Mehmet Görmez, the head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet), to the filth he saw in Mecca is very important

It is very important that President of the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) Professor Mehmet Görmez said, after counting several Islamic educational institutions in the world, “Scholars from these places, instead of solving problems, are becoming problems themselves in many places.”