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rpannier

(24,304 posts)
Thu Jan 28, 2016, 09:06 PM Jan 2016

An Imam in Istanbul has opened up his mosque as a warm home to the city's stray cats

Mustafa Efe is the Imam at Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi Mosque in Istanbul's historic Üsküdar neighbourhood.

Efe is well known in the city for his "good humour and diligence", the Daily Sabah reports - but a video Efe took of a mother cat taking her kittens from the street into the safety of the mosque has given his everyday acts of compassion a global audience.

Efe described the cats as "our mosque’s Friday guests", but he actually lets the city's many strays shelter in the building throughout the winter months.

links
http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/an-imam-in-istanbul-has-opened-up-his-mosque-as-a-warm-home-to-the-citys-stray-cats--by7V4SWiYne

http://www.dailysabah.com/istanbul/2016/01/15/istanbuls-cat-friendly-imam-wins-the-hearts-of-social-media-users

2nd one has a few different cat pics

15 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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An Imam in Istanbul has opened up his mosque as a warm home to the city's stray cats (Original Post) rpannier Jan 2016 OP
I was in Istanbul last year hifiguy Jan 2016 #1
All God's Chillun Got a Home. Meow. libdem4life Jan 2016 #2
How heartwarming. 3catwoman3 Jan 2016 #3
Turks have always treated cats very specially... cascadiance Jan 2016 #4
That is extremely interesting rpannier Jan 2016 #6
Don't forget about the Turkish Van - the breed that likes to swim! bullwinkle428 Jan 2016 #8
I read about those gorgeous cats Aerows Jan 2016 #12
I just had to say AWWW! Aerows Jan 2016 #5
Kittens in trouble rpannier Jan 2016 #11
That mother cat was determined Aerows Jan 2016 #13
Love this pic Liberal_in_LA Jan 2016 #7
Thanks for posting Omaha Steve Jan 2016 #9
There's a story about Muhammed... Archae Jan 2016 #10
I recall that Aerows Jan 2016 #14
The mosque in my town took care of a colony a la izquierda Jan 2016 #15
 

hifiguy

(33,688 posts)
1. I was in Istanbul last year
Thu Jan 28, 2016, 09:10 PM
Jan 2016

and the tour guide said the city is famous for the stray/independent cats that are seemingly everywhere, especially around the touristy places. I certainly saw cats around the grounds of the Topkapi Palace.

 

cascadiance

(19,537 posts)
4. Turks have always treated cats very specially...
Thu Jan 28, 2016, 09:32 PM
Jan 2016

... especially Angoras. There is a legend that their revered Ataturk would at some point be reborn as a cat, as noted here...

http://www.erkr.de/etl.htm

It is dogs that have a harder time finding good homes in Turkey than cats, being regarded more as "unclean" there than others regard them. But in Istanbul, there's a company that tries to help keep stray dogs fed there through some creative machines they put in the streets there.

http://bigthink.com/design-for-good/recylce-bin-turns-bottles-into-food-for-stray-animals-and-provokes-our-humanity

I think this company deserves a lot of pats on the back for defying local cultural trends to help stray dogs when they don't often get treated as well.

rpannier

(24,304 posts)
6. That is extremely interesting
Thu Jan 28, 2016, 10:04 PM
Jan 2016

I agree with you about Pugedon helping the dogs
It takes a while to change attitudes but every little bit moves people in the right direction
Hopefully, attitudes will change

I live in a country that hasn't historically been cat friendly.
But those attitudes have been changing
Cats have become more accepted among younger Koreans and those in the Jeolla provinces

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
12. I read about those gorgeous cats
Fri Jan 29, 2016, 02:05 AM
Jan 2016

They have long fur that dries out quickly, and they are huge kitties!

rpannier

(24,304 posts)
11. Kittens in trouble
Fri Jan 29, 2016, 01:10 AM
Jan 2016

Straight upstairs to their room
Wonder if they lost their supper

on serious note
It is a cute video

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
13. That mother cat was determined
Fri Jan 29, 2016, 02:07 AM
Jan 2016

The highlight, I think is when the calico faced one poke out under mama's belly

Too cute for words

Archae

(46,260 posts)
10. There's a story about Muhammed...
Fri Jan 29, 2016, 12:59 AM
Jan 2016

The founder of Islam.

It is said that he cut the sleeve of his robe off, rather than disturb his sleeping cat when he was going to pray.

The Bible does mention big cats. Lions.

But house cats? No mention.

There is however one old Jewish story, the Devil turned himself into a mouse to chew holes in the Ark. Noah saw the mouse, and threw a glove at it. It turned into a cat that killed the mouse.
That is why to this day cats have a little bit of the Devil in them.

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
14. I recall that
Fri Jan 29, 2016, 02:15 AM
Jan 2016

but it was in Egypt before Islam had ever taken hold.

Cats were revered because they kept the grain safe from rats and other vermin after it had been endangered by the pests if stored en masse.

Being able to stockpile grain without having an infestation of vermin allowed armys to march.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/12/how-humans-created-cats/282391/

a la izquierda

(11,784 posts)
15. The mosque in my town took care of a colony
Fri Jan 29, 2016, 06:15 AM
Jan 2016

Of ferals and strays. Then, the bank next door got a new manager, and he had all the cats caught on the bank property euthanized.

The people at the mosque and so many others were rightly furious.

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