Paulo Coelho

I often just link to any post that I like well enough to mention here however I really loved paris parfait's quote from Paulo Coelho.

You see, I loved living in Turkey and only left because of the Belgian. The Paulo Coelho quote mentions the Muslim time of fasting ... Ramazan; a special time to Muslims around the world, often misunderstood by those who have no experience of it. For me it was a time when Turkish friends and strangers were kinder and more welcoming than usual.

Traders would often invite me to join them in breaking their daily fast, not for sales - just for food; friends often took me home to their families ... extended family really.

I miss those people, their traditions and their warm open-heartedness.

But the quote:
In his book Like the Flowing River, Paulo Coelho talks about "The Catholic and the Muslim."

I was talking to a Catholic priest and a young Muslim man over lunch. When the waiter came by with a tray, we all helped ourselves, except the Muslim, who was keeping the annual fast prescribed by the Koran.
When lunch was over and people were leaving, one of the other guests couldn't resist saying: "You see how fanatical these Muslims are! I'm glad to see you Catholics aren't like them."

"But we are," said the priest. "He is trying to serve God just as I am. We merely follow different laws." And he concluded: "It's a shame that people see only the differences that separate them. If you were to look with more love, you would mainly see what we have in common, then half the world's problems would be solved."