Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: “We will find the ways to protect our heart”
President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan made important remarks on biological sex, sexual identity and sexual orientation at the interview held for Religion Culture and Ethic teachers by Bursa Provincial National Education Directorate. Pointing out that children, youth question everything to learn, Tarhan said that answers must be given by using new methods instead of old questions in these inquisitions. Tarhan underlined that we need to gain them over and move forward instead of putting them against us. He said that new ways must be found to protect our hearts.
President of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan highlighted that biological sex is innate while sexual identity is acquired by social learning at the interview held online. Tarhan said, “Recent genetic studies showed that there is epigenetics as the quantum of genetics. Epigenetics means that the environment changes the gene. Gene comes different innately, however, exposure from the environment causes genetic polymorphism in genes. For instance, if a male child grows among his sisters, aunts, he takes their behavior as an example, models them and he can make some changes on his genes by repeating it. Biological identity comes innately and sexual identity is acquired later by social learning. What does this mean? If something is acquired, it is not faith.”.
“We need innovation and unity in methodology”
Prof. Nevzat Tarhan mentioned that Islam needs a Renaissance, not a reform. Tarhan said, “When children were raised, they were grown with the concepts of shame, sin and prohibition. These are our centuries-old traditional and cultural children's education style. This was valid for a hundred years, and it was true. We were protecting a child from evil with the concepts of shame, prohibition, sin because there were social norms, like neighborhood pressure, but it was eliminated. Secondly, there were family norms. Every family had values and ties, that also was shattered. So, now the Internet is the open door of the house, and everything is entering. Many social norms, family norms, those who protect the family have disintegrated because the circumstances protecting this family have disintegrated. We lose these children when you give new answers to old questions if you raise them the old way. The core is the same, however, innovation is required in methodology, tawhid is required. That's why Islam does not need reform, it needs a renaissance.".
“We are currently living the Umayyad morality of Islam”
Addressing the need to discover and extract the prophetic morality at the core of Islam at this time, Tarhan said, “At this time, we need to return to the prophetic morality of Islam. We are currently living the Umayyad morality of Islam. It was a bit heavy, however, I think it is combined with the patriarchal culture, and we live the Umayyad morality. There is pressure, threat and intimidation in Umayyad morality. There is even racism there. That's why we need to discover and extract the prophetic morality of Islam at this time. Otherwise, our children will go, this is no joke. This becomes sexual identity, atheism, deism, this and that. However, the truth is beautiful, its essence is beautiful, but we have to give those to our children according to this time with new methods. This is not a very difficult thing. We were protecting our children by transferring the form of Islam. According to Islam, our heart is our most sensitive organ and it is superficial with ‘wardrobe Islam’. Our hearts are not impure. For this reason, very sharp boundaries have been set between men and women, and these boundaries have been lifted at this time. So, what do we do? We will find other ways to protect our hearts.”.
“Instead of correcting the children, we need to take them with us and move forward together”
Stating that a person questions all sexual, social and cultural identities, Tarhan mentioned that, the person creates their own identity after questioning. Tarhan said, “Women and men are equal in opportunities, they are not biologically equal. In the book 'Women's Psychology', I wrote this with evidence. All of what I have said is evidence-based. Not biologically equal, however, women and men are equal in rights and opportunity. No one can object to this. At the moment, this is a situation is about the fact that the global ideology has baited us and led us make mistakes, but in the end, we need to be conscious and protect ourselves, our children and our relatives. Adolescence period is 9th grade period, the age 15 is full adolescence period. The child asks the questions of who am I, where should I belong, why, and their social identity, cultural identity, as well as sexual identity, all fall into this period. The person questions all of these identities. After questioning, they create their own identity. In fact, the fact that young people question this does not show that they are deists or atheists. It shows that they are just curious and questioning, that is, they are on a quest. In such a situation, these young people are calling, they are asking, therefore, when we make them feel like an outsider, we lose them. When we get the sense of the opposite side, we lose them. Instead of putting those children against us and correcting them, we need to gain over us and move forward together.”.
Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)