A young imam in Turkey’s capital city opened the doors of his mosque for stray cats to seek shelter in this winter. Mustafa Efe was seen reciting the Quran in a calming voice while leading morning prayers at Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi Mosque in Istanbul as a gray cat alternated between licking its fur clean and staring at over 300 worshippers. Neither the imam nor the worshippers seemed offended by the cat’s presence inside their house of worship, where they continue to follow the usual religious rituals.
A peaceful cohabitation prevails inside the mosque where stray cats and devout worshippers seem to have struck an agreement.
“Cats have been with us during prayers and sermons. They do not spoil the peace inside the mosque. Worshippers love them as well,” said Efe.
Efe unknowingly shot to fame earlier this year after social media websites exploded with video footage captured at his mosque. The recordings showed several stray cats mingling with each of the worshippers. In one particular clip, a mother cat was seen dragging her kittens, one at a time, up a steep flight of stairs that lead to the minbar, an area typically reserved for a preaching imam.
Currently, there are as many as 10 stray cats living in and around Efe’s mosque. Since the felines are free to come and go as and when they like, their numbers vary from time to time. While some members of the local cat community have chosen to stay on at the mosque, others have left and been replaced by felines from nearby neighbourhoods.
“Cats have always been a part of this community,” said Efe, who joined the mosque’s religious classes in 1990.
It is possible that the notoriously free-spirited animals’ loyalty stems from their habit of being fed and sheltered by the mosque.
“This mosque has a food bank for people. A part of this food has been distributed to these cats,” Efe said, adding that worshippers have also helped in taking care of stray felines.
Efe welcomes stray cats, particularly during winters to help protect them from the chilly cold outside. In an effort to explain his decision to do so, Efe said that this was something that all Muslims should do. According to him, his kind gesture was only a natural result of his religious conviction as well as Istanbul’s longstanding hospitality towards animals.
Historically, cats have been considered clean animals, with Prophet Mohammad apparently urging his followers to consider cats as part of their own families. One tale recalls how a cat had once prevented a snake from biting the Prophet while another suggests that upon seeing his cat sleeping on the edge of his cloak, Mohammad cut around the resting animal to ensure it was not disturbed.
This peaceful coexistence between animal and man is the tradition in Turkey, where architects often add a special area near the mosques’ outer walls for birds to nest on. While it is not surprising to see passersby offering food to cats or positioning cushions on pavements for felines to sleep on, Efe’s kindness towards these strays is only one example of their popularity on social media. Cats of Istanbul, a popular Instagram account, has as many as 8,000 followers while an animated film titled Kotu Kedi Serafettin (Bad Cat Serafettin) was recently released in the country on February 5. A documentary titled Kedi (Cat) featuring a host of strays is also expected to be released soon.
Photo Credits: BoredPanda.com
