We saw a movie in the theater which we rarely do. This time we watched, Song Sung Blue. The time before, at least a year ago, was Father Flannigan; the time before that was the Barbie Movie, before that was Spotlight. They were all very memorable, something about the theater experience, as opposed to watching something on my phone with earbuds while he is next to me watching something else. We need to fix the tv since Comcast stopped working! So that is why he wants to get home wifi, whereas I asked, “With our cellphone use aren’t we getting radiated enough?” But maybe there is a way to turn the router off when you’re not using it.

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When we watched Song Sung Blue, I thought of Sulaymaniyah, Irak, when the Neil Diamond song, Soolaimon, came on. I had been reading about a community of Sufis in Sulaymaniyah for whom Bahá’u’lláh had written, Ode of the Dove around 1853-4. So the beautiful rendition of Soolaimon in the movie perked my interest.

The town was named for an Ottoman Sultan of the 16th century, known as Suleiman the Magnificent. He married a woman from Ukraine. Suleiman is an Arabic male name, a variant of the Hebrew name Solomon, which means peace.

Suleiman and Hurrem

This story is sweet and romantic, but very short.

This story is much longer and I didn’t finish it because she started murdering her rivals and I got sick and tired of it.

Who knows really? I used to love reading the stories of the Arabian Nights as a kid. The stories about Suleiman and Hurrem have kind of an Arabian Nights flavor, and they are all likely more legend than truth.

Hurram’s village in Ukraine, at the time part of Poland, was attacked by raiders and she was kidnapped, then sold as a slave to the Sultan, joining a huge group of concubines. 17-year-old Hurram (not her original given name) had a tremendous amount of grief to work through having lost her parents, siblings, fiancé, freedom and friends, (except for one best friend who had also been kidnapped and had ended up in the Sultan’s haram as well). But she bounced back to her pleasant and charming demeanor and became Suleiman’s new favorite, plunging his previous favorite into jealousy and despair.

Polygamy is tragic for women. You’re forced to give your all, but you only get a fraction in return. A woman’s love is kindled, then her jealousy is inflamed. There were murders and attempted murders within the harem that Hurram was trafficked to.

The Ottoman Empire was at its height under Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1566 birth to death), and lasted until the Young Turk Revolution in 1908. At that time political prisoners throughout the Ottoman empire, such as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (one of the three primary founders of the Bahá’í Faith), were released. After being in prison or other restriction all his life, the last being under house arrest in Palestine. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was released at the age of 64, and was at last able to travel the world.

Turkey is one of the few Moslem countries that has a democratic government, according to a friend who has lived there. In 1926, Turkey abolished polygamy! However it is still possible for a man to have a polygamous family if all agree not to bring charges.

Now we have another empire that will soon end. It would be nice if the next empire that arises is one of peace, harmony and equality. No more violent regime change. No more hoarding resources. No more exploitation. Just dreaming.