Sizinti Celebrates 30th Year as "Magazine of Love and Tolerance"
"Our goal is to help the nurturing of generations committed to the nation's spiritual dynamics and to seeing belief in God as indispensable to morality," says the editor-in-chief of the monthly Sizinti magazine, the most widely read Turkish popular culture and science magazine, which provides comprehensive coverage of a wide range of subjects from biology to literature and science.
Speaking to Sunday's Zaman on the occasion of the publication's 30th anniversary, Professor Arif Sarsilmaz, the editor-in-chief of Sizinti, related the magazine's average monthly readership of almost 1 million people to its bid to prove that science and religion do not conflict but complement one another.
Sizinti (meaning "leak") first came out in 1979 with a copy of Italian artist Bruno Amadio's famous painting, "Crying boy," on the cover and today reaches 850,000 readers with its extensive coverage of issues in culture, religion, literature, biology, science, health, literature, history, sociology and technology. The magazine promotes itself with the motto, "The magazine of love and tolerance."
"Our readers love the way Sizinti perceives the universe, its fundamental theses and the way it approaches issues. Certainly, we should also admit that Sizinti's success was a favor of God," said Sarsilmaz, while explaining the magazine's adventurous journey from a small outfit selling 6,000 copies to one which has well over 100 times it's original readership today.
Sarsilmaz notes that Sizinti is primarily a magazine of mission, a mission which is not political but aims to widen its readers' understanding of the universe. Looking back on the 30-year history of the magazine, he says: "Turkey was suffering from a calamity of anarchy 30 years ago and this resulted basically from the materialist ideology in our view. We had the idea that exaggerated positivist and materialist thoughts lay behind the youth problems which were the result of misunderstanding the way the world works. There was a depression of faith and belief at the root. As time has gone by, we have come to see that the way we approach science creates a positive influence on youth."
Sizinti's first publication coincided with a time when there was severe fighting and clashes between young people with different ideological ideas in Turkey which led to a coup d'etat in 1980, one of the darkest points in Turkey's recent history.
"If you do not deem it a very assertive statement or arrogance, Turkey would today be in the grip of a greater and more terrible state of anarchy if there had been no Sizinti magazine and the followers of the mission it represents. If no chaos emerges in Turkey today despite the constant provocations, one of the important reasons behind this is the message that Sizinti delivers to its readers on issues of tolerance, dialogue, contentment and conservation," remarks Sarsilmaz.
Although the magazine covers a wide range of subjects, it avoids dwelling on the daily political issues on Turkey's current agenda. Sarsilmaz said this is an editorial policy, as the magazine has always consciously distanced itself from political issues, which can sometimes be considered gossip. "We never sided with any political party or thought. We closely follow current developments in science in our articles to maintain the use of science and technology for the welfare and peace of people and to see their compliance with our world of belief."
Sizinti, which is also published in English, German, Russian, Arabic and Albanian, can be found in 42 counties around the world.
Audio magazine draws big interest from readers
Sizinti magazine achieved a first in Turkey by having an audio version of the magazine on the Internet three years ago. The audio version has made it easier for the visually impaired as well as those who cannot find enough time to read the magazine to follow it.
"Since we did not want a single person to be deprived of the opportunity to read Sizinti, we decided to launch the audio version of our magazine with the intention of spreading our magazine's message," states Sarsilmaz. He says there is growing interest in the audio version from readers.
Sizinti opens the door to contemplation
Professor Suat Yildirim: The light of the mind comes from the positive sciences, in other words, comprehending the universe correctly, while the light of the conscience comes from the religious sciences. It is necessary for these to complete and have constant contact with each other. Sizinti has assumed this mission and has contributed immensely to the development of its readers in understanding the integrity of science and the immutability of reality.
Zaman columnist Ali Ünal: In today's world, where egoism and individualism are very popular and presented as the raison d'être of life, Sizinti magazine gives the opposite message and says people should abandon egoism and embrace humility. Sizinti writer Abdullah Aymaz: Sizinti is a very big encyclopedia. Sizinti covers a wide range of issues. The magazine not only follows scientific developments, but also gives a lot of information to its readers by commenting on these developments. Writer Reşit Haylamaz: Sizinti is a very important tool which helps people to understand the universe because it explores the strands of the universe one by one. A person who goes into the pages of Sizinti is actually wandering around the pages of the universe. In this respect, it is a very important tool to open the door to contemplation.
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