What many Turks believe about Westerners Modern-day Turks are strong believers in the practice of circumcision -- even as their attitude on Ceremonial Circumcision is undergoing reform (at least in the big cities). But there's a curious belief that is still held by many Turks -- about Christians and Westerners. It's the belief that none of us males are circumcised. For example, my best friend Taşkın, a well-educated pharmacist, was astonished to learn that I was circumcised -- and when he also learned that the circumcision operation had been performed at birth, he could barely hide his shock. He'd always been taught that Christians/Westerners didn't believe in circumcision. As a matter of fact (he explained to me), one way a Turkish Muslim might speak disparagingly about a Christian/Western male would be to say, 'He is un-circumcised'... And, because Taşkın had observed un-circumcised males in old German 'adult films', he had been convinced that all Europeans/Christians/Westerners were uncircumcised... I'm not going to tell you what Peri said the first time she saw me in-the-buff (except for the 'Wow' that softly escaped her lips) -- but if you'll join us for Part 2 tomorrow, I will describe what happened at the last ceremonial circumcision I attended in Gümüldür. :^)