In images, in picturesWith the arrival of the Islamic-conservatives to power in 2002, Koranic schools for girls have spread. Sabiha Çimen was able to penetrate this very closed world. A report awarded by World Press Photo in 2020.
Between two religion lessons, young girls in Islamic dress play hopscotch, sing, exchange secrets and ride a merry-go-round. Much needed moments of relaxation in the face of the heavy responsibility incumbent upon them. Schooled far from their families in Koranic boarding schools, these young Turks set out to learn by heart and recite the 6,236 Arabic verses of the Koran, of which they aspire to become the “guardians”. (hafiz). Aged 8 to 17, they will devote three or four years of their lives to achieve this goal.
Repetition, memorization, chanting will occupy most of their days, from 5 am, for the first prayer, until 9 pm. “An exercise that requires discipline, devotion and concentration”, explains Sabiha Çimen, who captured the images of the future “sitters” of the Koran in their spare time. The boarding schools she visited in five cities in Anatolia are not easily seen by photographers. But Sabiha Çimen, 35, has her entries there.
Emotion during the final exam
Koranic boarding schools for girls hold no secrets for this native of Istanbul. “When I was 12, I studied for three years in a Koranic school with my twin sister, she says. It’s a narrow circle, an environment that I know well, because my older sisters are also hafiz. “ By showing “Moments of dreams and daring” of these young students, their complicity, the photographer hopes to help raise awareness of Islamic culture, “Often misunderstood in Western countries”.
“As the Koran is a guide to life, most of the students who memorized it then start learning Arabic to understand its meaning. »Sabiha Çimen
This work, recognizes Sabiha Çimen, is a bit autobiographical. Once she became a photographer, after a stint at Bilgi University in Istanbul where she studied international trade and finance, she wanted to return to this experience that marked her. “Through my photographs, I see myself as I was then. “ She remembers the emotion felt during the final exam, when the examiners ask the students to continue reciting a passage from the Quran chosen at random. A pure process of memorization, the study of meaning being secondary.
“Everything is based on repetition, it is first and foremost to save the word, tells the young woman. The meaning comes after more years of study. As the Quran is a guide to life, most of the students who memorized it then start learning Arabic to understand its meaning. ” After her Koranic boarding school, Sabiha Çimen went to Jordan to learn Arabic.
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