İstanbul beggars thrive on traditional, cultural codes

This year, more than 3,000 beggars were fined a total of TL 182 billion in İstanbul by the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s “Beggars Center.” In Ramadan, more than 275 beggars were taken in by municipal officers. Although children begging at traffic lights, trying to sell tissue paper to drivers stuck in traffic is a heartbreaking sight, most of the urban population is aware that by buying from them one is encouraging them or their masters to continue this lifestyle. However, many people still give money to beggars due to patterns of thinking engrained in their mind by cultural habits, according to a study by sociologists İsmail Coşkun and Alev Erkilet, which was published last month by the İstanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO).

The study, which focuses on the perceptions of İstanbul residents of beggars rather than the sociological backgrounds or individual characteristics of beggars themselves, found that although most of the city’s residents now recognize begging -- particularly some forms of it -- as a social problem that needs to be effectively addressed, they still do not turn down beggars. The study was based on face-to-face interviews with 55 people including municipality police -- called zabıta -- officers, shopkeepers who have the highest rate of meeting with people asking for money, academics and a focus group meeting based on the begging phenomenon.

A beggar could be Hızır

The authors note that although most people do not verbally cite their cultural background as a reason for giving money to people who ask, they reveal certain behavioral patterns. These include a combination of religious or cultural beliefs such as abiding by the tradition of not turning down somebody who requests your help or thinking that the person asking for money could be Hızır, or Khidr in Arabic, a mysterious Islamic figure -- also seen in pre-Islamic lore -- who is believed to have drunk the water of eternal life and thus be forever young and alive.

However, this does not mean that attitudes towards beggars have not changed compared to the past. Many are aware that every donation contributes to the perpetuation of the act. One interviewee, a 26-year-old public accountant, described begging as “equal to theft.” Another person, a 39-year-old contractor from Üsküdar, said begging was a profession that is executed according to a prearranged scenario. “No work, more money, this is what they are all about,” the same person said.

Indeed most people believe only a small percentage of beggars are people who actually need the money. The authors of report quote an entry from Ek$i Sözlük, arguably Turkey’s most popular user-contributed website where membership is limited, in which a user said they continuously helped a beggar they called Grandfather Tuesday. As the author explains, “Unlike any of the other beggars, he never talked. Grandfather Tuesday would go door to door and would knock on the door avoiding eye contact, his head slightly dropped. Everyone, except for our two next-door neighbors in adjacent houses on both sides, would give him money. Not a single house on our street would turn him down. I always saw him as a beggar that everyone respected.” However, a national newspaper once ran a story on Grandfather Tuesday, who turned out to be a very rich man. The story also revealed that the old man visited other neighborhoods on different days of the week. This discovery has negatively influenced the entry’s writer. The authors of the study note that this incident is not very rare, and although traditional codes are being transmitted between generations, most İstanbul residents have similar experiences that have caused them to feel cheated. The authors said every participant in their survey had a similar story. The authors said they expected this trend to continue saying, “As future generations will not grow up having a grandmother who always gives money to a beggar, they are likely to be more readily influenced by stories of cheating.” The authors also noted that most Internet forums such as Ek$i Sözlük, used mainly by younger generations, provide anecdotes that portray a negative view of beggars.

Not OK, although tolerable

The study also found that most people do not see traditional begging as a major social threat; however, they do worry about aggressive beggars and drug abusers. Those who were surveyed also noted that they were extremely uneasy about begging turning into a profession, with most saying that this will work to the disadvantage of the needy. A majority believes that social measures are necessary, and some call for stricter punitive measures. This is why, the authors say, it is very “interesting” that the same people who call for measures against beggars continue to give them money. A noteworthy example they give is of a zabıta official, whose mother would force him to give a certain amount of money to a beggar every morning, despite being completely aware of what her son does for a living.