In this article, I will introduce you to a very special person. Professor Gazi Ozdemir, MD, was born in 1944 in Antakya, Turkey. He graduated from Istanbul University’s Faculty of Medicine in 1969. In 1988, he became a professor of neurology. Being one of the leading figures in Turkish neurology in 1993, he founded the Turkish Cerebrovascular Diseases Society and served as editor of the society’s journal for 10 years. He held international roles as the Turkish Representative of the European Stroke Council, Member of the European Stroke Scientific Board, and Board Member of the Mediterranean Countries Stroke Society. In 2001, he was awarded the Stroke Fellow title by the European Stroke Council. In 2019, he was awarded the “Award for Contribution to Neurological Science and Outstanding Service” by the Turkish Neurological Society. Today, he continues to see patients at his clinic in Turkey and is also a respected author dedicated to educating the public through his theological research.
As a graduating neuroscience student who has endless curiosity about human psychology and belief systems, I have been following Dr. Ozdemir’s work closely for some time. Having this interview with him is a great honor for me.
Parts of the transcript from this written interview have been translated from Turkish and lightly edited for length and formatting.
Interviewer: Dr. Özdemir, thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview. I know that you are an incredibly productive and therefore a very busy person. You’ve published 20 books in the past 18 years, and you continue to try and reach people through both your YouTube videos and newspaper pieces. To begin, I would like to talk about your medical career and your 2010 book “Religion and the Brain”. How did your medical training and your many years of interacting with patients shape this work, as well as your perspective on religion in general?
Dr. Ozdemir: In Antakya, Hatay, where I was born, communities that believe in the rules of life found in the Torah, the Bible and the Quran have lived together peacefully for centuries, without hostility or conflict. While I lived peacefully among these communities, I kept asking myself: “If God is singular, then why are there different religions, and why do these different divine books exist? Why are there also sectarian divisions within these belief systems?” and I began searching for answers. Along with reading books, I started visiting religious leaders and clergy of these communities to ask my questions. As my research continued, I began reading the Torah, the Bible and the Quran. During my medical studies, I became increasingly awed by the perfection of the human body, and my belief in a divine power grew stronger. As I began my neuropsychiatry residency and learned how the brain works, I noticed that the Quran includes some of the same guiding principles as the brain. Some examples include:
- The use of a bell-curve-like distribution
- The principle of making choices between dualities in balance
- The emphasis on justice (not equality), and equal opportunity
- The principle of making things easier, not harder
- The system of monitoring, warning, assisting, rewarding, and penalizing
- Benefiting from learning and tradition, but not through imitation
- Moderation brings benefit, extremes bring harm
Based on these principles, I increasingly believed that what we call religion is a set of foundational life rules, and that the brain’s role is to maintain and develop life, both in fact pointing to similar truths. These insights also helped me begin to find answers to my existential questions.
Interviewer: Your first non-medical publication, “What Remains of Mevlana,” published in 2007 was a compilation of quotes by the famous Sufi thinker Rumi. I would like to quote one: “All other voices are echoes of that blessed voice.” Many religions and mythologies include the belief that God can be found in the sky, the sun, the sea, beneath the earth, in trees, in animals, within us and in each other. What are your thoughts on this based on your research?
Dr. Ozdemir: The concept of God, whose attributes we cannot fully know, is thought to have created all material and spiritual beings. Awareness of God can stem from recognizing the perfection of its creations. Thus, it would make sense that in every created being, whether living or nonliving, God is present in some way and imparts consciousness. In my opinion, one could say that God has hidden itself within these creations. That is why the Quran begins with the word “read,” encouraging believers to gain knowledge and seek God through awareness and science. In this sense, in God’s creations, scientific principles like mathematics and geometry have been applied with great precision and harmony that can be observed.
While studying Rumi’s works, I realized that he had deeply read and studied the Quran and drew extensively from it. His works, especially the “Mesnevi,” actually reflect many Quran verses. Once I noticed this, I started conducting a study mapping Rumi’s words to specific Quran verses across all of his major works. The result became a book titled “The Mevlana Who Uncovered the Quran,” which was published three months ago.
Interviewer: I am very excited to read it. It’s impossible to not notice the cyclical nature of everything in, well, nature. Yet humanity still likes to think of itself through exceptionality and permanence. That said, interest in reincarnation or the cycle of samsara (birth-death-rebirth), from Indian-origin religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism, has grown significantly in recent years. Do these beliefs have any parallels in Abrahamic religions or other traditions?
Dr. Ozdemir: In India and nearby countries, this belief is defined as Tanasuh which is the idea that a person may be reborn in an animal’s body. Reincarnation, however, refers to a person being reborn in another human body in order to continue their spiritual learning across many lives. Such claims have been reported in Turkey, actually, interestingly, in the Hatay region and to a lesser extent in Adana, Mersin, and Tarsus which are the southern parts of Turkey that have a coast to the Mediterranean Sea. Almost in all such examples, the claims are made by children between the ages of two and five, and no scientific research has conclusively proven a match between the children’s claims and the deceased individuals they refer to. In the Quran, a verse says: “We are able to recreate even your fingertips” – which might be a hint worth investigating. I hope researchers will compare individual characteristics like fingerprints, handwriting and other biometric features – it is an interesting research venue.
Interviewer: A systematic review article from 2022 suggested that spiritual practices are associated with neurobiological markers such as increased cortical thickness and altered brain connectivity, which may have protective effects against mental disorders like depression and addiction. This study is one of many that point to the psychological and biological benefits of belief in a higher power. In your opinion, how does one find happiness? I would love to hear your advice based on your theological and medical expertise, as well as your personal life experience.
Dr. Ozdemir: Belief in God and the immutable core rules we call “religion” is influenced by many factors. There are even theories suggesting that certain brain structures, like the pineal gland and temporal lobe, affect a person’s tendency to believe. Faith can stem from both genetic predisposition and environmental influence. For example, whether one grows up in a religious environment before adolescence can significantly impact the brain’s neural plasticity, shaping belief pathways or allowing them to atrophy.
In my case, being born into a society of diverse faiths, my highly questioning personality, strong sense of free will and critical thinking were naturally reinforced. My medical training greatly enhanced these abilities. Additionally, I had to finance my own education since primary school, which contributed to my resilience. These traits helped me fulfill my responsibilities and contribute to society throughout my career – this can be thought of as a form of happiness. Looking back, I can now recognize the invisible support I received during the hardest moments of my life.
Interviewer: It was a true privilege to engage in this meaningful conversation with you Dr. Gazi Özdemir.
Dr. Ozdemir: Ms. Yılmaz, your efforts in informing the public are truly valuable. I sincerely thank you for involving me in this endeavor and considering me suitable for the interview. I wish you health, happiness and success throughout your life.
Interviewer: It was my pleasure! Thank you again for your time and for sharing years worth of wisdom and hard work with us.