Istanbul was Constantinople. Now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople. But it’s still Islamic unless its secular military wins the next democratic slugfest.
A recent rally drew 500,000 protesters of the pro-Islamic Recep Yayyip Erdogan, the nation’s prime minister. Many of the secular and military protesters, along with their civilian counterparts, accused the religionists of wanting to drag the country through the dark ages.
A recent vote was challenged on Constitutional grounds and the battle over the nation’s direction continues to ensue. Who wins out in the this nation, situated just north of Iraq, could have some effect on Middle East politics, the aims of Al Qaida and other grassroots operatives hell bent on creating a pan-Islamic superpower, and the Western war on terror. It should be interesting to watch.
