Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ISTANBUL1888
2005-10-31 15:19:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Istanbul
Cable title:  

ISTANBUL MEZZES: SLICES OF LIFE FROM TURKEY'S

Tags:  PGOV PREL PHUM TU 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ISTANBUL 001888 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM TU
SUBJECT: ISTANBUL MEZZES: SLICES OF LIFE FROM TURKEY'S
MEGALOPOLIS

Classified By: Consul General Deborah K. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ISTANBUL 001888

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM TU
SUBJECT: ISTANBUL MEZZES: SLICES OF LIFE FROM TURKEY'S
MEGALOPOLIS

Classified By: Consul General Deborah K. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (U) This is the second in a series of cables offering a
sampling of political, economic and human rights topics
circulating in Istanbul; herewith, a special "Ramazan"
edition.

Istanbul Iftars
--------------


2. (U) "Iftar," or the traditional breaking of the Ramadan
("Ramazan," in Turkish) fast, is celebrated widely by Muslim
Turks, whether they fast or not, and by some non-Muslim
Turks, as well. The nature of the various iftars, and their
attendees, reveals the weft and warp of the rich tapestry
that is Istanbul society.


3. (U) Among the many iftars attended by CG -- and a first
in her experience -- was one hosted by the local Jewish
Community, a tradition initiated nearly five years ago.
Attendees at the October 11 gathering included the Mayor and
Governor of Istanbul and a number of prominent Muslim
businessmen, as well as both men and women from the Jewish
community. The evening began with an Islamic call to prayer
and ended with an imam's benediction, with a heartfelt sermon
by the Chief Rabbi and the chanting of an internationally
renowned, Istanbul-based cantor sandwiched in between. Only
in Istanbul... (One attendee mentioned to CG that the avian
flu scare had prompted several phone inquiries to the Chief
Rabbi's office wondering whether chicken prepared in kosher
fashion was safe to eat...)


4. (U) Another major iftar was hosted by the Justice and
Development party (AKP) in honor of PM Erdogan and visiting
outgoing German Chancellor Schroeder. Most notable about the
2000-guest event was the "big tent" quality of AK party
adherents -- women covered and uncovered (in every sense),
people young and old, academics and wealthy businessmen. The
Ecumenical Patriarch was also present, as were, again, the
Mayor and Governor of Istanbul. The highlight of the evening
-- which included lengthy impassioned remarks by both Erdogan
and Schroeder and repeated, ear-splitting renditions of the
EU anthem -- was Schroeder's announcement mid-speech that
Turkey had defeated Albania one-nil in their soccer match

that evening, passed to him by an Erdogan advisor who was
monitoring the game via Blackberry.


5. (SBU) One of Turkey's largest and most successful NGO's,
Deniz Feneri, or "Lighthouse," hosted CG and members of
Istanbul's Public Affairs staff for an iftar dinner October

17. Public Affairs earlier had identified an American
advisor specializing in NGO operations to advise
organizations in Istanbul. This Washington-state based
individual had returned to continue his successful
consultations and also joined. The iftar was preceded by a
tour of the NGO's impressive facilities, which included a
large warehouse, bank, and administrative offices, including
rooms full of young volunteers -- the women largely, but not
exclusively, covered -- staffing computer and phone banks
accepting donations from all over the world, including the
U.S. The neatly organized warehouse filled with bar-coded
boxes of tents, clothing and other materials ready for
shipment to those in need both domestically, within Turkey,
and overseas (Pakistan, Indonesia, Bosnia inter alia),was
striking, as was the Director's easy transition to fluent
Syrian-dialect Arabic when he learned of CG's prior
assignments. (His assistant "tour guide" then shifted to
Arabic as well, somewhat more halting and classical, but
correct.) Following the tour, we adjourned to a cafeteria
with approximately 120 staff members, who waited quietly for
the imam's call to prayer, then prayed openly over their
meals and noisily dug in.


6. (C) Istanbul's pronouncedly nationalist/secularist
"Marmara Group," comprising former military chiefs of staff,
ministers and ambassadors -- quite literally the "old guard"
-- converted an initial dinner invitation into an iftar event
to welcome the CG, this one in an ornately decorated former
Ottoman hunting palace on the Asian side of the Bosphorus,
owned by one of the group's members and overflowing with
Ottoman-era "orientalia." Their equally well-preserved and
polished spouses attended. The evening was relatively light
on Islam (i.e., no visible prayers prior to digging in to the
lavish repast) and rather heavier on politics, with the
group's chairman stressing in his welcoming remarks their
hopes that the U.S. mission here would continue to focus on
people-to-people relationships as well as
government-to-government; read: "We're not all AKP." Former
ministers expressed doubts that the younger generation could
produce a credible, viable opposition to the dominant AK
Party while also decrying the Turkish judiciary's gratuitous
and embarrassing political interventions in Turkish affairs.


7. (C) MARIFED, an umbrella organization for Marmara region
business associations (including the Gulenist Business Life
Association (ISHAD)),hosted visiting CDA McEldowney at an
October 25 iftar. Some 35 businessmen (the only women in the
room were CDA, CG and poloff),representing mostly small to
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) shared details about their
companies and business goals in the U.S., most nodding in
agreement as the Charge hailed the crucial contribution
Turkish and American entrepreneurs make to the Turkey-U.S.
relationship. The hosts, eager to accommodate the CDA's
tight schedule, selected Istanbul's famous "Beyti"
restaurant, strategically located just minutes from Ataturk
Airport. Following the CDA's departure, the conversation at
the head table turned to Fetullah Gulen and his teachings and
was interrupted when the President of the Turkish Exporters
Assembly popped in from an adjacent room and invited the CG
to join yet another iftar event the restaurant was hosting
for Turkey's Minister of Education, Istanbul's Governor, PM
Special Advisor Cuneyd Zapsu, Istanbul's Chief of Police and
faculty members from Fatih University, inter alia.


8. (U) At a more secular version of iftar for Turkish
Mercedes employees October 24 attended by conoff, the
conversation turned to the rigors of going without food from
sunup to sundown. All of the dozen workers agreed that
fasting for the entire month of Ramazan was "extreme;" most
said they fasted one or two days and tried to quit a bad
habit, like smoking, for the duration. One of the more
senior employees announced that, rather than forego food, he
had given up speeding, something he insisted was a real
hardship given that his company car was a high-performance
coupe. When another of the Turks responded that fast driving
on Istanbul's sclerotic streets was difficult in the best of
circumstances, and virtually impossible during the frenetic
Ramazan binge-shopping season, the more senior employee
replied -- without a trace of irony -- that it is the thought
that counts.


9. (C) Istanbulites debate whether the change to an
Islam-oriented government has transformed what traditionally
had been a private family gathering into increasingly public,
political events. One non-Muslim religious leader told us he
would no longer attend iftars because of his feeling they are
cosmetic and obscure the fact that serious issues and
problems remain for Turkey's minority communities.

Diyanet Hotline Calls Pick Up During Ramadan
--------------


10. (U) For two years, the Diyanet has been providing a
telephone information service to citizens who want to ensure
they are in line with the requirements of their faith. The
Mufti's office in each province operates its service
separately and Istanbul staffs the line with two to three
officials (including women),who work in shifts. The number
of calls increases during Ramadan with citizens inquiring
about fasting. Some callers wonder if they can receive
injections, others ask if they can hold their wives' hands or
kiss her during the day. Last year the Istanbul mufti told
us the line also received questions about "zekat," the
Islamic requirement that one share two percent,
traditionally, of one's wealth each year with the less
fortunate: how much, to whom; and how calculated. Women
lacking other outlets reportedly use the line to ask
questions about family, social and other "private" issues.
Officials are planning to introduce an on-line service in
future.

Minister Koc in the Hot Seat Again
--------------


11. (SBU) Turkish press was abuzz over the October 8
13-hour journey of a holy Islamic relic, the Sakal-i Serif
(hairs from the beard of the Prophet Mohammed),from an
Istanbul mosque to Ataturk Airport and back. Diyanet
officials reportedly asked the Eyup district Mufti to send
the relic to the airport while Culture Minister Atilla Koc
was there for a 1 a.m. layover. Press caught wind of the
story as the relic passed through an x-ray machine, and Koc
has been under attack ever since - including from within his
own party. "They brought it to the airport, I saw it, and it
was brought back. That's it," he told Hurriyet newspaper
October 10. Speculation continues as to why it was taken to
begin with. One version suggested that visiting Dubai Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Rashid had asked to see the relic, but it
was soon pointed out that he'd departed the day before.
Another explanation holds that government officials were
readying a response to the Kingdom of Jordan about its
request to exhibit the relic during Ramadan; Koc wanted to
examine it during his layover in that context. "Doesn't the
Sakal-i Serif go from mosque to mosque anyway so that Muslims
can see it? Am I not a Muslim?" he asked.
Saying Goodbye
--------------


12. (U) The funeral of Nermin Erbakan, wife of former Prime
Minister and behind the scenes Saadet Party leader Necmettin
Erbakan, was held October 24 at Istanbul's Fatih Mosque with
nearly ten thousand people in attendance. Among those paying
their respects were AKP Speaker of Parliament Bulent Arinc,
former Prime Minister Tansu Ciller (Erbakan's former
coalition partner),DYP leader Mehmet Agar, leader of the
Islamist-nationalist Greater Union Party (BBP),Nuhsin
Yazicioglu, representatives from other political parties, and
reportedly two "tarikat" leaders. Erbakan received a visit
from his former protege PM Erdogan and his wife, which
brought the two together for the first time in three years.
SMITH