Cablegate: Istanbul Mezzes: Slices of Life From Turkey's
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 001734
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/SE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: ISTANBUL MEZZES: SLICES OF LIFE FROM TURKEY'S
MEGAPOLIS
REF: A. 04 ISTANBUL 1868
B. ISTANBUL 1297
1. (U) This is the first in a series of cables offering a
sampling of political, economic and human rights topics
making news in Istanbul.
Green on the Green
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2. (U) Residents of Istanbul's upscale and secular
residential Kadikoy districts are up in arms about a City
Council decision to build a mosque in Goztepe Park, the only
large open space on fashionable Baghdad Caddesi. In the
Council's mid-September meeting, AKP members -- who hold the
majority on the council -- voted in favor of a plan to
allocate one-fourth of the park for a "place of worship,"
over objections of CHP council members. Some observers
ascribe the dispute to CHP reluctance to approve a competing
development proposal, and an AKP attempt to use the proposed
mosque to force them to do so.
School Opening Tainted by Extortion
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3. (U) An undercover television report this month brought
into the open an unpleasant reality facing parents whose
children attend public schools: the strong-arm tactics used
by school administrators to compel parents to pay additional
fees to cover costs left unmet by inadequate financing from
Ankara. One parent secretly filmed a Gazi district school
principal, as he threatened to send his son to a separate
class of "poor children" where he would learn only reading
and writing and "nothing else," if he did not make the
required USD 100 contribution. The father confirmed that
there was such a class in the basement of the school, and
that more than half the class members were Roma. Education
Directorate officials pledged to look into the matter and
take appropriate action, but to date there has been no
follow-up.
Bumps in the Road
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4. (U) Another unpleasant reality of the new school year, the
return of gridlocked traffic, has been compounded this fall
by the municipality's decision to launch 350 new road
projects. Construction along many main arteries has turned
30 minute commutes into 2-and-a-half hour expeditions and
left Istanbul drivers fuming. Mayor Kadir Topbas, who
ironically was lauded the same week the projects started for
his planning acumen by the business daily "Referans", swiftly
regrouped, however, announcing on September 25 that
henceforth road work would be conducted at night, rather than
during the day.
Turkey's First Victim of Reality TV?
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5. (U) The recent death of a star of the popular Turkish
reality show "Will You Be My Bride," in which real Turkish
mothers screen women as potential brides for their sons (ref
A), has many in the Turkish media questioning the popular
reality genre and its adoption here. The 24-year-old son
(Ata) of the show's most dominant -- and popular -- mother
was found dead in a hotel room in southeast Turkey,
apparently after consuming a lethal mix of ecstasy and
alcohol. Ata's Istanbul funeral turned into a media circus,
with fans taking pictures in front of his flag-draped coffin
and blaming his mother for his death. Organizers of the
funeral are being investigated by a local prosecutor, as use
of the Turkish flag is restricted to soldiers and high civil
servants.
Alevis File Suit
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6. (U) The Istanbul-based Cem Foundation on September 23
made good on its recent warning (ref B) that it would go to
court if the Prime Ministry and the Ministry of Education did
not take action within 60 days to give Alevi "cemevi" centers
the status of "places of worship" and to amend school
textbooks to include information about Alevi faith and
culture. Cem Foundation President Izzettin Dogan along with
1918 other Alevis have filed a case with the Ankara
Administrative Court against the government's inaction.
A Final "Note"
--------------
7. (U) Visitors to Istanbul spinning the radio dial in
their hotel rooms may be surprised by 103.6 FM, a station
mixing American Christian pop with Turkish soft rock. Trans
World Radio, a North Carolina-based group which participates
in an alliance called Gospelcom.net, reportedly programs in
Turkish on the station, as well. 103.6 FM is not to be
confused with Holy 106.3 (available on-line through
Live365.com), which bills itself as "the world's first 24/7
Holy Hip Hop Global Radio Network." In March 2005, Holy
106.3 listed Turkey among the top 10 countries where its
listeners were "locked in" that month.
JONES