Islamization of Istanbul Continues - Al-Monitor : the Pulse of the Middle East

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  • Islamization of Istanbul Continues

    Pinar Tremblay for Al-Monitor Posted on May 30.
    http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/islamization-istanbul-turkey.html#ixzz2VESdmFXj

    “May 29, 2013, was the 560th anniversary of Istanbul’s conquest. One of Al-Monitor’s contributors, Kadri Gursel, tweeted, “If you were a real Istanbulian, you would not be celebrating the city’s conquest.” While his tweet generated polarized reactions from all political fronts, another diplomatic pundit told Al-Monitor, “The Islamization of Istanbul is not yet complete, a la neo-Ottoman style.”

    On Conquest Day, there were two other battles in this ever-growing city. The first was the beginning of the construction of the third bridge over the Bosporus. Second, a small recreational area, Gezi Park in Taksim district, was scheduled to be demolished to build a shopping strip. Both of these events may seem rather normal and not political to the unsuspecting eye, but not in Istanbul. Both of these “modernization” projects of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) have several religious and political battles embedded in them.

    The third bridge has long been a contentious issue. Although everyone agrees Istanbul needs a better transportation system, there are multiple concerns about the cost-benefit analysis of how this third bridge was designed. The focus of this piece, however, is not about city planning details.”