Muslim Girls are coming out -in istan-BULL!!!

Although turkey is a Islamic country with about 95% muslims... it is a secular state ...started by a guy whose head is everywhere... “ata turk.”.. which you guessed it means the father of the turks... and his burning eyes and cult like figure beams down at you from everywhere... but despite his cult following... turkey is a secular state ...


and as such at least on the surface ... it must promote western values…so at least in Istanbul in 2006 … the veil is coming off !
I was here 20 years ago... and today its one big difference...
women wear less and less ... they are wearing makeup... they are revealing their hair- and showing their curves... which is a big sin under sharia law ... if this were a sharia state ... it would have to be covered... sooo never mind the movie beyond the veil... this is the real thing...theres a English newspaper and quite a big expat population here... theres even international schools. and the streets are full of cars... hand-drawn carts ... people and its all bursting at the seems from everywhere...


but Istanbul in spring is definately more romantic than prague... even the occasional lovers can be caught in the park kissing...seem more of a social statement... than in modern europe where its everywhere... then there is the perfumes of spring jasmine floating on the wind turning it all into a ethereal state of unreality ...

but not only are the tulips are out ... the women are out too... and whilst its not going to be the summer of love 1967... at least its a brave new world in "Constantinopolis" as the Greeks still call it-I try to imagine it as a modern Byzantine city and wonder if it would be like Frankfurt or London...


.... the spontaneity of it all gives it all magic as this is what true community is all about-when people come together ... SPONTANEOUSLY...... even where there is garbage and flies and squalor and poverty and glue sniffers and nefarious gypsies breaking the whole illusion...theres still the magic of the tea gardens in the cemeteries... the turkish baths ... this is it.. the occident and europe ... one big cosmic soup where anything can happen ... and probably will.... just come and see for yourself... certainly its all good for business...
the minarets in the sky at sunset... the birds catching the waves of air from Asia and from Europe and Africa seem to shine in the sky like little Jonathan Livingstone seagulls... out of some surrealistic film. .. the fountains ,St.Sophia and the blue mosque lit up at night and the smells wafting down from the spice bazaar... its all most appealing...quite inviting... and so easy to spend too much money...! in this 20 millions city of crossroads...
this is definately where east meets west... this is it..


the kamikazi market boys rushing down the hills at breakneck speeds ... its amazing no one is killed or injured...they do it for the thrill of it... brilliant...
its so different to England... it seems to be a city braced in the moment... from the old wrinkled men fishing off the Bosphorous bridge sipping black tea and socialsing... beter than the local pub for sure...... to the slicked back street traders luring the unsuspecting "tourist fish" into their dens with offers of apple tea... the calligraphers... the bizarre chorus of muzzins shouting for the daily prayers in the 2000 mosqued metropolis...bizarre in the sense of it being so put of step and yet complementary with everything else going on...this city of character and history definately belongs to and could only add depth to the european union...should it become a member...
certainly this is the face of moderate islam.. and... at least in Istanbul...
the muslim girls are coming out!

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