This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ISTANBUL 002186 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM TU
SUBJECT: ISTANBUL MEZZES:  SLICES OF LIFE FROM TURKEY'S 
MEGALOPOLIS 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for internet distribution. 
 
¶1. (U) This is the third in a series of cables offering a 
sampling of political, economic and human rights topics 
circulating in Istanbul. 
 
Vatican II ) Muslim Style? 
-------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) We recently attended a Koran reading and sermon at 
Sehzadebasi Mosque in the Eminonu-Fatih area, the heart of 
Istanbul,s devout Muslim community, led by a very young 
(30ish), accomplished imam who has won a number of 
international competitions for Koran recitation and who )- 
rather uniquely -- offers the sermon first in Arabic and then 
in Turkish.  The invitation to attend came from a group of 
Turkish intellectuals, artists and businesspersons who 
suggested at a gathering after the service that their hope is 
to encourage a natural, non-politicized practice of 
traditional Islam; in other words, an Islam that is not 
associated with a particular political party (read: AKP), but 
rather one which flows naturally from and within its 
surrounding Turkish culture, under a secular State,s 
protection.  The topic of that day,s reading was moderation 
and balance in life.  Attendees claimed the Imam's Friday 
sermons attract up to 5,000 worshippers. 
 
How Quickly We Forget 
--------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U)  November marked the second anniversary of the Al 
Qa'eda bombings of two Istanbul synagogues (November 15, 
2003), and the British Consulate and an HSBC branch (November 
20, 2003).  The Jewish community marked November 15 with a 
low-profile wreath-laying ceremony at a monument erected by 
the Beyoglu municipality, while the November 20 commemoration 
took place at the British Consulate.  Very few Istanbul 
residents turned out to memorialize those lost in the four 
bombings, and Turkish press quoted British CG Barbara Hay as 
expressing disappointment in the low level of participation. 
Many of our contacts downplay the November 2003 incidents as 
anomalous attacks not directed at the "Turkish people" and 
contrast them with PKK activity. 
 
We Shall Always Remember, On The Other Hand 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Istanbul came to a standstill November 10 at 
9:05am to commemorate the moment of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's 
death sixty-seven years ago.  With sirens wailing and the 
usually bustling traffic and activity around Taksim Square 
immobilized, Istanbul's Governor, Mayor and Land Forces 
Commander, surrounded by city notables, stood at attention on 
the Square, paying their respects to the founder of modern 
Turkey.  In a two-hour program following the salute, Istanbul 
Governor Muammer Guler praised Ataturk as an "idea man," but 
a War Academy representative stole the show with a 
well-conceived 23-slide powerpoint presentation about 
Ataturk's achievements.  Students were featured throughout 
the program, reciting poems and performing oratories about 
the leader.  The only blot on the day was when the Governor 
felt obliged to reprimand students -- via an instruction to 
the master of ceremonies -- who were unable to keep it down 
to a dull roar during performances by Istanbul opera stars. 
 
A Facelift Chez Mme. Tussaud 
---------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Perhaps the most widely publicized event this past 
November 10 was the unveiling of a new Ataturk waxwork at 
London's Madame Tussaud's museum.  An earlier version had 
drawn complaints from thousands of Turkish tourists who 
complained the waxwork looked nothing like Turkey's hero. 
(Note:  Indeed, the earlier version as seen on Turkish 
television more closely resembled Bob Hope.  End note.) 
Apparently Turkish diplomats earlier had attempted to address 
the issue, but not until the involvement of Koc Holding, 
Turkey's leading conglomerate, did a project to replace the 
flawed waxwork pick up steam.  The Koc group reportedly 
employed a team for more than one year to prepare a new 
figure.  At the unveiling, Koc Chairman Mustafa Koc declared 
that "Turkey was progressing in the direction Ataturk 
desired" and that it was his firm's duty to promote Turkey 
and its history during this important time. 
 
How Quickly We Forget, Part Two 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (U)  After seven years, one of the handful of cases 
against contractors and construction engineers responsible 
for substandard buildings that collapsed in the 1999 Duzce 
earthquake came to an end, not with a bang but with a 
whimper.  The three men charged were found guilty, but fined 
only YTL 50 (USD 37) each.  Scandalized press headlines 
calculated that the decision valued the 15 lives lost in the 
quake and the building in question at YTL 3.3 each. 
 
Glass Walls, Not Ceilings 
------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) A 19-year-old Turkish female appeared at Conoff's 
window recently seeking a visa to visit friends in New York. 
Poised and possessed of fluent English, she came from a 
wealthy family long established in Istanbul and was studying 
International Relations at Koc University, one of the the 
city's premier institutions of higher education.  When Conoff 
asked if she was interested in becoming a diplomat, the young 
lady demurred and said that, because of who she was, she 
could not.  Assuming the applicant was referring to her 
gender and recalling that Turkey had had a female prime 
minister, Conoff expressed surprise that such discrimination 
persisted in the Foreign Ministry.  In response, the woman 
smiled and explained that the problem was not related to 
gender but to religion and perceived ethnicity.  She claimed 
that, as a Christian of Armenian descent, she would never 
receive an appointment to the Turkish diplomatic corps, which 
selected only "true Turks" to represent the Republic abroad. 
 
Make A Wish 
----------- 
 
¶8.  (U) Demonstrating that they do much more than &lunch,8 
a number of Istanbul,s leading socialites (including a 
number of successful businesswomen), launched the Istanbul 
chapter of &Make a Wish Foundation8 in late November with a 
gala dinner at a local 5-star hotel, the highlight of which 
was the auctioning of five pieces of jewelry created 
especially for the occasion.  Within 25 minutes, over 625,000 
YTL had been raised (i.e. over half a million dollars).  In 
an extravagant gesture, the successful bidder on one item of 
jewelry donated the piece to be re-auctioned, following which 
a number of people in the audience begin donating personal 
items of jewelry to be auctioned.  &All for show!8 huffed 
one Turkish table companion, although clearly in the minority 
in his criticism. 
 
A Bar Mitzvah, Istanbul Style 
----------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) This metropolitan mosaic, like any mega-city, 
offers great contrasts and diverse cultures.  A recent Bar 
Mitzvah held at the Ciragan Palace showcased both Istanbul's 
Jewish elite and its broader (botoxed and bejeweled) 
Bosphorus elite.  The black-tie evening began with a caviar, 
sushi and champagne reception.  Guests were then led through 
a draped corridor, with dancers in silhouette striking 
various poses, to a dining hall where a five-course meal 
awaited and more silver-skinned dancers reminiscent of the 
Cirque du Soleil pranced on table tops, followed by a risque 
floor show.  The highlight was a bare-chested, pony-tailed 
young man dressed in a dervish-like blue and white diagonally 
striped mega-skirt who sang, high on his platform, while half 
a dozen similarly scantily clad young men twirled around him, 
twisting the skirt into interesting patterns.  The absence of 
a klezmer band and traditional "hora" notwithstanding )- and 
despite the fact that the only yarmulke in the house was worn 
by a Jewish friend visiting from New York -- toasts of 
"L,chaim" reverberated throughout the evening, and the young 
man being feted appropriately honored his large extended 
family, personally thanking them one by one, as the guests 
danced well into the morning. 
 
Hidden Agendas 
-------------- 
 
¶10.  (U) A common theme of dinner discussion here is whether 
or not PM Erdogan and his AKP have a &hidden 
(Islamist/shar,ia) agenda8 they are waiting to spring on an 
unwitting Turkish populace.  At a recent event hosted by a 
Western diplomatic colleague, a prominent businessman drew a 
bleak picture of Turkey,s future under such a regime, while 
acknowledging he had no interest in getting involved in 
politics or otherwise positively engaging in civil society to 
thwart any such agenda.  In response to the question 
&What,s the worst case scenario if Erdogan were to prevail 
with such an agenda?8 the man replied:  &Well, they could 
restrict alcohol being served during Ramadan.8  To which his 
wife responded:  &And so?8 
 
Hamam and Cheese 
---------------- 
¶11.  (U) Conoff took advantage of a dreary Sunday afternoon 
following Ramadan to indulge in a soak and a scrub at the 
centuries-old SultanAhmet Turkish bath in the heart of 
historic Istanbul.  Lounging on the steaming marble slabs 
nearby were two regulars, fifty-something men, one a 
native-born Turk and the other an Istanbulite of Greek 
heritage.  Presaging the next day's headlines concerning the 
"souring" of Turkey-Greece relations (note: as the Greek PM 
postponed a planned visit to Turkey for the second time this 
year), the men carried on a loud and apparently longstanding 
argument over the relative merits of feta and beyaz peynir, 
the traditional Turkish white cheese.  Upon learning that 
conoff was American, the two asked which cheese was more 
popular in the United States.  When conoff replied that feta 
is by far the better known, the erstwhile Greek crowed about 
feta's transatlantic triumph.  In an attempt to shut him up, 
the Turk sputtered that while beyaz peynir has an agreeable 
smell, feta "stinks no matter how you cut it." 
JONES