Around the same time as the new alcohol restrictions, the city of Ankara hosted a "kiss-in" as a reaction to an announcement on the city subway system warning people to behave in "accordance with moral codes." Erdo?an's entreaties earlier in the year for Turks to have at least three children were perceived as yet another intrusion into private life.But in the end, it was a small patch of green about to disappear in the middle of the city that sparked protests which look poised to shift Turkey's course, or at least halt its current direction. When thousands gathered in the dark morning hours of June 1, crossing the Bosphorus Bridge from Asia by foot over to Europe, heading in droves to Gezi Park and Taksim to join a demonstration against Erdo?an and his leadership, the noise was so loud I could hear them as I lay in bed, miles away.
Since moving to Turkey nearly two decades ago, I have witnessed other critical events in its recent history, beginning with the February 1997 coup that toppled the country's first Islamic-led government. The ruling Welfare Party was banned, but its members, including Erdo?an, would soon reemerge in today's governing AK Party. It was the country's fourth and last coup; since the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923 with Ataturk, an army officer, at its helm, the military had served to guard the staunchly secular state he envisioned.
Turkish society has been polarized by that vision ever since—some vociferously embrace Ataturk's principles, while others, who might appreciate his place in history, find that religion has been far too suppressed. The conflict has had fuel poured over it from time to time too, as with the headscarf ban in Turkish universities, implemented a few decades ago and still in place.When the overtly religious though moderate AK Party swept its first, second, and then third rounds of general elections, taking single-handed as opposed to coalition power in Ankara, it signaled an enormous shift. Voters not only selected a party with an entrepreneurial spirit, they supported one that didn't want to compromise on what it perceived as key cultural values and religious beliefs.
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