US embassy cable - 05ISTANBUL1888

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ISTANBUL 001888 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, TU, Istanbul 
SUBJECT: ISTANBUL MEZZES:  SLICES OF LIFE FROM TURKEY'S 
MEGALOPOLIS 
 
Classified By: Consul General Deborah K. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and 
(d). 
 
1. (U) This is the second in a series of cables offering a 
sampling of political, economic and human rights topics 
circulating in Istanbul; herewith, a special "Ramazan" 
edition. 
 
Istanbul Iftars 
--------------- 
 
2.  (U)  "Iftar," or the traditional breaking of the Ramadan 
("Ramazan," in Turkish) fast, is celebrated widely by Muslim 
Turks, whether they fast or not, and by some non-Muslim 
Turks, as well.  The nature of the various iftars, and their 
attendees, reveals the weft and warp of the rich tapestry 
that is Istanbul society. 
 
3.  (U)  Among the many iftars attended by CG -- and a first 
in her experience -- was one hosted by the local Jewish 
Community, a tradition initiated nearly five years ago. 
Attendees at the October 11 gathering included the Mayor and 
Governor of Istanbul and a number of prominent Muslim 
businessmen, as well as both men and women from the Jewish 
community.  The evening began with an Islamic call to prayer 
and ended with an imam's benediction, with a heartfelt sermon 
by the Chief Rabbi and the chanting of an internationally 
renowned, Istanbul-based cantor sandwiched in between.  Only 
in Istanbul... (One attendee mentioned to CG that the avian 
flu scare had prompted several phone inquiries to the Chief 
Rabbi's office wondering whether chicken prepared in kosher 
fashion was safe to eat...) 
 
4.  (U) Another major iftar was hosted by the Justice and 
Development party (AKP) in honor of PM Erdogan and visiting 
outgoing German Chancellor Schroeder.  Most notable about the 
2000-guest event was the "big tent" quality of AK party 
adherents -- women covered and uncovered (in every sense), 
people young and old, academics and wealthy businessmen.  The 
Ecumenical Patriarch was also present, as were, again, the 
Mayor and Governor of Istanbul.  The highlight of the evening 
-- which included lengthy impassioned remarks by both Erdogan 
and Schroeder and repeated, ear-splitting renditions of the 
EU anthem -- was Schroeder's announcement mid-speech that 
Turkey had defeated Albania one-nil in their soccer match 
that evening, passed to him by an Erdogan advisor who was 
monitoring the game via Blackberry. 
 
5.  (SBU)  One of Turkey's largest and most successful NGO's, 
Deniz Feneri, or "Lighthouse," hosted CG and members of 
Istanbul's Public Affairs staff for an iftar dinner October 
17.  Public Affairs earlier had identified an American 
advisor specializing in NGO operations to advise 
organizations in Istanbul.  This Washington-state based 
individual had returned to continue his successful 
consultations and also joined.  The iftar was preceded by a 
tour of the NGO's impressive facilities, which included a 
large warehouse, bank, and administrative offices, including 
rooms full of young volunteers -- the women largely, but not 
exclusively, covered -- staffing computer and phone banks 
accepting donations from all over the world, including the 
U.S.  The neatly organized warehouse filled with bar-coded 
boxes of tents, clothing and other materials ready for 
shipment to those in need both domestically, within Turkey, 
and overseas (Pakistan, Indonesia, Bosnia inter alia), was 
striking, as was the Director's easy transition to fluent 
Syrian-dialect Arabic when he learned of CG's prior 
assignments.  (His assistant "tour guide" then shifted to 
Arabic as well, somewhat more halting and classical, but 
correct.)  Following the tour, we adjourned to a cafeteria 
with approximately 120 staff members, who waited quietly for 
the imam's call to prayer, then prayed openly over their 
meals and noisily dug in. 
 
6.  (C)  Istanbul's pronouncedly nationalist/secularist 
"Marmara Group," comprising former military chiefs of staff, 
ministers and ambassadors -- quite literally the "old guard" 
-- converted an initial dinner invitation into an iftar event 
to welcome the CG, this one in an ornately decorated former 
Ottoman hunting palace on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, 
owned by one of the group's members and overflowing with 
Ottoman-era "orientalia."  Their equally well-preserved and 
polished spouses attended.  The evening was relatively light 
on Islam (i.e., no visible prayers prior to digging in to the 
lavish repast) and rather heavier on politics, with the 
group's chairman stressing in his welcoming remarks their 
hopes that the U.S. mission here would continue to focus on 
people-to-people relationships as well as 
government-to-government; read: "We're not all AKP."  Former 
ministers expressed doubts that the younger generation could 
produce a credible, viable opposition to the dominant AK 
Party while also decrying the Turkish judiciary's gratuitous 
and embarrassing political interventions in Turkish affairs. 
 
7. (C) MARIFED, an umbrella organization for Marmara region 
business associations (including the Gulenist Business Life 
Association (ISHAD)), hosted visiting CDA McEldowney at an 
October 25 iftar.  Some 35 businessmen (the only women in the 
room were CDA, CG and poloff), representing mostly small to 
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) shared details about their 
companies and business goals in the U.S., most nodding in 
agreement as the Charge hailed the crucial contribution 
Turkish and American entrepreneurs make to the Turkey-U.S. 
relationship.  The hosts, eager to accommodate the CDA's 
tight schedule, selected Istanbul's famous "Beyti" 
restaurant, strategically located just minutes from Ataturk 
Airport.  Following the CDA's departure, the conversation at 
the head table turned to Fetullah Gulen and his teachings and 
was interrupted when the President of the Turkish Exporters 
Assembly popped in from an adjacent room and invited the CG 
to join yet another iftar event the restaurant was hosting 
for Turkey's Minister of Education, Istanbul's Governor, PM 
Special Advisor Cuneyd Zapsu, Istanbul's Chief of Police and 
faculty members from Fatih University, inter alia. 
 
8.  (U) At a more secular version of iftar for Turkish 
Mercedes employees October 24 attended by conoff, the 
conversation turned to the rigors of going without food from 
sunup to sundown.  All of the dozen workers agreed that 
fasting for the entire month of Ramazan was "extreme;" most 
said they fasted one or two days and tried to quit a bad 
habit, like smoking, for the duration.  One of the more 
senior employees announced that, rather than forego food, he 
had given up speeding, something he insisted was a real 
hardship given that his company car was a high-performance 
coupe.  When another of the Turks responded that fast driving 
on Istanbul's sclerotic streets was difficult in the best of 
circumstances, and virtually impossible during the frenetic 
Ramazan binge-shopping season, the more senior employee 
replied -- without a trace of irony -- that it is the thought 
that counts. 
 
9.  (C)  Istanbulites debate whether the change to an 
Islam-oriented government has transformed what traditionally 
had been a private family gathering into increasingly public, 
political events.  One non-Muslim religious leader told us he 
would no longer attend iftars because of his feeling they are 
cosmetic and obscure the fact that serious issues and 
problems remain for Turkey's minority communities. 
 
Diyanet Hotline Calls Pick Up During Ramadan 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
10.  (U)  For two years, the Diyanet has been providing a 
telephone information service to citizens who want to ensure 
they are in line with the requirements of their faith.  The 
Mufti's office in each province operates its service 
separately and Istanbul staffs the line with two to three 
officials (including women), who work in shifts.  The number 
of calls increases during Ramadan with citizens inquiring 
about fasting.  Some callers wonder if they can receive 
injections, others ask if they can hold their wives' hands or 
kiss her during the day.  Last year the Istanbul mufti told 
us the line also received questions about "zekat," the 
Islamic requirement that one share two percent, 
traditionally, of one's wealth each year with the less 
fortunate:  how much, to whom; and how calculated.  Women 
lacking other outlets reportedly use the line to ask 
questions about family, social and other "private" issues. 
Officials are planning to introduce an on-line service in 
future. 
 
Minister Koc in the Hot Seat Again 
---------------------------------- 
 
11.  (SBU)  Turkish press was abuzz over the October 8 
13-hour journey of a holy Islamic relic, the Sakal-i Serif 
(hairs from the beard of the Prophet Mohammed), from an 
Istanbul mosque to Ataturk Airport and back.  Diyanet 
officials reportedly asked the Eyup district Mufti to send 
the relic to the airport while Culture Minister Atilla Koc 
was there for a 1 a.m. layover.  Press caught wind of the 
story as the relic passed through an x-ray machine, and Koc 
has been under attack ever since - including from within his 
own party.  "They brought it to the airport, I saw it, and it 
was brought back.  That's it," he told Hurriyet newspaper 
October 10.  Speculation continues as to why it was taken to 
begin with.  One version suggested that visiting Dubai Crown 
Prince Mohammed bin Rashid had asked to see the relic, but it 
was soon pointed out that he'd departed the day before. 
Another explanation holds that government officials were 
readying a response to the Kingdom of Jordan about its 
request to exhibit the relic during Ramadan; Koc wanted to 
examine it during his layover in that context.  "Doesn't the 
Sakal-i Serif go from mosque to mosque anyway so that Muslims 
can see it?  Am I not a Muslim?" he asked. 
Saying Goodbye 
-------------- 
 
12.  (U) The funeral of Nermin Erbakan, wife of former Prime 
Minister and behind the scenes Saadet Party leader Necmettin 
Erbakan, was held October 24 at Istanbul's Fatih Mosque with 
nearly ten thousand people in attendance.  Among those paying 
their respects were AKP Speaker of Parliament Bulent Arinc, 
former Prime Minister Tansu Ciller (Erbakan's former 
coalition partner), DYP leader Mehmet Agar, leader of the 
Islamist-nationalist Greater Union Party (BBP), Nuhsin 
Yazicioglu, representatives from other political parties, and 
reportedly two "tarikat" leaders.  Erbakan received a visit 
from his former protege PM Erdogan and his wife, which 
brought the two together for the first time in three years. 
SMITH