My Turk e-mail friend introduced me some years ago to Christmas in Turkey. Even by nominal Muslims. And how they enjoy their traditional Thanksgiving turkey feast for New Years. Enjoy the image. I still say Turks are Muslim-lite. Try an image Search on the subject, Christmas Turkey and see what you come up with. Moi No
Nice picture. My grandson has friends in Istanbul and has been there twice and loves it. My daughter dreams of going there for the food, so its a pity what Erdogan is doing. I sense more and more bitterness towards him and Devotoglu in the Turkish press, especially in their relationships with other countries.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/anti-santa-campaigns-heat-up-in-turkey-as-christmas-arrives-.aspx?PageID=238&NID=60090&NewsCatID=341 Anti-Santa campaigns heat up in Turkey as Christmas arrives A Muslim youth group and a neighborhood authority led two separate anti-Santa campaigns on the eve of Christmas in Turkey. The Istanbul University branch of a group called Anatolia Youth Association (AGD) released an illustration of a Muslim youth punching Santa Claus in the face and announced that it would make a press statement against Christmas on Dec. 26 in Istanbul. The group announced the event with a statement titled Muslim, return to yourself! adding that Christmas is a Christianity practice. The group also criticized the celebration of New Years Day, saying that the two dates were mixed and united. It claimed that celebrating Christmas and New Years Day was wrong and constituted a blow dealt to Muslimism. Earlier this week, the Şirinevler muhtar, the head of the neighborhood, hung a banner making it clear that Santa Claus was not welcome on their streets. As in recent years, Santa Claus will not be coming to Şirinevler since he is nothing to do with our traditions and our culture, muhtar Galip Karayiğit said in the statement. [Turk legend character] Dede Korkut will come to our houses again, and will teach our children that they did not come into this world for pleasure, that they came to distribute justice. More on Dede Korkut here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Dede_Korkut How sad And it's the young adults, not some old imams. Moi I wonder if Erdogan will throw Santa into jail like the journalists. No
