Turkey: Swimsuit photos banned, could cause 'car accidents'

(I guess this means the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue is a no go, too.)

Media fury rages over swimsuit photo ban

A DECISION by Turkey's largest city to ban some pictures of swimsuit models has revived claims about the rising power of Islam, with newspapers saying the move was more befitting of theocratic Iran than a secular democracy.

Istanbul municipality asked stores selling swimwear made by Turkish manufacturer Nelson to seek permission to place photographs of models in swimsuits and bikinis on store front windows located on main streets. It then denied them permission.

The controversy follows several large secularist protests in Turkey, a secular republic with an overwhelmingly Muslim population, against the ruling AK Party, which controls the Istanbul city authority and which has Islamist roots.

Secularists say AK wants to undermine Turkey's separation of state and religion and to boost the role of Islam in daily life, claims which the centre-right, pro-business party denies. “Is this becoming a land of mullahs like Iran?” asked the Vatan daily, commenting on the row over the swimwear pictures.

Echoing that comment, the staunchly secular Cumhuriyet daily quoted local consultant Ali Saydam as saying: “(The AK Party) is creating worries that they are turning Turkey into Iran.” This year four firms were denied permission to hang photographs in store windows, according to newspaper reports.

Moris Eskinazi, part owner of Nelson, told Reuters the need to seek municipality permission was new. “We've never had to get permission before, and they wanted us to bring a copy of the photographs we planned on putting up,” he said.

The authorities offer a string of rationalizations for their actions. First, there was the car accident excuse. They they said the ads weren't up to EU standards. Finally they played the aesthetic card, saying that they violated the historical character of the city. Headscarf ads? Well, they don't appear to violate the historical character of the city. You can buy ad space all day long for them... Creeping sharia...

More at the link.

June 24 date proposed for Turkish elections

Turkish ruling party proposes June 24 election.
Turkey's ruling AK Party proposed on Wednesday bringing forward a parliamentary election to June 24 to ease tensions after an increasingly bitter standoff between the Islamist-rooted government and the secular elite.

Talking Turkey...

From MSNBC:

Turkey’s highest court on Tuesday annulled a presidential vote dominated by concerns over the rising profile of political Islam, opening the way for possible early general elections.
The court upheld an appeal from the secularist opposition that wants to stop the ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party’s presidential candidate, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, from becoming head of state.

“A decision was taken to stop the process,” Hasim Kilic, deputy head of the top court, told a news conference. The court’s rulings are binding and cannot be appealed against.

Turkish lira rebounds on the news.

Earlier, riot police beat and detained hundreds of May Day protesters in Istanbul.

Police detained 700 people in Istanbul in street battles with leftist demonstrators protesting on the May Day anniversary of a mass shooting 30 years ago by unknown gunmen. Riot police fired tear gas and used water canons to break up the crowds. Youths threw Molotov cocktails and set cars ablaze.

Turkey: Markets react to Gul and the Islamists

And it's not in a good way: Crisis pinches Turkey's pocket.

Turkey's financial markets tumbled amid political instability triggered by a court challenge to the presidential election process and a mass demonstration against the ruling party. Fears of military intervention, prompted by an army warning to the Islamist-rooted AK Party government that it would protect the secular state, added to the woes Monday.

The main share index fell as much as 8 percent, while bond yields rose a percentage point and the lira currency slid four percent. Markets had staged a partial recovery by the close of trade in what was the biggest sell-off in nearly a year.

Business Week breaks it down for you here: Turkish Turmoil Slams Markets.

Their currency got hammered too. The Deputy Prime Minister attempted to reassure the jittery markets and tonight the Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan, will be conducting his regular weekly television address. It will be interesting to see what happens...Stay tuned.

Update: Turkish PM appeals for unity.
Turkey's prime minister appealed for calm Monday after the stock market dropped amid a deepening conflict between his Islamic-oriented government and pro-secular forces backed by the military....

Analysts said the markets will likely recover if the government defuses tension by agreeing to early parliamentary elections, a move that could appease opponents who hope to make electoral gains at the expense of the ruling party. But sustained political uncertainty would likely take a toll. In his speech, Erdogan made no direct reference to the stock market slide (!!!!!) or the challenges to his mandate, instead issuing a broadly worded appeal to Turks to safeguard the economic advances and social stability that they have gained after decades of uneven development and, at times, all-out political conflict.

Reactions range from the hilarious to well, the downright criminal. First, the hilarious:

The head of Europe's top human rights organization expressed shock at the stance taken by Turkey's military, which threatened to intervene in the selection of the new president - which is by parliamentary vote rather than direct election - and urged the government to curb Islamic influences. `This statement looks like a deliberate attempt by the armed forces to influence the election of a new president,'' Terry Davis, secretary-general of the Council of Europe, said in a statement. `They should stay in their barracks and keep out of politics.''

Now the criminal:
The United States stayed away from criticizing any of the players in the crisis. `We have confidence in Turkey's democratic institutions and Turkey's constitutional processes to work out any questions that may surround the election of the next Turkish president,'' State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

There was no mention of early elections. Not good for the markets. Praise Allah for the market in Muslim prayer beads.

One of the residents of the central Anatolian province of Kayseri, known in Turkey for their practicality, has realized a first and set up a unique store for prayer beads, in use among Muslims for centuries. Fans of beads come from all over Turkey to Tesbih Dünyası (prayer bead world) to see the valuable beads there, many of them even ready to pay as much as $5,000 for a set. The man behind the project is Kenan Paydak, who described their store as being “like a market” where sellers and purchasers can meet. Stating that those who come to the store have a chance to display their beads while being provided with food and drink, Paydak says they are very busy on weekdays. “People from all over Turkey come here, especially on Monday. Some come to sell their beads, others to add new beads to their collection. Sales are made here all day long. We act as an agent between them,” Paydak said.

Lost in all the shuffle: Erdogan hosts Musharraf and Karzai: They agree to combine intel and fight terror together.

Anti Islam rally in Turkey

a sea of red flags in Istanbul

Turkish Anti-Islamic Rally Draws 500,000

Around half a million people gathered in Istanbul today demanding the resignation of the pro-Islamic government. The rally will spur fears of a military coup as it follows a steep rise in tensions between Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country's prime minister, and the pro-secular army, which accuses the government of tolerating the activities of radical Muslims.

"Turkey is secular and will remain secular," the protesters chanted, waving the national flag. Ahmet Yurdakul, 63 year-old a retired government employee accused the government of wanting to "drag Turkey to the dark ages."

At the heart of the dispute is the recent indecisive presidential election, in which the ruling party candidate Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, failed to secure a first-round victory on Friday. Mr Erdogan's government yesterday rejected a warning from the army about the vote, calling it interference that is unacceptable in a democracy.

Most opposition legislators boycotted the vote and challenged its validity in the Constitutional Court, prompting the military to voice its concern and threaten to become more openly involved in the electoral process

Since coming to power, Mr Erdogan's party has supported religious schools and tried to lift the ban on Islamic head scarves in public offices and schools. Opponents accuse them of trying to unpick the heritage of Ataturk, who founded the modern Turkish state along secular lines, replacing the Islamic alphabet and granting women the right to vote. Turkey has experienced three military coups since 1960.

What's next? Million+ protest in Turkey has this to say:
The army, which has toppled four governments in as many decades, responded that that it was determined to protect the secular system and take action if the need arose. This made it clear, many analysts said , that Gul's candidacy was not welcome with the army top brass. The government retorted by calling the army to order and Gul said he would remain in the race.

"It is out of the question for me to withdraw my candidacy in any way," he told reporters in Ankara.

The main opposition party has asked the constitutional court to cancel Friday's presidential vote in parliament, arguing that the assembly did not have the necessary quorum to open the voting session. If the court annuls the vote, general elections set for November 4 could be brought forward. If it does not, Gul could be elected president in a third round of voting on May 9, when an absolute majority of 276 votes would suffice. The court's president said they would make a decision before the second round of voting on Wednesday.