I was in Istanbul back in the 1990s with my mother as the first stop on a Mediterranean Cruise. We toured Hagia Sophia. Stunning. It's too bad it won't be a museum anymore.
At the time Mom and I were in Turkey, the country was trying to develop its tourism industry. It was a secular country making progress toward the modern age One could see a few burqas or hajibs, but many women were dressed like our female tour guide in pants and a shirt. However, at the time we were in Istanbul, there were local elections coming up and our guide was concerned that "conservatives" would win, eventually take over the whole county and push it back into the dark ages.
At the time, we didn't know or understand what was happening in the Middle East. After 9-11, watching the rise of the Taliban, Al Qaeda and ISIS, I thought about our tour guide and it was only then that I appreciated her concern. Sometimes I wonder what happened to her. I expect she isn't wearing pants anymore. Sad.
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@ Applewood, this anecdote might clarify.
At the start of the Great War, the Ottoman Empire began an assault against Russia in the Crimea, causing great fear among the English & French, who needed Russia to exert
pressure on the Germans to prevent them from overwhelming the weakened
Allied Armies near Paris.
So a plan was devised (by Churchill and Staff) to assault Constantinople by sea, through
the Dardanelles Straight and force the Ottomans out of the War.
In brief, the Gallipoli Campaign was a colossal disaster inflicting 250,000 allied casualties, primarily of Australians and New Zealanders.
The Hero of Gallipoli was Mustafa Kemal, the Ottoman Commander who had lived and
trained in pre-War Prussia for a decade.
After the War, he became Ruler of, now Turkey, and, in effect, abolished the 700 year Islamic Caliphate/Sultanate.
His principal reforms included:
* completely removing Islam from all secular affairs of state,
* permitting intermarriage between Muslim and non-Muslim,
* separating the teachings of the Koran from secular education in Art and Science.
He brought Turkey out of its 700 year nightmare and into modern times.
Erdogan wants a return to that past.
