As the judges, professors, journalists and business circles continue to criticize AKP government’s policies, debate the written-behind-closed-doors constitution, and as the public and mainstream media agonize with worries about whether or not Turkey will become like Malaysia, or Iran, the emboldened Islamists are at work changing the Turkish street. They impose inter-city passenger buses to make unscheduled stops near mosques for prayer; threaten to stone down works of art that they call ‘pornographic’; build giant Ramadan tents in city centers where loud prayers are chanted until late at night. Drummers drum on the streets in pre-down hours to announce sahur – the early morning meal that Muslims eat before starting their daily fast - with no regard to people who don’t fast and would prefer not to be jolted by the noise. Not only inside the Ramadan tents, where the public is offered food to break their fast, but even in some high schools students are being separated according to their sex – men to one side and women to another. Some government offices are organizing their work schedules according to namaz (Islamic prayer) times, and the state TVs are broadcasting propaganda of some Islamist sect leaders.

Chain stores that sell alcohol are obeying the ‘rules of the street’ by not selling them in ‘Islamist’ neighborhoods. A clothing store in Ankara covers the mannequins in the window with sheets of paper so that they are not seen ‘naked’, while they re-dress the windows.

One of  Turkey branches of a foreign chain of supermarkets, has a mescit (a small mosque) inside the store now, due to customer demand 

In the Energy Distribution Corporation within the Ministry of Energy, a list is prepared with names of non-fasting personnel.

Ramadan scenes in a changing Turkey under AKP rule…

Source: Cumhuriyet, Turkey, September 22, 2007