"Clash of civilisations closes in on Ataturk's experiment
March 03, 2005
THE main drag of Ankara, Turkey's capital at the centre of the vast Anatolian plain, is called, naturally enough, Ataturk Boulevard. Kemal Ataturk was the founder of modern Turkey who determined, 80 years ago, that his country would modernise, Westernise and secularise. You can see the fruits of his historic vision in the boulevard that bears his name. It is a huge thoroughfare several kilometres long that neatly cuts Ankara, a city the size of Sydney, in two.
I spent a happy few hours strolling its length earlier this week and was struck by several extraordinary sights. In several hours walking among tens of thousands of people, I counted but six women in headscarves. Remember that Turkey is 98-99 per cent Muslim, and that qualifies as extraordinary. There were also a rather starling number of blondes - Turk friends assured me this is not a natural phenomenon. "
More:The Australian: Clash of civilisations closes in on Ataturk's experiment [March 03, 2005]
