"A NIGHT IN ISTANBUL SHEDS LIGHT ON THE REALITY OF ISLAMIC MODERATION
By Bill Gallagher
ISTANBUL, TURKEY -- After a 10-hour, twilight-zone flight, walking into Istanbul's Ataturk was more than familiar. I did a double take when I saw the banner, 'Ford Welcomes You to Istanbul.' Wait a minute. Did I just travel 5,000 miles and somehow a twist in the universe has me right back in Detroit where my trip began?
The Ford welcome signs are everywhere. Then my eyes adjust and it all makes sense. Ford has its corporate logo name on every sign greeting fans attending the UEFA Championship, the games deciding European football supremacy. The soccer games -- as we Yanks call them -- are major events here, and the host city, Istanbul, is jammed with fans. Special gates are designated for the faithful from Milan, Italy. Their team will square off with the lads from Liverpool in the title game. If I were Mitch Albom, I'd describe events at the game, which hasn't been played as I write. But, for now, I'll just stick to rooting for Liverpool. "
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