"Building bridges
TODAY'S COLUMNIST
By Tulin Daloglu
April 11, 2006
Sometimes one wonders exactly what it means when people refer to Turkey as a bridge between the West and the East. Westerners who do not support Turkey joining the European Union say it is not compatible with Western culture. Arabs say Turks are not true Muslims because Kemal Ataturk, the country's founding father, abolished caliphate, changed the alphabet and, most importantly, introduced a secular democracy.
Sometimes that bridge means understanding between the West and the East. Sometimes it means hope amid the clash of civilizations. But,Jennifer Eaton Gokmen explains, it is important to make clear Turkey's real identity, especially at a time when there is a war in Iraq and the country has opened its EU accession talks. It's a unique time for the bridge -- detailed in a new book that Mrs. Gokmen co-edited, 'Tales from the Expat Harem,' a chronicle of Turkish life by foreign women who have lived there at least a year. "
More:Building bridges - Editorials/Op-Ed - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper
