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Week 17 - Wednesday in Istanbul of packed with reporting. including a famous cat, from Gul

Edited BY

G P Kennedy

Gul - Istanbul, Turkey


TIME GOING TOO FAST

 We're already halfway through the summer and I don't want it to end! How can we stop that feeling of things going too fast? Usually Mike and I are torn between like doing nothing on holiday or doing everything but this summer absolutely we’re doing nothing apart from swimming, listening music, chatting and walking a lot. Everything sounds perfect isn’t it? Wait until I check the news on my social media.

 

 They say there are important health benefits connected with temporarily switching off, to help you to de- stress and unwind but I can’t switch off what’s going on in this country.

 

 I don’t watch any manipulated news on the telly but why can not quit social media? Yesterday, Hagia Sophia Museum reopened as a mosque with a new name The Grand Mosque of Hagia Sophia - the precious 1500 years old mosaics covered by some ugly white curtains. Amazing marble flooring covered by thousands of square meters of turquoise carpet, the fibers of which are designed to point in the direction of Mecca.  


Stunning interior of the Hagia Sofia

 Apparently turquoise was the color of our President Erdogan. Thousands of people flocked to Istanbul Hagia Sophia for the first Friday prayers and social distancing rules were being ignored at all. As almost half of the COVID patients are in Istanbul, there are concerns about the risk for spreading the virus. 

 

 Good news, the uncertainty about what will happen to Gli, the cat, who has been living at the Hagia Sophia for 13 years can stay in his house. A pointless campaign to change Gli’s name was launched on social media but wasn’t successful. Idiots...


Gli - the resident cat of Hagia Sofia


 This week, the news of violence towards women dominated on our social media. 50 women were killed only in June. A young university student has been brutally beaten and murdered by her ex boyfriend this week. We’re sick and tired of it. Turkey is trying to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention.

Promoting an important issue


 It’s an irony that the same Turkey was the first country to to sign this European Convention, which was launched in Istanbul, signed by 45 countries. The Convention is important as it protects the rights of women, children and LGBTQ minorities. This country is already dealing with gender violence and the consequences of withdrawing will be catastrophic. I heard Poland’s right wing cabinet also wants to leave the European treaty on violence against women.

 

 While social media plays a key role in politics and representing the women movement; a harsh and unmeasured social media regulation bill (including digital platforms like Netflix) prepared by the government has passed in parliament committee. Turkey soon may become some isolated regimes like, North Korea. Iran or China.

First convention word cloud

THE FEST OF THE SACRIFICE

 Turkey’s daily new cases are still around 1000, and daily death rate is under 20. But there will be a religious holiday, The Feast of the Sacrifice or Eid ul Adha next week that health authorities are worried. People have already lost interest in the pandemic, I think they won’t stick the rules and visit each other. There are so many things I simply hate these festivals. For me it’s the most violently stupid festival among all the religious festivals in the world. 


Eid al Adha prayers


UNCOMFORTABILITY IS THE NEW CONVENIENCE

 We went to the popular tourist destination in our region last Tuesday, it’s only 15 mins away from where we’re now. We used to go there a couple of times a week in the past but due to COVID we’ve been avoiding. It was our first crowded place since the outbreak, seeing so many people were shopping, eating out as a big group, we didn’t feel comfortable at all. We ditched our dinner plans and returned to our quiet place. 

 

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