Interesting tidbit on the current unrest in Turkey

[dlwickham]

the government has put plans forth to build a 3rd bridge across the Bosphorus and the proposed name could be seen as a slap to one of the minority religious groups

The prospective bridge [across the northern Bosphorus] was given the name of Sultan Selim the Grim, the cruellest adversary of Alevis and Shiites in Ottoman history. Conqueror of Egypt, the powerful sultan is known for the massacres of tens of thousands of Anatolian Alevis prior to and after his war against Iran. The bridge might have well been named after Rumi, the great Sufi thinker who spread the teaching of universal tolerance from Anatolia, or any other Islamic humanist. It is not hard to guess how offensive the choice of Selim’s name is for the Alevi community – who form about 10% of the population and are still awaiting an official acknowledgement of their religious identity and worship rights.

http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/2013/06/02/what-the-hell-is-happening-in-turkey-2/

the current government seems to be either tone deaf or very calculating in its attempt to impose its own brand of conservative Islam on what has been a traditionally secular country

I'm going with the latter.

[1-Old-Man]

1. Or they could have called it the "Bosphorus Bridge" and saved the controversy for something else.

[dlwickham]

2. I think they're courting the controversy

the government recently passed a law cracking down on alcohol sales and kissing in public