Print, Video, Radio Journalist
With thousands of mosques broadcasting the call to prayer five times a day, it only takes one muezzin singing with a froggy voice to make life miserable for neighbors. To make it easier on the ears – and nerves – of local residents, the city’s chief religious official has set up singing lessons. From Istanbul, Matthew Brunwasser reports. Continue reading “Singing lessons for muezzins”
Israelis are cancelling planned trips to Turkey, in the wake of tensions following the killing of nine Turkish activists on a Gaza-bound aid ship convoy. That could have an impact on the Turkish economy. Matthew Brunwasser reports from Antalya, on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, one of Israelis’ favorite international vacation spots. Continue reading “Israeli travelers avoid Turkey”
The US House Foreign Affairs Committee is voting tomorrow on whether to use the term “genocide” to describe the World War One-era killing of Armenians during the Turkish Ottoman Empire. The vote will be closely watched by many in Turkey. Correspondent Matthew Brunwasser reports from Istanbul. Continue reading “Turkey tense over house vote”
Published in Monocle Issue 31 Vol 3
Journalism in Turkey has always been a political contact sport. Even so, the size of the tax penalty given to the Dogan Media Group – Turkey’s largest – had global reverberations. The conflict between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Dogan first surfaced when the papers dug into the allegations swirling around the premier of corruption. Erdogan publicly accused the group’s founder, 73-year-old Aydin Dogan, of blackmailing the government for policies favourable to his investments. Continue reading “Loud and Proud – Istanbul”
In Turkey, a law dating back to the 1920′s bans the use of the letters Q, W and X. The law was created for Turkey’s transition from the Arabic alphabet to the Latin one. But today, it’s used against Turkey’s ethnic Kurds. Matthew Brunwasser reports from Istanbul. Continue reading “Illegal letters in Turkey”
Cover bands aren’t usually musical innovators. But Dolapdere Big Gang of Turkey might be the exception. Most of the group lives in Dolapdere, an Istanbul neighborhood with a rough reputation. This eight-piece band of young Roma musicians, plays Western pop hits in a traditional Turkish style. Matthew Brunwasser has the Global Hit. Continue reading “Dolapdere Big Gang”
A wave of Arab tourism is washing over Istanbul – and it’s all because of racy Turkish soap operas. Last season Noor, the most popular, was watched by 85 million people across the Arab world. Monocle sets off to the Bosphorous to join the guided tour for avid viewers wishing to live the dream.
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