Yazarihsaneliacikeditör

It is a sunny afternoon in August. Sitting under the dappled shade of the plane trees, I watch a group of council workers tend the flowers by the central fountain of the park. A stray dog idly lies on the grass to escape Istanbul’s heat, while men and women stroll by, some with kids. This is a far cry from the Gezi Park of early June, when it was under occupation by anti-government...

The public face of the Anti-Capitalist Muslims, a key player in the Gezi protests, says the secular demonstrating youth are interested in their libertarian interpretation of Islam. A new understanding of religion could be born out of the Gezi spirit, according to theologian İhsan Eliaçık. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has portrayed the Gezi Park protesters as “marauders” with no respect for...