Istanbul

Istanbul terror attack may prompt Turkish invasion and deportations

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator On November 13, a blast ripped through Istiklal street, a busy pedestrian area in the Beyoglu neighborhood of Istanbul.  The explosion killed six people and wounded 81 at about 4:30 pm local time. Among the dead were Arzu Ozsoy and her 15-year-old daughter Yagmur Ucar, a nine-year-old girl and […]

To cover, or not to cover, that is the question women are not allowed to answer

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator In France, it is banned in schools, and in Iran it is mandatory.  The French fashion police are interfering with women’s freedom while criticizing their counterparts in Iran. A piece of cloth used by women to cover their hair has become a point of contention. The Orthodox Jewish women […]

US and Turkey keep Idlib a terrorist safe haven

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator On October 10, a US-led coalition drone strike killed an IS terrorist in northeastern Syria.  The terrorist was riding a motorcycle in a village occupied by Radical Islamic mercenaries employed by Turkey near Tel Albyat.  Since the defeat of ISIS in Syria in 2019, the terrorist group now referred […]

Syrians live in Turkey without dignity or rights

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Suleyman Soylu, Turkish Interior Minister, announced on Saturday new measures affecting Syrians living in Turkey. Firstly, Ankara has banned all Syrians from visiting their relatives in Syria during the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which will take place in mid-July.  A similar ban had been applied earlier in […]

Erdogan staged a coup to silence his opposition

https://www.mideastdiscourse.com/2021/06/15/erdogan-staged-a-coup-to-si… Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Turkey’s armed forces are known for their efficiency. However, officers bungled the coup attempt so badly that critics describe the events of July 15, 2016, as a “self-coup” organized by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to justify consolidating his grip on power, which resulted in 300 deaths and […]

Istanbul moves towards Islamic nationalism as Hagia Sophia is redesignated a Mosque [Video]

Russia Today and the BBC both report that the Hagia Sophia (The Church of Holy Wisdom), the single largest Church in Byzantium, is to be repurposed as a mosque. This move ends 86 years of the building serving a “neutral purpose” as a museum, where neither Muslim nor Christian was allowed to pray in open sight. This move is understandably tragic for Orthodox Christians, particularly the Greeks, but there are several ways to understand this situation.

Saudis Admit Khashoggi Killed At Consulate “In Fist-Fight”, King Salman Fires 5 Top Officials

Democrat Congressman Adam Schiff has weighed in on the Khashoggi murder admission from KSA claiming “the Saudi report of Khashoggi is not credible.”
The White House issue a statement…

Statement on Saudi Arabia Investigation: pic.twitter.com/DjBdwZAGAi
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) October 19, 2018

US and Turkey Mutually Announce Travel Restrictions in Sign of Deteriorating Alliance

Turkey later said it will cease issuing non-immigrant visas to Americans in apparent tit-for-tat move.

(MEE— The United States and Turkey on Sunday scaled back visa issuing services in each other’s countries in a deepening diplomatic row sparked by the arrest of a Turkish staffer at the American mission in Istanbul.