Turkish Youth Give Islam a Makeover

INSTABUL, Turkey - A change is underway among the Muslim youth of Turkey.

In a land where 99 percent of the population claim to be followers of Islam, some say its time to redefine what it means to be Muslim.

It's Friday and for many young Turks the place to be is in the Beyoglu district.

Adjacent to one of Istanbul's most famous boulevards, Beyoglu has developed a reputation for decadence and all things non-Muslim with row after row of nightclubs, bars, and wine lounges.

"We are the new face of Turkey. We are cool and crazy!" one man said.

Technically, the drinking age is 18 years but identity cards are rarely checked.

When CBN News asked one Turkish girl what she did to relieve stress she said, "I drink lots of beer!"

On the weekends the bars stay open till six in the morning.

"Turkey is such an amazing place," one woman said.

But 84 years after the founding of the Turkish Republic, people here find themselves geographically and politically caught between two worlds: Europe to the West and the Islamic world to the East.

And those tensions are constantly played out on the streets of Istanbul, the only city in the world that straddles two continents.

"Turkish coffee and Turkish tea still remain the two most popular drinks in this nation but Starbucks is beginning to make some in roads here in Turkey. And while many Turks want to embrace the West, they have some particular concerns about the United States."

Many Turks are angry about America's war on terror.

"America is the biggest threat to Islam because the Americans are forcing us to fight against each other," one Turkish woman said.

But several people said that despite their concerns, they wanted to show America and the rest of the world that Islam and democracy can co-exist.

"There is no other Muslim country in the world like ours," a Turkish woman said. "We are a unique country."

It is a country where a growing number of young people are demanding the right to define what it means to Muslim.

"Islam is very important," one young man said, "But we want to practice it our way."

And if that means drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or engaging in other activities that might otherwise be frowned upon in most Muslim countries, so be it.

"Turkey has changed so much in the last 30 years," said one Turk. "We need to keep up with the rest of the world and modernize."

Walk around Istanbul and you will see billboards of nearly half-naked fashion models. It is not uncommon to see women wearing mini-skirts or for that matter young men and women holding hands and kissing in public.

"I am so proud to be a Turk," one woman proclaimed.

A man added, "And we are not trying to be like everybody else. We're just trying to come up with our own idea of democracy."

The democracy he referred to is a form that allows one to decide whether or not to follow the tenets of the Islamic faith.

One woman said she could not remember the last time she had prayed.

"I am so embarrassed," she laughed.

When CBN News asked a young Turkish woman if she would ever wear a head scarf she said, "No, never. …This is my religion and I don't have to wear one!"