The attacks deeply troubled Tatly. Like someone betrayed by his own brother, he kept repeating "how could they do this to other Turks?" He was not surprised by the sympathy shown by the Muslim residents towards the Jewish community. There was a true outpouring of sadness and respect for those killed and wounded. Tatly said that Recep Tayyip Erdogan became the first Turkish prime minister to meet the chief rabbi of Turkey when he offered his condolences to the Jewish community. He also noted that the chief rabbi, Ishak Haleva, strongly praised the Muslim security forces. Both religious leaders and political leaders had the coffins of the Jewish dead draped in the Turkish flag. This is particularly significant because the flag, with its crescent moon and star, is also a symbol of Islam. According to Tatly, even the Christians got into the act. Both Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos and Armenian Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan attended the funerals of all the Muslim and Jewish victims. Rather than dividing the country as Al Qaeda had presumably intended, it actually brought Turks closer together. I'm sure that really pissed off Osama.

Everywhere we went people helped us. Whether we were ordering food, getting directions or abusing my Visa card in the Grand Bazaar we were welcomed like family. Many of our friends were surprised we were treated so well as Americans (of course we told everyone we were Canadians. After all who, other than an American, would want to harm a Canadian?) But this is precisely what is so confusing and contradictory about Istanbul. Turks were some of the kindest, friendliest, and most accommodating people we have ever encountered. But talk about schizophrenic. This is the same country that was blasted for its human rights record. In 1993, the US Congress produced a report accusing Turkey of acting under a "broad and ambiguous definition of terrorism." The report stated that Turkey authorized torture and permitted use of "excessive force" against noncombatants, and restricted freedom of expression and association. One of the stumbling blocks to Turkey joining the EU is its human rights record. That made absolutely no sense based on the people I met. To get to the truth, I'd have to go to the direct source of liberty and free speech. That's right, I had to find a bar.

Unfortunately, finding an open bar in the early afternoon was about as hard as finding a teetotal Scot on a Saturday night. We finally opted for a coffee shop with an English-speaking waiter. After starting on our second thimble of coffee, I asked him about the EU's decision to reject Turkey. Instead of a calm discussion of global issues, he reacted as if I called his favorite Turkish football club a bunch of sissies.

He passionately decried the corruptness of all Turkish political parties. Then, like a typical session at the House of Commons, everyone in the place started talking at once. Suddenly, Turks who spoke no English assumed I could understand them if they only spoke louder. Passions were clearly running high and the honesty was refreshing. These were citizens taking full responsibility for their country. They accused the politicians of being incompetent and corrupt but had the absolute highest regard for their military. They saw the army as their salvation and the guardian of their civil liberties. "We're a young country," shouted one young Turk. This seemed to be an odd description of what is almost the cradle of civilization, but I understood what he meant. A democracy of just 80 years is bound to make mistakes. As far as the human rights abuses, the bar patrons discounted them as the fallacies of past political blunders. It was behind them, and they were ready to become members of the EU and the world. Their rationale for being passed over for EU membership was irrefutable: "Brussels was just being Brussels".

This remarkable attitude towards strangers and citizens alike may, ultimately, be Turkey's secret weapon in its war on terrorism. A society that respects all its citizens as Turkey does, is a civilization that will survive its threats and weather all storms. When Flaubert visited the city in 1850, he wrote, "About Constantinople, where I arrived yesterday morning, I'll tell you nothing today, except to say that I've been struck by Fourier's idea that some time in the future it will be the capital of the world." Fourier may yet be right. Mind you, he probably didn't drink the mare's milk and spend the rest of the night retching!