THE TURKISH FRONT
Al Qaeda is waging a civil war against fellow Muslims, not just a war on the West. Hence the bombings in Saudi Arabia, whose aggressive theocracy isn't consistent enough for the true purists, and in Turkey, which even more subversively demonstrates that Muslims can be modern. This Guardian report from Istanbul illustrates just how much is at stake for Turks. "It's not just politics," says one. "They're attacking our way of life."
The attack on Turkey also poses challenges for the U.S. and, even more so, the Europeans. Are we willing to stand by our ally, with consistent rhetoric as well as military and diplomatic agreements of mutual convenience? And can the Europeans genuinely accept a secular state and Muslim nation as one of their own, challenging both European "Christendom" and their own Muslim fundamentalists? The Guardian article is a must read. (Via Andrew Sullivan.)