It has taken more than half a century, and many people are impatient. But then again, it has taken several centuries of parliamentary democracy in Britain to set the course for the western world. The last 50 years have seen rapid urbanisation which parallels what happened in Britain in the last half of the 18th century. Universal education has only been available since the second world war. This community is world famous for its hospitality, and it is deserving of that reputation.
Westerners report that they feel safer in Istanbul than on the streets of their home cities.
We feel confident about letting our twelve year old travel two hours across a city of ten million people by himself almost daily.