Embracing contradiction

"Istanbul, Turkey, is a place where the East and the West collide and some Americans, like former UConn star Khalid El-Amin, go to play basketball."

"Istanbul is the place where these two worlds collide. Christian and Muslim. Europe and Asia. Modernity and antiquity. Civilizations, history and culture layered one on top of the other.

Surrounded on one side by ancient European powers like Greece to the west, Asian powerhouses like Russia and the Ukraine to the east and current powder kegs like Iran, Iraq and Syria to the south, Turkey sits on the fault line of the world.

Literally.

Eighty percent of the country lies between two huge tectonic plates, making it one of the most earthquake-ridden places on earth.

It is also a place of hope for many in the world. As the East and West seemed destined toward a monumental clash of cultures, Istanbul stands as a buffer and an idea of how East and West might not only meet, but co-exist.

Despite being 95 percent Muslim, Istanbul has the flavor and attitude of a great western European city. The country is both democratic and tolerant of other cultures and beliefs. Until a recent spat with president George W. Bush over staging part of the war against Iraq in Turkey, America had no stronger ally in the Muslim world.

"We love America," said my taxi driver (the only one I've had all trip that speaks English) on the way to Sultanahmet. "Maybe too much. We want to be like Americans, but keep our heritage, too. But with the music and the movies and the basketball, it is growing hard to stop."

Mosques stand next to high rises. Women wearing veils walk along sidewalks next to girls in mini-skirts. The call to prayer rings throughout the city to the backbeat of hip-hop on the street corner. While older women weave woolen rugs splashed with azure and gold, children wearing the NBA jersey's of Mehmet Okur and Hedo Turkoglu shoot 3s in the playground.

While the sport of basketball is still struggling to gain a foothold throughout most of the Muslim world, it is thriving here.

Former UConn star and Chicago Bulls point guard Khalid El-Amin has found a home in Turkey the past two years, and he's one of the country's brightest stars.

El-Amin was the MVP of Turkish league last season, leading the league in assists and ranking in the top five in scoring."

ABC News: Ford: Embracing contradiction