A few weeks ago, Ozan Vural, 32, sat down at a half-full bar on Istiklal Street, Istanbul’s main pedestrian drag, to smoke a cigarette and nurse a beer – even though it was Ramadan.Turkish Muslims who are fasting usually avoid eating and drinking in public out of courtesy for the pious during the holy month.
“Now, I find myself not only not giving a damn about it,” he said. “It’s as if drinking in public is an act of resistance, a form of self-expression.”
