I’m reading Bernard Lewis’ History of the Middle East, and in it, he writes that in 1637 Sultan Murad 4th prohibited both coffee and tobacco, and ordered the execution of a number of smokers and coffee drinkers. I was in Turkey a few months ago and I can tell you that Murad’s reforms certainly did not take hold: it seems as if almost everybody smokes, especially in Istanbul.

 So with that in mind, I read today’s AP story about a parliament debate coming up in Ankara over expanding the smoking ban [what smoking ban?] to bars and restaurants. I think the chances of this latest attempt to curb smoking in Turkey are close to nil. I’ve never seen so many people smoke in one city like I saw in Istanbul. Almost every cafe and restaurant is packed with smokers; even the military and police around the city seem to all be smokers.