Dallas

Istanbul Terrorist Attack Hits Close to Home for North Texas Turkish Community

After explosions rocked Istanbul's airport Tuesday, killing at least three dozen people and wounding scores more in what appeared to be a coordinated terror attack, people in North Texas tried to reach family and friends in Turkey.

When Emrah Aktepe made calls from North Texas to family and friends in Turkey after the terror attack Tuesday, he found out all were OK, but his country is not. Increasingly this year, Turkey has been the target of terrorist attacks.

"It's sad," Aktepe said. "Every time I hear something, everywhere, but especially in Turkey, it hurts me because a lot of these places I go myself and take friends with me."

Istanbul is a city where East meets West. The airport is the hub of it all.

"It's a really lively airport, really busy," explained Aktepe.

He usually leads cultural exchanges during the summer, a peak travel time in Turkey. Recent terror attacks in Turkey have changed his plans.

"It definitely affects our decision of not taking our American friends to travel," Aktepe said. "It's sad."

On Tuesday evening in Dallas, a crowd gathered at Northaven United Methodist Church for an interfaith service. The service was planned before Tuesday's attack. People of many faiths took a moment of silence to remember the victims.

The attack happened during the holy month of Ramadan.

"That makes it even harder to grasp it," said Aktepe. "That's a month where supposedly more peaceful."

"There's a Turkish saying that one is enemy of what he/she doesn't know," Aktepe cautioned. " So once we get to know each other, we know that we're not that different."

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