He claimed that there was a risk it could assume an international identity very similar to its main Western competitors, pointing out that al-Jazeera's English-language website relied heavily on Western news agencies.

BBC: NEWS | Middle East | Al-Jazeera English TV date set

By the leading interpreter of Turkish society to the western world, it deals with such familiar Pamuk themes as faith, identity and betrayal.

ECONOMIST: Books of the year 2004

It is also central to Islamic identity as the site of brutal conflicts, first with Christian Crusaders and then Western powers.

CNN: Raz: Small nation, huge influence