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Istanbul Suicide Bombing Begs Question: Why Target Turkey?

CHICAGO (CBS) -- If federal officials are correct, and the suicide bombing at Istanbul's largest airport was the work of ISIS, then why Turkey, a country that's predominantly Muslim?

CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez asked Chicagoans with ties to the region.

"Everybody is so sad and devastated," said Orhan Ulger, a Turkish civil engineer living and working in Chicago.

He said Turkish relatives and friends frightened by the terror attack in Istanbul plan to carry on as usual.

Ulger described his native country as democratic and economically strong; modern, with a rich history.

"Touristy; you can see any kind of language spoken in the area, and it's just beautiful," he said.

"We have pretty close ties with Europe and Western civilizations," Ulger added, but he would not speculate on whether that was the reason the Istanbul airport was targeted. "I wish I knew."

Some believe that's exactly why Turkey was targeted. They said the fact the country is 99% Muslim shows the Islamic State - and terrorism - is not about religion at all.

"The first thing we have to know is they have nothing to do with Islam. These are just terrorists. They have their own warped ideology," said Umut Acar, the Turkish Consul General in Chicago.

"These terrorist organizations are targeting our values, our way of life, the things that we represent," he added. "This is the reason why they attacked Paris, this is the reason why they attacked Brussels, and now they attack Turkey."

Also like Paris and Brussels, condolence books have been made available at the Turkish Consulate in Chicago, so well-wishers can offer words of support to the victims of terrorism.

Flights to and from Istanbul have resumed. Many people have said it's one of the safest airports they've seen, but there is no way to prevent all such attacks.

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