7.4 Cyprus

Islam was introduced to Cyprus when Uthman the 3rd Caliph conquered it in 649. Muslims lived over the whole area of Cyprus but since the1974 events they are now concentrated in Northern Cyprus. Until 1974, Turkish Cypriots (the Muslim community of Cyprus) made up 18% of the whole islands population. Today there are an estimated 264,172 Muslims based in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus.

Several important Islamic shrines and landmarks exist on the island including: the Arabahmet Mosque in Nicosia (built in the 16th century), the Hala Sultan Tekke/Umm Haram Mosque in Larnaca (built in the 18th century), the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, Selimiye Mosque and the Haydarpasha Mosque; former Catholic cathedrals left from the Crusader era, which were meant to cater exclusively to the Catholic minority which ruled the island and were converted to mosques after the Muslim conquest in the Middle Ages. Islam came to Cyprus early on in the Arab conquests, which at one point had also captured the Greek island of Crete. It is alleged that an aunt of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) Um Haram had accompanied the expedition. She fell off her mule and died and was entombed at the present shrine Hala Sultan Tekkesi.

Most of the Turks settled in Cyprus during the Ottoman rule in 1572-1878/1914. The Ottoman Empire gave Timars (land grants) to soldiers under the condition that they and their families would stay there permanently. During the 17th century the Turkish population grew rapidly, partly because of Turkish immigrants but also due to Greek converts to Islam. Since 1974, the Muslim population has been bolstered by settlers from Turkey who are almost exclusively Muslim.

Today, the minority Muslim population in the Republic of Cyprus still exists, although it is made up of...

7.4 Cyprus

...brothers and sisters from many different backgrounds, cultures and countries, including Cypriots. Some come from abroad to study, to find work and for a variety of other reasons To-date there is no central Muslim/Islamic contact point in the Republic of Cyprus that is accessible and easy to understand for Muslims new to the country and to those Muslims who already live here.

Islam in Cyprus

Muslims were concentrated over whole area of Cyprus but after the 1974 events they are concentrated in Northern Cyprus. Muslims in Cyprus are over 18% of the population.

Muslims make up 99% of the population of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Most of its adherents are Sunnis of the Hanafi Sect. The religious head of the Muslim community was in the past known as the Mufti. The Office of the Evkaf serves the religious needs of the Muslims of the Republic.

History

Islam in Cyprus was introduced when Uthman the 3rd Caliph conquered Cyprus in 649 AH.

Over four centuries long existence on Cyprus of the religious and cultural heritage of the Turkish Cypriots stems from the Ottoman Empire which ruled the island between 1571 and 1878.

7.4 Cyprus

Unlike their predecessors, the Franks (1192-1489) and the Venetians (1489-1571), who had deprived the Greek Cypriots Orthodox Church of its religious freedom and sought to impose Latin Church rites, the Ottomans who took over the island in 1571 showed great respect and tolerance for all the diverse religions on the island.

Initially the Ottomans met their requirements of mosques by repairing and converting unused Latin churches and cathedrals. As a result, these historic buildings have been tended and preserved in good repair to this day. Examples of these monuments are the Selimiye and Haydar Pasha Mosques in Nicosia and the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque in Famagusta.

Historians, scholars, and authors interested in Cypriot history noted and praised the Turkish tolerance, magnanimity, and traditional generosity towards non-Moslems. During the Ottoman Period, religious foundations or pious endowments called `Vakif' (plural Evkaf) (or Waqf in Arabic) were set up in the newly created areas of the empire to support religious, cultural, and social activities.

Persecution of Islam in Cyprus

In 1963, the Greek/Greek Cypriot ambition to achieve Enosis (the union of Cyprus with Greece) culminated in a terrible onslaught, with much bloodshed, on the unarmed Turkish Cypriot people, depriving them of their fundamental human rights. It left thousands of them dead, wounded, missing and uprooted from their homes.

7.4 Cyprus

Part and parcel of this process was the deliberate destruction of over 100 mosques and other precious Ottoman and Islamic antiquities. This took place in the 103 towns and villages which the Turkish Cypriots were forced to abandon. The persecution of Muslim Turks of Cyprus (1963-1974) was put to an end after the rightful intervention of Turkey on 20 July 1974, making use of its rights under the Treaty of Guarantee on Cyprus.

Islam today Cyprus

After having won their freedom and independence, the Turkish Cypriots have joined the Islamic Conference Organization in observer status, thus taking their due place in the second biggest religious community of the world. Today the TRNC regularly participates in the activities of the Islamic Conference Organization.

While the population of the Northern part of Cyprus is mostly comprised of Turkish Cypriots there is also a small Turkish Cypriot community that lives in the Southern part of the island. As of last count there were about 500 Turkish Cypriots living in South Cyprus. Among all Turkish Cypriots the predominant religion is Islam and they are considered as Muslims.

While Turkish Cypriots as a whole are Muslims, they are not considered as the most orthodox of Muslims. Few if any fast during the holy month of Ramadan, and fewer than that observe daily player. Also while Muslims are forbidden from drinking alcoholic beverages this is not the case with Turkish Cypriots. Visitors to the Island are often surprised by the way they lead their lives since preconceptions of Islamic societies often lead to misconceptions of Cyprus and more specifically the North which is often referred to as an Islamic State.

7.4 Cyprus

As in Turkey the secular nature of both societies has led to the separation of church from state (or in this case mosque from state). But it is worth noting that while Turkish Cypriots normally do not attend mosque or wear religious attire they observe religious holidays.

It has often been said that the Turkish Cypriots secular nature was derived from British rule and the reforms passed by Ataturk in Turkey. Both have helped mould the community into a secular society that is liberal in comparison to what the world thinks of when they think of Muslims.

Fortunately, there are groups who oppose this secularism in the TRNC and have actively campaigned to see it come to an end. Most of these groups in the past have originated in Saudi Arabia and Libya. Both countries wanted to see what they call an upsurge in Islamism, what is sometimes referred to as fundamental Islam. These countries have an abundance of cash by which to provide funding to groups that have likeminded objectives and in many cases to start said groups. In most cases these groups are opposed to Turkish Cypriot secularism and religious decadence. Their desire is to return to the Shari'ah which is the rule of religious law. In so doing they opposed the reforms established by Ataturk and want to make both Turkey and Turkish Cypriots more religious.