Islam in Cyprus

Islam in Cyprus is the island's second largest religion and the predominant faith of Northern Cyprus. Islam was introduced to Cyprus when the island finally fell to Umayyad conquerors during the Arab-Byzantine wars. Prior to this, the Muslim presence on the island was itinerant. Conversion to Islam was not compulsory but the majority of the Catholic Latin population of the island, along with a smaller subsection of the Greek Orthodox population, converted to Islam.

Before the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, the Turkish Cypriots (the Muslim community of Cyprus) made up 18% of the island's population and lived throughout the island. Today, most of the estimated 264,172 Muslims are based in the north of the island. Turkish Cypriot society is markedly secular though, at least formally; adherents to the faith subscribe mostly to the Sunni branch, with an influential stream of Sufism underlying their spiritual heritage and development. Nazim al-Qubrusi, the leader of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani order, hailed from Larnaca and lived in Lefka. Another branch among the Turkish Cypriot Muslims is Alevism. There are also a few Turkish Cypriots who are Ahmadi Muslims.

History

Islam came to Cyprus early on in the Arab conquests though a permanent presence only followed the Ottoman conquest in 1571.

It is rumored that an aunt of Muhammad, Umm Haram, had accompanied one of the early Arab expeditions to the island. She died during the expedition and was buried at the present Hala Sultan Tekke monument.

Since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, the Muslim population in the north of the island has been bolstered by settlers from Turkey who are almost exclusively Sunni Muslims. The status of these settlers is disputed under international law and specifically the prohibition, under the Geneva Convention, on the cross-border transfer of populations by states aiming to engineer changes in the demographic make-up of other states.

The segregation of Cypriot Turks and Greeks has effected that most of the Muslims in the territory controlled by the Republic of Cyprus are Arab immigrants and refugees, unrelated to the Turks historically living in the area.

Important landmarks

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.

Gallery

File:Mosque in Kyrenia.jpg, A mosque in Kyrenia
File:Nicosia 01-2017 img13 Omeriye Mosque.jpg, Ömeriye Mosque in Nicosia
File:Larnaca 01-2017 img19 Tuzla Mosque.jpg, Tuzla Mosque in Larnaca
File:Nicosia 01-2017 img19 View from Shacolas Tower.jpg, Haydar Pasha Mosque in Nicosia
File:Larnaca 01-2017 img30 Salt Lake.jpg, Hala Sultan Tekke with Larnaca Salt Lake in the foreground
File:Famagusta 01-2017 img18 Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque.jpg, Entrance facade of the converted cathedral (Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque)
File:Minaretcath.jpg, The Minaret of the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque
File:Nicosia 01-2017 img20 View from Shacolas Tower.jpg, The Selimiye Mosque in Nicosia, general view
File:Limassol 01-2017 img08 Koprulu Mosque.jpg, Turkish Mosque in Limassol

See also

* List of mosques in Cyprus
* Religion in Cyprus

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Islam In Cyprus

Religion in Cyprus