Ramadan Güney (18 February 19322 November 2006) was a British-

Turkish Cypriot Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( tr, Kıbrıs Türkleri or ''Kıbrıslı Türkler''; el, Τουρκοκύπριοι, Tourkokýprioi) are ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,00 ...

businessman and politician. He was the owner of Brookwood Cemetery, the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom, with the aim of establishing a Turkish cemetery. Güney was also the founder and chairman of the UK Turkish Islamic Trust and had established the first Turkish mosque in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Shacklewell Lane Mosque Shacklewell Lane Mosque ( tr, Shacklewell Camii) is a Turkish mosque located in Shacklewell, London. Established by Ramadan Güney, his wife Suheyla Güney and other Trustees Turkish Cypriot in 1977, it is the first ever Turkish mosque in the Un ...

, in 1977. He was also a founding member of the VOLKAN organisation in Cyprus, established in the 1950s as part of the struggle against the

Greek Cypriot Greek Cypriots or Cypriot Greeks ( el, Ελληνοκύπριοι, Ellinokýprioi, tr, Kıbrıs Rumları) are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community. According to the 2011 census, 659,115 r ...

nationalists,

EOKA The Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (EOKA; ; el, Εθνική Οργάνωσις Κυπρίων Αγωνιστών, lit=National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters) was a Greek Cypriot Greek Cypriots or Cypriot Greeks ( el, Ελληνο� ...

. He was in later years a Member of Parliament and presidential candidate in

Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus ( tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, ''KKTC''), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, isl ...

Life

Güney was born in

Paphos Paphos ( el, Πάφος ; tr, Baf) is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos, today known as Kouklia, and New Paphos. The current city of Pap ...

, Cyprus in 1932 to Turkish Cypriot parents. After leaving school, he served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and police on the island. However, in 1955, with the rise of EOKA Greek Cypriots fought a violent campaign for the end of British rule as well as for union with Greece (

enosis ''Enosis'' ( el, Ένωσις, , "union") is the movement of various Greek communities that live outside Greece for incorporation of the regions that they inhabit into the Greek state. The idea is related to the Megali Idea, an irredentist conc ...

); Güney fought against this by becoming a founding member of the Volkan organisation. In 1958 he emigrated to Britain where he set up a music publishing business and became a millionaire at the age of 35. In 1977 he helped found and run the first Turkish Cypriot mosque in

, called the

, and worked on a variety of social and community projects, arising from his work with the UK Turkish Islamic Centre. He acquired Brookwood Cemetery in 1985, the purchase evolving from Güney's role as Chairman of the UK Turkish Islamic Trust, which wanted suitable burial facilities for its members. He died at the age of 74 in

. Following a service at his mosque in London, he was buried in his family vault at Brookwood Cemetery on Friday 10 November 2006.

Personal life

Güney was married to Süheyla Güney who died in 1992. They had two sons and four daughters from this marriage. Diane Holliday was Güney's partner of 6 years before his death.Musa & Ors v Holliday & Ors (2012) EWCA Civ 1268
/ref> In 2011, the inheritance of the cemetery was successfully challenged by Diane Holliday and her adult son from a previous marriage, Kevin.

References

1932 births 2006 deaths 20th-century British businesspeople 20th-century Cypriot businesspeople British people of Turkish Cypriot descent People from Paphos Burials at Brookwood Cemetery {{Cyprus-bio-stub