Islam in Cyprus
Encyclopedia
Islam
in Cyprus
was introduced when Uthman
the 3rd Caliph
conquered Cyprus in 649
. Muslims lived throughout Cyprus but prior to 1974, and since have been concentrated in Northern Cyprus.
Until 1974, Turkish Cypriots
(the Muslim
community of Cyprus) made up 18% of the island's population
. Today there are an estimated 264,172 Muslims based in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus.
Turkish Cypriots are exclusively Sunni, with an influential stream of Sufism
underlying their spiritual heritage and development. Nazim al-Qubrusi, the leader of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani order, hails from Larnaca
and currently resides in Lefka
.
Several important Islam
ic shrines and landmarks exist on the island including:
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 the Turkish invasion of Cyprus
, Muslim population has been bolstered by settlers from Turkey
who are almost exclusively Muslim.
dominated Cyprus
against immigrants and asylum seekers who are mainly Muslim
s from Middle East
.
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
was introduced when Uthman
Uthman
Uthman ibn Affan was one of the companions of Islamic prophet, Muhammad. He played a major role in early Islamic history as the third Sunni Rashidun or Rightly Guided Caliph....
the 3rd Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
conquered Cyprus in 649
649
Year 649 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 649 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* Arabs conquer Cyprus* Soga no Kurayamada no...
. Muslims lived throughout Cyprus but prior to 1974, and since have been concentrated in Northern Cyprus.
Until 1974, Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots
Turkish Cypriots are the ethnic Turks and members of the Turkish-speaking ethnolinguistic community of the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The term is used to refer explicitly to the indigenous Turkish Cypriots, whose Ottoman Turkish forbears colonised the island in 1571...
(the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community of Cyprus) made up 18% of the island's population
Demographics of Cyprus
The Demographics of Cyprus is about the demographic features of the population of Cyprus, including population growth, population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population....
. Today there are an estimated 264,172 Muslims based in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus.
Turkish Cypriots are exclusively Sunni, with an influential stream of Sufism
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
underlying their spiritual heritage and development. Nazim al-Qubrusi, the leader of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani order, hails from Larnaca
Larnaca
Larnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
and currently resides in Lefka
Lefka
Lefka is a town in Northern Cyprus, overlooking Morphou Bay. It is located in the Nicosia District , in the area under Turkish control since the 1974 invasion. In 1997 Lefka had 6,000 inhabitants. The town is the site of the European University of Lefke....
.
Several important Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic shrines and landmarks exist on the island including:
- the Arabahmet MosqueArabahmet MosqueArabahmet Mosque is situated in the city of Nicosia in the northern part of Cyprus. It was built in the late 16th century. The Mosque is named after a commander of the 1571 Ottoman army. The mosque is the tombs of some important persons of the past in its garden....
in NicosiaNicosiaNicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
(built in the 16th century) - the Hala Sultan TekkeHala Sultan TekkeHala Sultan Tekke or the Mosque of Umm Haram is a very prominent Muslim shrine near Larnaca, on the island of Cyprus. Umm Haram was the Islamic prophet Muhammad's wet nurse and the wife of Ubada bin al-Samit....
/Umm Haram Mosque in Larnaca (built in the 18th century) - the Lala Mustafa Pasha MosqueLala Mustafa Pasha MosqueThe Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque originally known as the Saint Nicolas Cathedral and later as the Ayasofya Mosque of Magusa, is the largest medieval building in Famagusta, North Cyprus. Built between 1298 and c.1400 it was consecrated as a Christian cathedral in 1328...
, Selimiye MosqueSelimiye Mosque (Nicosia)Selimiye Mosque or Agia Sofia Cathedral, formerly Cathédrale Sainte Sophie, is located in the Turkish controlled northern part of the walled city of Nicosia. It is the main mosque in the city. It is housed in the largest and oldest surviving gothic church in Cyprus possibly constructed on the site...
and the Haydarpasha MosqueHaydarpasha MosqueHaydarpasha Mosque/St. Catherine’s Cathedral in Nicosia was originally built by the Lusignans in the 14th century. It has been described by Harry Charles Luke as representing one of the finest examples of Gothic buildings on the island...
; former CatholicCatholicismCatholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
cathedrals left from the Crusader eraCrusadesThe Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
, 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 AgesMiddle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
History
Islam came to Cyprus early on in the Arab conquests, which at one point had also captured the Greek island of Crete. It is rumored that an aunt of the Prophet Mohammad, 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
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
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
Greek Muslims
Greek Muslims, also known as Greek-speaking Muslims, are Muslims of Greek ethnic origin, nowadays found mainly in Turkey, although migrations to Lebanon and Syria have been reported. Historically, Greek Orthodoxy has been associated with being Romios, i.e...
.
Since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus
Turkish invasion of Cyprus
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus, launched on 20 July 1974, was a Turkish military invasion in response to a Greek military junta backed coup in Cyprus...
, Muslim population has been bolstered by settlers from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
who are almost exclusively Muslim.
Immigrant Muslims in Cyprus
There has been anti-immigrant protests in Greek CypriotsGreek Cypriots
Greek Cypriots are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community at 77% of the population. Greek Cypriots are mostly members of the Church of Cyprus, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church within the wider communion of Orthodox Christianity...
dominated Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
against immigrants and asylum seekers who are mainly Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s from Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.