Growing tolerance of Muslims

After my recent visit to the Republic of Cyprus as Head of a Muslim delegation from the UK I was impressed by the reception given to us.

Of particular interest to us was to discover the tolerance shown to the growing community of Muslims in the Republic with regard to the practice of their religion – Islam.

One striking aspect of this tolerance is the maintenance and upkeep of the places of worship – the mosques – by the department of antiquities of the ministry of the interior.

Here are very encouraging signs and opportunities for bringing the two communities of this great historical island together by closing the unfortunate divide that has existed for too long. We would be grateful for the opportunity to open a discourse relative to the role of Muslims in the Republic of Cyprus, their places of worship and cultural activities as a prelude to bringing a significant rapprochement in the political process.

The short historical perspective of the development in the settlement issue since the Annan plan in 2004, as given by Loucas G Charalambous in his article titled “Ayeshe stays put thanks to the president”, published in your issue of January 16, is highly informative and educative.

Professor H Kasenally , secretary general of the proposed ‘Council of Europe for Muslim  intellectuals, scientists, and professionals’,  London

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.