THE CLASHES between rival groups of Muslims at Nicosia’s Omeriye Mosque some two weeks ago were certainly unwelcome. But one positive outcome is that Nicosia Municipality and the government are now actively looking at the underlying causes of the violence – taking into account the multicultural realities of living in Nicosia old town – in order to find a solution that could involve opening new mosques.
The immediate cause of the violence was reportedly an argument over religious dogma between the Sunni majority and a group of regulars at the mosque who preach their own interpretation of Islam. But this flash-point resulted from a set of equally deep problems.
Many believe that it is not just religious, but also socioeconomic differences that are in play. Gerald Butt, editor of Middle East International magazine, told the Mail: “There are differences between Sunnis and Shi’ites wherever they happen to be. In the Gulf states there is a big social differentiation between labourers or blue-collar workers and other social groups, especially since many of those workers come from the Indian subcontinent. They would normally be kept very separate from the local Arabs, usually using different mosques, and people tend to learn to live with the differences over time. But the setting in Arab countries is very different to Cyprus, which affects how social and religious differences are expressed.”
There is another important aspect: “The specific problem in Cyprus is that there is a very limited number of mosques in a predominantly Christian country. This heightens the differences between Muslims who are well-established here and the new arrivals, on top of whatever other social and religious differences, adding to possible tensions.”
Nicos Trimikliniotis, Professor of Law and Sociology at the University of Nicosia and director of the study centre which serves as the Cyprus National Focal Point for RAXEN (European Information Network on Racism and Xenophobia), said: “What is the basic problem? There is one mosque, which is owned by the Turkish Cypriots but is now used mainly by immigrants. What is the government doing to enable people to use that place of worship freely? What business does one group of Muslims have in managing another group’s right to worship?”
The issue boils down to the fact that additional premises can be made available, but questions remain regarding their regulation by the authorities and their day-to-day management.
Currently, just one of Nicosia’s mosques – the Omeriye – is in active use. The next two mosques in terms of size are the Bayraktar near the Ochi roundabout, and the Taht-el-Kale/Tahtakallas next to Ayios Kassianos, both of which are designated monuments restored under the Nicosia Master Plan. There are a few other small mosques, including a tiny one next to Phaneromeni Church.
Most of the 100 or so mosques in the government-controlled areas are the responsibility of the Guardian of Turkish Cypriot Properties – in law, Interior Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis – and are managed by the Ministry’s Turkish Cypriot Property Management Service (TCPMS).
Yiorgos Matseopoulos, Senior Officer of the Nicosia District TCPMS confirmed to the Mail that mosques which are old and architecturally significant have been designated as monuments under Cyprus law, and so come under the responsibility of the Antiquities Department (part of the Communication & Works Ministry) when it comes to carrying out restoration, repair or maintenance. However, the maintenance costs are shared 50-50 between that department and the TCPMS. Matseopoulos added that the TCPMS maintains mosques which are not designated as monuments, and in some cases – for example, the mosque in Dali, just outside Nicosia – it also covers the running costs.
Nicosia Mayor Eleni Mavrou told the Mail: “My personal opinion is that yes, we do need more mosques opened – but there would need to be an acceptable system for using them. Right now, there is no management committee at the Omeriye with which we as a municipality can communicate. We do need to establish a clearer picture before starting to make proposals. Basic questions such as, for example, how running costs will covered need to be answered first, before other mosques are opened.”
Mavrou added: “Ramadan is due to end on 21 September, and we will have a meeting with the Interior Ministry on 23 September. This is a sensitive and complicated issue, so it has to be taken seriously. Off-the-cuff statements or things done for show do not help.”
Matseopoulos shares the view that opening up existing mosques and maybe creating new ones poses a whole new set of practical questions that need to be answered, such as who will have responsibility for running them, paying the bills, holding the keys, and so on. “I do believe that the 23 September meeting will allow us to move forward and resolve some of these questions”, he said.
The major problem facing Nicosia Municipality and the Interior Ministry is that the various small groups who would like to have their own place of worship are not organised formally, and often express very different opinions or even versions of events. This is making the process of consultation towards establishing an action-plan very difficult.
One other question for consideration would be finding imams who would lead the new mosques. According to Politis newspaper, responsibility for appointing the imams at three of Cyprus’ mosques (Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca) rests with Mohamed Hodja, who represents the World Islamic Call Society (WICS) in Cyprus and is also part of the diplomatic staff at the Libyan Embassy.
The WICS was set up in 1972 and is based in Libya. Hodja told Politis that the decision to re-open some mosques in order to allow Muslims to worship was taken by President Makarios following a visit to Cyprus in 1970 by Muammar al-Gaddafi. It appears that as well as paying the salary of Omeriye’s imam, the Libyan authorities may also be covering the mosque’s running costs.
But the question of having more than one mosque available to Nicosia’s Muslims cannot be resolved without looking at the wider social picture. In Trimikliniotis’ view, “the integration of immigrants into Cypriot society is a basic issue which is not being faced up to. Immigrants are still on the margins, and if anything they are consciously being marginalised even further.” Shortly after the clashes at Omeriye mosque, Mavrou herself said that measures designed to ease the tensions should be part of a formulated immigration policy.
Mavrou said: ““We are already addressing some of the social questions facing immigrants living in Nicosia old town, as part of our plans to regenerate the area. For a year now, we have been running two programmes, designed to help adult women seek work. But these programmes need to be expanded, since applications already far outnumber the available places.”
“We also need to set up service – it could be just one person – to establish and maintain regular contact with various community groups. I know that many European cities with large numbers of immigrants have dedicated significant resources to this. Some of our printed material already appears in various languages, so it is a start.”
