Kifeas wrote:gizzy wrote:Kifeas wrote:gizzy wrote:For those who are willing to take a DNA test, there are special "ethnicity" tests that can me done easily. All you have to do is to pop-into speacial reasearch center and there you can easily learn your ancestral DNA. I am not sure where they have such facilities in Cpyrus.
However its a sensitive issue and some people later on have "idendity problems" so make sure you can cope with the results before taking the test....
gizzy, I am only talking about cultural assimilation! DNA or blood tests are meaningless, since anyway, biologically all humans -even when they are from different racial groups (black, Asian, Caucasian, etc,) are by 99% the same; set aside those within the same such racial group like GCs and TCs.
I also gave answer to the cultural assimilation bit as well... I have seen with my own eyes we share the common Cypriot culture and therefore "assimilation" is out of the question...
It is a fact that having lived together for centuries, we both share the same distinctively Cypriot cultural aspect, however, at the same time we have some other cultural or ethnic differences, such as at least two different languages and two different religious orientations. Why aren’t you afraid that the Turkish language for example may gradually become less and less used, and eventually disappear, within a majority Greek speaking language, presumably paving in this way the end of the TC community as a cultural entity?
Ok...am gonna give a quick answer to this as I really need to get going and I already spent long time on the forum...
Turkish cypriots are not the same "muslims" as the TCs when we used to live together. It is a well-known fact that especially new generations do not practice any realigion at all. A vast majority of TCs dont go to mosque (excluding the settlers) and do not practice islam like other muslim people from turkey, arabs, iran etc. We celebrate the religious occasions such as Ramaddan but most people are unaware of the actual meaning of these celebrations. TCs celebrate religious holidays but they only see it as a "family get together" where all membes of the family meet at the same time, at the same place and have the "family time" , nice meals etc.
And on the language issue, I dont think our language will disappear as long as the government doesnt ban its usage. Our language will be thought at schools in a united cyprus. I dont think language is that of a big problem anyway. As far as I undestand some of the TCs in UK already dont know how to speak TC. I personally dont think its a big issue, I wouldnt debate their cypriot idendity just coz they dont understand turkish or I wouldnt call them assimilated just coz they only know english.
There are still some programs going on from both sides. Now that people can travel freely throught the border, its easier to attend bi-communal activities. They are usually given tasks to carry out as a teem and as an individual basis. Some people also bring history books from both sides to see and compare the level of distortion and many people learn a big deal about their real history.
