What's a fact is that when colonialism started to crack under the pressure of the emerging movement for self-determination and independence shortly after the WW2, the island had an overwhelmingly Orthodox christian population with a substantial minority of Muslims under a British administration which was trying to grasp helplessly onto the island and it's position near the Suez canal and the Middle East oils.Before continuing it is wise to refer shortly to one-two things about Muslims and their perception of peace and well-administration which explains to an extent their stance not only in Cyprus but in all post-Ottoman Balkan states.
Ottoman empire was a theocracy so the leader of every community in the empire was it's religious leader.In the case of Orthodox Christians it was the Patriarch of Constantinople and specifically in Cyprus was the bishop of the island who had some traditional (dating from Byzantine era) privileges.So Church was granted the role of the political economic and spiritual leader of the community by the Ottomans themselves.
So enough for the moaning about the role of the Church in Cyprus cauze Ottomans are the ones to blame.Ottomans granted the Church with exceptional rights Ottomans granted them the 91% of arable land in Cyprus.Ottomans led to having an archbishop running politics in the island with all disastrous results we know.
But what about inter-community relations in the island
Well Muslims on the island were mostly converts (Orthodox and Venetians) to Islam plus the small Ottoman garrison.The mixed up villages were always very few and very rare.In fact both communities interacted only in big cities and there living in different districts.
A non-Muslim in the empire couldn't testify against a Muslim.Had to pay excessive taxes to the administration, had to build a house always in elevation lower than a Muslim's, had to not ring the bell of it's church if that was bothering nearby Muslims generally was a second-class citizen whose rights (the very basic ones that he had) were at the mercy of the local Ottoman administrator and everyone knows that Ottomans administrators weren't choosed because of their capabilities but more likely because of the ever present baksisi that was indeed a good investment as he would latter make for the money he spent to buy the position with further taxing his non-Muslims subjects.
So as India, Pakistan and African countries started steadily to gain independence Cypriot people demanded so but with one big difference.Muslim Cypriots who identified with Turkey called for British rule to remain.Called for imperialists to stay.But why this
Well first of all Britain-the most capable colonial power ever and the great advocatives of divide and conquer- wanted to keep the island as much longer under it's boot as possible.So to the unfaithful Greek-Cypriots who demanded a referendum for independence (what's more democratic than the population of the island deciding for it's self) they responded with huggings repression jail etc.But at the same time in order to transfer the matter from independence to inter-communal conflict they started favoring Turks in police recruits in state positions so that the 18% of the population to account for more than half of the policemen.
But why Turks sided with Britain
More importantly why did they do that when 1)EOKA 1 was speaking about independence and then Enosis through referendums 2) Noone cared about Turks (i mean killing them etc)
In other words there wasn't any threat of them being wiped out which it's like a joke as we see Muslims living in Greece reaching 100,000 whilst Greeks in Turkey being 2,000 down of 300,000!!!!
In any case Muslims seem to like to give minority status to other(even when CypriotGreeks accounts as much as 80% of the island) but themselves can't settle with minority rights when they make up just the 18%.
After Britain's humiliation in Suez Canal (1956) and Eden's resignation they made their mind about keeping two bases and giving independence to the rest of the island but instead of letting it's own people decide the drew Greece and Turkey to the matter.
The point was simple.If there was a referendum Cypriots would decide overwhelmingly for independence and maybe for Union with Greece that shaking the future status of British bases and more importantly their relations with Turkey.Funny enough Turkish Cypriots although claiming Cypriotness after 1974 where asking for British to stay or alternatively for Ottoman-Turkish rule to be reestablished.Either way so much for their Cypriotness.
In this context with a Greek state which didn't even heal the scars from civil war and internal turmoil an agreement for Cypriots without Cypriots was reached the Zurich agreement and the 1960 constitution was put in action which guaranteed the 18% Turks rights almost as if the were 50%.The minority leader could veto all kind of laws have separate districts generally it was a constitution that above all would guarantee one thing.
The island's split for ever and the British bases.
---Salonikios
