Cyprus-Forum.com

[Cem]

Cem, it is obvious that most TCs are not as religious as many in Turkey, and from what I hear they are less religious from many GCs also, thats a good thing.

But would you say that a TC married to a GC would not mind if his/her child was baptized Christian? What about the child having a Greek name?
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I can not speak on behalf of majority of TCs as I don't posses abundant data. However, I know at least two TC women (one was my classmate) married to Greek/GCs who have come around the problem. Their children have both greek/turkish names. Besides, as far as I know these ladies, they are issue from well-educated families which wouldn't mind at all even if their kids choose christianity and having just greek names. At the end of day, religious and ethnic differences become more of an issue in relatively less-educated and pious circles.

Paphitis said that religion and language can be a barrier in such inter-marriages and I think this is true and it is a universal issue, not just a Cyprus one

Religion, indeed, is a strong anti-thesis of open-mindedness. However, it is my educated guess that majority of TCs' main concern about living in a unified Cyprus is not totally stemming from their fear of ending up christianized, it is rather related to the past. What we have here is a kind of chicken and egg problem. There were inter-communal conflicts in the past because of religious and ethnic differences that have kept these communities apart, and now these communities can not make progress in getting together- despite religion loosing its importance- because of the past.

[YFred]

Cem, it is obvious that most TCs are not as religious as many in Turkey, and from what I hear they are less religious from many GCs also, thats a good thing.

But would you say that a TC married to a GC would not mind if his/her child was baptized Christian? What about the child having a Greek name?

Paphitis said that religion and language can be a barrier in such inter-marriages and I think this is true and it is a universal issue, not just a Cyprus one.

Piratis, a friend of mine is married to a GC and their children have TC and GC names and they are not baptised. When I asked the GC father whether he minded, his remark was "sikime" . They are happily maried for 10 years now despite the fact that TC girls uncle was killed in 1974 by GCs.

[denizaksulu]

Cem, it is obvious that most TCs are not as religious as many in Turkey, and from what I hear they are less religious from many GCs also, thats a good thing.

But would you say that a TC married to a GC would not mind if his/her child was baptized Christian? What about the child having a Greek name?

Paphitis said that religion and language can be a barrier in such inter-marriages and I think this is true and it is a universal issue, not just a Cyprus one.

Piratis, a friend of mine is married to a GC and their children have TC and GC names and they are not baptised. When I asked the GC father whether he minded, his remark was "sikime" . They are happily maried for 10 years now despite the fact that TC girls uncle was killed in 1974 by GCs.

In 1968 a GC girl from Lefke declared her undying love for me. Her father was murdered by the TMT (that was when they left Lefke). It happens.

[Nikitas]

Alpeis wrote:

"They are already financially supported by Turkey in return for nothing. They really don't need to have access to foreign markets including Turkey. The system works very well as long as money flows to North Cyprus from Turkey. "

And that is THE problem. A whole community has been corrupted to the point that handouts have become an institution, if not the most important institution. But TCs pre 1974 were not living on handouts. Some of the most enterprising Cypriots were TCs.

Turkey sold you a bill of goods and turned you from a self supporting and productive community into a welfare dependent minority in your own country. Wake up!

[Alpeis]

You are not trying to focus on today's reality. Today's reality is that there is an illegal occupation of 1/3rd of Cyprus by Turkey. This is the reality today. What you are trying to do is to use tiny and selective parts of the past in order to excuse your present crimes.

No, that's definitely not my point to take tiny elements and consider the incidents according to them.

I am just trying to avoid discussions based on who killed who. You only mention the atrocities against Greeks as if there was none against Turkish. It's crystal clear that both communities suffered from violence activities carried out by each other.

What I try to say is, one's unlawful activities doesn't legitimize the other's activities. I blame the governments of Greece and Turkey in addition to Britain for what happened in the past mid-century. You couldn't practice the freedom due to their desires on the island.

I believe it's now time to act together to attain trust between each other and then your problems will be solved easily. However, as long as the isolation of North prevails it doesn't seem feasible.

I will ask you a simple question. What drives you to unite again? I'll be happy if you sincerely answer this question.

[Piratis]

What we have here is a kind of chicken and egg problem. There were inter-communal conflicts in the past because of religious and ethnic differences that have kept these communities apart, and now these communities can not make progress in getting together- despite religion loosing its importance- because of the past.

I don't exactly agree with this point. The conflict was not due to the religious and ethnic differences. Rather those differences were used and exploited by those who wanted the conflict in order to serve their own interests in Cyprus.

The same is true today. I don't think there are many people on either community that mind the religion or language of the other community. However those who caused the conflict want to maintain the conflict (and therefore maintain their troops in Cyprus, which was their objective). And there lies the root of the problem.

[Alpeis]

Alpeis wrote:

"They are already financially supported by Turkey in return for nothing. They really don't need to have access to foreign markets including Turkey. The system works very well as long as money flows to North Cyprus from Turkey. "

And that is THE problem. A whole community has been corrupted to the point that handouts have become an institution, if not the most important institution. But TCs pre 1974 were not living on handouts. Some of the most enterprising Cypriots were TCs.

Turkey sold you a bill of goods and turned you from a self supporting and productive community into a welfare dependent minority in your own country. Wake up!

Easy to say "wake up" but how? I think it's too late for taking an action...

[Tim Drayton]

Cem, it is obvious that most TCs are not as religious as many in Turkey, and from what I hear they are less religious from many GCs also, thats a good thing.

But would you say that a TC married to a GC would not mind if his/her child was baptized Christian? What about the child having a Greek name?

Paphitis said that religion and language can be a barrier in such inter-marriages and I think this is true and it is a universal issue, not just a Cyprus one.

I hear that marriages between GCs and TCs are not unheard of in London. How do people resolve these issues there? I mean things like whether the kids should be baptised/circumcised and what names they should be given.

[Alpeis]

Cem, it is obvious that most TCs are not as religious as many in Turkey, and from what I hear they are less religious from many GCs also, thats a good thing.

But would you say that a TC married to a GC would not mind if his/her child was baptized Christian? What about the child having a Greek name?

Paphitis said that religion and language can be a barrier in such inter-marriages and I think this is true and it is a universal issue, not just a Cyprus one.

Piratis, a friend of mine is married to a GC and their children have TC and GC names and they are not baptised. When I asked the GC father whether he minded, his remark was "sikime" . They are happily maried for 10 years now despite the fact that TC girls uncle was killed in 1974 by GCs.

I am so sorry for you...

In 1968 a GC girl from Lefke declared her undying love for me. Her father was murdered by the TMT (that was when they left Lefke). It happens.

[Nikitas]

"Easy to say "wake up" but how? I think it's too late for taking an action..."

In the EU there is no longer any need for Turkish military guarantees or presence. So there is still time for TCs to assert themselves and ask for true independence from the "motherland" as GCs have done. It is not easy and time is running out. TCs are becoming an ever diminishing minority in the north. Another tend years and TC will be a memory and that is precisely why they must act now.