Cyprus-Forum.com

[yialousa1971]

Alkan Chaglar, born August 5, 1981 (1981-08-05) (age 28) in London, is a Turkish Cypriot journalist and a columnist for the weekly bilingual (English-Turkish) newspaper Toplum Postası. Educated at Leicester, Liège, and the School of Oriental and African Studies, with a background in languages, political science and history, Alkan is currently researching a PhD on the phenomena of religious syncretism.
In his weekly column Cultural Encounters Alkan Chaglar writes with a passion for cross-cultural influences and diversity in multi-ethnic countries and the state of minority languages in the World. Coming from a Turkish-Cypriot background, Alkan expressed an interest in the phenomena of Crypto-Christians and the issue of conversion to Islam in Cyprus. On the 5th of May 2006 in Toplum Postasi Alkan wrote about the Latins and Maronites in Cyprus who proselytised to Islam during Ottoman rule. Here is what he writes:

Without trivialising the significance of the settlement of Turkish Muslim settlers from Anatolia, the issue of proselytisation in Cyprus is equally central to the historical evolution of the current Turkish Cypriot community. Proselytism, the act of inducing someone to convert to one’s own faith was a widely common practice in the Ottoman Empire, as it was in many Christian Empires both before, and during the reign of the Ottomans. Predictably, prolonged proselytisation precipitated the formation of lax Muslim communities in various Ottoman dominions.
While in Ottoman Pontus and Crete, Greek Orthodox Christians were primarily the ones who were converted to Islam, in Cyprus, at least in the initial period of Ottoman rule, most converts appear to have been Latins and Maronites. Without drawing a list of lamentations, it is important in out time to at least be in a position to talk about past events such as these.
After the defeat of the Venetians by the Ottomans in 1572, an ultimatum of death, slavery or conversion was given to the Latin inhabitants of Cyprus; at least this is what many academics claim.Well-respected Arabist and Ottoman historian Ronald Jennings summarises the sentiment the Ottomans held toward the defeated Latins, “treating the Cypriots with consideration that their good will towards them but showed no mercy to the Latins”. Jennings describes how Venetian soldiers who were taken as prisoners were offered the opportunity to free themselves of slavery or death by converting to Islam, how common this was is unknown, but several well-known figures such as the Venetian artillery commander Hercules Martingengo, converted to Islam. If high ranking commanders converted then it is quite plausible that there were many renegades from the lower ranks also.
Commenting on the treatment of the Greeks, Harry Luke said in his book, ‘Cyprus under the Turks’, “the Greek inhabitants everywhere readily welcomed the invading forces, once the prospect of getting rid of the detested Latins seemed really to have come at last.” The Greek inhabitants would often supply the Ottoman soldiers with food on their march to the Venetian fortifications. Without creating the impression that Ottomans and Greeks were best of friends at this time, it is important to note that the latter considered the former the less of two evils and welcomed change after centuries of harsh Frankish rule.
Jennings who deciphered Ottoman archives, cites that in the period 1593—1595, 31% of all adult male Muslims whose names and fathers’ names were cited as legal agents (vekil) in court were converts. More than a third of such Muslims appearing in court at that time were converts, with 30% of all instrumental witnesses belonging to this group in 1609-1611, and later 18% of all Vekils. These numbers represent quite a significant proportion of the Muslim population of Cyprus in the 17th century.
Although these numbers decreased after 1611 conversion to Islam was not abandoned, rather as sources suggest it continued into the 19th century.
As for the Maronites, Palmieri notes that in 1572 the Maronites lived in 33 villages, by 1596, 24 years after the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, the total number of Maronite villages had descended to 19 then by the 20th century down to 4. Maronite villages included Metosic (Metochi), Fludi (Flamudi?), Santa Marina (Ayia Marina), Asomatos, Gansili (Kambyli), Carpasia (Karpasha), Cormachita (Kormakitis), Primisia, Casapifani (Kazafana), Veno (Vouno), Cibo, Jeri, Gensada, Attala, Clepirio (Klepini?), Piscopia (Piskobu), Gasbria (Gastria), Cefalarisco and Sotta Cruscida (Crysida). Many of the aforementioned villages such as Kambyli, Kazafana, Ayia Marina, and Piskobu were and still are partly or entirely Turkish speaking, while Kormakitis is still inhabited by Maronites today.
Proselytisation created an imbroglio in Cypriot society that led to the phenomenon of a clandestine community of Crypto-Christians popularly known as Lino-bambaci (the cotton-linen sect). The term was coined to illustrate the multi-identity of this group. Villages like Louroudjina (originally Laurentia), Potamia and some villages in Tylliria, which were formerly the estates of the Latins converted en masse to Islam.
L.R Michel who wrote about the phenomena of Crypto-Christians in the 19th century often talks about the conflict between the Latin and Orthodox priests over the burial rights of Lino-bambaci deceased; the Orthodox Church whose bishops cooperated with the Ottoman rulers often won.
There were equally many legitimate cases of Greek Orthodox Christians converting to Islam too, something that deserves discussion too, but some Greek historians argue that since the Lino-bambaci were Greek-speaking; this might imply that they themselves were Greek. But things are rarely as they seem in Cyprus, Latins and Maronites who resided in Cyprus often communicated partially or entirely in Greek even before the Ottoman Conquest. Arabist Alexander Borg points out that “speaker competence in peripheral Arabic entails some knowledge of foreign languages”, and this would have been the case in Cyprus as elsewhere where Maronites lived.
Let us not forget too that the Latin and Maronite communities had lived in Cyprus for centuries prior to the arrival of Lala Mustafa Pashas Army, and had by then already become acclimatised to living in an island that was majoritarily Greek speaking.
The fact is a substantial number of today’s Muslim Turkish Cypriots have a Christian past, and are partly descended from those Venetian, Genovese and French families that had estates on the island who proselytized to Sunni Islam. We are a mixed community, and with this we derive many strengths and a richness that makes us who we are. It is time we as a community realized that there are many different faces in our past and not be ashamed of it. Rather than reject this as madness, we should use these origins to build bridges of friendship with other cultures and celebrate our multiple identities. Cypriot historians from both sides of the divide tend to focus too much on our Greco-Turkish heritage, at the expense of objectivity, but Cyprus has and always will be a convergence of cultures.

By Alkan Chaglar

[yialousa1971]

See video above to understand what I'm saying You never forget what you are, the so called Turkish Cypriots have never forgotten what they are, that is Turks.

[supporttheunderdog]

the article by Alkan Chaglar is excellent

[GreekIslandGirl]

The issue of Greeks converting to Islam is exaggerated (historical revisionism) by the TCs in order to establish some continuity to the island and its native inhabitants of thousands of years. The reality is that even by the time the British took over the island (after a few centuries of harsh Turkish rule), the vast majority were, and still are, Greek Christians. The few Muslims, remaining on Cyprus at that "handover" time, were singled out as Turks by the British. So there was never any great sweep of conversion to Islam by the Greek natives as there would have been many more muslims identified by the British. There would also have been a huge reversal immediately following British rule but there is no evidence for such behaviour and it's something the British would have noticed and catalogued. Either way, if crypto-Christians converted back to Christianity upon British rule, they are part of the GC community now and not the TC "community". The TC "community" was, and still is, the hard core Ottoman non-integrating, war-mongering Muslim posse.

[GreekIslandGirl]

Without trivialising the significance of the settlement of Turkish Muslim settlers from Anatolia,

True, this "settlement" cannot be trivialised. This will become increasingly significant in the next few years. There is some very recent research on pockets of remaining Byzantine communities which support the history that the kin of these "Turkish" Muslim settlers" came from the east a few centuries ago, settled in Anatolia and - as Alkan says - then made these further settlements into Cyprus.

[bigOz]

Without trivialising the significance of the settlement of Turkish Muslim settlers from Anatolia,

True, this "settlement" cannot be trivialised. This will become increasingly significant in the next few years. There is some very recent research on pockets of remaining Byzantine communities which support the history that the kin of these "Turkish" Muslim settlers" came from the east a few centuries ago, settled in Anatolia and - as Alkan says - then made these further settlements into Cyprus.

The Greeks were never anything more than "settlers" themselve coming from a sea faring nation, were they? Cyprus always had many civilisations and races as "settlers" before and after the Greeks - the fact that the Greek language and even some culture was favored by some of the inhabitants (who were not Greeks themselves) does not make Cyprus any more Greek than any other civilisation whose members settled and stayed in Cyprus to mix up with the later settlers. By the same reasoning, one can also argue that the mainland Turkish settlers immediately after 1974 should not have residency rights denied from them anymore than the Greek mainland settlers (in their thousands) after the 1963 trubles had started. You want to do a good job? Identify and throw all of them out from both sides if you can!

[GreekIslandGirl]

If you want to call the ancient Greeks that colonised Cyprus, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy up to France the term "settlers" - that's fine. The reality is they humanised mostly barren lands and set up civilisations for the first time. Bringing arts, culture, sciences, mathematics, engineering, democracy etc etc etc. More accurately they were very early, 'primitive' pioneers. As such, they "settled" the lands, making them more habitable, before anyone else. The Turks are trying to undo what the Greeks have done or take over ready-made civilisations, with nothing to offer. Can you not see the difference?

As for the present; Greeks have rights as EU citizens to come and go like any other EU citizens. However, the TCs have even less right to inhabit Cyprus than they ever did ...

[bigOz]

If you want to call the ancient Greeks that colonised Cyprus, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy up to France the term "settlers" - that's fine. The reality is they humanised mostly barren lands and set up civilisations for the first time. Bringing arts, culture, sciences, mathematics, engineering, democracy etc etc etc. More accurately they were very early, 'primitive' pioneers. As such, they "settled" the lands, making them more habitable, before anyone else. The Turks are trying to undo what the Greeks have done or take over ready-made civilisations, with nothing to offer. Can you not see the difference?

As for the present; Greeks have rights as EU citizens to come and go like any other EU citizens. However, the TCs have even less right to inhabit Cyprus than they ever did ...

It seems there is no limit to your ignorance and insanity! On many occasions you were given a chronology of CIVILISAIONS that occupied and "made habitable" Cyprus, long before the name "Greek" appeared on the map! What nonsense you are manufacturing woman?

Get off your fantasy horse and start living in the real world reh! Who gives a toss about what you think about the rights of TCs?
The reality is the TCs plus at least another 100,000 Turkish mainlanders (including ethnic Kurds and Arabs) who earned the right to be cirizens of TRNC are here and Do exist. You can scream and shout about it but they they have been here for almost 40 years, they ARE here and their offspring WILL also be here! The point is WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO OR CAN DO ABOUT IT? You want to go to war "Herr heroine?". Any time you feel ticklish down there just go ahead - we all know what happened last time you dared to unite the island with Greece! And that was when Turkey was at its lowest in terms of international politics, economy and with military strength depending on Nato. Now, their economy and military strength is the envy of Europe! Thank God your kind are only a small minority in South and those who think different are a lot more!

Now stop playing with fire and go do something useful like polishing your nails or something (or shoud I say claws?)

[Lordo]

she cant help it. have you seen their history books. long may they wollow in their ignorance.

[Pyrpolizer]

I am scratching and scratching my head to remember when was it that some people thought "there is nothing you can do about it"