Ankara aims to create a fully Turkish “Islamic region” in the occupied territories, and in this context, the strengthening of the Turkish population, the settlers, is part of this plan, in combination with the Islamization of the occupied areas.
The plans, which have been promoted and implemented for decades, were particularly strengthened during the period when the AKP, Erdogan’s party, began to rule Turkey. It is a strategy that has population and religion as its pillars. Concerning the transfer of settlers, it is recalled that this began in 1975.
The implementation of the Islamisation plan is linked to other actions of the occupying power in Cyprus. The ongoing attempt to upgrade the pseudo-state with the ultimate strategic goal of recognition. However, because this path is difficult, the Turks are imposing a fait accompli in the occupied territories, with the Turkification and Islamization of the region. This is, after all, a parallel course, with the same outcome.
It is also noted that in some mosques there are three or four imams. The occupied press puts the number of mosques in the occupied territories at 213 and the total number of staff of the ‘Directorate of Religious Affairs‘ at 240, noting that 120 of them are imams (Press and Information Office note ‘Turkey’s attempts to Islamise the occupied territories’, 2013). It is known that more mosques are being built in the occupied territories than schools. The imams are – for the most part – from Turkey and there is a strong influence in schools and universities ( e.g. out-of-school Quran classes and camps in Turkey).
It is noted that there are two approaches to this effort.
- The first argues that Turkey aims to make the Turkish Cypriot community “Muslim.” An endeavor that may be gaining ground, but is not progressing as the planners seek because Turkish Cypriots do not accept such logic.
- The second approach argues that Islamic infiltration is mainly aimed at the settler population. Turkish expatriates are more religious. “This development is particularly worrying because Islamic influence is being exercised underground and without control, and its effects will slowly begin to become more apparent to the entire population living in the occupied territories” (PIO Note).
It is clear that the Turkish plan aims to change the character of the occupied territories and the emergence of religious power as well by building many mosques. All this is gradually increasing the pressure on the Turkish Cypriots.
The dependency of the occupied territories and the Turkification of the region are also done with projects and infrastructures, reinforcing the effort. The project to transport water from Turkey to the occupied territories by sea through pipelines, and the project to transfer electricity, show the intentions of the occupying power.
Furthermore, in one of the Turkish President’s meetings with representatives of the occupied territories, Erdogan insisted on the issue of increasing the population of the occupied areas, setting the goal that the Turkish presence should be a majority over the Greek Cypriots! He indicated that the only way is the mass transfer of settlers and their “naturalization” in the pseudo-state.
