US gives positive report on religious freedoms
By Jean Christou

State doubles 2007 budget on holy sites

THE STATE spent €348,000 on conserving 17 mosques in the government-controlled areas in 2007 and set aside almost double that in the 2008 budget, according to the US State Department’s la-*test*-('") report on religious freedom.

The report said that since crossings opened in 2003, Turkish Cypriots enjoyed “relatively easy” access to their places of worship in the south of the island while Greek Cypriots reported “better access” to Orthodox sites in the north.

According to the report, 94.8 per cent of people living in the south are Greek Orthodox, while 1.5 per cent were Roman Catholic, 1.0 per cent Pro-*test*-('")ant, 0.6 per cent Muslim, 0.5 per cent Maronite Catholic, 0.3 per cent Armenian Orthodox, and 1.3 per cent atheist, ‘other,’ or ‘not stated’.

No serious complaints were recorded on religious discrimination during the year but some religious organisations said they had difficulties in registering as non-profit organisations. The report mentions anti-Jewish sentiment separately from other religious discrimination but said there were no recorded cases in Cyprus during the year.

“There were few reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice, and prominent societal leaders took positive steps to promote religious freedom,” said the report.

“Although Turkish Cypriots occasionally reported that unused mosques in the government-controlled area have been vandalised, the Government of Cyprus routinely maintains and repairs them,” it added.

It said Orthodox and Maronites were prohibited from visiting religious sites located in military zones in the north but that in 2007, the Turkish Cypriot side completed the restoration of five Orthodox churches. It did not say whether the buildings were restored as Orthodox churches or put to new use after renovation.

“Greek Cypriots continued to report that vandals damaged vacant Greek Orthodox churches and removed religious icons in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots; there were no reported law enforcement investigations of these incidents,” said the report.

“According to Turkish Cypriot leaders, in response to complaints of vandalism, some locations were fenced for their protection,” it says.

Referring to the general situation in the north as regards religious freedom, the report said religious discrimination was negligible.

Though largely secular, some 98 per cent of the population in the north listed themselves as being Sunni Muslim.

“Most non-Muslims residing in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots are foreigners from Western Europe who are generally members of the Roman Catholic or Anglican Churches,” said the report.

“A Turkish-speaking Pro-*test*-('")ant congregation continued to claim mistreatment at the hands of Turkish Cypriot authorities and some members of the public, allegedly over fears that members were proselytising, and they also complained they were unable to register as an ‘association’ and thus could not establish a trust fund, construct a place of worship, or establish a cemetery for congregants.”

Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2008

I didn't read the article and the posts in the topic, all I can say is fuck christianity, all greeks should join ISLAM

I'm guessing this will get you the ban you deserve.

Before you are banned though, you should know this: If you had something valuable to hold on to in your own life, you wouldn't be hanging on to "nationalism" & "Islamism" to find some purpose and meaning for your life, & you wouldn't find it necessary to curse at others' religions or values on internet forums. So, koçum, go ahead and do something useful for somebody, first of all for yourself.

Even if you want to remain a "nationalist", at least be a different one and serve your "nation" in some meaningful way. Getting a job and doing it as well as you can would be a good start, whatever it is that you do. Bunu yapmadıktan sonra gerisi laf ebeliği, anladın mi koçum? Anlamışsındır inşallah.

what a pathetic din dusmani, what do you know about me you punk, I cntribute more to Turkey then you do, while I live in Belgium, so please STFU

Ulan dangalak, Hristiyanliğa küfreden de sensin, onu bunu "din düşmanı" ilan eden yine sensin. Aklını başına al aslanım, bu kadar mı kafan çalışmıyo? Bu kadar mı salaksın?

To mods: If "fuck Christianity" doesn't get a ban, I don't know what does. Seriously, what the fuck?

Nationalistic_Islamist_TURK, should not be banned because banning Turks like him contributes to creating a false cute and cuddly image of Turkish public opinion that has no reflection in reality.

what da hell you think that we are??
You really think that we turks wanna suck ur blood and take ur country?

Did u ever go in Turkey?? so b4 talking shit about my country why dont u just visit it maybe you will understand how good we are, every turks aint fascit, the fact that we luv our country like every1 make us barbarian turks right?? ..... if yes, fuck that philosophy

And a true muslim (or other religion that he is) don't even dare to fuck the religions of others

As the leftist ringleader says above, he wants to ignore extremists and focus on "those looking to build friendship". But that is not the way to get an "understanding" of Turkey. Everyday in Turkey minorities and non-muslims get no respect and it is not from powerless "extremist fanatics"(that you can just ignore) it is the power centers in Turkey who have no respect. To ignore this shows why the European left can never understand a muslim country.

If I visit Turkey I would be a tourist with protection from the American embassy in addition to the fact that:

From an old thread:

So how would I really gauge how fanatic Turks really are from visiting as a tourist? (Unlike the "lets be reasonable Greeks" I would visit Turkey to visit the dwindingly Greek community, if I would visit at all.)

If Turkey is really charging Turks who get in disputes with tourists in state security courts it show a good probability that the Turkish state is scared that tourists may be treated by some Turks like a hapless internal Turkish minority.

It's funny how the fanatics on both sides love each other to death.

You too should get a condo somewhere in the Caribbean & raise a family together, far away from Greek and Turkish leftists. You are made for each other. I'm totally serious.

& ... Jesus man, if you quote that post by Spartan King one more time I'll ... I don't know what I'll do, but you've quoted that about a billion times already, so... enough trolling with it.

It doesn't get more entertaining or more revealing every time you do that. Not to mention you are reading into it from your completely lunatic point of view, which isn't helping you.

Katastrof is continuing his "Turkey promotion machine" activities as usual. He tries to make people judge Turkey according to Western standards when it really is a country of Islamic(and Kemalist standards). If you know only Western civilization and its concepts; Turkey cannot be understood and it is easy to be tricked/manipulated by trying to judge a muslim society with Western concepts and standards.

If I have such a "machine" one day I'll name it Nikophoro.

niko of nazli
?

Who is Niko of Nazli? Is this from the Turkish TV series?