In Nicosia, Cyprus’s northern region, a significant number of Turkish Cypriots gathered on Friday to protest against what they perceive as efforts by Turkey to undermine their secular traditions and instill political Islam into their society. Despite rainy weather, the skies cleared just in time for demonstrators to parade down a major street, bearing banners from trade unions and placards with slogans like “It won’t pass” and “Cyprus will stay secular.” The event concluded with a concert.
This protest is one among several organized by leftist trade unions, opposing Ankara’s perceived intentions to transform the secular Turkish Cypriots into a more compliant community by integrating Islam into the education system. The event took place on the eve of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the northern part of Cyprus, where he was scheduled to inaugurate new government buildings. Erdogan was expected to publicly address the dissent during his visit.
Last month, sentiments intensified when right-wing Turkish Cypriot officials lifted a ban on wearing headscarves in high schools. This decision was met with harsh criticism from teachers’ unions, political factions, and other left-leaning groups who viewed it as an intrusion into the staunchly secular educational framework, potentially leading to the “Islamization” of Turkish Cypriot society. Cyprus has been divided since a 1974 conflict triggered by a Greek-backed coup and subsequent Turkish invasion, with the northern third, only recognized by Turkey, militarized by more than 35,000 Turkish troops.
Accession to the European Union in 2004 saw only the Greek Cypriot southern part benefit fully, as it hosts the island’s internationally recognized government. Meanwhile, efforts to restart peace negotiations, dormant since 2017, received a tentative boost as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres announced María Angela Holguín Cuéllar’s appointment to oversee discussions.
Elma Eylem, head of the Turkish Cypriot Secondary Education Teachers’ Union KTOEÖS and a leading figure in the protests, argued that allowing headscarves is a deliberate move to reshape society per the desires of Turkey’s ruling party. She stated that these changes in the education system are a form of “social engineering,” insinuating that Turkey’s influence is reducing Turkish Cypriots to a minority and stripping away their autonomy.
A particular incident saw teachers at a high school refusing entry to a girl after she appeared in a headscarf post-ban lift. Eylem justified this by stressing that teachers would resist “political Islam being imposed on our girls through their bodies,” framing the headscarf issue as less about freedom and more about resisting the AKP’s attempts to consolidate political Islamic influence over the community.
Counterprotests, supporting the headscarf allowance, were dismissed by Eylem as unreflective of the Turkish Cypriot community’s genuine will, citing that they were orchestrated by Turkish interests in northern Cyprus. Legal proceedings challenging the headscarf ban alteration are in the early stages at the Turkish Cypriot Constitutional Court, with Eylem reaffirming the resolve to engage in a “long-term struggle” for their principles.