11th Special Pilgrimage to Hala Sultan Tekke

On the occasion of the Mawlid-al Nabi - a special pilgrimage to Hala Sultan Tekke took place today, on the 29th of November. Mufti of Cyprus, H.E Dr Talip Atalay led prayers at noon for 950 faithful of Turkish origin that cannot otherwise cross the buffer zone in the divided island of Cyprus.

Mawlid al-Nabi, or Mevlid Kandili in Turkish, is the observance and celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad. Mawlid is celebrated on the 12th day of the third month of the Islamic calendar, called Rabi’al-Awwal. Mawlid begins in the evening of 29 November and ends in the evening of 30 November 2017.

The special pilgrimage was organised and led by the Mufti of Cyprus, coordinated by the Office of the Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process (RTCYPP) and facilitated by UNFICYP and UN Police. This was the 11th pilgrimage since 2014, and the third in 2017 arranged within the framework agreement of the RTCYPP. To this date 9500 pilgrims have been able to cross and pray at Hala Sultan Tekke through this special arrangement.

“We are thankful that through our joint efforts as religious leaders of Cyprus, with the support of the Office of RTCYPP under the Auspices of the Embassy of Sweden, we were able to have this special pilgrimage to Hala Sultan Tekke. Once again our hearts are filled with hope. Today’s pilgrimage is a testament to the commitment of the religious leaders of Cyprus to continue working together for religious freedom, human rights and reconciliation. We are grateful to all those who support our efforts.” said Mufti Talip Atalay.

H.E. Ambassador of Sweden, Anna Olsson Vrang and Rev. Father Mashdotz Ashkarian, representing Archbishop Khoren of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Cyprus, were on site at Hala Sultan Tekke and extended their best wishes for Mawlid-al Nabi to Mufti Talip Atalay and to all Muslims living in Cyprus. “I’m grateful to the Cyprus religious leaders’, UNFICYP and UN Police for their efforts and cooperation to enable today’s special pilgrimage.” said Ambassador Olsson Vrang.

Religious Leaders of Cyprus meet on International Day of Tolerance

A High-Level meeting of the Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process (RTCYPP) took place on 16 November 2017, coinciding with the 22nd Anniversary of the International Day of Tolerance. The meeting was hosted by the Ambassador of Sweden to Cyprus, H.E Anna Olsson Vrang, at her residence in Nicosia.

Present at the meeting were H.B Archbishop Chrysostomos II of the Church of Cyprus, H.E Talip Atalay, Mufti of Cyprus, H.E Archbishop Khoren Doghramadjian of the Armenian Orthodox Church of Cyprus, Rev Jerzy Kraj, Latin Patriarchal Vicar and of the Apostolic Nunciature in Cyprus and Father Ibrahim Khita, representative of H.E Archbishop Soueif of the Maronite Church of Cyprus.

“Today’s meeting of religious leaders coincides with the International Day for Tolerance. The leaders’ commitment to work together for human rights, peace and reconciliation is nothing less than a testament to the spirit of this particular day, namely the universal values of mutual respect and tolerance. I am impressed by their courage and leadership in this regard and hope it can be an inspiration to others”, said Ambassador Olsson Vrang.

The religious leaders affirmed their commitment to dialogue and cooperation despite their differences, demonstrating that “the diversity of religions, languages, cultures and ethnicities in Cyprus will never be a pretext for conflict but a treasure that enriches them all.”

The religious leaders discussed recent developments related to the religious heritage of Cyprus and religious freedom in Cyprus, as well as their joint plans for the rest of the year. They reiterated their request for the political leadership to continue to intervene so that all places of worship and religious heritage in Cyprus are respected, permission is granted for their restoration and the right to worship is respected.

Prior to their meeting, the religious leaders jointly visited the Green Line together with UN SRSG Elizabeth Spehar, Head of UNFICYP and Ambassador Olsson Vrang. They welcomed the visit and reiterated their appreciation for the UN SRSG’s interest in and support for their joint peacebuilding efforts. The visit provided an opportunity for them to see the historic churches of St Jacob and St George, among others. The religious leaders expressed their dismay with the tragic state of the two churches and the lack of urgent action for their reinforcement despite their joint efforts under the auspices of the Embassy of Sweden.

Learning Each Others Language to Build Bridges of Cooperation and Coexistence

A new joint project of the religious leaders of Cyprus to provide an opportunity for members of the clerical order and laypersons to meet each other and learn Greek and Turkish for the very first time in Cyprus is being launched on 5 October 2017 by the Office of RTCYPP at the Home for Cooperation in the Buffer Zone in Nicosia.

The introductory language course will be offered for a total of 20 priests, imams, nuns and laypersons working for faith based institutions in Cyprus whose names were submitted by the respective religious leaders of Cyprus from the Greek Orthodox, Muslim, Armenian Orthodox, Maronite and Latin Catholic faith communities

The Greek and Turkish classes will take place simultaneously on a weekly basis followed by a joint time, hosted and facilitated by the Office of RTCYPP, where the participants will get the chance to know each other and practice what they learn.

“Learning and speaking the language of the other respective community is a concrete pre-requisite to bridge-building in a divided country.” said Ambassador Anna Olsson Vrang of Sweden. “We are pleased that with the help of our moral and financial support, the Office of RTCYPP under the Auspices of the Embassy of Sweden could take such an important concrete step despite the current state of affairs in the peace talks in Cyprus.”

“The religious leaders of Cyprus agree that learning to communicate in each others mother tongue is of utmost importance in the search for coexistence and peace in a decades long divided island and fully support this new exciting initiative of the RTCYPP“ said Salpy Eskidjian, Executive Coordinator of the RTCYPP. “We hope that with the blessings and consent of the religious leaders, the language course will also help broaden the circle and widen our efforts involving more priests, imams, nuns as well as lay women and men active in religious institutions or faith communities who believe in dialogue, cooperation and coexistence.”

The pilot project is initiated, organized and funded by the Office of RTCYPP following the full support and endorsement of the religious leaders of Cyprus. Ambassador Olsson Vrang will be opening the Language Course and welcome the participants. Office of RTCYPP initiates and supports joint initiatives such as this, aimed at encouraging the positive joint contributions of all the religious leaders of Cyprus to confidence and peace building.

Office of RTCYPP Convenes Third Round Table for Human Rights in Cyprus

The Office of RTCYPP will be convening its third Round Table for Human Rights with representatives of faith communities and partner civil society organisations on the 28 September 2017 at the Home for Cooperation. The main aim of the meeting will be to provide an opportunity for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to introduce its initiative “Faith for Rights” including the “Beirut Declaration” and its 18 Commitments as a follow up of the 2012 “Rabat Plan of Action” to the faith communities in Cyprus.
The initiative “Faith for Rights” was launched by the OHCHR in March 2017 with an expert workshop in Beirut and addresses stakeholders in the field of religion or belief. The initiative aims to provide space for a cross-disciplinary dialogue between religions and human rights, articulating that individual and communal expression of religions or beliefs thrive and flourish in environments where human rights are protected. The 18 Commitments included in the “Beirut Declaration” are formulated to take concrete action regarding the three core responsibilities of religious leaders articulated in the 2012 “Rabat Plan of Action” regarding racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence. The three core responsibilities are:
• Refraining from using messages of intolerance that may incite violence, hostility or discrimination;
• Speaking out firmly and promptly against in tolerance, discriminatory stereotyping and instances of hate speech;
• Being clear that violence can never be tolerated as a response to incitement to hatred

Some of the issues in the 18 Commitments are as follows:
• Stand up for the rights of all persons belonging to minorities;
• Publicly denounce all instances of advocacy of hatred that incites to violence, discrimination or hostility;
• Monitor interpretations, determinations or other religious views that manifestly conflict with universal human rights norms and standard to refine the curriculums, teaching materials and textbooks;
• Revisit religious interpretations that appear to perpetuate gender inequality and harmful stereotypes or even condone gender-based violence

The Office of RTCYPP convened the first Round Table for Human Rights in 2013, in cooperation with the OHCHR and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief (FORB). For the first time faith communities in Cyprus came together with civil society partners from both sides of the divided island to address and discuss together issues related to freedom of religion or belief. The second Round Table for Human Rights took place in October 2015 once again in cooperation with the Office of OHCHR and the Special Rapporteur on FORB focussing on the right to access and restore sacred places and education as a tool to promote freedom of religion. The 2017 RTCYPP Round Table for Human Rights will discuss concrete ways to engage with “Faith for Rights" to be implemented for and with women, men and children on the whole island.

The Right to Worship in Cyprus should not be a Victim of its Division

On the occasion of the Eid al-Adha - Kurban Bayram - a special pilgrimage to Hala Sultan Tekke is taking place today, on the 5th of September, for 600 faithful of Turkish origin that cannot otherwise cross the buffer zone in the divided island of Cyprus.

“These special pilgrimages are the fruits of the religious leaders’ dialogue and cooperation for which we are both committed to and most grateful for. No matter what, as religious leaders of Cyprus we all agree and advocate for religious freedom and these pilgrimages are one concrete such example.“ said Mufti Talip Atalay. “The right to worship and freedom to access places of worship all over the island for everyone living in Cyprus should not be a victim of it’s division nor be dependant on politics. No matter what anyone says this is what I have promoted and advocated for since I took office and will never give up on this principle”

H.E. Ambassador of Sweden, Anna Olsson Vrang, was on site at Hala Sultan Tekke for the first time at a special pilgrimage and extended her best wishes for the Eid to Mufti Talip Atalay and to all Muslims living in Cyprus. “I’m happy that Sweden through the initiative of the Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process can contribute to the promotion of freedom of religion and the respect of basic human rights principles on this beautiful island”.

“Through our work over the years we have witnessed the concrete consequences when the right to worship, on both sides of the divide, is either violated or respected. We regret that religious freedom is still not fully understood by politicians or civil servants.” Said the Executive Coordinator of the Office of RTCYPP, Salpy Eskidjian. “Today we witness a small sign of hope and bridge-building at a time when trust among Cypriots has been broken again.”

The special pilgrimage to Hala Sultan Tekke is the result of an unprecedented agreement between the religious leaders of Cyprus, namely H.B. Archbishop Chrysostomos II of the Church of Cyprus and the Mufti of Cyprus H.E. Dr Talip Atalay. The agreement was reached in 2014 within the framework of the Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process under the Auspices of the Embassy of Sweden (RTCYPP) and has had the full support of the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus, H.E. Mr Kasoulides. The special pilgrimages are organised and led by the Mufti of Cyprus, coordinated by the Office of RTCYPP and the facilitated by UNFICYP and UN Police. Special pilgrimages to Hala Sultan Tekke have been taking place three times annually as per the request of the Mufti of Cyprus on the occasions of Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Mawlid-al Nabi. This was the 10th pilgrimage within this framework agreement since 2014.

Kurban Bayram or Eid al-Adha, is one of Islam's holiest festival celebrated annually around the world and an official holiday in Muslim-majority countries. It marks the end of the Hajj to Mecca. In Cyprus it is known as Kurban Bayram. For Muslims, Eid al-Adha commemorates the day when prophet Abraham or Ibrahim was going to sacrifice his son but was instructed by God to offer an animal instead. Eid al-Adha in Arabic literally means "festival of the sacrifice". One essential part of this holiday is to distribute meat amongst the needy. Families who can't provide meat may choose to make contributions to charities that will provide meat to those who are in need. The feast is welcomed with the greetings “Kurban Bayramınız Kutlu Olsun” or “Eid Mubarak”. In 2017, Eid al-Adha begins in the evening of August 31 and ends in the evening of September 4.

The Mosque of Umm Haram at Hala Sultan Tekke is considered the most significant Muslim place of worship in Cyprus. The Tekke is open daily at set hours by the Antiquities Department and used by Turkish Cypriot and other Muslim faithful freely. The Imam of Hala Sultan leads prayers every Friday. As a result of the religious leaders’ dialogue known as RTCYPP, the Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus and former Ministers of Interior of the Republic of Cyprus supported the Mufti’s request to set up an office for the Imam. Recently cooking and guest facilities have also been added to serve pilgrims on Fridays and feast days. During Ramadan and other special feasts special arrangements are made for Hala Sultan Tekke to be open longer hours day and night to accommodate the worshipping needs of the faithful.

Delegation from Cyprus meets with State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Sweden in Almedalen

Representatives of the religious leaders of Cyprus met with the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Annika Söder, during the annual political week of Sweden, known as, Almedalen, in Visby. The State Secretary thanked the religious leaders of Cyprus for their continued dialogue to restore trust, contribute to the peace process and the ongoing efforts to reunify the country.

“It is rewarding to present the work we are doing with the religious track (RTCYPP) which is there to create the long-term foundations for peacebuilding”, said the State Secretary. “Peace and reconciliation will come from the grassroots level and we hope you will continue to play a key positive role in this regard.”

The Archbishopric of the Church of Cyprus, was represented by Bishop Porfyrios of Neapolis, the head of the Church’s representation to the European Institutions, and the Muftiate of Cyprus by Imam Shakir Alemdar of Hala Sultan Tekke.
In thanking the State Secretary, Bishop Porfyrios assured her that “the religious leaders of Cyprus will continue to work fervently to support reunification, restore religious freedom and the soul of the people. “

“No matter what, we are not tired, nor scared or in despair, we are patient and confident to walk the straight path we are obliged to do. We will continue to do what is right”, said Imam Shakir Alemdar. “We are grateful to the Government and Church of Sweden for accompanying us.”

At the invitation of the Bishop of Visby, Sven Bernard Fast and the Director of the Swedish Institute in Alexandria, Peter Weiderud, the representatives of the religious leaders together with the Executive Coordinator of the Office of RTCYPP, contributed to a seminar on the role of religion in conflict and peacebuilding highlighting the case of Cyprus. The well-attended seminar also involved representatives from other conflict countries in the MENA Region. “The work of the religious leaders in Cyprus offers us a sign of hope”, said Bishop Fast. “While the Conference on Cyprus is underway in Crans Montana, we are happy to give space to a united voice from Cyprus reiterating their support to dialogue, cooperation and coexistence”, said Peter Weiderud, one of the architects of the RTCYPP.

“A positive sustainable peace process has to be inclusive in every sense of the word. As such it has to acknowledge the importance of human rights, including religious freedom and the need to build solid structures of trust to pave the way for real reconciliation”, said Salpy Eskidjian, head of the Office of RTCYPP. “We are doing our best to contribute in this regard.”

The delegation from Cyprus were invited to attend the formal reception of the Archbishop of the Church of Sweden, Antje Jackelén and Bishop Fast where they publicly thanked them and the Government of Sweden for standing up for human rights, international law and their contribution to peace and reconciliation in Cyprus.

Cyprus and the role of religion in conflict and peacebuilding to be discussed at Almedalen Week in Sweden

Representatives from the Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process (RTCYPP) are currently in Gotland, Sweden to be part of a seminar on 4th of July on the role of religion in conflict and peacebuilding at “Almedalen Week 2017”.
Bishop Porfyrios of Neapolis, head of the Representation of the Church of Cyprus to the European Union, Imam Shakir Alemdar of Hala Sultan Tekke, representative of the Mufti of Cyprus and Salpy Eskidjian one of the architects of the RTCYPP will elaborate on the joint efforts of the Christian and Muslim religious leaders of Cyprus for human rights, peace and reconciliation.
They will be joined by Dr Zahra Langhi, co-founder of the Libyan Women’s Platform for Peace (LWPP) and Judge Mohammad Abou Zaid, President of Saida Islamic Sunni Court of the Lebanese Republic to explore how religious leaders from different faith backgrounds working together can prevent or resolve violent conflicts, promote the respect of human rights and contribute to peace building.

Professor of peace and conflict studies Dr Isak Svensson from Uppsala University will be moderating the debate that will take place at the Bishop’s official residence in Visby from 10:00 – 11:30.
The seminar is co-hosted by the Bishop of Visby Sven Bernard Fast and Mr Peter Weiderud, director of the Swedish Institute Alexandria.

Further information and photos can be found on Office of RTCYPP’s Facebook and by following #CyprusinAlmedalen #rtcypp.

Almedalen Week is Sweden’s largest and most significant political meeting space in Sweden, taking place annually in Visby on the island Gotland for almost fifty years. It all began in 1968 when former education minister Olof Palme spoke from the back of a lorry at Kruttornet by Almedalen in Visby. Through democracy and openness, the week gives everyone who wants to debate social and political issues the opportunity to participate. The transparency and accessibility of Almedalen Week are unique for Sweden and the rest of the world. All events during the week are free and open to the public. The government of Sweden, all political parties, civil society organisations, the media, international partner organisations participate. The parliamentary parties, via their local representatives in Gotland, are the main organisers of Almedalen. The Municipality of Gotland is the host.

The events during Almedalen Week are conducted in Visby city centre. Organisers rent venues all around the centre and invite participants to attend. For approval, the events are required to meet certain criteria such as raising a current social or political issue and offering the opportunity for dialogue.

In 2016, 1756 different organisations held 3796 events around current social issues in one week. The number of contributors was 7540 people, 48 per cent of these were women.

9th Special Pilgrimage to Hala Sultan Tekke on the Occasion of Eid al-Fitr - Ramazan Bayram

On the occasion of the Eid al-Fitr, a special pilgrimage to Hala Sultan Tekke, organised and led by the Mufti of Cyprus took place on 27 June 2017, for 900 faithful of Turkish origin that cannot otherwise cross the buffer zone in the divided island of Cyprus.

The head of the Church of Cyprus H.B. Archbishop Chrysostomos II through his representative, Archimandrite Rev. Ioannis Ioannou of Apostolos Barnabas Monastery sent greetings of peace and love to the Mufti of Cyprus. Father Ioannis was joined by Father Jerzy Kraj, Latin Patriarchal Vicar and Representative of the Apostolic Nunciature in Cyprus. Both clerics extended their best wishes to all Muslims living in Cyprus on the occasion of the feast of Ramazan Bayram. “We pray for a Cyprus where Christians and Muslims can once again know each others traditions and feasts and celebrate them together like they used to” said Father Ioannis Ioannou at the end of the prayer service.

The Mufti and the pilgrims present warmly received the Christian religious leaders and the Office of RTCYPP who came to express their best wishes.
“Today is one of the fruits of the religious leaders dialogue and cooperation for which we are both committed to and most grateful for.” said Mufti Talip Atalay. “Before we initiated the RTCYPP the religious leaders of Cyprus had not met for decades, nor did they know each other, now they tell each other that they are brothers and stand up for each other.” said Salpy Eskidjian, Executive Coordinator of the Office of RTCYPP who serves as the main facilitator of the religious leaders dialogue in Cyprus. “With their united presence here today, the religious leaders of Cyprus as well as the pilgrims send another positive message that Christians and Muslims of Cyprus respect religious freedom and each other and if given the chance they can live together again.” Archbishops of the Armenian and Maronite Churches of Cyprus sent their messages of support and best wishes for the Bayram via the Office of RTCYPP.

The special pilgrimage to Hala Sultan Tekke is the result of an unprecedented agreement between the religious leaders of Cyprus, namely H.B. Archbishop Chrysostomos II of the Church of Cyprus and the Mufti of Cyprus H.E. Dr Talip Atalay. The agreement was reached in 2014 within the framework of the Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process under the Auspices of the Embassy of Sweden (RTCYPP) and has had the full support of the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus, H.E. Mr Kasoulides.

The special pilgrimages organised by the Mufti of Cyprus are coordinated by the Office of RTCYPP and facilitated by UNFICYP. This was the 9th pilgrimage within this framework agreement since 2014.

Ramazan Bayram or Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that takes place annually. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, to Prophet Muhammad according to Islamic belief. For 30 days, followers of Islam pray and refrain from bad behavior — including cursing, gossiping or fighting — and impure thoughts. Fasting and focusing on prayer and charity during Ramadan is meant to purify the body and spirit and bring the faithful closer to God; fasting during the month is also one of the five pillars of Islam.

The special pilgrimage is a joint initiative, between H.B. Archbishop Chrysostomos II and H.E. Mufti Dr Talip Atalay, for up to 1000 pilgrims of Turkish origin, who reside in the northern part of Cyprus and cannot, otherwise visit and pray at Hala Sultan Tekke in Larnaca.

The agreement for the special pilgrimages to Hala Sultan Tekke annually (Eid al-Fitr -Ramazan Bayram, Eid al-Adha -Qurban Bayram and Mawlid-al Nabi -Mevlid) was reached in 2014 within the framework of the Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process under the Auspices of the Embassy of Sweden (RTCYPP), supported by the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus, H.E Mr Kasoulides as well as the political leaders of Cyprus.

The special pilgrimages are organized by the Muftiate of Cyprus and coordinated by the Office of RTCYPP, facilitated by UNFICYP. Since 2014, eight special pilgrimages have taken place, providing up to 8000 pilgrims the opportunity to visit and pray at Hala Sultan Tekke.

In 2015 the Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus sent greetings of peace and best wishes to the Mufti and faithful at Hala Sultan on the occasion of the feast of Eid al-Adha through his representative who joined the special pilgrimage for the first time ever and was warmly welcomed. In 2016 the Chancellor of the Archbishopric and the Abbot of Apostolos Barnabas Monastery, representing H.B Archbishop Chrysostomos II together with representatives of Archbishop Soueif of the Maronite Church of Cyprus, Archbishop Nareg of the Armenian Church of Cyprus and Father Jerzy Kraj, head of the Latin Church and the Apostolic Delegation in Cyprus were present at Hala Sultan Tekke to bring greetings of peace and love from the Christian religious leaders of Cyprus to the Mufti on the occasion of the special Muslim feasts and express their respects. These encounters and meetings of cooperation and confidence building were facilitated and coordinated by the Office of RTCYPP under the Auspices of the Embassy of Sweden.

The Mosque of Umm Haram at Hala Sultan Tekke is considered the most significant Muslim place of worship in Cyprus. The Tekke is open daily at set hours and used by Turkish Cypriot and other Muslim faithful freely. With the support of the Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus, former Ministers of Interior of the RoC and the Office of RTCYPP, the Mufti’s representative has been able to set up an office at Hala Sultan Tekke including cooking and guest facilities to serve pilgrims and has access to use the living quarters and other rooms there. During Ramadan and other special feasts, the Antiquities Department of the Republic of Cyprus makes special arrangements for Hala Sultan Tekke to be open longer hours day and night to accommodate the worshipping needs of the faithful.