Crowd Gathers in Nicosia to Protest Against Turkey's Attempt to Strengthen Political Islam
Turkish residents of Cyprus demonstrate against alleged incorporation of Islamic teachings into the educational system, as asserted by them, instigated by Turkey.
Over 18,000 Turkish Cypriots gathered in the northern half of Nicosia, the ethnically divided capital, to vehemently oppose what they see as Turkey's attempt to undermine their secular heritage and bolster political Islam's grip on their community.
The rallying crowd carried trade union banners and held signs reading "It Won't Pass" and "Cyprus Will Remain Secular" before attending a concert. The protest marks the latest installation in a series of demonstrations orchestrated by leftist unions to voice their disapproval of what they perceive as Turkey's slow takeover of the Turkish Cypriot society through the introduction of Islam into the education system.
These protests date back to last month, when the right-wing Turkish Cypriot authorities abolished a ban on wearing headscarves in high schools but not on symbols of other religions. Teachers' unions, political parties, and other leftist groups denounced this move as a threat to the strictly secular education system, portending the eventual "Islamization" of the Turkish Cypriot society.
Elma Eylem, the president of the Turkish Cypriot Secondary Education Teachers' Union (KTOEÖS) and one of the primary organizers of the protests, accused the Turkish government's ruling AKP party of striving to deepen political Islam's dominion over the Turkish Cypriot community through this change in the statute allowing the wearing of headscarves in schools.
This is not just about freedom or headscarves, she declared, insisting it's a part of Ankara's broader mission to control the Turkish Cypriot community according to the edicts of the AKP party. Eylem went on to announce that a legal challenge to the lifting of the headscarf ban has been initiated at the Turkish Cypriot Constitutional Court.
The protest coincides with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's impending visit to breakaway northern Cyprus, where he is due to inaugurate a complex of government buildings.
Revitalizing Stalled Peace Talks
Cyprus has been fractured since 1974, following Turkey's invasion prompted by a coup supported by the Greek junta aiming to unionize with Greece. The Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the island's northern third is recognized solely by Turkey. Turkey maintains around 35,000 troops there.
Cyprus integrated into the European Union in 2004, but only the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south benefits from full EU membership.
Last Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed María Angela Holgiún Cuellar as his personal envoy on Cyprus. Her mission is to discover possibilities for reinitiating peace talks halted since 2017. Minor progress was made between the leaders of the two communities in early April, as they agreed on a series of confidence-building measures, such as restoring neglected cemeteries and establishing a joint group of young individuals from both sides to discuss matters of mutual interest.
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- Recep Tayyip Erdogan
- Cyprus
- Cyprus Issue
Background Insights
In early 2025, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) amended its Secondary Education Regulation to allow hijabs in high schools. This change came after an incident in which an eighth-grade student was initially prohibited from school for wearing a hijab, sparking widespread controversy on social media.
Triggered by this regulation, over 18,000 people joined protests in April 2025 under the slogan "We Are Secular and Secular We Will Stay – Ankara, Take Your Hand Off Our Collar," rejecting perceived Turkish interference and religious infiltration in education.
In May 2025, thousands marched again, led by teachers' unions, opposition parties, and secular activists, expressing their dismay over the hijab rule, deeming it a step toward political Islam's imposition by Turkey's AKP government.
Secular factions have accused Ankara of leveraging political influence to disseminate conservative social policies and erode the secular identity of the Turkish Cypriot society. The dispute illustrates tensions between local autonomy and Ankara's ideological aspirations in northern Cyprus.
Led by Elma Eylem, the Turkish Cypriot Secondary Education Teachers' Union (KTOEÖS) contends that the hijab rule constitutes an assault on secular principles and initiated strikes and a constitutional court challenge in opposition to it. The controversy surrounding the regulation has sparked a contentious debate in the community.
- The demonstrations in Nicosia, led by over 18,000 Turkish Cypriots, are linked to the revised Secondary Education Regulation, which permits hijabs in high schools.
- Elma Eylem, president of the Turkish Cypriot Secondary Education Teachers' Union, has accused Ankara's AKP party of aiming to further political Islam's influence through this change, challenging the secular education system in Cyprus.
- Eylem and other secular factions claim that Turkey is using political influence to promote conservative social policies, potentially eroding the secular identity of the Turkish Cypriot community.
- The Cyprus Issue, with its ongoing tensions between local autonomy and Ankara's ideological aspirations in northern Cyprus, is once again a topic of debate, as revision of education policies stirs controversy among Turkish Cypriots.
