CALLING ALL CHRISTIANS? what did turkey do to cyprus's churches in 1974? does anyone care?

Question

list of churches destroyed...
-apostle luke:burned down, plundered; icons stolen
-saint george: burnt down and plundered
-saint charalambus(harry):plundered, littered looted cemetery destroyed and crosses broken
-monastery of the holy cross: converted into mosque
-saint evlalius:converted into an arms warehouse
-monastery of the Virgin Mary: stripped of ancient icons eyes of murals poked and and icon dating back to the 14th centuart found in possesion of a Turkish illicit dealer in antiquities
-church of Holy Trinity: plundered, brutally destroyed, looted and converted into a mosque.
-armenian church of St. Makarius: plundere, looted and stripped of all its holy objects. half burnt along with the other buildings around it.
-church of st. spyridonas: all icons kept for puposes of preservation were stolen.

i am 13 and an old mosque that is not in the occupied part of cyprus is being fixed up again...what are the Turks doing with our churches??? why did they do this?

sorry i forgot to put my sources:
-a few of my Turkish friends who are not proud of their history
-my grandmother who is Pontic Greek shouting in her sleep and moved to Cyprus
-Churches of Northern Cyprus(English Version)
-my eyes

*guys, please dont write your answer from looking it up on the internet, only internet, everything else: dig in

Answer 1

Even art and religion have become part of the conflict.

In the 1974 chaos, up to 200,000 Greek Cypriots fled from their homes in the north.
Since then, more than 500 churches have been under Turkish control.
Some have been destroyed, many ransacked - icons and frescoes have disappeared.
It is one of the most systematic examples of the looting of art since World War II.
The Orthodox Church is central to Greek Cypriot identity, and religious art is central to the faith.
Over the last 33 years, the heritage of the church in northern Cyprus has fallen into the hands of smugglers and vandals.
In the north, the Turkish authorities have realised belatedly how bad it makes them look.
They have set up an icon museum in a monastery which was abandoned a few years ago, but they admit that the art on display in the chapel is not of great age or value. The smugglers have seen to that.

While Turkish Cypriots complain that Islamic sites on the island have also been desecrated, the scale of the destruction is not really comparable.

It is the whole [Turkish] regime, and the effort they have made to eliminate the presence of the Greeks in the occupied area of Cyprus.

http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/congress/1881/churches.htm
Please do not say that Cypriot newspapers are writing about this church or that it is propaganda, here are Turkish Cypriot newspapewrs:
According to an article in the T/C newspaper Milliyet (29/7/1993), the church of Agia Anastasia’s monastery in Lapithos village was converted into a bar.

In January 1997 a first page article of the T/C newspaper Kibris (29/1/1997) reported that the Evkaf Administration planed to offer the area, which includes the church Agia Anastasia, for leasehold covering a period of 30 years in order to proceed with the erection of a hotel.

According to an article in the T/C newspaper Avrupa, (25/04/1998), the church of Agia Anastasia was to be turned into a casino. This is the third time that the so-called Department of Antiquities has rented this church out. The tenant is a company called SAMPA LTD which has already began constructing buildings in the monastery area.

This Christian monument was built at the end of the 19th century and is situated on the top of a hill. The church, along with its auxiliary buildings, became part of a tourist resort, named Anastasia Resort Hotel. In its advertisement the “hotel” mentions the church’s historical background and is therefore commercially exploiting this religious building. Such unacceptable actions constitute yet another example of the occupation authorities’ ongoing policy of pillage, destruction and disrespect towards the religious and cultural heritage of Cyprus.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dora1986/1220895177/
http://www.archaeology.org/9807/etc/special.html

Trying hard to ignore our past coexistence, those who seek the recognition of a state built on a graveyard of looted churches should realise that such acts cannot be simply brushed under our carpets. If we are to seek a long lasting peace as our leadership emphasizes to all, then we need to demonstrate tolerance to other faiths including their property before a solution is reached – a change in our attitudes and actions may still save our churches and monasteries. After all respect for diversity of culture and religion or belief is essential to laying the foundations of peace for a new Cyprus.

Answer 2

The legal issue is totally the other way around. Cyprus, if still is what it claims to be, that is Republic of Cyprus created by the treaties of 1959 and 1960, cannot join any organization that Greece and Turkey are not both members at the same time. Other legality is that Turkey, with the same arrangements, has the right to protect Turks in the island. If Greeks had not mass murdered Turks in the island, Turkish Army woudn't have bothered with the trip. Just another legality, is that countries with border problems could not enter the EU. Do you have a better candidate than the administration that is labeled as Cyprus, that still considers areas out of its borders at its own, as a coutry with border problems? EU has to first kick Cyprus out, before anybody could even considers questioning the Turkish situation. And that is why the EU leaders, still do deal with Turkey. Because they know that poking too much on this issue is a legal boomerang.

Answer 3

Yes, we care. I'd care even if I weren't Christian.
I'd care because the church is the house of God, and a lot of the religious identification of believers is in the Christian symbols that we use. It's plain minimizing when people call it 'just buildings'. Ask Christians what they think about it in places like Cyprus, Kosovo (for which there's a similar, only longer list of destroyed churches and desecrated holy Christian places&graves by the Albanian Muslims) or Jerusalem. Ask them and you'll see it's much more than 'just a building'. A symbol of faith is faith in a capsule, concentrated a million times. When you occupy someone's country, you'll find the people instinctively flee to the refuge of their church, it becomes their safe haven.
And please don't trust people here who try to sweet-talk you into the "war is an awful business, crime happens" thing, cause it's just not true. But also try freeing your heart from hatred; it won't do you any good. It's enough that you're aware of this, it will help you to join a movement when you're older, within which you'll have instruments to change something and to fight this injustice.
Oh, and listen to your teachers, just beware of people who advise you not to.

Answer 4

I am Armenian and you know how old our country is and how our country was the first christian nation in the world, I care very much and I know all about it my dear.
The only one who does not care is the Turkish government and this is not something new, you Greeks have to make sure the whole world knows about it and take actions.
Now take a look at Armenian churches in-prisoned in Turkey, and how do they take care of them.

http://www.teachgenocide.com/background/hist_sites.htm

Answer 5

America had some of that happening a couple years back.

Its hatred no way around that. Wicked people don't care about anything but themselves they take pleasure in destroying things that are not of value to them. Its just fun to them. Like most people have joy in giving -the wicked have joy in taking and destroying anything in thier path.

Answer 6

As Jesus tells us, the buildings aren't important. What IS important is the forgiveness of those who committed these acts. Jesus said to love your enemies, to pray for those who persecute you.

Bringing up misdeeds from 3 decades ago only serves to fuel the fires of hatred and resentment. Jesus restored the ear of a Roman soldier who came to arrest him in Gasemthamine. Should we do any less that try to 'restore' those who would do us harm?

Christianity isn't for the weak at heart. Hating is easy, Love takes courage.

Answer 7

Turkish troops invaded Cyprus in 1974.

Up to 200,000 Greek Cypriots fled from their homes in the north.

Since then, more than 500 churches have been under Turkish control.

Some have been destroyed, many ransacked - icons and frescoes have disappeared.

It is one of the most systematic examples of the looting of art since World War II.

In 1976 and again in 1983, the European Commission of Human Rights found Turkey guilty of repeated violations of the European Convention of Human Rights.

Turkey has been condemned for preventing the return of Greek Cypriot refugees to their properties.

edit; WOW Turks even deny this, outstanding, the guy at the bottom states that turks had a right to protect themselves, but the invasion was the internationally unrecognized Turkish Cypriot ethnic cleansing of over 160,000 Greek Cypriots who made up the overwhelming majority of the population of these areas. Turkish military controlled areas placed Turkish Cypriots in the homes and properties left behind by the Greek Cypriots. Don't let anybody tell you different /Turkey's actions against your country were considered criminal!.

Answer 8

Muslims are extremely non tolerant towards Christianity...Especially Orthodox Christianity...No one knows it better than us Serbs...Greetings to our Orthodox Greek allies from Serbia!

Answer 9

I am not going to pretend I am a authority on the Cyprus invasion, but its clear Andrew, leonadra, lady, and realist know some history about this subject. All I know is that Turkey needs to get the hell out of there, and give back the Greeks their property, land and freedom.

EDIT:If you think I care about your bad ratings on my answers your sadly mistaken.

Mr. Tanju, what message are you referring???? I am not interested in you at all, bring me a Turk that has some intelligence then you will get my interest. That is it...over and out!

Answer 10

i understand your confusion and anger to what happened to the churches ,,and holy places ,,,it is outrageous ,,becoz these buildings should be preserved and left alone and who inside them be safe ,,,becoz they reflect peace and never fighted against invasions,,,its a shame to see holy churches ,,synagogoues mosques destroyed by war ,,but believe me its acts of vandalism and provockation,,,men with honor would never harm a holy place ,,a child ,a woman ,,an old person,,,they have principles ,,