Ankara slams arson attack on mosque in Greek Cyprus

ANKARA

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the arson attack on a mosque in Limassol in Greek Cyprus, citing the incident as another example of the growing Islamophobia across Europe.

“We strongly condemn the arson attack in the early hours of the morning on the Köprülü Hacı İbrahim Ağa Mosque in the Greek Cypriot administration’s city of Limassol,” read the statement issued by the ministry over the weekend. The ministry also said it supports the statement issued by the Turkish Cypriot Foreign Ministry on this issue.

Arsonists targeted the mosque in the early hours of Aug. 26 by throwing Molotov cocktails. Nobody was injured, but the entrance and walls of the mosque were damaged. According to the local media, the Greek Cypriot administration launched a probe into the incident.

“This heinous attack is yet another addition to the past acts against different mosques in the Greek Cypriot administration,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said, stressing this incident displays yet another example of growing Islamophobia in Europe.

“On the other hand, the hatred and intolerance revealed by the said attack indicate how far removed some segments of the Greek Cypriot community are from an understanding of living together in peace, tranquility and tolerance with the Muslim Turkish Cypriots, providing additional proof that the two-state vision of the Turkish Cypriot side constitutes the only realistic model for the settlement of the Cyprus issue,” the ministry recalled.

Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar has also issued a written statement condemning the arson attack. “I condemn in the strongest possible way the heinous attack this morning on a mosque located in the Greek Cypriot administration,” he said. “The arson attack against the Köprülü Hacı İbrahim Ağa Mosque in Limassol is a manifestation of hostility and animosity against us, our religion of Islam and the sacred values of more than 2 billion people around the world, which cannot be justified by democracy and freedom of thought.”

Tatar called on the Greek Cypriot administration “to catch the perpetrators and prosecute them as they should face justice for this serious crime.”