15^th Special Pilgrimage to Hala Sultan Tekke
Eid al-Fitr / Ramazan Bayram 2019

On June 6, on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr – Ramazan Bayram, the Mufti of Cyprus led a special prayer service for 600 pilgrims of Turkish origin who cannot otherwise visit and pray Hala Sultan Tekke in Larnaca.

This pilgrimage is one the the three special pilgrimages to Hala Sultan Tekke taking place annually on the occasion of Ramazan Bayram, Qurban Bayram and Mevlid (Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Mawlid al-Nabi). This is a result of an unprecedented agreement from 2014 between the religious leaders of Cyprus, namely H.B. Archbishop Chrysostomos II of the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus and the Mufti of Cyprus H.E Dr Talip Atalay, reached within the framework of the Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process under the Auspices of the Embassy of Sweden(RTCYPP).

“Religious Leaders advocating together the right to worship and  free access to places of worship for everyone as a basic human right is a strong foundation for confidence building and reconciliation in Cyprus which my governemt is committed to support.”  said H.E the Ambassador of Sweden, Anna Olsson Vrang.

The joint message and heartfelt wishes of all the religious leaders of Cyprus for a joyous and peaceful Eid was shared publicly and warmly received.

“We are encouraged and very grateful for the support of H.B. Archbishop Chrysostomos II for the special pilgrimages. The joint efforts of all the religious leaders of Cyprus for religious freedom is a clear sign of hope which should be nurtured and supported by everyone.” said Salpy Eskidjian, Executive Director of the Office of RTCYPP.

Office of RTCYPP expressed special appreciation also for the support of H.E Mr Christodoulides, the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Cyprus  as well as the Cyprus police, UNFICYP, UN Police and everyone involved for all they did to make the pilgrimage a success.

Hala Sultan Tekke was closed off for tourists and other faithful to accommodate the special pilgrimage that is facilitated by UNFICYP in coordination with the Office of RTCYPP.

Regional Conference on Contemporary Issues of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), Yerevan  

Director of the Office of the RTCYPP was one of the International experts invited to address the 2019 Regional Conference on Contemporary Issues of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) held by The Eurasia Partnership Foundation in Yerevan on May 24. 

The conference provided a platform for key stakeholders from the Caucasus to discuss the situation and developments of FoRB from different perspectives. Insightful discussions were held during the conference within the sessions on Global Challenges in the field of FoRB, Interreligious dialogue as a tool for conflict transformation, issues of Education and conflicting rights. 

The Conference was attended by international experts on FoRB from the UN and the OSCE, representatives of international organizations, members of the diplomatic corps, religious leaders and groups, government representatives and civil society members from both countries. 

Prime Minister of Armenia was present at the opening and addressed the conference alongside the Head of the UN Representation, the Dutch Ambassador and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom Of Religion or Belief (via video link). 
The conference was supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Armenia and Georgia.

Iftar at Hala Sultan Tekke

On the evening of 8 May, participants from the RTCYPP Faith for Rights Network and RTCYPP Language Classes joined the Office of RTCYPP for a visit to Hala Sultan Tekke to participate in an Iftar (the meal that breaks the fast during Ramadan) and express best wishes for a peaceful and blessed Ramadan which started a few days ago.

The fast, lasting from dawn to sunset, was broken with dates and juice when the sun set over the beautiful Salt Lake. The Imam of Hala Sultan Tekke warmly welcomed all present and everyone shared a delicious meal together. Empathy for the less fortunate, generosity and charity are some of the values encouraged during the Ramadan period. It is customary for mosques to enact this by providing food and a social space every night after sunset.

Getting to know one another , sharing the respective traditions with each other are part of the activities supported by the religious leaders of Cyprus and coordinated by the Office of RTCYPP in order to nurture respect and build trust among the different faith communities in the island.

“We are grateful for the welcome at Hala Sultan Tekke and to everyone in the visiting group for their participation as well as the deep respect shown for each other.” said Salpy Eskidjian, director of the Office of RTCYPP. “Learning, understanding and respecting one another’s traditions is a fundamental element for peaceful coexistence and reconciliation.”

The evening was documented by a Canadian film crew exploring the role of religion among other aspects of Cypriot society.

#KnowYourNeighbour #RespectOneAnother #Faith4Rights

Statement on #Faith4Rights at Global Summit on Religion, Peace and Security

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet addressed the role of religious leaders and communities in her statement on Faith for Rights at the Global Summit on Religion, Peace and Security on 29 April, 2019.

“The ‘Faith for Rights’ framework includes a commitment not to tolerate exclusionary interpretations, which instrumentalize religions, beliefs or their followers for electoral purposes or political gains… The 18 commitments [of the Faith for Rights initiative] have been translated into Greek and Turkish in the context of the Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process, to be used in human rights education projects across the island.”

Read the full statement here: https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=24531&LangID=E

Or watch the video via this link: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/FreedomReligion/Pages/FaithForRights.aspx

OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting 1-2 April 2019, Vienna

The Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting (SHDM) of the OSCE assesses the progress made by participating states in implementing its commitments to combat all forms of discrimination, including racism, xenophobia, hate crimes, anti-semitism, intolerance against Christians, Muslims and members of other religions or belief communities while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience , religion or belief and fostering mutual respect and understanding. Special attention was paid to the different impact such intolerance has on women.

Good practices that show how different actors can prevent and respond to intolerance were presented including the experiences from the RTCYPP, introduced by Salpy Eskidjian Weiderud. Many country representatives including Cyprus, Turkey, Sweden and Finland as well as Slovakia in their respective responses expressed appreciation and praised the work of RTCYPP. The meeting was organized by ODIHR /OSCE under the Slovak Chairmanship.

Fruitful High-Level Meeting of the Religious Leaders of Cyprus 19.3.19

Religious Leaders of Cyprus working together under the framework of the Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process, known as RTCYPP for short, reiterate their staunch commitment to their dialogue and cooperation.

The five main religious leaders of Cyprus had a fruitful meeting this morning facilitated by the Office of the RTCYPP, at the Swedish Residence in Nicosia hosted by the Ambassador of Sweden, they observed a one minute silence in memory of all innocent lives lost as a result of indiscriminate terror attacks, in particular the Muslim faithful who perished because of the shootings at the two Mosques in New Zealand on Friday.

The gathering of the Religious Leaders started with a joint site visit to the recently collapsed Church of St James kindly facilitated by UNFICYP where they witnessed with deep sadness the current state of the Church. The Religious Leaders welcomed all efforts to ensure the soonest possible reinforcement and eventual restoration of the historic Churches of St James and St George without further delay.

In front of growing polarization, Islamophobia, Christianophobia, and Anti-Semitism the religious leaders discussed the significant role of religion and faith in conflict resolution, conflict transformation and peacebuilding. In the midst of despair and frustration, the religious leaders agreed to remain focused on positive signs and their joint resolve to build trust, promote understanding and nurture hope. They unanimously agreed to further strengthen their joint efforts and activities for religious freedom, human rights and reconciliation in Cyprus.