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Erdogan furious as his Islamic ambitions stumble in Turkish Cyprus

A Turkish Cypriot court ruling that reins back on Quranic courses comes as a poignant message to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Cypriot Turks are unwilling to sign up to his quest to raise “devout generations.” 
Turkish Cypriot police stand before a portrait of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the disputal coastal town of Varosha, in Famagusta, Cyprus, Nov. 15, 2020.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has triggered a fresh bout of tensions with Turkish Cyprus over a court ruling that flies in the face of his efforts to promote Islamic education among Turkish Cypriot youth, just as he has done in Turkey.

Under the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Turkey has seen a significant expansion of religious education, with Erdogan vowing to raise "devout generations." Yet his bid to extend his vision to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which only Ankara recognizes and props up, has met with resistance in a society that follows a very moderate understanding of Islam and is often described as one of the most secular in the Muslim world.

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