On Thursday, 4 July, the UK goes to the polls to determine who our next government will be. As a proud British Turkish Cypriot and lifelong Conservative voter, ordinarily, my concerns would be on the economy, crime, and North Cyprus. However, this election my priorities have changed due to a chronic illness that I was […]
In the old days, back in the time of Abraham and Moses, there was a law that said “Thou shalt give life for life, eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot”. It wasn’t a very progressive law – as Mahatma Ghandi was to point out two thousand years later […]
The Government has announced its intention to ban new burials at Tottenham Park Cemetery, except for previously reserved graves. Tottenham Park Cemetery is full. Two Ministry of Justice reports have now confirmed this. From having an original capacity of 6,500 in 1912, when the cemetery was first opened, to now having almost 50,000 people buried […]
For many years now, I have dedicated my time to researching the 1,400 year Islamic history of Cyprus – a history as old as Islam itself. This passion of mine involves a lot of reading and rummaging through historical archives to uncover the lives of long forgotten historic personalities and a heritage that can often […]
How happy is the one who says, “I am a Turk”? Very happy indeed. Turkiye is a beautiful country that offers a captivating blend of natural wonder and cultural treasures — including the land border where Europe becomes Asia and vice versa. This top destination is perfect for travellers seeking natural beauty and a stunning […]
Seeing Conservative politicians vote against the ceasefire in Gaza in the UK Parliament was disappointing, but at the same time expected. However, so many abstentions from Labour Party MPs was totally heartbreaking, as it is because of their silence that this genocide against the Palestinian civilians of Gaza is being allowed to continue. Considering that […]
As Turkish Cypriots, as Cypriots, it is with horror that we watch every day the ghastly events unfolding a couple of hundred miles or so from our island. For me it is particularly painful and personal. Unlike most armchair commentators, I have been to the West Bank, to Gaza and to Israel several times. In […]
“There is a history of friendly relations and cooperation between the United Kingdom and Azerbaijan. As soon as our republic gained state independence in 1991, Great Britain was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan. “Diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Azerbaijan were established in March 1992. In 1993 the […]
You might have been fooled into thinking that this is an article about COP27 that has just finished in Egypt, but it is not, although it would make a good headline about that too. This is about the UK and the way that different sections of our society put different weights on different parts of […]
Zehra Hassan, my grandmother and the person who raised me, passed away aged 85 on 6 July 2022 on Crebor Street, London SE22 0HF, where she had lived for 34 years. Sadly, many non-English speaking women of colour with little formal education are stripped of their complex stories, multiple belongings, and aptitude upon migrating to […]
