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Thousands of Turkish Cypriots took to the streets in the northern half of Nicosia on Friday to protest against attempts by the government to make the country more Islamic. The protest was the latest in a series of demonstrations organised by trade unions, who have expressed concerns about the erosion of secularism by the right wing government.
In particular, protest organisers are worried about the introduction of Islam into the education system. Demonstrators held up placards saying "It won't pass" and "Cyprus will stay secular".
The protests began in April after Turkish-Cypriot authorities scrapped a ban on the wearing of headscarves in high schools.
The move was swiftly condemned as an encroachment into the strictly secular education system aimed at the eventual "Islamisation" of Turkish Cypriot society.