[5] As a result, Murad III helped to divide the naval force intended for the Spanish Armada.

[6] Although their precise origins cannot be distinguished, it was the Turkish Muslim culture which made a dramatic impression on English society during the seventeenth century with the introduction of coffee houses.

[7][8] The inter-communal fighting and subsequent population exchanges culminated in the division of the island which was another significant reason for large numbers of Cypriot immigration.

In July 1974 a coup supported by the then ruling Greek military junta of Greece deposed the Cypriot government and installed its own regime on the island, with Nikos Sampson as the de facto president, before declaring the Hellenic Republic of Cyprus.

By the 1990s, Turkish Cypriot migration was increasingly motivated by economic hardship due to the embargoes imposed upon Northern Cyprus and a lack of international aid or support.

In 2008, approximately 600-700 Western Thrace Turks from Greece were living in London, however, this did not include those who are British-born or who have been naturalised.

[18] The first generation of Turks generally have a limited knowledge of English with women tending to be monolingual in Turkish.

Furthermore, the Turkish language is used in the curriculum of several London public primary schools to help children whose English is poor.

Therefore, the Cyprus Turkish Association ignored religion in its activities as it was viewed as an obstacle to adjusting and integrating in a multicultural environment.

[23] Although only a minority of Turkish Cypriots had any interest in religion, Islamic values were still deeply rooted in the majority of the community's identity.

Once the community was firmly settled in London, Turks became aware that although they had maintained their ethnic identity there was a lack of attention to its religious dimension.

Turks who had once felt reluctant to attend a ‘non-Turkish’ mosque welcomed the congregation as services were provided in the Turkish language rather than in English or Arabic.

Due to the collapse of the textile industry in London, the majority of the Turkish community decided to pursue self-employment.