Once again we see a claim of “Islamophobia” to be based on false pretenses.

“Erdogan warns of retaliation for Cyprus mosque attack blamed on Syrian,” Ahval, December 7, 2021:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned of repercussions after an attack on a mosque in the Republic of Cyprus last week.

“You will pay a heavy price for engaging in such acts of sabotage,” Erdogan said on Monday before departing for Qatar, Turkish Cypriot state-run broadcaster BRT reported. “This operation against our mosques in southern Cyprus will not go unanswered.”

An arson attack was committed on the Grand Mosque (Ulu Camii), located in Cyprus’ Larnaca province, late last Wednesday. A 27-year-old foreigner has been arrested in connection with the incident, Greek Cypriot police said on Monday. The fire caused some damage to the mosque’s door, the police said, the Cyprus Mail reported.

While Turkey and breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have condemned the attack as a nationalist act against Muslim houses of worship, a local official said there was no religious or nationalist connection.

Sotos Ktoris, a member of Cyprus’ bicommunal technical committee on cultural heritage, said the fire had nothing to do with nationalism or racism.

“It was an unfortunate incident in which a homeless Syrian migrant attempted to set fire to the mosque after the hodja refused to let him sleep there at night,” Ktoris said, Yenidüzen newspaper reported on Monday.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry also “strongly condemned” the incident on Sunday, describing it as a “recent instance of Islamophobia”.

“This attack and similar actions do not only target Muslims, but also threaten the common values of humanity, and reveal how certain circles are far from the understanding of peaceful co-existence,” the ministry said in a statement.