On 11 March 2010, the U.S. Department of State released the 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, thereunder the report on Greece.
Under the title of freedom of speech and press, the report presents that members of the Muslim minority in Thrace stated that the Greek media law discriminated against smaller, independent, Turkish-language stations. It is also notes that the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association reported that one Turkish-language radio station had received a violation notice. Emphasizing that government continues to implement legal restrictions, with regard to freedom of association, the report also states that in September the Court of Appeals of Thrace rejected the application of the Xanthi Turkish Union for legal recognition.
In addition, the report also notes that however government appoints three official Muslim reli-gious leaders (muftis) in Thrace, the Minority has elected its own two Muftis. Moreover, it is presented that in 2007 the government announced a law to hire 240 imams in Thrace as public employees. But while the hiring process in the prefectures of Xanthi and Evros progressed dur-ing the year, the mufti overseeing the prefecture of Rodopi refused to approve the hiring of imams in his district unless the mufti were given more authority in the hiring committee and the five-member committee included two Islamic scholars. Also the fact, that government recognizes Shari'a (Islamic law) as the law regulating family and civic issues of the Muslim minority in Thrace, is expressed in the report. Moreover, the decisions of appointed muftis about the issues of bequest and child custody are presented in detail and also criticized.
The report also notes that in September an arson attack took place against the Toxotes Mosque in Thrace. It is also stated that Members of the Alevite (Alevi) community in Thrace, who follow a religion comprising Shi'a and Sufi elements of Islam and number approximately 3,000 adher-ents, claimed religious harassment from the Sunni majority in their village. Some members of the Pomak community claimed they were pressured by members of the Turkish-speaking community to deny the existence of a Pomak identity as separate from a Turkish identity.
Noting that due to former Article 19 of the Greek Citizenship Law, 46.638 Muslim persons have lost their citizenship, with regard to the issue of stateless persons, the report states that some members of the Muslim minority claimed that this policy penalized stateless Muslims who had moved abroad and subsequently acquired citizenship from another country.
With regard to the subject matter, Halit Habipoğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), stated the following: “With regard to the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace, the report focuses on the authorities of Muftis (who have the capacity of a judge) arising from Islamic law. The fact that in the report concerns about the implementation of Shari’a provisions are expressed, but legal issues of the topic have not been addressed causes false interpretation of the topic.”
The full report can be retrieved here.
