The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) prepared a written opinion on the issues concerning the Turkish community in Western Thrace included in the report titled ‘‘2024 Report on Incidents Against Places of Religious Importance in Greece’’ published by the Greek Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sport, and submitted it to the competent Greek authorities.
In its written opinion, ABTTF highlighted the problems and demands of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, which has religious autonomy under international treaties, as well as the violation of the religious freedoms of the Turkish communities in Rhodes and Kos by the state. ABTTF also conveyed the problems encountered in the preservation and restoration of historical mosques inherited from the Ottoman Empire in Greece.
Criticising the report for containing superficial, incomplete and inaccurate information about the Turkish community in Western Thrace and Turks in Rhodes and Kos, and for reiterating the state’s official narrative and thus being biased, ABTTF noted that this undermined the fundamental accuracy and reliability of the report.
ABTTF emphasised that the Turkish community in Western Thrace was granted autonomy in religious matters by the 1830 Protocol, the 1881 Treaty, the 1913 Treaty of Athens and the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, indicating that the state does not interfere with the organisation and functioning of the Orthodox Christian Church, which is defined as the dominant religion in the Constitution, or the Jewish community, which is known as an established religion in the country, but that it directly interferes in the religious affairs of the Turkish community, thereby violating the aforementioned international treaties to which Greece is a party.
Noting that, contrary to the religious autonomy of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, muftis began to be appointed by the state in Komotini, Xanthi and Didymoteicho with the law adopted in 1991, ABTTF explained that today there is a dual structure in Western Thrace consisting of muftis appointed by the state but not recognised by the community and muftis elected by the community.
Moreover, ABTTF stressed that, in accordance with Law No. 4964/2022 entitled ‘‘Modernisation of the Mufti Offices in Thrace’’, which the Turkish community in Western Thrace has opposed from the outset, a new mufti has been appointed in Didymoteicho. It noted that Greece, by unilaterally appointing a mufti in Didymoteicho by virtue of a ministerial decision, has once again disregarded the religious autonomy and will of the Turkish community, as defined by the 1913 Treaty of Athens and guaranteed by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.
Drawing attention to the fact that the religious freedoms of the Turkish community in Rhodes and Kos have again been usurped by the state, ABTTF highlighted that the mufti on the islands continued to perform his duties until his death in 1974, and that since then, the state has closed the mufti’s office in Rhodes, depriving the Turkish community of their right to determine their religious leaders on the islands, and that there is still no mufti on the islands today.
ABTTF called for the restoration of the religious autonomy of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, for the muftis elected by their free will to be recognised by the government as official religious leaders, and for the repeal of Law No. 4115/2013, Presidential Decree No. 52/2019 and Law No. 4964/2022, and for the restoration of the religious, cultural and educational rights of the Turkish community in Rhodes and Kos.
