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WESTERN THRACE

Another blow on religious autonomy of the Turkish community in Western Thrace!

12.01.2018
Halit Habip Oğlu: “As it is in laws adopted related to the educational autonomy and their implementation, the objective is to weaken the foundations of the religious autonomy of the Turkish community in Western Thrace which has been guaranteed by international treaties and eventually abolish completely our religious autonomy based on customary law.”

The law related to the Turkish community in Western Thrace, Greece, which has made the sharia competences utilized by muftis in the field of inheritance, marriage and divorce preferential and enabled the Greek Civil Law applicable in the case that there is disagreement between the parties, was adopted on 9 January 2018 in the Greek Parliament by majority of votes.

Pursuant to the law drafted by the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, muftis’ sharia competences are restricted through bestowing right of selection to the persons belonging to the Turkish community in Western Thrace between the Greek courts and mufti offices in the field of family and inheritance law.

Pertinent to the issue, Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), stated: “As regards disagreements about inheritance among the persons belonging to the Turkish community in Western Thrace, the Greek Civil Law has been enforced for so long and property sharing has been done according to civil law provisions. Indeed, inheritance lawsuit of Hatice Molla Salih belonging to the Turkish community in Western Thrace could also have been resolved pursuant to the civil law. However, it did not happen so and upon negative verdict of the Greek Supreme Court, the case was conveyed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). And upon the lawsuit filed at the ECtHR, the law in subject has been drafted and adopted by the Greek Parliament. This situation has shown once again that our country Greece does not approach the Turkish community in Western Thrace with good will. And since Greece does not have the good will, it has not been implementing the judgments of the the ECtHR in favor of the associations of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, namely the Xanthi Turkish Union, the Cultural Association of Turkish Women in Rodopi and the Evros Minority Youth Association. The objective here is, as it is in laws adopted related to the educational autonomy and their implementation, to weaken the foundations of the religious autonomy of the Turkish community in Western Thrace which has been guaranteed by international treaties and eventually abolish completely our religious autonomy based on customary law.”