An article titled ‘‘Living in Western Thrace: A Portrait of the Muslim Turkish Minority in Greece’’ was published in the Italian cultural magazine ‘‘Meridiano 13’’.
The article written by Francesco Zema, sports reporter and Director of the Football, Culture and Identity Museum named “CALCI” in Milan, Italy, was published following the visit he realised in March 2023 in the Western Thrace region of Greece under the coordination of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF). It is based on the meetings he had concluded in the region with the elected muftis of the Turkish community along with managers of the civil society organisations and the first-hand information he obtained as a result of his visit to the ABTTF in Germany in April 2023 and his observations in the region.
In the article, which describes the history, culture, and issues of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, as well as the rights violations and discrimination it has been subjected to, the photographs that Zema took in the region are also included.
The Turkish identity of the Turkish community in Western Thrace is not recognised in Greece, and its educational and religious autonomy is violated
In the introduction of the article, information about the history and location of the Western Thrace region is revealed, and according to national and European Union (EU) statistics, it is indicated that Western Thrace constitutes the poorest and most underdeveloped region among the 13 regions in Greece, and that it is also one of the most underdeveloped regions of the EU. In the article, in which it is noted that approximately 145,000 of the 350,000 residents of Western Thrace are ethnic Turks, it is noted that the Turkish community in Western Thrace, which has been residing in the region for more than six centuries was ceded to Greece with the 1923 Lausanne Peace Treaty, and that the said treaty established the legal framework for the rights of the Turkish community.
In the article, in which it is underlined that the Turkish national identity of the Turkish community in Western Thrace is rejected by Greece, the associations representing the Turkish community such as the Xanthi Turkish Union (XTU), Komotini Turkish Youth Union (GTGB) and Western Thrace Turkish Teachers’ Union (BTTÖB) were closed as a result of this state policy. Furthermore, it is noted in the article that the history of the XTU, which constitutes the oldest Turkish association in Western Thrace, and which was established in 1927 to encourage sportive, cultural, and social initiatives, is one of the most symbolic and explanatory of the issues of the Turkish community in Western Thrace with respect to identity and culture. It is thus highlighted that Greece has still not executed the 2008 judgement of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in this regard.
The article, in which it is noted that Greece does not recognise the muftis elected by the Turkish community in Western Thrace, refers to the case of the Elected Mufti of Komotini, İbrahim Şerif, in 2000 before the ECtHR, noting that the elected muftis were sentenced to prison for allegedly usurping the office of mufti. The article also notes that the administrative committees of the foundations that manage the historical, cultural, and religious heritage of Turkish community in Western Thrace are determined by appointment.
According to the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the Turkish community in Western Thrace has the right to establish and manage its own schools at its own expense and with wide autonomy in terms of education and training. It is noted that tens of Turkish primary schools were closed, without considering the distances between them and the socio-economic issues. The article also underlines that despite the insistent demand of the Turkish community in Western Thrace and the recommendations of international organisations, there are no Turkish and Greek bilingual kindergartens in Western Thrace until today.
The article also mentions Zema’s visit to ABTTF head office in Germany in April 2023 and his meeting with ABTTF President Halit Habip Oğlu. It is stressed that since its establishment in 1988, ABTTF has been carrying out activities at the international level related to the improvement of the rights, identity and living conditions of the Turkish community in Western Thrace with its headquarters, Brussels and Athens offices. Moreover, it is noted in the article that ABTTF tries to do its best to make the existence, history, and efforts of an autochthonous minority, which is little known in the world but in need of support, known and clearly visible, and various activities that received wide coverage in the media and ensure the recognition of the Turkish community in Western Thrace in Europe and the world. It is also noted that the Western Thrace Turkish football team, founded under the leadership of ABTTF, and the European Football Championship of the Minorities ‘‘Europeada 2012’’ organised by the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) took place among the participants. In the article, it is noted that the football team composed of Turkish youth from Germany and Western Thrace established relations with other European minorities during the championship in Germany and introduced the history of the Turkish community in Western Thrace and the XTU.
Please click below to access the aforementioned article:
https://www.meridiano13.it/minoranza-turca-musulmana-di-grecia-bati-trakya/
