Halit Habip Oğlu: “In the part on Greece within U.S report, the problems in the field of religion faced by the Turkish community in Western Thrace are again covered incompletely and superficially. Like in previous years, as ABTTF, we will present in detail the views and demands of the Turkish community in Western Thrace regarding the themes of the report by preparing a parallel report”
The U.S Department of State published the 2018 International Religious Freedom Report covering the period January 1 to December 31, 2018. In the report where the status of religious freedom in all countries of the world is elaborated, the part related to Greece covers partially the problems of the Turkish community in Western Thrace with the definition “Muslim minority in Thrace”
The Turkish community in Western Thrace Turkish in the U.S report on Greece
In the U.S report which stated that Greece's population was estimated to be 10.8 million as of July 2018, it is claimed that the population of the Turkish community in Western Thrace -officially recognized by the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923- is 100,000, referring to the work of the Pew Research Center. However, in the 2017 report, it was noted that the population was between 100 and 120 thousand.
As mentioned in the 2017 report, this year's report states that the Turkish community in Western Thrace has the right to manage mosques and foundations in accordance with the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, and that the salaries of Greek Orthodox priests and the appointed Muftis as well as imams in Western Thrace are paid by the Greek government.
The report states that the law adopted by the Greek Parliament in January 2018 grants the members of the Turkish community in Western Thrace the right to choose either the Greek courts or the Muftis (appointed) in the field of family and inheritance law. Moreover, it is claimed that by the law 1991, the Greek government has the authority to appoint three Muftis with tenure of ten years in Western Thrace in consultation with a committee consisted of Muslim leaders.
In the report, it is indicated that the Greek government continues to appoint Muftis due to the sharia powers, whereas the Turkish community in Western Thrace opposes this practice and demands that the Muftis are elected directly by the Western Thrace Turks. Nevertheless, the report does not address the Presidential Decree which is totally opposed by the Turkish community in Western Thrace and foresees the restructuring of the autonomous Mufti structures in Western Thrace as well as affiliating them to the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs and transforming them into an ordinary government office.
The U.S report states that there are 5 quotas per thousand for the members of the Turkish community in Western Thrace for their admission to the university and public institutions. In the report, it is also noted that there are 148 bilingual schools (in real there are 128) and two madrasas, providing education in Greek and Turkish language in Western Thrace and the Muslim children could go to the Koran courses at mosques after school if they wish. However, the report does not include the “240 Imam Law” and the criticism from the Turkish community in Western Thrace regarding teaching Islamic religious course in Greek language in public schools.
Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), said: “The USA 2018 International Religious Freedoms Report on Greece covers partially the problems of the Turkish community in Western Thrace in the field of religion. However, we observe that the criticism from the Turkish community in Western Thrace has been given much less attention in recent years and that the official opinion of the Greek government has been repeated. For example, the Western Thrace Turkish community's criticism of the 240 Imam Law and judicial prosecutions against our elected Muftis on the grounds of usurpation of the Mufti offices to intimidate our Muftis are not mentioned in the report at all. As ABTTF, we will not give up our persistent and determined activity. As in previous years, we will prepare a parallel report and convey the details and opinions of the Turkish community in Western Thrace on the themes in the US report.”
To read the whole text of the part on Greece in the USA 2018 Report on International Religious Freedom, please click on the following link: https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/GREECE-2018-INTERNATIONAL-RELIGIOUS-FREEDOM-REPORT.pdf
