Halit Habip Oğlu: “We want this and other similar malicious actions harming the peaceful coexistence of Turks and Greeks in Western Thrace for centuries to end immediately.”
During the holy month of Ramadan in which we are, prohibitive actions against the traditional and cultural values of the Turkish community in Western Thrace in Greece persist under the pretext of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the Gündem newspaper, the Ramadan drummer announcing the iftar and sahur times was prevented from playing in the Western Thrace region of Greece, especially in the villages where Turks and Greeks live together. In the villages of Topiros (İnhanlı) and Lefkopetra (Sakarkaya) in Xanthi province, Ramadan drummers were reportedly warned by the police not to play the drum, otherwise that they would be fined for it. Similar issues regarding playing the Ramadan drum were also reported in other villages which have a mixed population in Xanthi province.
“The playing of drum during the iftar and sahur times in the holy month of Ramadan continue to be perpetuated in the Turkish and mixed villages of the region as a centuries long tradition of the Turkish community in Western Thrace. Although the necessary permissions for playing the Ramadan drum were obtained from the municipal administrations by the board of trustees in the villages of Topiros (İnhanlı) and Lefkopetra (Sakarkaya), and there is nothing unlawful, it is impossible to understand what purpose it serves to hinder the playing of the Ramadan drum with the police warning. Under the pretext of measures taken in the context of combating the coronavirus pandemic, the basis for asking to read the Azan in our mosques by lowering the volume of the loudspeakers and hindering to play the Ramadan drum lies the hostile attitude towards the Turkish community in Western Thrace in Greece which is perceived as a ‘threat’ and a ‘danger’. The Greek authorities must take the steps to immediately end such malicious and discriminatory attempts which harm the peaceful coexistence of Turks and Greeks living peacefully for centuries in Western Thrace”, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
*Image: www.gundemgazetesi.com
