ABTTF President: “We strongly condemn this event, which constitutes a clear attack on the religious and cultural values of our community with the aim of alienating our pupils from their own identities through assimilation. We call upon the relevant authorities to fully respect our pupils’ freedom of religion and conscience and to take the necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of such events in the future”.
In the village of Sminthi (Dolaphan), located within the boundaries of the Municipality of Myki (Mustafçova) in the Xanthi regional unit of Greece’s Western Thrace region, an event called ‘‘Kalanta’’, a tradition belonging to the Orthodox Christian faith, was staged at a public secondary school attended exclusively by Muslim Turkish pupils.
As part of the event, the pupils sang ‘‘Kalanta’’ carols under the guidance of their teachers and accompanied by musical instruments. ‘‘Kalanta’’ holds an important place in the Orthodox Christian faith and is known as a religious and cultural ritual performed during the periods of Christmas, New Year and Epiphany (Fota/Theophany).
“The performance of a religious ritual associated with Orthodox Christianity in a public secondary school where there are no Christian pupils, and where all pupils belong to the Turkish community in Western Thrace, is absolutely unacceptable. It is clear that there is no good faith in organising such an event, which disregards the cultural and religious identities of our pupils. We strongly condemn this event, which constitutes a clear attack on the religious and cultural values of our community with the aim of alienating our pupils from their own identities through assimilation. We call on the authorities to fully respect our pupils’ freedom of religion and conscience and to take the necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of such events in the future’’, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
