Dear readers,
While our region was under Ottoman rule, there was a system in place where different religions coexisted alongside a multi-national structure.
Within this structure, each community could have freely lived and preserved its own customs, culture, and religion.
Today, Article 13 of our Constitution guarantees the religious freedom of all citizens living in these lands.
Article 3 of the Constitution defines the status of the Orthodox Church as the prevailing religion in our country, but the Church is defined as autocephalous and administratively autonomous.
Article 13, on the other hand, guarantees the right to freedom of worship, giving members of known religions in the country the right to practice their worship and organise their beliefs without state interference.
Furthermore, we, along with the Orthodox Greek community in Istanbul, Gökçeada, and Bozcaada, with whom we share a common destiny, possess special rights that are guaranteed by the international treaties.
Indeed, according to Article 28 of the Constitution, the international conventions are considered superior to domestic law.
In other words, the 1913 Treaty of Athens and 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which define our religious autonomy, explicitly define and guarantee our autonomy in the religious sphere, going beyond the rights granted by the Constitution.
However, for some reason, after the death of our Mufti in Komotini in 1985, our right to appoint our own religious leaders as Western Thrace Turks was taken away from us.
Subsequently, muftis were appointed by the state in Xanthi and Komotini against the will of our community, and with a law passed in 1991, the state officially usurped our right to select them.
In response to the state’s usurpation of our rights, we have elected our own muftis in Xanthi and Komotini.
36 years have passed, but the problem of our muftis remains unresolved.
On the contrary, our mufti offices, which should enjoy autonomous status, have been transformed into public offices under the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, and with the latest law, appointed muftis are even defined at the level of Director Generals.
In short, our religious autonomy has been completely eliminated!
Despite all the protests we have expressed for years, nothing has changed; on the contrary, the situation has worsened.
On international platforms outside our country, and within our country in Parliament and during elections, we have always indicated, and continue to stress, that our religious autonomy must be restored.
But instead of finding solutions to our problems, the state has ignored them.
Far from finding solutions, our problems have deepened every single year…
It’s as if there’s a grand strategy, with another phase being implemented each year.
On 11 October 2024, an unprecedented provocation occurred.
On that day, the appointed mufti regents of Xanthi, Komotini, and Didymoteicho came to Çınar Mosque in Xanthi during the Friday prayers and tried to enter its premises. At that time, our congregation, who were in the mosque, defended our elected Mufti Mustafa Trampa. They said, ‘‘our Mufti is inside’’, and prevented the appointed mufti regents from entering the mosque. Following this incident, which was a clear provocation, four of our friends were charged.
Our friends, who prevented the appointed mufti regents from entering, are tried on grounds that they ‘‘obstructed those performing public duties’’ and ‘‘disturbed public peace’’.
Interestingly, a lawsuit was filed not by the appointed mufti regents themselves, but by the Greek state authorities, and therefore the case is being considered as a public prosecution.
However, when the appointed mufti regent of Didymoteicho did not attend the hearing in March, the case was postponed to 5 June.
As you can understand, a clearly pre-written scenario was staged…
Today, the Orthodox Christian Church, the prevailing religion in our country, and other known religions select their own religious leaders and can freely maintain their religious structures; but our rights, guaranteed by the international conventions, are being usurped.
In other words, we are the real victims here!
In conclusion, I want to address our four friends who are facing charges:
You are not alone!
You have the support of a community of 150,000 people behind you!
Yours sincerely,
Halit Habip Oğlu
ABTTF President
