A Minority without the right of identifying itself on national basis
The minority was named Turkish till the first years of the military cup. The "deturquisation" that stated on that years finalized in 1985. The Minority was just a Muslim Minority. The usage of Turkish adjective has led people to courts and to punishments. After the "deturquisation" affords have concentrated to divide the Minority according to racial criteria, and to assimilate it via disturbing its unity. We have explained that in the firs chapter of our report.
The right to identify itself as "Turkish" from national or ethnic aspect is one area of struggle of the Minority.
Balkan type of "deturquisation" and Racist Assimilation.
From the time of the military cup (1967-74) in Greece the name of the minority was turned step by step from Turkey to Muslim. The adjective "Turk" concerning the minority was strictly prohibited from the mid'80'ies and the associations (NGO's) having the adjective "Turkish" in their name was closed with the decision of the Court (of Appeals). The Minority members were named "Greek Muslims". And this saying was used to describe Muslims of Greek origin.
It is said that this "detourquisation" policy in Western Thrace, is not a coincidence that took place at the same time where the Jivkov regime in Bulgaria was in its peek of Bulgarisation with force the Turks of Bulgaria. That times prime minister A. Papandreu had visited Bulgaria and he had met with Jivkof at Haskovo (Hasköy) and had a talk about Turkish Muslim Minorities problems.
Today it is not allowed anywhere the use of the adjective "Turk", regarding the minority identity. By the way some Minority members had used the word Turkish refering to the Minority and they had been sent to justice with the claim of "disseminating false news" and they have been sentenced. (The last example was in 1997 when 14 primary schools teachers sentenced for 8 months each of them, because they had used the terms "Turkish Minority, Turkish school, Turkish teachers")
Recently the assimilation policy efforts has concentrated on the claim that the Minority consists of different ethnic origins. With this purpose new ethnic identities were created within the Minority and they tried to rise new ethnic conflicts between these new produced identities, and it is tried to be proved that they don't have any genetic, blood, cranium similarities with Turks and it is claimed that they were ex-Christians that had changed their religion. Preparations were done also to invite them back to "Orthodoxy", to their old religion.
The racist initiative is carried with a camouflage of "antiracist, progressive, democratic" character which is trying to keep alive "the cultures of these national groups within the Minority." By supporting them.
By this rood way, comic manner, without any existing demand within Minority, form one hand without respecting the Turkish National awareness and prohibiting it, from the other hand it is tried, with propaganda, promises and outer interference to produce new national awareness' that are rooting from the Hellenic Nation.
The Pomak Turks of the Minority is the group that has been the target of this type of a propaganda. The dominant language that is spoken between Pomaks that are living in discreet, far areas and small villages in the Rodopi mountains, is a Slavic dialect. They are also talking Turkish and as the Pomacic is an oral language they write in Turkish. And the Pomaks that are living in the valleys are talking Turkish. These points, their Slavic dialect, and that hey are settled in the villages on the mountains are issues of propaganda towards them to tear them apart from Minority body and to prove that they are old Hellenic tribe of Tracs. It is seen that this propaganda that is made towards them saying that if they deny their Turkish origin they will be awarded with rights that other minority members don't have, like being appointed as a civil servant or taking a bank credit, didn't took place didn't effected the Pomaks. On the contrary these continuous efforts had angered the Minority members and much more the Pomaks. There are a lot protest messages set to government stating "leave us free". With the continuation of this assimilation policy there will be serious nationalistic conflicts observed in the future.
