Parallel report by ABTTF on the Greece 2014 International Religious Freedom Report

The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) prepared a parallel report on the Greece 2014 International Religious Freedom Report that was released by the Department of State of the United States (U.S.) in October 2015, and submitted it to the U.S. competent authorities. ABTTF provided in its parallel report detailed information on the issues in relation to the problems having been faced by the Turkish minority of Western Thrace in the field of religion, which were missing or inadequately addressed in the U.S. report, and brought forward the views and demands of the minority.

Turkish minority of Western Thrace with a total population of 150,000 persons

In response to the expression in the U.S. report that there are approximately 120,000 individuals residing in Thrace and descended from the officially recognized “Muslim minority” established by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, ABTTF underlined the ethnic identity of the Muslim minority in Western Thrace as “Turkish” and stated the “Etabli Documents“, which were handed to the people of Greek and Turkish origin who were left out of the exchange procedure provided by the 1923 Agreement on the Exchange of Turkish and Greek Populations, evidently referred to the minority’s ethnic Turkish origin, adding the minority has actually a total population of 150,000 persons.

Government practices intending to eradicate the religious autonomy of the Turkish minority of Western Thrace increasingly continue

ABTTF underlined in its parallel report the Turkish minority of Western Thrace was granted religious autonomy by the 1923 Peace Treaty of Lausanne and stated the Law 4115/2013, which is better known by the minority as the “240 Imams Law” and provides for 240 Islamic religious instructors to teach Islam in Greek-language public schools and mosques belonging to the minority in Western Thrace, was passed in 2013 without consulting the minority itself at any stage and by ignoring its demands. ABTTF noted despite the great reactions of the Turkish minority, implementation of the regarding law started first in the Greek-language public schools and then in the mosques in Western Thrace, adding within the scope of the law, an Islamic religious instructor was appointed to the mosque in the Turkish minority village of Mega Derio (Büyük Derbent). Accompanied by uniformed police officers, noted ABTTF, he arrived in the village on 14 March 2014 before the Friday call to prayer, walked into the mosque with apparent intention to lead the service, but the mosque’s community did not allow him to do so.

ABTTF mentioned the Turkish minority of Western Thrace has been deprived by the Greek State of its right to elect its own religious leaders, i.e. Muftis, adding the minority has, pursuant to the international treaties Greece is a party to, the right to elect directly its muftis and imams and the appointment of muftis by the Greek government violates the minority’s freedom of religion.

ABTTF referred also in its parallel report to the problems with regard to the religious charitable organizations i.e. waqfs belonging to the Turkish minority of Western Thrace that were not mentioned in the U.S. report. ABTTF stated the law adopted in 2013 on the religious charitable organizations has failed to solve the long-lasting problems, adding since the waqfs belonging to the Turks living in Rhodes, Kos and Dodecanese are not embraced by the concerning law, these cannot enjoy the tax exemptions and have to pay property tax equal to any commercial establishment in Greece.

Problems of the Turks living in Rhodes, Kos and Dodecanese ignored

ABTTF noted the fact that Rhodes, Kos and Dodecanese were not part of Greece when the 1923 Peace Treaty of Lausanne was signed should not be a reason to deprive these people of their minority status and rights, adding the U.S. report fully ignored the religious problems having been faced by the Turkish community living on these islands.