ABTTF participated at the OSCE meeting on freedom of religion or belief

At the meeting representatives of the Western Thrace Turkish community criticized the intervention on religious autonomy and brought the recent legal proceedings for the religious leaders on the agenda.

The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) participated at the meeting of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on “Freedom of Religion or Belief: Issues, Opportunities, and the Specific Challenges of Combatting Anti-Semitism and Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians, Muslims, and Members of Other Religions”. At the meeting where new emerging problems regarding freedom of religion or belief in the OSCE region were discussed Melek Kırmacı Arık, ABTTF International Relations Director, Funda Reşit Taştekin, member of International Affairs and Lobby Group and Assistant Prof. Ali Hüseyinoğlu from Trakya University and member of Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (WTMUGA) represented the Western Thrace Turkish community.

In the first session of the meeting where the opening remarks were made by Michael Georg Link, Director of OSCE Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Office (ODIHR) Director, Melek Kırmacı Arık, ABTTF International Relations Director had the floor and stated that the Western Thrace Turkish community in Greece has the right to choose its own religious leader through international agreements and with the law enacted in 1991 this right was taken from the Western Thrace Turks and delegated to the state. ABTTF requested the Greek Government to stop intervening the religious autonomy of the Western Thrace Muslim Turkish community. In the same session Assistant Prof. Ali Hüseyinoğlu, member of WTMUGA, with his speech articulated the general problems experienced by the Western Thrace Muslim Turkish society and he brought the recent problem of masjid in the associations on the agenda. At the end of the first day, in its reply, Greece stated that muftis compliant to Islamic traditions are selected through a transparent procedure and then they are appointed. Greece claimed that the request of the Western Thrace Turkish community to choose muftis by general elections means a demand for a privileged status in the country.

In the second session Melek Kırmacı, ABTTF International Relations Director, had the floor and articulated the criticisms regarding teaching Islam at Greek state schools based on 240 Imams Law and stated that the state hinders the Western Thrace Turkish community to choose e its own religious leaders and this law in practice aims to increase the state control over the community through the muftis appointed by the state. In this session Greece enjoyed its right of reply and noted that Orthodox Christianity lesson at the state schools is not taught by priests but buy the theologists identified by state authorities and likewise elective course of Islamic religion is also similarly taught by the theologists determined by the state.

In the last session Funda Reşit Taştekin, member of ABTTF International Affairs and Lobby Group, had the floor and raised the recent legal proceedings against the Western Thrace Turkish community religious leaders. Within this framework ABTTF stated that İbrahim Şerif, Elected Mufti of Komotini was called to bear testimony for six times since the beginning of 2017 based on various justifications and further noted that Ahmet Mete, Elected Mufti of Xanthi, will be put on trial for allegedly usurping the office of Mufti for having lead performance of prayer for a Turkish young man who lost his life during his military service. Greece enjoyed its right of reply and stated that none of Greek citizens would be put on trial without any justification and added that if there are no crimes regarding the legal proceedings for Mete and Şerif then there would not be any punishments either.