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WESTERN THRACE

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State appointed Imams will soon be on duty at public schools!

05.09.2013
ABTTF President Halit Habipoğlu: We call for the annulment of 240 Imams Law, which violates the freedom of religion or belief

The legislation 4115/2013, which entails 240 state appointed Muslim clerics to serve duty at the mosques and public schools in Western Thrace therefore called “240 Imams Law” by the Western Thrace Turkish Minority is on implementation. According to study conducted by the Hellenic Min-istry of Education, Life-Long Learning and Religious Affairs, the 63 Muslim schools in Western Thrace are currently to serve only in the public schools.

According to minority daily Gündem, the pre-selected students who successfully completed the first phase of the qualification exam, will take the oral exam organised by the East Macedonia and Thrace
Regional Education Directorate. As a result, 63 persons with highest ranking at the final exam will start duty in public schools as contractual staff.

The religious scholars will teach Quran at the public schools of secondary level. Komotini will be allotted 31 religious schools, while 19 and 13 Muslim clergymen will be assigned duty in Xanthi and Evros. So the clarification, the state appointed scholars will for the time being not serve duty in the mosques.

Federation of Western Thrace Turkish Minority (ABTTF) President Halit Habipoğlu stressed “De-spite the Western Thrace Turkish Minority’s vast reaction and requests for annulment, Greek Government insists on the execution of the legislation. The government prepares room for further steps by starting to execute the legislation first by assigning the state appointed religious scholars to public schools rather than to mosques. What is next? This legislation is in full contradiction with the freedom of religion and belief as well as with the bilateral and international agreements to which Greece is a party. For this very reason, we call on our country Greece to stop interfering with mi-nority’s religious affairs and as a corollary to annul the respective legislation.”