ABTTF attended UN Forum on Minority Issues

Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) attended the 6th Session of the UN Forum on Minority Issues with the subject “Beyond Freedom of Religion or Belief: Guaranteeing the Rights of Religious Minorities”. Western Thrace Turkish Minority was represented at the Forum by ABTTF Vice-President Rıdvan Hacıbedel, ABTTF Board member Dr. Sebahattin Abdurrahman, ABTTF International Affairs Director Melek Kırmacı Arık and Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (BTAYTD) member and Western Thrace Minority Culture and Education Foundation (PEKEM) General Director Pervin Hayrullah. The problems of the Rhodes, Kos and Dodecanese Turks were expressed by Rhodes, Kos and Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association President Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kaymakçı, who participated at the Forum for the first time on behalf of Rhodes, Kos and Dodecanese Turks.

Golden Dawn targets not only immigrants but also Western Thrace Turkish Minority

At her intervention during the afternoon session on protection of the existence of and prevention of violence against religious minorities, ABTTF International Affairs Director Melek Kırmacı Arık dwelled on increasing hate motivated violence in Europe and pointed out the violence environment spread by neo-Nazi Golden Dawn in Greece.

Having noted the hate motivated attacks perpetuated not only towards immigrants but also towards the Western Thrace Turkish Minority, ABTTF informed Golden Dawn supporters attacked to Komotini Turkish Youth Union, chanted slogans past the villages inhabited by the Minority and even tragically beaten two Minority members.

Religious Affairs General Secretariat Kalacis: “Given the legal competences of the (appointed) Muftis, Greece is unique in Europe”

On the first day of the Forum, Yorgos Kalacis the General Secretary in charge of Religious Affairs from the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs has spoken on behalf of Greece. With his speech at the conference organised by Project for Reform in Education of Muslim Children (PEM) and Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) on 22 November 2013, Kalacis had received vast reaction from the Western Thrace Turkish Minority.

Having pointed Greece as a unique example in Europe given the appointed Muftis endowed with legal competences in family law, Kalancis uncovered the regulation, which is referred as 240 Imams Law by the Minority, entails Greece to pay the salaries of three (appointed) Muftis and 240 “Religion teachers”.
Referring to the 240 Imams Law the Western Thrace Turkish Minority strongly opposes and calls for annulment, Kalancis cherished the respective law by telling from the year 2013 the Minority children are given the opportunity to learn Qur’an at the public schools.


BTAYTD: Only 3 of the 63 “Qur’an teachers” foreseen to be appointed to the public schools under the framework 240 Imams Law are university graduates!

Greek Helsinki Monitor Spokesperson Panayote Dimitras, at his intervention on the second day of the Forum said despite European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) three decisions in favour of restoring the official status of previous suspended associations of the Minority, Greece still prohibits the establishment of the associations, which include the word “Turk” in their titles. Dimitras asserted use of Turkish, which is Minority’s mother tongue, has both by de facto and through official policies prohibited. Further to his argument, Dimitras referred the two recent incidents by explaining Komotini State Hospital issued a notice prohibiting doctors of speaking an “unknown language” and the blockage on use of Turkish for giving a presentation at a conference on Lausanne Peace Treaty in Komotini.

BTAYTD member and PEKEM General Director Pervin Hayrullah at her intervention during the same session informed Religious Affairs General Secretary Kalancis threatened the Minority at the conference in Komotini through his approach and manner, while having played a determinant role in preventing translation in Turkish. Hayrullah reported the 240 Imams Law, which foresees appointment of 240 “Qur’an teachers” to server duty at the public schools and mosques in Western Thrace, is on implementation. Further to this development, Hayrullah noted out of 63 persons selected for the position, only 3 hold a university degree, 14 are graduates of Thessaloniki Academia of Pedagogy, 22 are high school graduates and 24 are primary school graduates. On the basis of these figures, Ms. Hayrullah asked how a person can be appointed a “teacher” without holding any pedagogical training.