ABTTF prepared a parallel report to the U.S. International Religious Freedom Report for 2013 on Greece

The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) prepared a parallel report to U.S. State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report for 2013 on Greece. ABTTF expressed the views and demands of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace after clarifying in details the issues in relation to the problems the Minority has been facing in the field of religion, which were addressed superficial and incomplete in the regarding U.S. report.

ABTTF stated in response to the expression that a officially recognized “Muslim minority” with a population of 120 thousand (1.1 percent of the total population) was created in Thrace (Western Thrace) by the Lausanne Peace Treaty that the ethnic identity of the Muslim minority in Western Thrace was Turk and this ethnic identity was in Etabli documents. However, ABTTF asked the reason of the changing of the number of the population of the Minority which was between 140 and 150 thousand in the report a year ago but 120 thousand in 2013.

ABTTF expressed that the fact that the islands of Rhodes, Kos and Dodecanese were not part of Greece when the Lausanne Peace Treaty was signed should not be a reason to deprive the Turkish population living on those islands of their minority rights.

ABTTF also criticized the style of the report which reflects entirely the Greek government’s view and is superficial on the muftis’ problem. It also highlighted the right of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace to elect its religious leaders in accordance with the international treaties and the decades-long state-appointed mufti was violation of freedom of religion.

Hence, ABTTF indicated that the appointing of 240 religious officials to the mosques and public schools in Western Thrace according to the Law 4115/2013 as in the way that was reflected on the report is not a positive application and it was imposed without recourse to the opinion of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace and without considering its demands and was a unilateral approach. Lastly, as known “240 Imams Law” among the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace was the law that aims to increase the control of the state over the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace through religion.