We are entirely standing alongside our elected Mufti of Xanthi Ahmet Mete!

As the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), we have regrettably learned through the press release of 6 February 2016 by the Office of our elected Mufti of Xanthi that an Imam, who is also a friend of family and relative of Mufti Ahmet Mete, was forced during a visit to Mufti’s house on Thursday evening, 28 January 2016, by masked and gloved persons who introduced themselves as the “Guardians of Thrace” to get in a minibus and insulted our Mufti and threatened to harm him and his family.

As ABTTF Executive Board and on behalf of the Western Thrace Turks living in Europe, we are sending Imam Hüseyin Cihan who was kidnapped by the Guardians of Thrace our best wishes and express that given the insults and death threats by the aggressors against our elected Mufti of Xanthi Ahmet Mete and his family, we are entirely standing alongside him. We invite the Greek security forces to arrest the perpetrators as soon as possible and take serious measures against the concerning threats to life safety in the region of Western Thrace.

The elected Mufti of Xanthi Ahmet Mete states in the press release that an imam working at the Mufti office was also manhandled in the past and he has been receiving threats in oral and written form since he has been elected as Mufti. This is a clear warning. In view of this alarming state, in case something happens to our elected Mufti and his family or employees of the Mufti office, the Greek state has to certainly account for this.