Greek Foreign Ministry sources refer to the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace

ABTTF President Halit Habip Oğlu: “Our country Greece should immediately give up its one-sided and fanciful standpoint and respect the freedom of religion and worship of the persons belonging to the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace.”

The sources of the Greek Foreign Ministry replied on 8 June 2016 to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs by noting there is equality before the law and respect for citizens in (Western) Thrace where democracy functions in a model fashion and more than 320 mosques operate without hindrance. In its announcement in reply to the Greek Foreign Ministry’s statement on the Koran readings in Hagia Sophia during the month of Ramadan on the same date, the Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed Greece has for years not permitted the construction of a mosque in its capital city of Athens and constantly interfers with the religious freedoms of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace.

“The statement by our country Greece that it fully respects the freedom of religion of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace does not correspond to the realities and is fanciful. Through government practices and policies such as the adoption of ‘240 Imams Law’ which envisages the appointment of religious instructors to serve in the mosques in Western Thrace or the non-recognition of Muftis elected by our minority itself and imposing appointed Muftis, Greece intends to eliminate our minority’s religious autonomy guaranteed by the treaties. The Greek authorities do not meet as in the case of Thessaloniki the Muslim community’s request for opening of the closed mosques for worhip during the month of Ramadan. Most of the historical Ottoman mosques throughot the country are destroyed and closed for worship, and others are being used out of their basic purpose, for example as a cinema theater. Our country Greece, which acts if these problems did not exist, should immediately give up its one-sided and fanciful standpoint and respect the freedom of religion and worship of the persons belonging to the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace” said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).