ABTTF attends panel on “Sharia and Mufti are Questioned

Institution of mufti discussed at the panel organized in the region of Western Thrace in Greece

The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) participated in a panel on "Sharia and Mufti are Questioned" on 13 March 2017 in Athens organized by Center for European Constitutional Law - Themistokles & Dimitris Tsatos Foundation (CECL). At the panel attended by Fatma Ahmetcik, member of ABTTF International Affairs and Lobbying Group, Mustafa Mustafa and İlhan Ahmet, Western Thrace Turkish deputies who are member of the Greek Parliament were speakers and the Deputy Hüseyin Zeybek was the member of the audience.

The mufti attributed to mandate of judicature in marriage, divorce and inheritance

At the panel that received high attention Prof. Dr. Hristos Rozakis was the chair of the session. Other speakers of the panel were Yorgos Kalanci, Secretary General of Religious Affairs of Greek Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs, Kostas Gunaris, Ex-President of Bar of Xhanti and Yannis Ktistakis, Faculty Member of Thrace Dimokritos University. The panelists while attributed to the mandates of judicature of the mufti and application of sharia in their presentations, they articulated that the (appointed) muftis' mandates in the field of family and inheritance law are not questioned and the decisions taken by the muftis are not supervised.

İlhan Ahmet, PASOK deputy from Rhodope who represented Western Thrace Turks, had the floor at the panel and emphasized that due to terrorist groups like DAESH Islam religion is treated unrightfully in worldwide and stated that the application present in the Western Thrace is not sharia but a social law and mistakes in the application could be corrected if and only through the dialogue to be established with Western Thrace Turks. And Mustafa Mustafa, SYRIZA deputy from Rhodope implied that solutions for the problems experienced about the mufti are ignored by many lawyers and scientists and he added there is a need for correcting the religious law in enforcement in the Western Thrace and early marriages and alimony payment following divorce cause problems.