Masjid belonging to Western Thrace Turks in Thessaloniki closed down!

Halit Habip Oğlu: “Greece hinders the Western Thrace Turks from exercising their prayer freely by closing down the masjids in Alexandria, Didymoteicho and now in Thessaloniki.”

The masjid of the association established by the Western Thrace Turks in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece was closed down. According to the daily Birlik, the masjid under the roof of the Macedonian-Thrace Muslims Educational and Cultural Association, which has been functioning since the opening of the association, was shut down by the order of prosecution office, and worship in the masjid was banned.

As it would be recalled, in March 2017, first the masjid of the association belonging to the Western Thrace Turks living in Alexandria, and then the masjid within the premises of Didymoteicho Muslims Educational and Cultural Association was closed.

“The Greek government, also with inspiration and guidance of far-right party ANEL in coalition, closes down, one by one, the masjids operating under the roof of legal associations established by the Western Thrace Turks in various parts of Greece. We condemn the closing down of the masjid serving for the Western Thrace Turks living in Thessaloniki under the roof of the Macedonian-Thrace Muslims Educational and Cultural Association which has been sustaining the masjid’s activities through its own possibilities since its opening, and call on our country Greece to end urgently its systematic and direct interventions that hinder the freedom of religion and worhip of the Turkish community in Western Thrace”, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).