Greece in the U.S. Religious Freedom Report for 2016

Halit Habip Oğlu: “As ABTTF as we do every year we will prepare a parallel report and we will convey the views of the Western Thrace Turkish community on the issues found deficient or superficial in the U.S. report”

International Religious Freedom Report for 2016 prepared annually by the U.S. Secretary of State has been published. International Religious Freedom Report for 2016 covering 199 countries, as it is every year, has statements about the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace in Greece’s report. In the executive summary, there is a statement that the Turkish community in Western Thrace complains about appointment of muftis by the government with the term of “the Thrace Muslim community”.

Demography

In the report where it is stated that the country’s population is 10.8 million according to estimation of 2016 July 1.3 percent of Muslim community in the country is Muslim. And the report notes that the population of the Western Thrace Turkish community is estimated between 100 thousand and 120 thousand people according to the Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).

Mufti Problem

The report notes that Muslim Turkish minority has the right to maintain mosques and social and charitable organizations(awqafs) according to 1923 Lausanne Treaty. The report further noted that Greek government sustains the view that the Muslims who were not part of the recognized minority by the Lausanne Treaty were not covered by this Treaty and therefore did not have the rights granted to the Muslim Turkish minority.

The report mentions that government-appointed muftis were allowed to practice sharia and render judicial services in the area of family law and further notes that the government in Greece appoints three muftis with 10-year terms of office in the Western Thrace in cooperation with a committee consisted of Muslim leaders. Nevertheless, the report states that some of the members of the Western Thrace Turkish community are against the government to appoint the muftis and they ask for electing the muftis directly.

The U.S. report notes that the Greek government responded the appointment of the muftis is appropriate because the muftis have judicial powers. However, the report adds that academics and activists noted that general information on sharia law is restricted due to translation of the sharia law into Greek and the ability of the courts to provide judicial oversight are restricted. Besides, the U.S. government noted that appointment made to the administration of the charitable foundations, awqafs, by the government instead of election is criticized.

Attack by Golden Dawn during commemoration of Dr. Sadık Ahmet was in the report

The U.S. report mentions about the Golden Dawn’s attack where it shouted racist slogans “Turks are murderers” and threw stones at commemoration ceremony of Dr. Sadık Ahmer, leader of the Western Thrace Turkish community and founder of the Friendship, Equality, Peace (FEP) Party, organized with participation of 800 people on the occasion of 21st anniversary of death. The report stated that it is the first time where an attack was made at the commemoration of Sadık Ahmet and indicated the police used tear gas to break up the crowd and there is no arrests made by the police.

Criticisms of the Western Thrace Turkish community on implementation of 240 Imams Law were not covered in the report

In the report where also educational problems of the Western Thrace Turkish community were partially covered, it was mentioned that some leaders of the Western Thrace Turkish community continue making criticisms about lack of bilingual kindergartens in the Western Thrace. On the contrary it was stated in the report that the Greek authorities stated the kindergartens teaching in Greek language help children to integrate to the society at large. The report further noted that Metropolitan of Thessaloniki publicly objected to the establishment of a special division of Muslim studies in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Thessaloniki rather than Western Thrace by a decree on April 19 and added that the Metropolitan argued that that Islam and Christianity could not coexist in the same school and warned that clashes might result if students of the two disciplines insulted each other.

The report noted that there were bilingual schools in Greek and Turkish languages and two religious schools in the Western Thrace and added that the law provided for optional Islamic religious instruction in public schools in Western Thrace for the recognized Muslim Turkish minority. In the report where there were no criticisms about teaching Islam religion in Greek language at public schools under “240 Imams Law” opposed by the Western Thrace Turkish community, the U.S. report noted that Islam religion is taught at public schools in Greek language in lieu of Greek Orthodox Christianity courses. Besides the report added that Muslim students in Western Thrace could attend Quran classes in mosques.

Concerning the issue Halit Habip Oğlu, the President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) made the following statement, “The U.S. 2016 Greece Religious Freedom Report partly covers problems of the Western Thrace Turkish community in the field of religion. Particularly, our fundamental criticisms on the implementation of 240 Imams Law are not covered in the report and Islamic religious courses in public schools to teach Islam to our children in Greek language by imams affiliated to government- appointed muftis is noted as a positive application, which is not! Nevertheless, recent legal proceedings against our elected muftis are not covered in the report. As the ABTTF, as it is every year, we will prepare a parallel report and we will state views of the Western Thrace Turkish community on the issues found to be deficient and superficial in the USA report.”

You may access the full report on Greece at: https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm#wrapper.