ABTTF attended the panel discussion on “Sharia (Islamic Law)”

At the panel discussion held in Komotini, application of Sharia to the Turkish community in Western Thrace was addressed.

The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) participated on 28 November 2017 in the panel discussion on “Application of Sharia (Islamic Law) to the Muslim Citizens in Western Thrace” that was organized by the Komotini branch of the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA) at the Democritus University of Thrace. Fatma Ahmetcik, member of the ABTTF International Affairs and Lobbying Group, participated in the panel discussion where there was a high interest.

Muftis’ judicial competences in the field family and inheritance law were discussed

Assoc. Prof. and Attorney Yannis Ktistakis from the Democritus University of Thrace and Bosphorus University and Attorney Halil Mustafa belonging to the Turkish community in Western Thrace and member of the Komotini Bar were at the panel as speakers. Kristakis in his presentation entitled “Mufti and Sharia: Theocracy and Law in Contemporary Greece” emphasized in Greece, Muslims living in Western Thrace are not equal in front of law with the other Greek citizens and there is rather a special religious law for the Muslims and the only authority with full competence in the field of family and inheritance law is the (appointed) mufti, adding the sharia applied by the muftis in Western Thrace should be repealed with a law to be enforced.

Following Kristakis, Attorney Mustafa had the floor and underlined the sharia applied in the field of family and inheritance law, namely the Islamic law and in relation to this, the judicial competences of the muftis have been formed within a historical process and are based on various agreements, adding it is absolutely not the same with the sharia applied in some Islam countries. He stated this right granted to the Turkish community in Western Thrace cannot be repealed unilaterally at the disposal of government.

After the speeches, during the second part of the panel discussion, two teams each of which consisted of 3 students of the Law Department of the Democritus University of Thrace put forward their theses at the debate about abolishment or sustaining of the Islamic Law applied in Western Thrace. At the end of the panel discussion, a video footage was featured on the reasons presented by Muslim Turks living in Western Thrace about implementation or non-implementation of the Islam Law.