Islam and Sharia Panel with appointed muftis in Komotini
Halit Habip Oğlu: “Our Country Greece again goes in its own way, implements the scenario it previously prepared, actual objective is to abolish religious freedom completely!
On 28 February 2018, a panel was held in Komotini with the title “Muftiships in Thrace and Sharia”. The panel was organized by Islam Religious Instructors Association which was established by religious instructors appointed pursuant to the law 4115/2013 to teach Islam religion at state schools. Appointed muftis; Cemali Meço from Komotini and Mehmet Emin Şinikoğlu from Xanthi and regent mufti Hamza Aliosman; Yorgos Kalancis, Secretary General for Religious Affairs at Ministry of Education; Mehmet Mustafa, the President of Islam Religious Instructors Association and lawyers Stergios Yalaoğlu and Yorgos Dudos participated at the event as speakers.
The law related to the Turkish community in Western Thrace, Greece, which has made the sharia competences utilized by muftis in the field of inheritance, marriage and divorce preferential and enabled the Greek Civil Law applicable in the case that there is disagreement between the parties, was adopted on 9 January 2018 in the Greek Parliament by majority of votes. It was striking that the muftis elected by Western Thrace Turkish community did not attend the panel at the hotel in Komotini after the adoption of the law. Hence, the issue of implementation of Islamic law in Western Thrace was discussed by the muftis appointed by the government and state authorities and lawyers. According to the news on Western Thrace Turkish media, the muftis appointed by the government who had spoken at the panel stated that they would like to discuss the changes to be brought by the law envisaging restriction of Islamic law.
Concerning the issue, the President of Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), Halit Habip Oğlu, stated: “Our Country Greece again goes in its own way. First, the legal regulation on the restriction of the powers of the muftis was adopted with a surprisingly rapid pace in order to undermine the religious autonomy of the Turkish community in Western Thrace guaranteed by international treaties, and to completely abolish the autonomy based on customs and traditions. In accordance with the prepared scenario, the Greek state tries to stipulate that it has now had a consultation with the Turkish community in the region and even has organized a panel together with minority representatives in Komotini. However, it tries to create an image of false consultation process through the muftis appointed by the state and associations established again by the state through religious instructors appointed at state schools by the state itself. And, the main objective behind all these is to make instructors that the state has appointed and paid for salaries to elect the mufti! Thus, it will abolish religious autonomy of Western Thrace Turkish community completely through sweeping the reality of usurping the right of Western Thrace Turkish community to elect their own religious leaders by the state. However, these so-called muftis and religious instructors do not represent us, these people whose salaries are paid by the state act as the tools of the state. Under these conditions, it is not possible to believe in sincerity of the Greek state neither in the mufti issue nor any other case! Instead of solving problems with dialogue, our country imitates as if it is solving the problem as per its scenario. Indeed, its real aim is to abolish our religious autonomy completely! Therefore, it is impossible for us to believe in the opposite!”.
