AVİM analysis examines pressure on Turkish muftis in Western Thrace
The Center for Eurasian Studies (AVİM) has published an analysis examining Greece’s policies towards the religious leadership of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, with a particular focus on the mufti institution and minority religious autonomy.
The commentary, authored by AVİM analyst Teoman Ertuğrul Tulun, argues that developments concerning the mufti institution should be considered within the broader framework of minority rights and the legal obligations arising from the 1913 Athens Agreement and the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.
According to the analysis, the issue of religious leadership has become an important dimension of the long-standing debate over the rights and institutional autonomy of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace. AVİM particularly focuses on the transition towards state-appointed muftis and the continued dispute over the recognition of community-elected religious leaders.
The commentary also discusses the implications of these policies for the Turkish minority’s religious and communal life, arguing that restrictions on religious autonomy may have broader consequences for community cohesion and relations between Greece and the Turkish minority.
AVİM’s analysis further refers to relevant European Court of Human Rights decisions, reports by minority-rights organizations and developments concerning the mufti institution in recent years. It concludes by calling for greater respect for treaty obligations, recognition of community-elected muftis and dialogue with minority representatives.
For the full analysis and AVİM’s detailed assessment here.
Source: Center for Eurasian Studies (AVİM), “Religious Assimilation Policies in Greece: Pressure on Turkish Muftis as a Continuation of Minority Rights Violations,” by Teoman Ertuğrul Tulun, August 21, 2025.
