Ilhan Ahmet "Portrait of an 'assimilated' person in Greece" according to Turkish writer
In his article, Akşam writer Kartoğlu mentioned the recent actions of Rhodope MP İlhan Ahmet and mentioned İlhan Ahmet with the title "An 'Assimilated' Portrait in Greece".
In his article, Kartoğlu stated that the way to normalisation in Türkiye-Greece relations is for Greece to respect the rights and freedoms of Western Thrace Turks.
Rhodope PASOK MP İlhan Ahmet has been on the agenda of Turkish writers since he voted "yes" for the same-sex marriage law voted in the Greek Parliament. Analysing Ilhan Ahmet's understanding of politics in recent years, Turkish writers characterise him as the representative of Greece's assimilation policy.
Mustafa Kartoğlu, while describing the political skills of İlhan Ahmet, mentioned that in one of the writings of the late Sadık Ahmet before his death, he wrote: "Greece's policy is organised under 2 main headings: Forcing the Turkish community to migrate. If they do not migrate, to assimilate them." He likens this policy to Israel's Palestinian policy.
In this context, Kartoğlu describes İlhan Ahmet in his article as "a 'successful' example of the Greek policy in which Sadık Ahmet said 'If Turks do not migrate, they should be assimilated'".
Mustafa Kartoğlu's article is as follows:
AN 'ASSIMILATED' PORTRAIT IN GREECE
I could not write the notes I took on the reminders of the TRT co-production 'Sadık Ahmet', a film about the life of the legendary leader of Western Thrace Turks, the late Sadık Ahmet, until today.
At the top of my notes was this:
"The path to normalisation in Türkiye-Greece relations is not mutual military and political steps, but respect for the rights and freedoms of Western Thrace Turks in Greece. Greece, which does not cure its 'Turkish allergy' against the Turks who are its citizens, cannot establish lasting good relations with Türkiye. Interfering in the election of Western Thrace foundation administrations, muftis and MPs, creating and appointing 'collaborators' is not sustainable for its own internal stability."
***
When I put the notes back on my agenda, I took a look at the Western Thrace media broadcasting from Türkiye and Greece, and the Greek media from what I read there.
What I have encountered shows that there is not the slightest change in Greek policies and that the 'racist reaction' that the late Sadık Ahmet fought against continues.
***
Dr Sadık Ahmet is the most striking example of Greece's disrespect not only for Türkiye and Turks but also for democracy, EU principles and its own citizens.
He spent most of his short life in trials and imprisonment for his civil actions against the Greek government's discrimination against Western Thrace Turks and for calling himself a 'Turk'.
In 1989 and 1990 he was elected as an independent deputy,
Greece imposed an electoral threshold to prevent his election.
Finally, on 24 July 1995 (on the 73rd anniversary of the Lausanne Peace Treaty, which protected the rights of the minority in Western Thrace), he died in a suspicious traffic accident at the age of 48.
***
In one of his last articles in 1995, he summarised Greece's policy as follows:
"Greece's policy can be categorised under 2 main headings: Forcing the Turkish community to migrate. To assimilate them if they do not migrate."
Like Israel's Palestinian policy.
***
Last year, elections were held in Greece as in Türkiye. 4 Turkish deputies were elected from Western Thrace.
Özgür Ferhat and Hüseyin Zeybek from the radical left Syriza party, Burhan Baran and İlhan Ahmet from the socialist PASOK...
While scanning these names in the Western Thrace media, I came across a 'successful' example of the Greek policy which the late Sadık Ahmet said "If Turks do not migrate, they should be assimilated": Ilhan Ahmet...
***
He was a member of parliament in the previous term.
He opposed the Turkish Consulate's efforts to protect the Lausanne-based rights of the Turks of Western Thrace and the right of Turks to elect their own muftis.
He submitted parliamentary questions damaging the religious institutions of the Turkish Muslim minority and striking a blow to its legal autonomy.
He accepted foundation managers appointed by Greece, not those elected by Turks.
It was revealed in WikiLeaks documents that he gave false information about Western Thrace Turks to the US State Department.
Türkiye's role as a guarantor for the Turkish minority in Western Thrace has come up for discussion.
While giving 'anti-armament' messages to the Turkish media, he attended Greece's armament ceremonies.
For this reason, he was expelled from the Advisory Board of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace in 2022 on the grounds that he "acted against the minority community for his personal interests".
***
Before the 2023 elections, Stavros Cimas in Kathimerini newspaper praised him as "the candidate who will liberate the minority community from Türkiye".
After his election, he was recognised by the Greek President alone 'without other minority MPs'.
When questioned on Skai TV channel, "It is alleged that you called the Turkish minority", he defended himself by saying "I never said that, no, no".
Ironically, a few days later, former prime minister and then Syriza leader Tsipras used the term "Turkish minority" for the people of Western Thrace in his programme on Alpa TV.
He voted 'yes' for the law on same-sex marriage adopted by the Greek Parliament last week - despite the opposition of the elected muftis of Western Thrace. (The other 3 deputies did not vote).
For this vote, he was praised for "ignoring the fatwa of the Koran and the possible nagging of Muslim voters." (Kathimerini, 20 February 2024)
***
There was a reaction from the Turkish minority from which he was elected.
In 2019, he was elected in Rhodope with 10,812 votes.
After he was expelled from the Board due to the 'change' he experienced, he only received 5,689 votes in the May 2023 elections.
The cheaper the profile of İlhan Ahmet, the more valuable is the rejection of him and the assimilation policy he represents by the Turks of Western Thrace.
'The legacy of Sadık, not İlhan of the Ahmet's, speaks volumes to Turks all over the world...
