ABTTF issues parallel report to the report of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs
Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) prepared a parallel report in response to the issues related to the Turkish community in Western Thrace in the report "Incidents in Areas of Religious Importance in Greece-2022" published by the Greek Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports on 28 December 2023 and submitted it to the competent authorities.
In its parallel report, ABTTF conveyed in detail the problems experienced by the Turkish community in Western Thrace, which has religious autonomy in accordance with bilateral and international treaties, in religious matters and expressed its views and demands. In its parallel report, ABTTF expressed the problems of the Turkish community in Rhodes and Kos in the religious field as well as the situation of mosques and places of worship in Western Thrace and noted the problems in the protection of historical, architectural and cultural monuments inherited from the Ottoman period in the country and the attacks on religiously sacred places.
ABTTF criticised the Ministry's report for containing incomplete, ambiguous and sometimes incorrect statements regarding the Turkish community in Western Thrace and noted that the report did not address the problems of the Turkish community in the religious field and ignored its religious autonomy.
ABTTF pointed out that the 1830 Protocol, the 1881 Treaty, the 1913 Treaty of Athens and the 1923 Lausanne Peace Treaty, which determine the status and rights of the Turkish community in Western Thrace in the religious field, are not mentioned at all in the report of the ministry and stated that with the law adopted in 1991, the muftis in Komotini, Xanthi and Dimetoka were appointed by the state and today there is a dual structure with appointed muftis who are not recognised by the community and muftis elected by the community. ABTTF noted that the relevant judgements of the European Court of Human Rights, in which our country was convicted for violating the freedom of religion of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, were not mentioned in the report of the ministry.
ABTTF stated that the law titled "Modernisation of the Mufti Offices in Thrace" numbered and dated 4964/2022 was adopted by the Greek Parliament despite all the objections of the Turkish community in Western Thrace and underlined that with the law, the autonomous structures of the Mufti Offices belonging to the Turkish community were tried to be liquidated by completely connecting them to the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports.
ABTTF criticised the law no. 4115/2013 which envisages the appointment of 240 Muslim religious teachers to teach Islam in Greek language to children belonging to the Turkish community in primary and secondary public schools and mosques in Western Thrace under the auspices of appointed muftis and which the Turkish community has opposed from the first day and ABTTF noted that this practice, which is touted as positive by the government, is a very clear interference in the religious autonomy of the Turkish community and allows state control over religion.
ABTTF stated that the claim that the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sport has met all the demands for the repair and renovation of old mosques and the construction of new mosques in Western Thrace does not reflect the truth and added that today there is no new mosque construction in Western Thrace, there are applications awaiting approval for construction permits and there is no progress in the restoration of the fire damaged Dimetoka Çelebi Sultan Mehmet Mosque.
ABTTF noted that the office of the mufti in Rhodes has been closed since 1974, that the administrations of the foundations belonging to the Turkish community in Rhodes and Kos are determined by appointment as in Western Thrace, and that there are serious problems in the restoration and preservation of mosques and other historical architectural monuments inherited from the Ottoman period in the islands.
Regarding the attacks on religiously sacred sites, ABTTF stated that on 15 and 16 March 2022, the Ottoman-era Muslim-Turkish cemetery in the Horozlu village of Xanthi was vandalised by the construction equipment of the Bulustra (Avdira) Municipality due to the construction of football and basketball courts, a playground and a social facility on it and criticised the fact that the cemetery has still not been restored.
In its parallel report, ABTTF demanded that the educational and religious autonomy of the Turkish community in Western Thrace be restored, the elected muftis be recognised by the government and the historical mosques inherited from the Ottomans in our country be restored to their original state and opened for worship, taking into account the needs of the Turkish and Muslim population in the regions where they are located.
ABTTF President Halit Habip Oğlu said: "During the preparation of this year's report of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, unfortunately, our community was not consulted on issues concerning our community and the official state thesis was repeated with a one-sided and discriminatory approach. We firmly reject the 'Modernisation of the Mufti Offices in Thrace' and '240 Imams' laws, which aim to completely abolish the religious autonomy of our community, as positive steps. While the structure and internal functioning of the communities of other recognised religions in our country are not interfered with, the government's interventions targeting the religious autonomy and freedom of our community at every opportunity are unacceptable. With this parallel report that we have submitted to the competent authorities of our country, we demand from the government to implement a real minority policy based on sincerity by acting with the understanding of 'for our community, together with our community' rather than 'for our community, despite our community' in issues and problems concerning our community."
