BTTDD: Mufti law is against international treaties, should be withdrawn
The Chairman of the Western Thrace Turks Solidarity Association (BTDDD) Hasan Küçük issued a statement regarding the new regulation and the usurped rights regarding the Mufti Election of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority, which was accepted in the Greek Parliament recently.
In the statement, which stated that the law is in violation of international agreements and did not meet the expectations of the minority, it was emphasized that the decisions of the Advisory Board of the Muslim Turkish Minority of Western Thrace were fully supported.
BTTDD Chairman Hasan Küçük said, “Did the latest regulation of the Greek Republic, which we call our state in the land we were born, and the Miçotakis government, regarding the election of the Mufti of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority, surprised us? Of course not! Our usurpation of rights, which started with the 1967 Colonels' Junta, unfortunately continues exponentially in the 21st century.
This last legal regulation adopted by the Greek parliament, is against the Athens Agreement of 1913, which determined the principles regarding the institution of the mufti of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority, the law numbered 2345/1920 adopted in 1920, and the Lausanne Peace Treaty, which was signed in 1923 and guaranteed the religious autonomy of the Western Thrace Muslim Turkish Minority. The new regulations made and accepted are also ignoring the Article 40 of the Lausanne Treaty.”
Hasan Küçük, Chairman of the Western Thrace Turks Solidarity Association, stated that the legal regulation is against international agreements and that the Miçotakis government should withdraw the said law.
Chairman Küçük continued as follows: “With this legal regulation, Greece continues to violate the religious rights and freedoms of our compatriots, which are guaranteed by international agreements. Greece is trying to transform the Mufti institution into a structure under the control of the Greek state.
As in other matters, in the election of mufti, we only want the rights arising from the Treaty of Lausanne and applied to the non-Muslims in our homeland, Türkiye, in electing their own religious leaders.
We also demand our rights based on reciprocity arising from Lausanne. We, as the Western Thrace Turkish Minority, have not and will not have any claims other than our legal rights.
In this context, we fully support and undersign the statement made yesterday by the Western Thrace Turkish Minority Advisory Board, reflecting the rightful reaction of our compatriots.
Our only expectation is the immediate withdrawal of this legal regulation, which is contrary to all international agreements, by the Mitsotakis government.
In addition, we invite the Western Thrace Turkish Minority Advisory Board to urgently elect our Mufti in Xanthi, and all Western Thrace Turkish Minority to stand by this decision as a whole.
Finally, as the Western Thrace Turks Solidarity Association, I would like to declare that we are ready for any kind of legal struggle until all our rights, which have been usurped for the last 35-40 years, are taken back on legal grounds.
On this occasion, I would like to once again declare to our society that we will continue the struggle in unity with all the institutions of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority, without taking a step back.”
