Deputy Mufti of Xanthi removed: Deputy Mufti of Komotini appointed
Greece continues to violate the Treaty of Lausanne and international law with arbitrary decisions, further disregarding the religious autonomy of the Muslim Turkish Minority. The latest controversy involves the removal of Deputy Mufti Necden Hemşeri, who was appointed by the state to the Xanthi Mufti Office, and his replacement with Cihat Halil Bilal, the Deputy Mufti of Komotini.
The decision, signed by Minister of Education and Religious Affairs Kyriakos Pierrakakis, was published on December 6, 2024, under protocol number 146767/Θ1. It specifies that Bilal’s temporary tenure will begin on December 7, 2024, and end on February 8, 2025.
The decree, published on the ministry’s website through the 'DIAVGEIA' system (ADA: 65ΗΞ46ΝΚΠΔ-Β56), cites "urgent operational needs of the Xanthi Mufti Office" as the reason for the appointment.
The Turkish Minority of Western Thrace has long criticized such actions, arguing that these state interventions undermine religious autonomy and threaten social harmony in the region. The state-appointed mufti system is widely seen as a policy that disregards the Muslim Turkish community’s will and violates their right to elect their religious leaders.
