He devoted his life to the struggle for the existence of the Turks in Western Thrace
We commemorate Feyzullah Hasankahya, who devoted his life to the struggle for existence of Western Thrace Turks, with mercy on the 3rd anniversary of his death.
Journalist and writer Feyzullah Hasankahya , one of the opinion leaders of the Western Thrace Muslim Turkish Minority, was born in 1965 in Demircik Village of Xanthi. After graduating from primary school in his village, he went to Istanbul for a better education after receiving special education in his village for 3 years because Western Thrace Turks faced the problem of issuing passports.
In 1981, he enrolled in Fatih İsmailağa Qur'an Course, which is affiliated to the Presidency of Religious Affairs, and completed his memorization there. He studied Islamic sciences until he enlisted in the same institution. During this time, he graduated from Imam Hatip High School by giving external exams in parallel.
He interrupted his education in 1985 and returned to Greece, where he served for 18 months. After his military service in 1986, he went to İsmailağa Quran Course to complete his education . In 1989, he completed his education here and received his license, and in the same year he enrolled in Bursa Uludağ University Faculty of Theology.
Hasankahya, who graduated from Bursa Uludağ University Faculty of Theology in 1993, returned to Western Thrace in the same year and held various positions in the Sermon and Guidance Committee within the Xanthi Mufti. With his work here , he preached in mosques in Western Thrace , spoke at panels and conferences, and helped train thousands of students and hafizes.
He worked for the registration of Turkish -Islamic works and inscriptions in Western Thrace . To achieve this goal, he specialized in history at Trakya University.
Hasankahya, one of the founders of the Millet Newspaper published in Xanthi, boldly expressed the injustices done to the Turkish minority in his column in the newspaper for years. He did not remain silent in the face of the injustices done to the minority , and despite his chronic illness, he continued his struggle for the sake of what he believed in.
He took part in the establishment of the Çınar Association with his colleagues and held various positions in the board of directors of the association until his death. He took place in the management team of Çınar FM , the news and culture radio of Western Thrace , run by the Çınar Association. For years, he prepared and presented the "Çınaraltı Talks" program with the chairman of the association and the journalist and writer Cengiz Ömer, who is responsible for the Millet newspaper.
Hasankahya, who criticized the appointment of muftis in Xanthi and Komotini through his articles in Millet newspaper, was sentenced to 15 months in prison. There were many lawsuits filed by the Greek state against Hasankahya because of his articles in the newspaper.
Feyzullah Hasankahya, who devoted his life to the struggle for existence of Western Thrace Turks , passed away on Saturday, March 21, 2020, in the intensive care unit of Xanthi State Hospital, where he stayed for more than 20 days due to the Chronic Tuberculosis (TB) disease, which he had been fighting for more than 30 years. He was sent off to eternity with a funeral ceremony attended by his loved ones in Demircik village, where he was born, on Sunday, March 22.
Feyzullah Hasankahya , who served the Western Thrace Muslim Turkish Community for more than 30 years despite having serious health problems in the basic institutions of Western Thrace Turks, was an exemplary case man.
While we commemorate Feyzullah Hasankahya , an unforgettable man of struggle, who left a valuable legacy to be taken as an example to those who left behind with his deeds and writings, with respect and gratitude, we wish him more mercy from Allah and once more fortitude to his relatives.
