Minority MP first supports the mufti election, then steps back
After the Xanthi Mufti candidates' visit to the deputy Burhan Baran, the post Baran made on social media became the agenda in Greek politics. Baran had previously declared that he supported the election of mufti. As a result of the pressure of the parties, he deleted his posts and withdrew his support.
After the Xanthi Mufti candidates' visit to the deputy Burhan Baran, the post Baran made on social media became the agenda in Greek politics.
Candidates for Mufti of Xanthi Mustafa Trampa and Mustafa Kamu made a series of visits on September 1 due to the mufti election to be held on September 9. Mufti candidates also visited Xanthi Deputies Burhan Baran and Hüseyin Zeybek in this context.
Deputy Burhan Baran announced the Mufti candidates visiting to him. However Deputy Zeybek did not announced anything about the visit on his social media account.
The sharing of Deputy Burhan Baran caused confusion. Burhan Baran was put on the target board, especially the ruling party YDP, due to his statements in the post, and he was almost hit with the ball. Burhan's party PASOK had its share of what happened and eventually Burhan Baran had to withdraw his post.
WHAT DID BARAN WRITE ?
Deputy Burhan Baran shared the following from his social media account as the visits of mufti candidates:
“Today, together with the Deputy Mufti of Xanthi Ahmet Hraloğlu, Mufti candidates Mustafa Trampa and Mustafa Kamu, the mufti secretariat paid a visit at my political office.
I conveyed my wishes for success in this process, I declared to them that one of two candidates will be the elected mufti of the entire minority and our Xanthi as a result of the election, and that as the elected Deputy of the city of Xanthi and a member of the Advisory Board, I will stand by our elected mufti in any case, and thanked them for the visit.
Since the participation of the minority people in the election to be held on Friday, 09.09.2022, which will be an opportunity for the minority people to show their unity and solidarity once again, is important for our society, I request all of our people to participate in this election as a representative of the city. Kind regards."
ND and MPs ATTRACTED ATTENTION WITH THEIR ANTI-MINORITY REACTIONS
First of all, with the statement made by the New Democracy Party Press Office, PASOK Party was asked to expel Burhan Baran, the deputy who recognizes the Minority as Turkish.
YDP Press Office made the following statement on the subject:
"PASOK's Muslim MP in Xanthi, Burhan Baran, declared himself a member of the "Western Thrace Turkish Minority Advisory Board" (BTTA Advisory Board), announced the so-called mufti candidates, and encouraged Greek Muslims to participate in the "elections" on 9/9 called. Moreover, he boldly declares that he will stand by the elected one!
It is shameful for a Greek MP to call the minority "Turkish" and to invite Muslim citizens to participate in the elections for the new so-called mufti of Xanthi, which the state does not recognize.
The President of PASOK should take a stand: Why does he hire a deputy who recognizes the minority as "Turkish"? At PASOK, do they respect Greek law or not? Do they respect or not the legal procedure for the election of mufti, adopted by the Assembly a few weeks ago?”
ND Serres Deputy Tasos Hacivasiliu also reacted to Burhan Baran's post on his personal Twitter account.
Hacivasiliu reacted to Baran as follows in his post:
“PASOK’s Greek Muslim MP Burhan Baran calls the minority Turks and invites them to participate in the elections for the new so-called mufti of Xanthi, which is, unrecognized by the state (mufti). PASOK is invited to take a stand: Does it respect Greek legislation or not?”
REACTIONS AND PARTY PRESSURE TO BARAN
After the pressure Deputy Burhan Baran had to remove his post made about the visit of the mufti candidates and the election of the mufti.
Deputy Burhan Baran, who deleted what he shared the previous day on his social media account, also made the following statement:
“As the Xanthi Deputy, I express my regret for causing negative comments and inconvenience to myself and above all to the party group I represent against my will.
As a PASOK MP, I declare that after the last amendment in the Parliament that I publicly supported, I absolutely and unconditionally respect the Greek Constitution and the Greek legislation specifically regulating the institution of the mufti.
The rights of the Muslim minority are recognized by the Greek state, with no exceptions or distinctions regarding individual and political rights.
From now on, I declare that I will not participate in any process that would encourage the contrary of the above, in order to avoid any misunderstanding of my views or intentions.”
WHAT SHOULD THE CITIZENS DO IF THE NATION CANNOT RESIST THE ATTORNEY PRESSURE?
The fact that Deputy Burhan Baran removed his post about the visit of mufti candidates and the election of mufti as a result of reactions and party pressure caused questions in the minds.
After the deputy who supports the mufti to be elected by the Turkish Minority and the election process, turning on the pressures and stating that he unconditionally respects the antidemocratic legislation imposed by the appointed mufti, the society is now questioning:
If a politician, who is a deputy in the parliament with the support of the Turkish Minority, is taken back by such pressure, what should ordinary citizens do in a similar situation?
What should our ordinary citizens do in a similar situation? If the citizens also make concessions in the face of such pressures, if they make concessions from their mufti, their identity, their customs and traditions, where will this society end?
A harbinger of greater oppression and blackmail
Such pressures on the representative of the Turkish Minority in the parliament are in the nature of oppression against their compatriots. In addition, such pressures are considered as the harbinger of pressure and blackmail to be made on the Western Thrace Muslim Turks in the future.
The attitudes of the parties that are likely to send representatives to the parliament and the attitudes that lead the deputies to the point of expulsion strengthen the possibility of the reaction votes of the Turks of Western Thrace to rise in the upcoming elections.
The martial law applied against the Turks of Western Thrace under the ND government signals greater pressures.
