Xanthi Mufti Office condemns the new legal regulation
In a statement made on the website of the Xanthi Mufti Office and social media accounts on August 1, it was emphasized that the said legal regulation was unacceptable.
It was stated that the new legal regulation, which was evaluated as an intervention against the right struggle for years on the issue of Mufti, it is incompatible with the Treaty of Lausanne and against on freedom of religion.
In the statement, it was stated that the government-state's attempts to close minority schools under various pretexts continue, and it was noted that these practices are incompatible with human relations and pluralist democracy.
In the statement signed by the ‘MUFTİ OF XANTHİ’, it was stated that the unfair practices regarding the mufti and minority education are unacceptable and condemned.
The condemnation issued on 1-8-2022 by the Mufti of Xanthi is as follows:
“On July 22, 2022, a new legal arrangement was submitted to the parliament regarding the functioning of the mufti offices of the Western Thrace Turkish community in our country, Greece.
In the new legal regulation included in the law submitted to the parliament by the Ministry of Energy, the definition of the Muslim minority in Thrace and the organization and operation of the mufti offices under the title of 'Modernization of the Mufti Offices in Thrace', the position and status of the mufti offices and the provisions of the authority of the mufti, there are provisions regarding the status and functioning of our mufti office.
According to the Treaty of Lausanne, the Western Thrace Turkish Minority has the right to elect its own Mufti. Greece does not officially recognize the Minority-elected Muftis. The right to elect the Muftis was not addressed in the newly submitted draft law on the Mufti, and once again this right was usurped.
The fact that this bill came to the parliament just a few days after the death of the late, virtuous Mufti of Xanthi Ahmet Mete, who had fought hard in the cause of the Western Thrace Muslim Turkish Minority, also raised many questions in the minds.
As the Xanthi Mufti Office, we strongly condemn the law in question and do not stop voicing all the interventions against our just struggle.
On the other hand, our country, Greece, continues to close minority schools, using the shortage of students as an excuse, regardless of the educational autonomy granted to the Western Thrace Turkish Minority by the Treaty of Lausanne.
The aim of the administrations, which have been trying to reduce our schools in terms of both quality and quantity in a planned way for years, is far from goodwill. The distrust in us continues to show itself as a series of negativities in every field.
Being excluded from the decisions taken regarding our Mufti offices, foundations and education is incompatible with democracy, human rights as well as the European Union norms.
As of the next academic year, the fact that the minority schools in Koruköy, Çay mahalle, in Xanthi, in the province of Rodopi, Yardimli and Tuzcuköy are being closed by the state, have deeply upset all minority people.
According to the Lausanne Treaty, the provision that the Minority has the right to establish, manage and supervise their own schools is also ignored.
Until today, our demands that minority authorities should be consulted in decisions to be taken and laws to be enacted regarding minority education have never been taken into account and received no response.
We condemn and do not accept this behavior, which is neither suitable for human relations nor for pluralist democracy.
Xanthi Mufti Office”
