Western Thrace Turks Being Minority Under the Shadow of the Pandemic

Home , Arriana, Aslan Pasha Mosque, Didymoteicho, Echinos, Fethiye Mosque (Athens), Glafki

Western Thrace Turks Being minority under the shadow of the Pandemic

t Prin No t M o e D Millet NewsVoice of Turkish Minority in Greece Bulletin Millet News Bulletin

Millet News Bulletin includes yearly activities of Millet News.

Broadcast Period

Millet News Bulletin is published annually.

Cengiz Bilal Ömer Budur

Editorial Salih Ramadan Board Canbaz Molla

Yunus Onbaşı Editorial

Being minority under the shadow of the Pandemic

After publishing the first issue of the Bulletin, and received appreciations form variety parts of MilletMedia the world, we look forward to meet with our read- Millet Media Company ers again. However, we wish we wouldn’t have to Miaouli Street No: 7-9 publish the new issue. in other words, we would Post Code: 67100 like the oppressions to decrease. But this did not Xanthi Greece happen, far from it, new violations applicated on the education field, despite the great march Phone: +30 2541 077968 which took place on the cover photo of the first [email protected] issue. To talk about the content, just as we entered the pandemic in the first months of the new year, we faced some rights violations. Taking advantage of the pandemic, attempts were made to Millet silence the adhan and close the mosques ille- gally. Rights violations are not limited to this. Millet Gazetesi Freedom of press and expression is under threat www.milletgazetesi.gr like the previous years. Millet Media owner was sentenced to prison one more time and minority facebook.com/milletmedia citizens targeted in local media for their expres- twitter.com/milletmedia sions. Also, military exercise took place in the instagram.com/milletworld minority village Gökçepınar (Glafki). As for the denial of identity, nothing got better. The decree [email protected] of ECHR for İskeçe (Xanthi) Turk Union’s name issue is still to be implemented. If you ask if there is nothing positive, the closure of the Golden Dawn party and the imprison- Millet ment of its members were recorded as an event that pleased us. Although this is a positive situ- Millet News ation for Greece in general, it is not possible to www.milletnews.com say that there is a positive development for the minority. facebook.com/milletworld As a result, with the courage of the positive twitter.com/milletworld feedback we received after publishing the Bulle- instagram.com/milletworld tin last year, we present the Bulletin, this time in digital format to our readers again. [email protected]

07 January 2020 Book Launch – ‘Western Thrace Minority Schools since the Treaty of Lausanne to the Present’

The launch of ‘Western Thrace Minority Schools since the Treaty of Lausanne to the Present’ took place at the conference hall of Western Thrace Turkish Teachers Union.

fter the release of the book ‘Western Thra- about the book. ce Minority Schools since the Treaty of Lausanne to the Present’ written by Se- After the author’s introduction, Dr. Sebahattin Abahattin Abdurrahman, Western Thrace Turkish Abdurrahman answered the questions raised by Teachers Union has announced the book launch the listeners about the book “Western Thrace event which took place on Tuesday, January 7, Minority Schools since the Treaty of Lausanne to 2020, at 17:00. the Present.”

The event started with the speech of Aydın At the end of the book launch Murat Omeroglu, Ahmet, President of the Western Thrace Turkish the Turkish Consul General of Komotini present- Teachers Union. Later, the Turkish Consul Gen- ed a gift to the author of the book. Dr. Sebah- eral of Komotini, Murat Ömeroğlu, greeted the hattin Abdurrahman thanked the audience and audience and shared his feelings and thoughts signed the books purchased by the readers. 6 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 10 January 2020 Celal Bayar High School helps out Sudan

The students of Komotini (Gümülcine) Celal Bayar Minority High School, one of the two minority high schools operate in Western Thrace, executed an exemplary behavior by donating two water wells in Sudan, where drought exists. hemist Adil Akbaş, one of the teachers ap- ents of the students, and a large number of phil- pointed by the authorities of Turkey (Ac- anthropic people who had no connection with cording to the Treaty of Laussane Turkey is the school contribute to this meaningful cam- Centitled to employe a certain number of teachers paign. in minority schools) recommended to the students to bear a hand with the people who cannot The collected cash aid was handed over to the fulfill for basic vital need. The teacher’s sugges- Ribat Education Foundation in Turkey to commit tion was to donate a project of drilling a well in the philanthropic project of the school. RİBAT

a region of Africa where people suffer from lack Education Foundation drilled a water well in Su- of water. The students adopted this idea and im- dan on behalf of Komotini (Gümülcine) Celal Ba- mediately started a charity campaign at school. yar High School Students. The teachers and the parents are proud of the students who carried Mainly, the students studying at the school, par- out such a meaningful project. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 7 21 January 2020 The possibility of being ‘ethnic’ in Greece

he concept of ethnicity has come up particularly after the 2nd World War. There is no doubt that the NAZI experience had made it necessary to make a change in the LOGICAL Tunderstanding of identity. While ‘race’ had been a trademark SOCIO for defining identities before WW2, now it has turned to ‘eth- VIEW nicity’. This was simply an effort of became an ‘ethnic group’ as be- making modern states more ing completely distinct not only temperate against the minori- from the mainstream WASP ties. Taking into consideration (White, Anglo-Saxon, Protes- that ‘race’ had been giving a tant) society but also from the privileged status to the main- other ethnic groups too as they stream society and the opposite completely differ culturally, lin- Salih CANBAZer to the minorities, the change of guistically and historically. Sociologist-Writ understanding of identity became a sine qua non fact. The concept of ethnicity has reached to a worldwide use, but Salih Canbaz is a MA student When we look at the emerge how meaningful it is. Does each at Sakarya University, Turkey. of ‘ethnicity’ we can see that it sub-cultural group of every He is mainly studying in the dates back to Ancient Greece country have cultural, linguis- fields of identity, nationalism, where city-states had ethnically tic and historic differences be- multiculturalism, and collective homogenous form. These main- tween each other? For example, memory. Canbaz works for Millet Newspaper as columnist stream peoples were named as when it is looked at the struc- and for Millet News as editor. ethnos (nation), while on the ture of Turkey the sub-cultural other side, the foreigners were groups cannot be separated as named as ethnicos (ethnic). they have a common historical Thus, this form of use, inspired experience dating back to 1000 the USA, the country which years ago. So the widespread was continuously receiving mi- use of ethnicity can be danger- grants. The NAZI experience ous for some societies when it made the states all over the is used in an incompatible way world unwilling to use the ‘race’ with their own social realities. as a definition of identity, so the USA started using ‘ethnicity’ in a How about Greece? Is it mean- same way as the Greeks did. ingful to talk about ethnicity in Greece or can it be dangerous So it can be unquestioningly too? Looking at the character said that, each migrant group of the country as a nation-state, such as Italians, Asians, Irish etc. we see that it is a country con-

8 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 23 January 2020 “Celebrating Christian hols in minority (Muslim-Turkish) schools is unacceptable” structed with a mono-ethnic ideal, which approves only KINAL MP of Rhodope Ilhan Ahmet taking the Greek-Orthodox identi- the floor in the Greek Parliament, said, “It is ty as a mainstream society. unacceptable to celebrate the 3 Saints hols So, talking about ethnicity in Greece can be dangerous in minority schools too which is celebrated neither for Greek people nor every year on January 30”. for the Greek culture but for the racist mentality. lhan Ahmet, expressing his this period was economically reactions against the Chris- disastrous for these young That is because of the cul- tian celebrations imposed people and their families who tural, ethnic and historical Ito the minority students, stat- were unemployed during the differences of the minori- ed in his Facebook account process. ties in Greece both with the that he drew attention to the Greek-Orthodox people and important issues concerning In this case, I underlined that each other as minorities. For the Western Thrace Turkish article 11 of the DOATAP law example, a Western Thracian Minority in the draft talks ti- number 3328/2005 was clear- Turk has nothing to do with tled “Education Regulations” ly violated. Because, accord- an Albanian or a native Greek. submitted by the Minister of ing to this, the graduate who But it is possible to keep their National Education Niki Ker- applied, must have a diploma existence alive which can also ameos on the evening of Jan- within 90 days. And non-ob- make Greece’s name heard uary 21. servance of this time forces all over the world in the con- young people to migrate. text of cultural tolerance. “I made a speech at the parliamentary session this evening, 2) Another issue that I brought To conclude, the ethnic fac- where Prime Minister Mr. to my attention was that it is tor of identities is an inevi- Mitsotakis was also present, unacceptable to celebrate a table reality in today’s coun- regarding the draft “Regula- religious holiday known as tries. The countries which tions on Education” present- the 3 Saints of the Christian are capable of dealing with ed by Minister of National Ed- faith, which is celebrated ev- ethnic groups in a friend- ucation, Niki Kerameos; ery year on January 30, also ly atmosphere succeed in in Minority schools. With a development, while on the 1) I reminded that new gradu- decision to be taken on the other hand, those who keep ates who have completed the subject, I stated that minority their racist attitude despite university abroad have been schools should be exempted. the NAZI experience cannot waiting for years to intro- find the opportunity to make duce their diplomas, and this In this regard, I submitted the a good show in the world waiting period has exceed- request letter prepared by arena. ed 4 years. I have stated that the union of minority schools www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 9 committees on 21.01.2020 to and warnings of the parents In addition some authorities the parliamentary clerk to be and school boards. have expressed their reactions recorded in the parliamentary as follows; minutes.” In 2018, a different program than the public schools was pro- Lawyer Ercan Ahmet, the Pres- CELEBRATION IS IMPOSED DE- vided to some Turkish Minority ident of the Union of Western SPITE THE REACTIONS OF THE Schools upon the request of Thrace Turkish Minority Coun- MINORITY the school administrators, with cil, said in his statement to Mil- the second instruction sent to let Newspaper that “this unfair The administrative unit respon- the schools by the units affili- implementation is no more sible for the functioning of the ated with the Eastern Macedo- than an effort to assimilate the minority”.

Another reaction to the unfair implementation of the Greek Ministry of Education came from the European West- ern Thrace Turkish Federation (ABTTF), the umbrella organization of Western Thrace Turks living in Europe. In the statement it was said, “We do not accept this imposition that ignores the religious and cultural values of the Western Thrace Turkish society and aims to be fully assimilated”.

Regarding the issue, the Pres- ident of the European West- ern Thrace Turkish Federation KINAL MP of Rhodope Ilhan Ahmet (ABTTF), Halit Habip Oğlu, said, “This imposition which is made for the celebration of a religious Minority Schools, which fre- nian Thrace Regional Education holiday of the Christian faith in quently came to the agenda Directorate, on the objections Western Thrace Turkish minori- with its practices that missed of the minority administrators. ty schools is strictly unaccept- the peace of the Western Thra- However, it is stated that this able. This circular, which disre- ce Turkish Minority, has insist- is also against the existing law, gards the religious and cultural ed on scandals by sending the according to lawyers. Accord- values of the Western Thrace program that includes the cel- ing to the law, Muslim Turkish Turkish community and aims to ebration of the Christian holi- students must be completely completely assimilate the West- day named “Three Saints Day” exempted from such religious ern Thrace Turkish children and to the Muslim Turkish Minority ceremonies. youths, should be withdrawn Schools, despite the reactions immediately”.

10 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 30 January 2020 Historian Harun Halil gives a conference about the history of Western Thrace

A conference on “History and Past of Western Thrace” was organized by Kozlukebir Municipality on Monday, 27 January 2020. illet writer and historian from Western questions of the participants at the end of the Thrace Harun Halil attended the confer- conference. ence as speaker organized by the Ko- Mzlukebir Municipality in the conference hall of Speaking at events organized by different orga- the municipality building in Kozlukebir village. nizations before, Historian Harun Halil continues to tell the citizens about the history and past of At the conference on “History and History of Western Thrace.

Harun Halil, Millet Writer and Historian

Western Thrace” held at 19:30 on Monday evening, Harun Halil provided important information At the end of the conference, Kozlukebir Mayor about the history of Western Thrace. Enriching Rıdvan Ahmet presented an award of apprecia- his presentation by giving information about the tion to Harun Halil, who informed the people of Ottoman works in Western Thrace with a cinevi- the region about the history of Western Thrace. sion screening, the expert historian answered the

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 11 30 January 2020 Turkish deputies of the Greek Parliament requested a monumental tomb for minority martyrs

Deputies Burhan Baran, Hüseyin Zeybek and İlhan Ahmet requested a memorial grave for Western Thracian Turkish minority soldiers who were martyred on the Albanian front in the second world war. Deputies sent letters to Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and National Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos to convey the request.

n the letter sent to the Min- in World War II, They called for on 19 November 2019, in ac- ister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos the need to respect the cher- cordance with the agreement Dendias and Minister of Na- ished memories of the sol- signed between 1940 - 1941 Itional Defense Nikos Panayo- diers of the minority who were about the search for Greek topulos by Turkish Minority martyred in the defense of the soldiers who lost their lives in deputies, referring the bilater- country on behalf of Greece. the operations in Albania, the

al agreement signed between opening of their graves, their Greece and Albania in 2009 Deputies stated that the burial identification and re-burials, for the honor of Greek soldiers process of 193 soldiers in Klisu- started to be implemented on who died in the Albanian front ra Military Cemetery in Albania 22 January 2018. They noted

12 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com that it was carried out with a religious 30 January 2020 and military ceremony held in. Western Thrace Turks commemorate “January 29” On the other hand, minority deputies who reminded that according to In Greece, Western Thrace Muslim the archive documents of the Land Turks, who first took to the streets Forces Command there were many minority members from Meriç, İskeçe on January 29, 1988, and then on and Rhodope provinces in the clash- January 29, 1990, to react to the es between Greece and Italy between 1940 and 1941, The presence of sol- denial of minority rights acquired diers belonging to the Western Thrace by international agreements, minority, who lost, was recorded, and accordingly, it was determined that especially the denial of Turkish most of them were martyred on the identity, and to make their voices Albanian front. heard against the injustices, MONUMENT REQUEST FOR OUR commemorated the symbol of the MARTYR SOLDIERS ethnic resistance, January 29 with Deputies said, “In the area mentioned the events. above and allocated for Greek soldiers, it is our duty to make a monument to he example of social solidarity for national iden- honor minority soldiers who have lost tity and minority rights was shown once more their lives in the front, not forgetting at the event organized by the Western Thrace TTurkish Minority Advisory Board (BTTADK) in a hotel their contribution and sacrifices to the struggle for the defense of Greece”. in Komotini where the ethnic resistance was written in history. “On the other hand, in 2018, it was decided by the government of the peri- Due to the Social Solidarity and Ethnic Resistance Day od to allocate four decares of land to of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority on Wednes- expand the Klisura Military Cemetery day, January 29, 2020, people from all parts of West- near Permedi”. ern Thrace participated in the event organized under the title “Turkish Presence in Western Thrace and Jan- “It is our belief that within these pos- uary 29th”. sibilities, a similar monument to the memory of minority soldiers will be an The event, which took place on Wednesday evening extremely positive step to take”. at 18.30, started with the video show of the events on January 29. Later, the Head of the Advisory Board and “In addition, it is important to organize Komotini Mufti İbrahim Şerif shared his memories of the opening ceremony of the monu- the events on 29 January in his opening speech. ment in accordance with the Islamic basis as well as the observance of our İbrahim Şerif stated in his speech how the Minority customs and traditions”. came to these days after the junta period, the Turkish Minority lived a ghetto life in the 1970s, and the mi- Deputies also expressed their belief nority was deprived of many rights. Stating that the that the request in the letter will be minority’s suffering increases day by day and there evaluated positively. are serious problems especially in the field of educa- www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 13 tion, Şerif stated that some mi- ing examples of the moments nority associations were closed Speaking first in the first ses- they lived at that time, Baltacı in the following years. Şerif sion, Historian Özer Hatip from said, “January 29 is a turning stated that the 29th of January the Social Sciences Institute point for our minority. Perhaps had come as a result of these of Izmir Katip Çelebi Universi- the period has changed, but events and pressures and said, ty emphasized that the denial pressures are still ongoing. The “29th of January incidents oc- of the education problem and events of January 29 have kept curred like a knife based on the ethnic identity was the most this love and our determination

bone of our minority.” annoying part of the minority to live up to now, and continue in the 1980s. Underlining that to keep it alive today”. Then the first part of the- ses 1988 is a history that Western sion, moderated by Journalist Thrace Turks should be proud Speaking at the last session, Hülya Emin speaking of January of, Hatip said, “Western Thra- BAKEŞ General Manager Per- 29, started. In the first session, ce Turkish community has a vin Hayrullah stated that the Historian Özer Hatip from İzmir deep and political history. The Turkish presence in Greece is Katip Çelebi University Insti- minority has never been out a historical reality and nobody tute of Social Sciences, Head of democratic tolerance. The can refuse it. Stating that open- of Higher Graduates (BTAYTD) minority fought an extremely ing up Turkish identity to dis- Dr. Hüseyin Baltacı and BAKEŞ democratic struggle. The point cussion in Western Thrace is General Manager Dr. Pervin reached came from the other- a completely guided political Hayrullah made a speech and ization of the minority”. maneuver, Hayrullah stated shared their thoughts on Janu- that determining one’s own ary 29 with the participants and Later, BTAYTD President Hüse- identity is the most basic hu- answered the questions asked. yin Baltacı took the floor. Giv- man right. “Western Thrace

14 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com Turks are a wealth for Greece,” spirit. It will continue this exis- Ridvan Ahmet, Iasmos Mayor said Pervin Hayrullah, who said tence with its own identity and Önder Mümin, Mayor of Myki that January 29 is the awaken- its own values. On 29 January Rıdvan Deli Hüseyin, President ing of Western Thrace Turks. this spirit was revealed. What of ÇINAR Association Cengiz In the continuation of Hayrul- happened in 1988 strength- Ömer, President of Western lah’s speech, she cited how ened the spirit of January 29 Thrace Turkish Teachers Union the events of January 29 took with their attitude towards the Aydın Ahmet, President of place in the international press violent incidents experienced BAKEŞ Hüseyin Bostancı and by quotations and especially in 1990. Western Thrace Turks General Manager Pervin Hayrul- evaluated the Minority’s per- have demonstrated their exis- lah, President of Komotini Turk- spective on these events. Final- tence in these lands and their ish Youth Union Sedat Hasan, ly, Hayrullah said, “The reality determination that they can en- President of BİHLİMDER Meh- of January 29 should be trans- gage in any kind of struggle on met Emin Ahmet, South-Evros ferred to the Minority with sci- January 29th. “ Education Culture Association entific data and reality”. President Bekir Mustafaoğlu, After the speakers at the end President of Western Thrace In the second part of the ses- of the program, Mufti of İskeçe Mosques Religion Officers As- sion, Izmir Katip Çelebi Univer- Ahmet Mete took the floor and sociation Sadık Sadık, Eastern sity Vice President, attending greeted the citizens and shared Macedonia and Thrace Region- the event from İzmir. Dr. Turan his thoughts on January 29. al Vice President Ahmet İbram, Gökçe spoke to Western Thra- Mete said in his speech: “Unlike councilors Tarkan Multaza and cian citizens. not losing the spirit of January Cihan İmamoğlu and citizens 29, it is necessary to live. I hope from all parts of Western Thra- Prof. Dr. Gökçe In the first Allah, together with our state, ce attended the event. part of his speech shared his let the peace unite with us”. thoughts on January 29 and, January 29: Epic of “Eth- after evaluating some points Advisory Board Chairman and nic Resistance” of West- voiced by previous speakers, Mufti of Gümülcine Ibrahim gave detailed information to Serif presented a gift to those ern Thrace Turks the participants by mentioning who attended the program at On January 29, 1988, the West- the history of the Turkish pres- the end of the event as speakers ern Thrace Turkish Minority ence in the Western Thrace re- from Turkey, Izmir Katip Celebi took to the streets with thou- gion and the Balkans. University Vice-President Prof. sands of people to stop the Dr. Turan Gökçe and Izmir Katip Greek state’s denial of national Gökçe, who said “January 29 is Çelebi University Social Scienc- identity, anti-democratic prac- the resistance day of the West- es Institute Historian Özer Hatip tices, digestion, and assimila- ern Thrace Turks, it is the day of who is a Western Thracian. tion policies and wrote the epic the struggle for existence”, con- “Ethnic Resistance” by shouting tinued as follows: “This date is Turkey’s Komotini Consul Gen- its voice to the world. the day when the knife rests on eral Murat Ömeroğlu, Western the bone in terms of Western Thrace Turkish Minority Advi- What happened on January 29, Thrace Turks. 29 January is not sory Board Chairman and Ko- 1988 in the process of the Eth- only a case but also a resistance. motini Mufti Ibrahim Sharif, nic Resistance that the minority With this spirit, Western Thrace Chairman of Friendship, Equali- wrote in history Turks guaranteed its future ex- ty and Peace Party Cigdem Asa- istence in a way. As in yester- foğlu, Mufti of Xanthi Ahmet It was a turning point in mi- day, tomorrow will survive and Mete, KINAL Deputy of Xanthi nority history that thousands of live in this land with the same Burhan Baran, Arriana Mayor Turks in Western Thrace passed www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 15 the Ethnic Resistance on Janu- police were added to Gümül- ropolitan Damaskinos to the ary 29, 1988 and shouted the cine from Kavala. The number Greeks to prevent the event pressure and practices of the of Turks who reached Komotini caused the events to grow. Greek state to the whole world. and got caught in police bar- While the Turks gathered in the The spark that triggered the ricades at the city’s entrances Eski Mosque for the event, the January 29 was the approval was close to 20 thousand. State Greeks damaged the Turkish of the Greek Supreme Court of officials asked for the demon- coffeehouses and shops with Appeals on 4 November 1987 strators to disperse. Indepen- sticks in groups. Hearing the at- to close the Western Thrace dent Deputy Ahmet Faikoğlu, tacks, the Turks wanted to en- Turkish Teachers Union and the after the speech he made to the ter the Komotini Turkish Youth Komotini Turkish Youth Union. crowd, the show turned into a Union from the Eski Mosque Although the decision from walk with the news that some to take shelter in, but the po- the Supreme Court came out Turks were arrested by the police did not allow it. On the on November 4, the decision lice while the crowd started to one hand, the police prevented only increased the reactions disperse. Many minority indi- Turks from going to GTGB, and of the Western Thrace Turkish viduals were beaten, subjected on the other hand, they ignored Minority, which got tired of the to violence and arrested during the damages to minority work- injustice when it was learned on the march. places. Nearly 1000 attackers January 5, 1988, and the Greek attacked 400 workplaces in the state “denied identity”. The Mi- 400 workplaces belonging to incidents and damaged them. nority High Council decided to minority people were destroyed Attacks on the minority work- organize a march from Komo- on 29 January 1990 place have caused major mate- tini Old Mosque to the Gov- rial damage. ernor’s Mansion after Friday Even though the Western Thra- prayer on 29 January 1988, in ce Turkish Minority showed its Western Thrace Muslim Turkish order to protest the practices reaction to the pressure of the Minority wrote a history on 29 of the Greek state, which de- Greek state and the digestion January 1988 and 29 January nies “Turkish identity” and to policies with the demonstra- 1990. In these events, the mi- announce it to the world. This tions in 1988, state policy did nority came shoulder to shoul- decision was also reported to not change and continued its der. The union united in the state authorities. Greece did pressures. The Minority High best way and tried to stop the not allow this march and both Council decided to organize Greek state. January 29, 1988 in Greek and in Turkish was an- a religious event in the Eski and January 29, 1990 were the nounced that the Turks were Mosque on January 29, 1990 to days when the Western Thrace banned from gathering for the commemorate what happened Turkish Minority symbolized march from Komotini radio. in January 1988. On January the National Resistance. Al- However, the Western Thrace 28, when the minority’s lead- though 32 years have passed Turkish Minority was deter- ers tried to keep the public in- since the incidents and the Jan- mined to announce the pres- formed about the commemo- uary 29s have been a minority sures of the Greek state to the ration event, an unrelated news turning point for the acquisition world. For this reason, despite from Greek local radios spread. of rights, the minority has still the ban on the radio, police bar- This news was that a Greek was not been able to obtain most of ricades on the roads, thousands killed by a Turk in the hospital. its rights except for some rights of Turkish Komotini flocked This was unreal news to com- and the Greek state continues from İskeçe and Meriç. In order pletely block the January 29 its antidemocratic practices to stop the march, the Eski (Old) commemoration event. Along without slowing down in many and Yeni (New) Mosque were with the news, the call of the areas. closed for worship, however, Greeks-Maronia Church Met-

16 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com

01 February 2020 Burhan Baran and İlhan Ahmet condemned Lagos, who tore the Turkish flag

Turkish MPs in the Greek Parliament Burhan Baran from KINAL in İskeçe (Xanthi) and Ilhan Ahmet in Rodope, condemned Golden Dawn’s former MP Ioannis Lagos who tore the Turkish Flag in the European Parliament during his speech.

anthi deputy Burhan Baran condemned the able to insult, disrespect, insult national feelings disrespect of racist Lagos against the Turk- against the flag of a state, which is accepted as a ish flag with the following statements: national symbol. I strongly condemn this hateful X movement by the Greek parliament in the Euro- “Every flag is sacred to the country it represents. pean Parliament. Democracy, human rights, con- I condemn the disrespect of the Golden Dawn temporary universal values and I firmly believe party MP Ioannis Lagos as a member of the that the Turkish and Greek peoples will respond Greek Parliament during his speech in the Euro- with common sense and leave such movements pean Union Parliament.” and people to the dusty pages of history, against this provocative racist movement that explicitly Rhodope deputy İlhan Ahmet also condemned targets tolerance.” the insult of the Greek parliamenter to the Turk- ish flag in the statement he made on social me- Racist Lagos’ insult on the Turkish flag was also dia with the following words: condemned in a statement issued by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “For whatever political reason, it is unaccept-

18 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 08 February 2020 Neo-Nazist politician Lagos files a criminal complaint against the mufti

LASYN Party, led by former Golden Dawn Party deputy Ioannis Lagos, who came to the agenda with the Turkish flag provocation, filed a criminal complaint against Mufti of Eİskeçe (Xanthi) Ahmet Mete. Mufti Mete announced the news on his social media account.

Another scandalous move has come from the former Greek deputy Ioannis Lagos who tore the Turkish Flag in the Europe- an Parliament.

CLAIMS ABOUT ‘TAKING ACTION FOR TURKEY’S INTERESTS’

According to the news of Yaşar Anter from Sözcü newspaper; the news announced by www.milletgazetesi.gr broadcasting in Greece and known as the voice of West- ern Thrace Turks, a criminal complaint was filed against mufti Mete for taking action for Turkey’s interests in Thrace.

For this reason, it was stated that the necessary documents were collected and submitted by the ELASYN Party officials to the Court of Cassation on Monday, February 3.

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 19 11 February 2020 Greek EU lawmaker sanctioned over tearing Turkish flag

Ioannis Lagos pays penalty, temporarily suspended from activities for using insulting language, damaging national symbol.

lawmaker Ioannis uation on the Greek islands. La- cedure against Lagos the fol- Lagos, who ripped gos accused the EU of ignoring lowing day. apart a Turkish flag, the rights of Greeks and de- EUwas penalized, the European scribed a dramatic situation in Last October, Italian MEP An- Parliament’s President David Greece. gelo Ciocca was suspended Sassoli announced on Tuesday. from five days of activities and The Greek MEP blamed Tur- deprived of 10 days of daily al- For using an insulting language key for the “stream of migrants lowance after throwing a box of and tearing apart a national coming into” his country and Turkish delight during a debate symbol, Lagos will lose sev- “getting away with whatever it over Turkey’s counter-terror- en days of his daily allowance likes.” He then tore into pieces ism Operation Peace Spring in and his parliamentary activities a Turkish flag made of paper, northern Syria. will be suspended for four con- and said: “Let’s put an end to secutive days starting on Feb. this.” Lagos is one of the most prom- 11. The financial penalty totals inent figures of Golden Dawn, €2,261 ($2,469). In a swift response, the chair of a far-right racist political par- the session called for restraint, ty in Greece. In 2019, he was The incident happened during adding that such behavior was found guilty of leading an at- the last plenary session in Jan- not acceptable. tack against a community cen- uary when EU lawmakers were ter in Athens which hosted asy- debating the humanitarian sit- Sassoli started a sanction pro- lum-seekers. 20 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 11 February 2020 “The minority in Thrace is a Muslim Greek minority” claims President Pavlopoulos

President Pavlopoulos, who had been in Western Thrace recently, repeated the rhetoric that Western Thrace Turks rejected despite all the impositions: “The Western Thrace (Turkish) Minority living in Western Thrace in Greece are Greek Muslims and this will never change.” reek President Proko- ish identity) the state policy, pis Pavlopoulos visited President Pavlopoulos, who which has hurt the oppressed the village of Maronia of visited the Municipality of Ma- Western Thrace Turks for years. GSapci (Sapes) Municipality on ronia at noon on Monday, Feb- In fact, it is known that the main Monday (February 10th). The ruary 10, spoke to citizens in aim of every visit to Western President came to the region Maronya at the city hall. The Thrace is these denial state- on the occasion of the inclusion President stated to the citizens ments. In his continuation of of historical Greek monuments why he visited Maronia and his speech, the President stated and the village in Unesco in the gave information about histori- that the Western Thrace (Turk- Maronia region. cal artifacts. ish) Minority living in Western Thrace in Greece are Greek The Mayor of Sapci, Haritopou- THE MINORITY IN WESTERN Muslims and this will never los, who hosted the President THRACE IS A GREEK, MUSLIM change. While declaring that Pavlopoulos in the region, de- MINORITY Greece is a country of religious clared the president as the mu- freedoms, he refrained from nicipality’s voter by delivering President Pavlopoulos has not talking to citizens with different the key of the municipality. neglected to repeat (deny Turk- ethnic backgrounds. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 21 15 February 2020 Western Thrace under French rule (1919-1920)

After the start of World War I, with the emergence Research of a national division in Greece between 1915- 1917, Greece was divided into two parts as North and South. Under the leadership of Eleftherios Venizelos, Northern Greece wanted to be on the side of England-France, while King Constantine in Southern Greece thought that Greece should be outside the WWI. Harun HALİL Historian - Writer After the French forces landed in Thessaloniki in 1916, when After the treaty, the French Harun Halil is a PhD candidate the Allied Powers on the Mace- forces invaded Western Thrace at Istanbul University. He donian front succeeded, Greece on behalf of the Allied forces has also submitted a MA preferred to be on the side of and established an autono- thesis in Thrace University the Allied Powers in 1917. Af- mous administration affiliated ter the end of WWI, the Neuil- with France in the region. The with a title ‘1897 Ottoman- ly Treaty (27 November 1919) French administration in West- Greek War according to greek was signed between Greece ern Thrace lasted a total of 7 historiography’ in 2019. and Bulgaria in 1919, according months (10 October 1919-14 to this agreement, Bulgaria left May 1920). During French rule, Western Thrace to Greece. the center of Western Thra-

ce became Komotini, General can Muslim soldiers, the French - Dominating the unity in the Charles Antoine Charpy (1869- colony (Francophone). The sol- region and establishing peace 1941) was appointed as the diers showed good behavior General Governor of Western towards Turks, Greeks, Arme- -Respect for the indigenous Thrace by French Marshal Lou- nians, and Jews residing in the people’s tradition, culture, and is Franchet d ‘Espèrey. France region. Governor Charpy Arif religion. aims to establish a mandatory Zade appointed Arif Efendi as a administration in Western Thra- governor. - Bringing members of differ- ce, independent of domestic af- ent religions and nations to the fairs but dependent on France Mission and Vision of the state level in foreign affairs. The majority French Administration in West- of French soldiers consisted of ern Thrace: - Increasing the number of civil Senegal, Algerian and Moroc- servants

22 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com fields of trade, to Bulgarians, France not only attaches im- - The contribution of the West- Turks, and Greeks in the fields portance to the education sys- ern Thrace region to the French of agriculture and animal hus- tem in its colonies but advocat- state and the need of the peo- bandry. In addition, France used ed modernizing the education ple of the region regardless of the ports of Alexandroupolis system. Therefore, the French religion and nation. (Dedeağaç) and Porto Lagos curriculum was compulsory at (Karaağaç Pier) economically all schools in Western Thrace. - Using French money as cur- and militarily. The biggest in- Thanks to the French educa- rency. vestment France has made in tion system, students studying Western Thrace is the Agricul- in schools in Western Thrace - Printing French seals and tural Station built on the exit of learned French well. Students postcards. Komotini-Xanthi road. Thanks who have passed the French to the Agricultural Station, the education system have started - Muslims to continue their sha- food needs of Western Thra- to adopt French culture as well ria courts. ce were met. The French Gov- as French. The Tsanakleio Sxo-

- Ottoman State laws to remain in force in courts.

- Official languages to be French, Turkish and Greek.

- Enforcement of the French curriculum in schools.

- Performing non-political issues without consulting the French.

- The formation of the police forces.

- Taking the French administration system as a prototype.

- Turks, Greeks, Bulgarians, Ar- menians and Jews to have their ernment provided 800 tons li (Greek High School) building own representatives. of salt, wheat, and barley to in the center of Komotini was Western Thrace. In addition, a used as an orphanage during - Evaluation and preservation diesel-powered power gener- the French administration pe- of cultural and historical monu- ation factory was established riod. ments in Western Thrace within in the courtyard of the Imaret the scope of cultural heritage. Mosque, in order to meet the General Charpy preserved his- electricity needs of the city. torical artifacts and cultural val- During this period, the French Train stations in Western Thrace ues belonging to Islam, Chris- administration made econom- have been renovated and built tianity and Jewish civilizations ic investments, contributing a bridge to the city center. in Western Thrace, within the to Jews and Armenians in the scope of cultural heritage. For www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 23 example, the Old Mosque, lo- and Bulgarians living in the re- cated in the center of Komoti- In March 1920, a referendum gion and gathered around the ni shortly after the start of the was held in the Old Courthouse government mansion, chanting Balkan Wars, was converted in the center of Komotini, which commander Charpy and long into a church by the Bulgari- determined the fate of Western live France. ans in 1912 and operated as a Thrace. The referendum was church until 1919, but the Gov- composed of Jewish delegate Understanding the “humanist ernor Charpy officially returned Muiz Karaso, Bulgarian dele- philosophy of history”, which the Old Mosque to the head of gate Petku Daçef, Greek del- is the philosophy of French the foundation administration egate Nikolaos Zoidis, Turkish history, will help us to under- at that time (from church to delegates Ortacılı Ali Bey, Tabak stand how and by which meth- mosque). The reason of Gen- Halil Ağa, Osman Ağa, Hafız od the French administration eral Charpy’s movement lays Galip Efendi and Hacı Yusuf. In will shape its future in Western behind the sympathy for the the referendum, there were op- Thrace. Even if France is in favor Ottomans and Turks. Because tions to connect Western Thra- of the people of the region in the short term, there would be the possibility of imposing the French culture of Turks, Greeks, Armenians, Bulgarians and Jews in Western Thrace with the French education system here- with Western Thrace would not be similar to other French colonies in which “hard power policy” followed, whereas, in West- ern Thrace, French humanism could begin to apply the “soft power policy” with education, French literature, and French culture, which are elements of the philosophy of history. At the “San Remo Conference”, it was observed that France was not a “permanent” and “domi- nant” power in the region.

Charpy thought that Suleiman ce to Greece, Bulgaria or France. Bibliography: the Magnificent helped the As a result of the referendum, it French King François I and the was decided to connect West- Armingeat (Commandant), Le Ottoman Empire was indebted ern Thrace to Greece with the commandement français en to the Ottoman State for be- majority of votes. Later, at the Thrace occidentale, La Revue ing with him on the dark days San Remo Congress (between Militaire Française-publiée avec of France. The Muslim Youth 18-26 April 1920), Western Thra- le concours de l`etat-major de Union was opened as a cultur- ce was connected to Greece. l`Armée, 49, Juillet=Septembre al center thanks to the help of As the French forces withdrew 1925, Librairie Militaire Berg- Governor Charpy during his pe- from Western Thrace, General er-Levrault, Naney-Paris-Stras- riod. Charpy won the hearts of Turks bourg, 289-309.

24 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com EN: [Kemal Şevket Batıbey, West- EN: [Armingeat (Commander), French ern Thrace Turkish State (1919-1920), command in Western Thrace, The Boğaziçi Publishing, Istanbul 2000.] French Military Review-published with the assistance of the General Staff of Ιωάννης Μ. Μπακιρτζής, Η Δυτική the Army, 49, July = September 1925, Θράκη, Στη Μετάβαση 1913-1920 Berger-Levrault Military Library, Nan- Εκδόσεις Σταμούλης, Θεσσαλονίκη cy-Paris-Strasbourg, 289-309.] 2016.

Bourcart Jacques, La Thrace Occiden- EN: [Ioannis M. Mpakirtzis, The West- tale Administrée Par La France Octobre 1919-28 Mai 1920, Revue Politique et Parlementaire, εκδ. Fernand Faure-Edouard Julia, no. 34, t. CVI, Paris, 10/01/1921, 441- 456.

EN: [Bourcart Jacques, The West- ern Thrace Administered By France October 1919-28 May 1920, Politic and Parliamenta- ry Review, Ed. Fernand Faure- Edouard Julia, no. 34, t. CVI, Paris, 10/02/1921, 441-456. ]

Κώστα Γεράγα (Αναπληρωτής Γενικού Διοικητού Θράκης), Αναμνήσεις Εκ Θράκης 1920- 1922, Εν Αθήναις Τυπογραφείον Εστία, Αθήνα 1925.

EN: [Kosta Geraga (Αναπληρωτής ern Thrace, In the Transition 1913- Γενικού Διοικητού Θράκης), Memo- 1920 Stamoulis Editions, Thessaloniki ries From Thrace 1920-1922, In Athens 2016.] Printing House, Athens 1925.] https://www.xronos.gr/arthra/krati- Kadiroğlu, Emin, EVLAD-I FATİ- dio-tis-diasymmahikis-thrakis-kai-oli- HAN’DAN FATİHNAME, Alemdar Of- gon-imeron-morfoma-tis-organis set, Gümülcine 2019. https://www.kathimerini.gr/1047913/ EN: [Kadiroğlu, Emin, FATİHNAME gallery/epikairothta/ellada/h-aytono- FROM EVLAD-I FATİHAN, Alemdar mia-ths-dytikhs-8rakhs Offset, Komotini 2019.] https://www.paratiritis-news.gr/arti- Kemal Şevket Batıbey, Batı Trakya Türk cle/202652/Agnostes-fotografies-thi- Devleti (1919-1920), Boğaziçi Yayınları, sauroi--apo-tin-periodo-tis-diasum- İstanbul 2000. maxikis-dioikisis-tis-Thrakis www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 25 18 February 2020 Turkey: Greece cannot deny Muslim Turkish minority

Turkish leaders blast Greek president for referring to Muslim Turkish minority in Western Thrace as ‘Greek Muslim minority’. Top Turkish officials on Tuesday slammed of democracy again called the Muslim Turkish Greece’s president for mislabeling the Muslim minority a ‘Greek Muslim minority’,” Turkish For- Turkish minority in a region of Greece bordering eign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter, Turkey as a “Greek Muslim minority”. saying this mischaracterization comes “despite all the rulings of the European Court of Human “The president of a country said to be the cradle Rights.”

26 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com to call the Muslim Turkish mi- change the historical facts He added: “Whatever you say, nority a ‘Muslim Greek Minori- about the Turkish community Western Thrace’s Turkish mi- ty’ during his visit to Western in Western Thrace are in vain, nority has been Turkish for Thrace. Denying the identity and that it is saddening to see centuries, it will remain Turk- of the Muslim Turkish minority such “racist approaches” in de- ish..!” is a reprehensible act,” he said fiance of rulings of the Europe- on Twitter. an Court of Human Rights. On Sunday, visiting Western Thrace, a Greek region with Celik urged Pavlopoulos to “Those who try to portray a large Muslim Turkish popu- correctly address the Muslim Western Thrace’s Turkish so- lation, Prokopis Pavlopoulos Turkish minority with “respect ciety as a ‘threat’ and ‘danger’ claimed that under the 1923 for democratic values,” add- are harming their democracy.” Treaty of Lausanne, the Turks ing that it is “unacceptable” for of Western Thrace are only a politicians to launch “system- Celik said Western Thrace’s religious minority, whereas the atic attacks against the iden- Turkish society is a “powerful Orthodox Greeks living in the tity” of Muslim Turks in an EU resource” for Greek democra- Turkish metropolis Istanbul are member country. cy. a national minority. For decades Greece has en- Athens has claimed that the In a speech, Pavlopoulos re- forced policies suppressing expression “Turkish minority” ferred to the Greek minority the Muslim Turkish minority of is not found in the Treaty of in Istanbul as a “Greek minori- Western Thrace – often in defi- Lausanne, the 1923 pact defin- ty,” while using the expression ance of European court rulings ing the borders of the modern “Greek Muslim Minority” to – such as denying them the Turkish state in the aftermath describe the Turkish minority right to elect their own muftis of the Turkish War of Indepen- in Western Thrace. (religious leaders) or banning dence. the word “Turkish” in the name of associations. Greece’s Western Thrace region is home to a Muslim Turk- ‘Reprehensible’ to deny Mus- “[The identity of the] Muslim ish minority of around 150,000 lim Turkish minority Turkish minority is a historical people. fact in Western Thrace. No- Omer Celik, spokesman for body can change this fact. It Next month Pavlopoulos is to Turkey’s ruling Justice and is a racist approach to call the be succeeded by Katerina Sa- Development (AK) Party, also Muslim Turkish minority the kellaropoulou, a former judge, blasted the Greek leader. ‘Muslim Greek minority’,” add- as the Greek parliament in Jan- ed Celik. uary elected her the country’s “It is extremely wrong for first female president. Greek President Pavlopoulos He also said that efforts to www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 27 20 February 2020 Another blow to religious freedom in Greece

reece, which states that it is a country of religious freedom, has committed another violence against religious freedom. Criminal lawsuits were filed against Mustafa Darmon who Gis Imam in the village of Agnila in Xanthi, on the grounds that “he was an imam (place extortion) even though there was no appointed imam”.

As it is known in Greece, muftis are appointed son that “he was an imam (place extortion) even by the state, despite the article of the Lausanne though there was no appointed imam”. Treaty that gives the minority the right to elect their religious leaders by themselves. In this man- As it would be remembered Greek President ner, muftis are appointed for decades, as well as Pavlopoulos, who used sentences to deny the numerous lawsuits had been filed against them. ethnic identity of the minority has pointed out that Greece is a country where religious freedom Muftis being ‘illegal’ persons according to the exists. However, when all these happen against state, imams who are employed by the muftis clerics, it is obvious that Pavlopoulos’s expres- are accounted as ‘criminals’ too. Lastly, Musta- sion is just for legitimizing the denial of ethnic fa Darmon who is the Imam of Agnila village in identity and cover up the assimilation policies. Xanthi has faced a criminal lawsuit with a rea- 28 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 20 February 2020 Minister Kerameos: Hellenism (in Turkey) is standing thanks to our churches and schools

inister of Education and Religious Affairs Niki Kerameos visited the religious and educational institutions of the Istanbul Non-Muslim (Greek) Minority. “Hellenism is Mstanding here thanks to our churches and schools,” said the minister during her visit to Bartholomeos, Archbishop of the Minority in Istanbul.

Analysis | News Cengiz Bilal Ömer Budur

ccording to the state- give a clear message. Master, ment on the official web- After the school visits, Minister please support these schools. site of the Greek Minis- Kerameos, who visited the Fen- Thank you very much for this Atry of Education and Religious er Greek Orthodox Patriarch- opportunity. It is a great hon- Affairs, Minister Niki Kerameos ate, was reported to have had or for us to visit Fener. We also paid a visit to Istanbul on Friday the opportunity to discuss their look forward to the excellent (February 14th). According to common interests with Patri- cooperation between the min- the ministry statement, Keram- arch Bartholomeos and mem- istry and the ecumenical patri- eos also visited Greek schools bers of the Holy Synod. archate”. in Istanbul. Standing Hellenism thanks to If there is a similar situation in In the statement, it was stated the church Western Thrace… that Minister Kerameos, who visited Zapyon, Zografyon and Addressing Bartholomeos One of the most remarkable Fener Greek High School, dis- during her visit to the Patri- points of Kerameos during her cussed educational issues with archate, Minister Kerameos visit to the patriarchate, which educators here. It was stated said, “Truly Hellenism is a privi- is a religious institution Istan- that the need for the support of leged opportunity to speak for bul was her statement which the Greek state was expressed Hellenism and Orthodoxy. As pointed out that Hellenism is by the educators, and some you mentioned before, Helle- standing in Istanbul thanks to school principals emphasized nism stands here thanks to our the church. that they have not been visit- churches and schools. I assure ed by a responsible minister for you that one of the reasons I Let’s just think that a similar years. visited these schools was to case happens in Western Thra-

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 29 ce. Turkey’s Education Minister ic Muslims” should know that Everything should serve Hel- Ziya Selcuk comes and visits our the Turkish Minority in Greece lenism according to the Greek muftis and says, “our Turkish- feels uncomfortable and rejects Patriarchate ness in Western Thrace stands absolutely the imposition. To thanks to the muftis”. In such understand this fact, it will be By the Patriarch and the Greek case, it is obvious without say- enough to think just if Turkey’s Education and Religious Affairs ing that the Greek media would officials state similarly “These Minister, we learn that the Pa- make the fur fly. It is known that are not Greek bu Turkish Or- triarchate in Turkey utilizes the opportunities are pursued, even thodox”. church and the Orthodoxy to excuses are made in this sense sustain the Hellenism. The in- and scenarios are designed. Focus on the subject (the Pa- teresting thing is that those The archive of the Greek media triarch), not the object (Keram- who present what they do as is full of inflated news. eos)! an innocent effort object to the use of the Muslim Turkish Mi- Turkish identity deniers who In the statement of the Greek nority, the Mufti, and Islam for know the best of all (!) Education and Religious Affairs the survival of Turkism in West- Minister Kerameos, it is under- ern Thrace, and they describe In the case of Western Thrace stood that her expressions are it as the fifth branch of activity Turks, those who do not re- referring to the Patriarch and and treachery. They even risk frain from practicing all kinds she approves them. In other their life and property secu- of modern cruelties and in- words, it is Patriarch Bartholo- rity by targeting the Western trigues, especially the denial of meos who made Kerameos use Thrace Turkish Minority with ethnic identity, do not refrain these sentences. It is under- their political and media out- from bloated speeches that stood that the Patriarchate was lets. According to their under- make them all when it comes to the mentor of this work. Greek standing, they will say and do their own minority members. It politicians’ discourse that the what they want when it comes is seen that the law professors Non-Muslim Minority in Istan- to their identity and minority, and politicians of the Patriarch- bul is Hellenic while the Muslim but they will still decide when it ate of Greece were arbitrarily Minority in Western Thrace is comes to Western Thrace Mus- distorted by interpreting all not Turkish but Hellenic too, is lim Turks. Why? Because every- international agreements, es- the invention of the Patriarch- thing in the world is asked to pecially the Lausanne Treaty. ate. If that was not the case, serve Hellenism. At this point, What has happened in the last then the Patriarch would speak Western Thrace Turks shout out few days draws attention as the truth as a sincere religion their objections at a high voice one of the obvious examples of and righteous man and would and say, “We decide about this. On the one hand, while the have asked for the Western our identity ourselves. It is not President of Greece denied the Thrace Muslim Turkish Minori- for anyone to give us artificial national identity of the West- ty what he wanted for his own identities. Freedom of expres- ern Thrace Turks during his visit minority. He would remind to sion and self-determination are to the Western Thrace region, their fellows and those who among the most fundamental on the other hand, Greek Ed- were subject to the church that human rights and cannot be ucation and Religious Affairs the Western Thrace Turks are imposed by others. No church, Minister Kerameos can shout ethnically Turks, not Hellenic, politician, president or state can “Thanks to the church of Helle- and that the will of the minori- impose identity, especially on nism standing in Istanbul”. ty living here, and the right to Western Thrace Muslim Turks. express and self-identify should No human power in the world Those who address the Western be respected can ever discourage Western Thrace Muslim Turks as “Hellen- Thrace Turks from their ethnic

30 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com and religious identities”. If the Patriarch calls for justice not only for Why is the Patriarch selfish? Are rights and themselves but also for all those who suffer justice only for themselves? injustice, and especially for the Western Thra- ce Muslim Turkish Community, where it owes Another question that comes up here and its existence, Turkish-Greek relations gain a awaits an answer is why Patriarch Bartholo- different dimension in our region and in the meos, who at every opportunity to say that world. there are important developments for Jesus is in search of right, justice, and peace peace. for all humanity, has forbidden the rights and law that he wants for his own minority from We remind that it is a sin for the Patriarch and others. Does the Patriarch who claims to be those who are subject to it, not to want for a righteous man does not know that “silence the Western Thrace Muslim Turkish Minori- in the face of injustice is a dumb evil” and ty the same which they want for themselves. that “it is a sin not to want what he wants for We hope that they will come back as soon

themselves for others”? Or has he forgotten? as possible from this betrayal against their Or does it sound like it? So, unfortunately, he ancestors, who were launched as the inven- commits a great sin and is in great betrayal to tors of democracy and civilization. As Muslim the Bible, Jesus, the One Creator, democracy, Turks, we always believe that hopes for peace rights and justice. It is also unthinkable not to are not exhausted and we extend our friendly be aware of this. Every sane and conscientious hands to everyone who is sincere. person knows that. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 31 26 February 2020 Oppresion against the Turks in Greece continue through the judiciary

A new lawsuit was filed against Millet Newspaper Editor Feyzullah Hasankahya.

riminal prosecution was filed by the Xan- Thrace Muslim Turks continue, new cases are thi Prosecutor’s Office on the charge of added to the cases against the Western Thra- “inciting the public to violence or hatred” ce Turkish press. While the previous court pro- Cbecause of the article written by Hasankahya ceedings against the writers and directors of our in March 2017 with a title “Is March 25 a feast newspaper are continuing, this time a new crim- for Western Thrace Muslim Turks? (25 Mart Batı inal case has been filed against the Millet News- Trakya Müslüman Türkleri için bayram mıdır?)”. paper Editor Feyzullah Hasankahya by the Xanthi Prosecutor’s Office. The case will be held at the The oppressions against Western Thrace Muslim İskeçe Three Judges Criminal Court on Tuesday, Turks are endless. While the courts against muf- May 5, 2020. ti and religious officials elected by the Western

32 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 27 February 2020 Mufti Ahmet Mete receives 4 months imprisonment skeçe (Xanthi) Mufti Ahmet Mete was sentenced to 4 months in prison in the trial where he was tried in Thessaloniki on charges of “authority extortion”. Mufti Mete, who was acquitted of one of the charges against him, received 7-month sentence from the first-instance court was ruled in the İappellate court as 4 months. It was decided that the sentence of the mufti Mete to be postponed for 3 years. Erkan Azizoğlu, the imam of Gökçepınar village, who was tried in the same case, was acquitted from both charges.

A lawsuit was filed with the complaint of appointed mufti Mehmet Emin Şinikoğlu, against the mufti Ahmet Mete and imam Erkan Azizoğlu that they did a religious service although there was an official clerk in the funeral of Ahmet Katunlu, who drowned and died during his military service on July 14, 2016.

On Wednesday, February 26, in the appeal case in Thessaloniki courthouse, while Ahmet Mete was advocated by Xanthi lawyer Yannis Barkas, Xanthi depu- “authority extortion”. The case ty Hüseyin Zeybek, Gökçepınar While an imprisonment was is expected to be brought to Quran teacher Salih Belço and previously envisaged in the the Supreme Court.ti and re- the parents of the soldier Ahmet criminal law for the authority ligious officials elected by the Katunlu who passed away were of extortion, as of July 1, 2019, Western Thrace Muslim Turks heard as witnesses. due to the amendments made continue, new cases are added in the criminal law, the prison to the cases against the West- Chrisa Outsi, one of the manag- sentence is no longer foreseen ern Thrace Turkish press. While ers of ANEL Party who is from for “authority extortion”. Pursu- the previous court proceedings Xanthi, witnessed against the ant to the relevant article of the against the writers and direc- Mufti Mete as she attended the penal code, which came into tors of our newspaper are con- funeral as well. force as of July 1, 2019, fines or tinuing, this time a new criminal charity services for “authority case has been filed against the For the case in Thessaloniki, a extortion” are envisaged. De- Millet Newspaper Editor Feyzu- group of 150 people from Xan- spite this change in the criminal llah Hasankahya by the Xanthi thi went to Thessaloniki to sup- law, it is considered a legal mis- Prosecutor’s Office. The case port the mufti Ahmet Mete and take by the lawyers to give Xan- will be held at the İskeçe Three imam Erkan Azizoğlu. thi Mufti Ahmet Mete the pris- Judges Criminal Court on Tues- on sentence with the charge of day, May 5, 2020.

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 33 29 February 2020 Greece loses “the battle” he President of Greece, Prokopis Pavlopou- IC los has paid a visit to Thrace on 10 Febru- SOCIOECONOMTIVE ary. In his speech, which took place in the PERSPEC Tmunicipality building of Maronia, he made some significant statements about the region and the relations between Greece and Turkey. The President also emphasized have been left in their genuine that the Minority living in the ground was the difference be- region of Thrace is a Muslim tween each other. It should be Greek Μinority. Of course, this underlined that the Greek Mi- statement was not surprising nority who was living in Istan- but fully disappointing for the bul, were much more educated Yunus ONBAŞImist Minority. The denial of ethnic and economically developed in Journalist-Econo identity of the Minority living comparison with the Minority in Western Thrace by Greek of- which has been left in Western Yunus Onbaşı studied ficials and generally, by Greek Thrace, Greece. Economics at the Yildiz State is not a new matter, but it Technical Universty of Istanbul, is a chronic problem. In the historical process, both in Turkey. He has worked for countries were applying oppres- The existence and the rights sions on the minorities in differ- Millet Media since 2015 in of the minority in Greek Thra- ent severity. It is impossible to several projects. Lastly, he ce were secured by the Treaty exist any doubt that the hard- worked as International of Lausanne signed on 24 July est time for the Greek Minority News Director of 1923. On the other side of the was September events (Greek: Millet News. coin, there is the Greek Mi- Σεπτεμβριανά Septemvriana, nority living in Istanbul with “Events of September”; Turkish: the same status and rights 6–7 Eylül Olayları, “Events of 6–7 such as the Turkish Minority September”), which were or- living in Greece. ganized mob attacks directed primarily at Istanbul’s Greek mi- The engrossing point of the nority on 6–7 September 1955. minorities which have been This shameful and unacceptable exempted from the 1923 pop- persecution which was directed ulation exchange between to the Minority of Greeks in Is- Greece and Turkey and tanbul and some other oppres-

34 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com sions made the Greeks living is a real dictatorship. cepts the fault of the policy there to migrate to Greece. which has been applying since While the Greek state was ap- By the time, the oppression the 70s? Greece is afraid of the plying oppressive policy on the against the Minority Population consequences of this anti-dem- Minority, people bowed down decreased gradually. However, ocratic policy. Today’s efforts of and endured. Most of the peo- the state insists on violating the Greek State are only aimed ple who were not rich and edu- minority rights. As we referred at delaying these results and cated did not migrate to Turkey, before one of them is the de- saving time. In this way, Greece only a small amount did it. nial of the ethnic identity of the insists on this unprofitable pol- Minority. icy and continues to damage The denial of ethnic identity the relations of the people of of the Minority started in the After the statements of the the region with the Greek state. years of the military coup which President of Greece, top Turk- was a struggling period for the ish officials slammed Greece’s While, Turkey has developed whole society of Greece. In this president for mislabeling the positive relations with minori- period, the Greek State applied Muslim Turkish minority as a ties, but mainly with the Greek extreme oppression policy and “Greek Muslim minority”. In re- minority by delivering on its mobbing on the minority with sponse to this, the Greek Minis- citizens’ rights and developing the aim to ethnically clear the try of Foreign Affairs says that strong communication. region. The denial of ethnic there is a Muslim Minority liv- identity was one of the tools ing in Western Thrace accord- Unfortunately, Greek politicians that serve for the aims of as- ing to the Treaty of Lausanne. often forget that the Minority similation and the Hellenization And this whole process has living in Greek Thrace are Greek of the Minority. been repeated for years. citizens regardless of their Turkish origin. The state does Fortunately, this fascist project Greece, on the one hand, claims not have direct communication of Papadopoulos and his fel- that the minority living in West- with its citizens. At the same lows did not succeed. Thanks ern Thrace under the Treaty of time, State is trying in every to the martyrs and heroes who Lausanne is a Greek Muslim way to isolate the Minority and fought against fascism and for minority. On the other hand, it provokes the people by calling the freedom, the dictatorial recognizes the Turkish as the the Minority a national problem government of Papadopoulos main language of instruction of the country. Despite this, our overturned. But the state policy in minority schools. It is possi- politicians complain that the of Greece did not change. This ble to diversify the examples of Minority is under the control of was surprising and disappoint- the paradoxical situations relat- third parties. Well, that’s unac- ing for the minority. The whole ed to the policy of denying the ceptable... What our leaders are country turned to democracy ethnic identity of the minority. doing is an attempt to cover up while the Minority continued to their failure in their policies on live in the dictatorship. I am pretty sure that the Greek the Minority. state knows that this policy is The period, after the military not logical and it is not match- Finally, I would like to propose coup, is full of persecution ing with the ethics and the val- to our politicians to read Alex- stories against the minority. In ues of the Greek state. Even it ander the Great (I consider him that period the communica- does not work. But, Greece is one of the greatest leaders the tion facilities were so limited stuck in the corner with this world has seen and admire) and so no one was knowing what unlogical and anti-democratic his work, how he merged the happens in the region. In those policy. Can you imagine what societies. I believe that they will years, the minority has felt how would happen if Greece ac- understand what I mean. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 35

04 March 2020 Turkish, Greek business leaders sign trade pact

Turkish and Greek business leaders signed Wednesday a memorandum of understanding to improve bilateral economic relations.

The trade pact was signed between Turkey’s For- Turkey’s exports to Greece were $2.1 billion last eign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) and SEVE year while imports amounted to $1.4 billion. Greek Exporters Association as part of a round- table meeting between the countries’ business SEVE head Georgios Konstantopoulos stressed world, the DEIK announced. the two institutions’ activities in the commercial diplomacy area will contribute to the two coun- Levent Sadik, the head of the DEIK’s Tur- tries’ trade and business relations. key-Greece Business Council, said the agreement was an important step for doubling the bilateral He also said that there are significant investment trade volume of two countries. opportunities in northern Greece for Greek and Turkish companies. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 37 21 March 2020 Millet Newspaper writer Feyzullah Hasankahya passes away

Theologian and historian Feyzullah Hasankahya who had been the writer of Millet Newspaper for years passed away from lung disease.

Feyzullah Hasankahya who had served under the Mufti Institution of Iskeçe (Xanthi) with his knowl- edge for long years, had also shouted the acts of violence committed by the Greek state against the Turkish Minority in the Millet Newspaper. Unfortu- nately, Hasankahya upset his lovers with the news that he passed away on March 20, from the lung disease that he suffered for 30 years.

As the Millet Media family, we and the Western Thrace Muslim Turkish Minority have lost a precious person, an exemplary personality with his way of life, always struggling against injustice.

We wish patience to his family, their relatives and all their loved ones. Who is Feyzullah Hasankahya?

Journalist and writer Feyzullah the same year and served in var- Hasankahya, one of the opinion ious positions under the İskeçe Hasankahya criticized the as- leaders of the Western Thra- Mufti Office. With his work here, signment of the mufti offices in ce Muslim Turkish Minority, he preached in mosques in İskeçe and Gümülcine in his ar- was born in 1965 in Demircik Western Thrace, spoke at pan- ticles in Millet newspaper, and Village of İskeçe. After finish- els and conferences, and helped was sentenced to 15 months in ing primary school in his own bring up thousands of students. prison. There were many law- village, Western Thrace Turks suits filed against Hasankahya faced the problem of issuing He worked to record Turkish-Is- by the Greek state because of passports, and after 3 years of lamic works and inscriptions his articles in the newspaper. special education he received in Western Thrace. In order to in his village, he went to Is- achieve this goal, he specialized Feyzullah Hasankahya, who de- tanbul for a better education. in history at Trakya University. voted his life to the struggle for existence of the Western Thra- In 1981, he enrolled in the Fa- Hasankahya, one of the found- ce Turks, passed away on Sat- tih İsmailağa Quran Course, af- ers of Millet Newspaper pub- urday, March 21, 2020, in the filiated with the Directorate of lished in Xanthi, bravely ex- Xanthi State Hospital, where he Religious Affairs in Istanbul and pressed the injustices against stayed for more than 20 days completed his memorization the Turkish minority in his col- due to the chronic tuberculo- of the Quran there. He studied umn for years. He did not keep sis disease he had struggled Islamic Studies in the same in- silent in the face of the injus- with for more than 30 years. He stitution until he went to mili- tices made against the minority died on Sunday, March 22, with tary service. During this peri- and continued his struggle for a funeral ceremony attended od, he graduated from Imam the sake of what he believed, by his lovers in the village of Hatip High School by giving despite his chronic disease. Demircik, where he was born. external exams in parallel. He took part in the establish- Feyzullah Hasankahya, who He took a break from his ed- ment of the Çınar (The Plane) served the Western Thrace ucation in 1985 and returned Association with his fellow Muslim Turkish Communi- to Greece for 18 months of lawyers and held various posi- ty for more than 30 years de- military service. After military tions on the board of the as- spite serious health problems, service in 1986, he went to Is- sociation until his death. He was an exemplary case man. mailağa Quran Course again took part in the management to complete his education. In of Çınar FM, the news and cul- While we remember Feyzullah 1989, he completed his edu- ture radio of Western Thrace Hasankahya, the unforgetta- cation here and received his operated by Çınar Association. ble man of struggle, who left a approval and enrolled in Bur- Together with the president of precious legacy to be taken as sa Uludağ University Faculty the association and journal- an example to those who re- of Theology in the same year. ist-writer Cengiz Ömer, who mained behind with his works is responsible for Millet news- and writings, we wish him mer- Having graduated from Bursa paper, he prepared and pre- cy from Allah and steadfastness Uludağ University Faculty of sented the program “Çınaraltı to his relatives. Theology in 1993, Hasankahya Sohbetleri (Conversations un- returned to Western Thrace in der the Plane Tree)” for years. 23 March 2020 Greek newspaper Kathimerini targets Muslims with coronavirus caricature

he newspaper Kathimerini published a scandalous caricature targeting Muslims regarding the new type of coronavirus outbreak. The caricature was shared from the newspaper’s TEnglish-language Twitter account.

athimerini, one of the common media outlets in Greece, published a cartoon about In the caricature, which gives the message that the coronavirus targeting Turkey, Muslims the Muslims carry the virus, there are two women Kand migrants. The newspaper shared the car- wearing a burqa in the front, while the mosques toon from its English-language Twitter account. of Istanbul and the Turkish flag are on the back.

Even though the coronavirus epicenter is in Eu- The virus is depicted in the range where wom- rope, the Greek newspaper published a carica- en’s eyes are seen. ture targeting Turkey, Muslims and Migrants.

40 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 41 24 March 2020 Adhan banned with loudspeaker in İskeçe

skeçe (Xanthi) Mufti Ahmet Mete stated in the information note he shared from his social media account that the authorities of the Police Station Xanthi asked to read the adhan in the city center and İmulticultural villages without a loudspeaker.

İskeçe Mufti Ahmet Mete said that this decision “Announcement had to be taken due to the banning of worship Dear brothers and sisters. The Adhan was asked both in churches and mosques with a loudspeak- to be read without loudspeakers in the mosques er in this process. in our city and multicultural villages by the police officers. This decision had to be taken due Information shared by Xanthi Mufti Ahmet Mete to the banning of worship both in churches and from his social media account: mosques with a loudspeaker. I hereby submit for your information and hope that this process will end soon.”

42 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 25 March 2020 `Cases on registering minority associations including Turkish minority in Greece are still pending` says European Impementation Network

or over 20 years, Turkish minority in Greece have been denied the opportunity to create associations linked to their Turkish heritage. Percentage of leading cases from the last 10 years still Fpending: 58% of the cases are implemented while 42% of them are not implemented yet.

As it is known, one of the most important prob- ciations with the word `Turkish` play a significant lems that Western Thrace Turkish Minority has role. However, the minority has applied number been facing is the denial of the Turkish Identity. of times to many courts. In this manner, the closure of the minority asso-

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 43 29 March 2020 Racist acts against the Turkish community quarantined in Şahin acist acts were committed by racists against the Turks in the quarantine zone which was implemented due to the coronavirus Rin Şahin Village of İskeçe.

Firstly, the president of Greek Solution Party Another act was committed by the reporter of Kiriakos Velopoulos has published a scandalous ERT TV channel, by keeping a distance from the Tweet targeting the minority. The Tweet is as fol- villager and asking him why does he not wear a lows: Şahin is in Quarantine!!!!! There are living mask. A paradox here is that the reporter himself the spies of Ankara who are constantly entering does not wear neither a mask nor gloves at all. and leaving the country! Just think what does the country of Erdogan has! This act was perceived as an intentional act targeting the minority and creating the perception Velopouls by publishing this Tweet has shown of “Echinos Virus”. The most common reaction once again his racist attitude against the minori- by the Turks in Greece against those actions was ty just like he did before against the Turks and saying that the world could get away from coro- Islam. navirus but not racist virus.

44 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com

05 April 2020 Sneaky game by Western Thrace Turkish Minority opponents who take advantage of the coronavirus It was revealed that mufti regent of Gümülcine Cihat Halil who was appointed by the Greek State tried to take an advantage of the coronavirus for establishing his sneaky games in the last days.

alil who was appointed by the state, has committed a scandalous act by sticking papers on some Hmosques. Not only with that, he also appointed employees to some mosques despite the community’s negative attitude and the clear statement of the Is- lamic and International law on this topic.

Halil with this act, received so many con- demnation from various institutions and the community itself as it was perceived that he is trying to divide the community.

09 April 2020 Western Thrace, Contested Space: The Turks of northeast Greece

reece has a proud repu- tation as the birthplace of democracy, of government by the people, Gfor the people. But to the ethnic Turkish minority of Thrace in the country’s northeast, who say they have suffered decades of discrimination from the state, that is not how it often seems.

46 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com Filmmaker’s view ourselves as Turkish is a crime on press freedom to education By Glenn Ellis or a sin,” says Cidgem. “We are and religion. Turkish and continue being “The main problem here is de- Turkish.” The problems is, with Take the case of muftis, I was nial of our identity. We define relations between the neigh- told. The region has traditional- ourselves as Turkish, which we bouring countries in something ly elected its own muftis - legal undoubtedly are. However, the of a trough right now, such sen- experts empowered to give rul- Greek state doesn’t accept this timents do not sit very well with ings on religious matters. Ibra- fact. They talk about Greek rising nationalist sentiment him Serif was one such, elect- Muslims, a definition we will elsewhere in Greece. ed as Komotini’s mufti with a never accept.” resounding 90 percent of the I had come here with a small vote. But this does not seem Cidgem Asafoglu told me this crew to investigate allegations to have cut much ice with the in her office in the heart of Ko- the ethnic Turkish minority in Greek state which had directly motini, the capital of Greece’s Thrace have been making for appointed its own mufti in Ko- Rhodope prefecture. It sits in an decades - that they are rou- motini, in line with recently ad- ancient region known as Thra- tinely discriminated against by opted protocols. Unsurprisingly ce, which shares borders with the Greek state. But I was also the majority of Turks refuse to southern Bulgaria and western curious to find out more about recognise the appointed muftis Turkey. Cidgem is the leader the strong cultural traditions in preferring those they have cho- of Keif, the Party of Friendship this remote corner of Europe. It sen themselves, like Serif who Peace and Equality, which rep- certainly felt very Turkish. we met at a packed mosque for resents the Turkish minority Friday prayers. in Thrace, numbering about As I headed to my next ap- 150,000. pointment, I passed throngs of On the way, we had passed women in headscarves speak- the appointed mufti’s mosque Keif came top in Rhodope and ing Turkish and street cafes which looked deserted. Serif, adjacent Xanthi prefecture in clustered with bearded men a dignified man with a gentle last year’s general election sipping Turkish coffee or suck- disposition, told me he had - much to the annoyance of ing on hookah pipes. To out- just been sentenced to 80 days the Greek government. Some ward appearances, all seemed in prison for attending Friday months later, outgoing Greek calm and well ordered - but Ci- prayers at a nearby village. “I President Prokopis Pavlopou- dgem’s interview stayed in my just attended the prayer, that’s los visited the region declaring: mind. She had told me she’d re- all. I am exposed to the same “Under the Treaty of Lausanne, ceived numerous death threats harassment constantly.” Serif the Muslim minority who live for demanding to be rec- says he is not alone in feeling in Thrace is a religious minority ognised as an ethnically Turkish the pressure of the state and and not an ethnic one”. He was Greek citizen. that, for many, it starts very ear- referring to a 1923 pact forged ly on in life. in the aftermath of World War Between assimilation I, which ceded the region to and integration Last year the Greek Education Greece but which was also sup- Ministry shut down five Turk- posed to guarantee the rights So what form, I wanted to ish-language schools, bringing of its ethnic Turks - something know, did this discrimination the total number of schools that Keif and its leader are ea- actually take? Throughout our closed to 65 in just eight years. ger to uphold. trip, we were given many exam- In the village of Kalamokastro ples - from inadequate political we met Sezer Riza who took “We don’t believe that defining representation and constraints us to the village’s school, now www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 47 closed, where generations of problems.” minister’s office in Athens, try- his family had studied. ing to arrange an interview. Under suspicion “There is a very thin line be- We were eager to find out more Our attempts to explain and tween assimilation and integra- about what lay behind the sto- apologise were bushed aside tion,” he said, “when children ries we were hearing - not least and we were taken away to the do not learn their culture, they because we wanted to put them local coastguard station for gradually lose their native lan- to the authorities in Athens and questioning. Someone, some- guage and disappear in society, get a response. But it was clear where had got it into their in Greek society. This culture that our own travels around the heads that some straightfor- will cease to exist while this area were beginning to attract ward television production process continues.” attention. work posed a threat to Greek national security. The government has cited lack Almost from the moment we of pupil demand for the school began filming in Thrace we were After a night in detention our closures, but in Xanthi at least followed by unmarked police lawyer managed to secure our there are actually too many cars, stopped several times and release at a hastily arranged Turkish-speaking students for interrogated about our move- court hearing - at which we the number of places available ments. We had nothing to hide, again profusely apologised - and a policy of splitting up the of course, but it was an unusual and we were able to leave the school day into two shifts has situation for journalists to face island on the next flight back to had to be introduced to fit in an otherwise open Europe- Athens. them in. an democracy. Then things got worse. Then, having been tipped off It was in Xanthi where we also that our materials were about met Cengiz Omer, editor of We had decided to travel south to be seized, we left Greece Millet, the town’s Turkish-lan- from Western Thrace to the without delay - luckily, with our guage newspaper. Cengiz re- Greek island of Kos where, we footage intact. Frustratingly, we called one of the many times he were told, the Turkish minority never did manage to put our had been called to the police is under even tighter restric- questions to the Greek govern- station. “They asked me why I tions. On the very morning we ment - despite our repeated re- am writing that the minority is arrived - actually within minutes quests for interviews with vari- a Turkish minority. I told them, of setting up the camera to film ous ministries. our aim is to make our minority some innocuous landscapes - voice heard. We are trying to be we were arrested on suspicion But it had been a sobering ex- their voice. And the police offi- of espionage. perience in a modern European cer told me if I continue, as I am country that prides itself as be- walking outside, maybe some- We were in a public space, yet ing the birthplace of democra- one will break my head.” we were close to the island’s cy in the heart of the European marina, and so perhaps we had Union. It also gave us some- Cengiz has recently been sen- unknowingly broken some local thing of an insight into what tenced to 15 months in prison prohibition on taking photo- the Turks of Western Thrace say for questioning the notion of graphs of the yachts and plea- they have been experiencing state-appointed muftis in an sure craft in the tiny harbour. for so many years. editorial. “We can’t say there is But to be accused of spying freedom of expression here in seemed an absurd overreaction Al Jazeera Western Thrace,” he explained. - not least because I had just “This is one of our biggest been in contact with the prime

48 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 14 April 2020 Attempt to ban the Adhan in Domruköy Village

he village imam, who read his adhan in April 12 in Domruköy and were going back to his house Tafter praying alone in the mosque, was stopped by the police. It was learned that the police, who went to Dom- navirus, and told him not to read the adhan from ruköy in a short time after the morning prayer, the speaker anymore. stopped the imam and asked him for identity and documents. The issue was resolved by the MP İlhan Ahmet, saying that the ministry’s decision to the police Officers asked the imam, who showed the doc- chief was not intended to completely ban the ad- ument whether he knows that it is forbidden to han in mosques, but to be read in a more low read the adhan over the speaker due to the coro- sound by the speaker until the specified date.

27 April 2020 Imam of Hebilköy Village Ali Mahmut Paşa summoned to the police station

li Mahmut Paşa, a religious official who has been an imam in Hebilköy for years under the Kozlukebir Municipality, was Asummoned to the Sirkeli Police Station on Saturday morning, April 25, 2020.

Ali Mahmut Paşa received re- crowd. video published on Facebook. peatedly calls by an unknown However, this video was re- number during his prayer. After In the station, Imam was ques- corded in a previous event. the prayer, he called back the tioned continuously wheth- number and it was the police er the prayer happened amid This attitude of the police chief chief. coronavirus restrictions despite was perceived desperately as his rejections. suppression in accordance with The police chief had summoned the digestion policies by the him to the police station on Although the imam had been Greek state. the grounds that the Teravih asking for evidence, it took was prayed together with the hours for the chief to show a www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 49 28 April 2020 Support from Western Thrace Minority Graduates Association (BTAYTD) to fightPandemic

estern Thrace Minority Graduates Association (BTAYTD) donated financial aid and mask to the Xanthi Medical Association to Wcontribute to fight the Covid-19 outbreak.

The statement made by BTAY- gions that go through the most to Xanthi Medical Association. TD on the subject is as follows: difficult process in our country. As BTAYTD, we have provided We would like to thank health- “Because of the new type of 1,500 Euros in financial assis- care professionals, non-gov- coronavirus (Covid 19) out- tance to the Xanthi Medical As- ernmental organizations and break, the whole world is going sociation in order to contribute institution managers involved through difficult times. Due to to and help fight the Covid-19 in this struggle, especially those the epidemic, especially in Xan- pandemic. In addition, the pro- who struggle with pandemic. ” thi (İskeçe), it is one of the re- vided face masks were donated

50 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com

07 May 2020 Request for Turkish language teaching as well as English in kindergartens

he four institutions of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority, acting together, demanded that the Turkish language be taught as well as English through creativity activities in kindergartens operating in the regions where the minority Tlives in Western Thrace, with the program to be implemented in schools selected under the Draft Law of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs.

The educational autonomy all kinds of schools and similar The four institutions Friendship and rights of the Turkish Mi- educational and training insti- Equality Peace Party, Western nority left in Greece with the tutions, with their own spend- Thrace Council Association, 1923 Treaty of Lausanne have ing. For compulsory kinder- Western Thrace Minority Cul- found its place in the 40th and garten education, which was ture and Education Company, 41st articles of the mentioned initiated for the first time with and Western Thrace Minority treaty. However, since the kin- the law numbered 3518/2006, Graduates Association, start- dergarten education was not the minority was not allowed to ing from the fact that there are yet included in the education open kindergartens to provide countless kindergartens offer- systems of the countries at the Turkish-Greek education. ing bilingual education within time of the signing of the trea- the European Union (EU), made ty, this issue was not clearly in- The minority has claimed this their request to the competent cluded in the articles that give right of education since 2010, authorities of Greece, as a right our minority the right to edu- which has been included in of education derived from the cation in their own language. the treaty and has repeatedly Lausanne Treaty and a right However, in Article 40, the mi- expressed the demand for kin- arising from the United Nations nority was given the right to es- dergarten to provide bilingual Declaration of Human Rights. tablish, manage, supervise and Turkish and Greek education use their own language freely in within the education system. 52 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com Turkish media agency Anadolu Agency has also drew special attention to the incident saying “Turks push for Turkish lessons in kindergarten”. Turkish minority releases joint NGOS, including the Friendship tens within the European Union statement asking for bilingual Equality Peace Party (FEP). providing bilingual education. education for their children The Turkish minority in Greece The statement stressed that the The Greek policy of mandato- is pushing for the inclusion of Turkish minority has education- ry kindergarten started in 2017, Turkish lessons in the curricu- al autonomy and rights under under which minority children lums of state kindergartens in the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. attend state kindergartens regions where many Turkish where the language of educa- Muslims live, they said in a joint “We would like to convey our tion is Greek. statement Thursday. request to the competent ministry to include this practice in Since then the Turkish minority As the Greek Education Ministry the kindergartens in the re- in Greece has been asking the plans to start English-language gions where the minority lives government for bilingual kin- activities in kindergartens next and teach the Turkish language dergartens, a demand that has year, the Turkish minority asked as well as the English language gone unanswered. the government to also offer with the same creative activi- Turkish lessons. ties,” the statement said. Greece’s Western Thrace region is home to a substantial Muslim The joint statement was signed The statement underlined that Turkish population of around by many local parties and there are countless kindergar- 150,000.

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 53 16 May 2020 Being minority in a pandemic as a “state of exemption”

t is an indisputable fact that this pandemic process is an exceptional phenomenon. When we saw quarantine situations in China before, we all thought through how bad the situa- LOGICAL Ition was and, fortunately, nothing like that here. At least I was SOCIO concerned when businesses closed in Italy. Fortunately, after a very short time when similar restrictions applied in Turkey and VIEW Greece, it was the occasion for us to face it is not normal.

But how will the laws for normal “It is the community of people conditions in a modern state who successfully monopolize be implemented in abnormal the legitimate use of physical vi- situations or in exceptional cas- olence in a certain land”. es, as Giorgio Agamben says? Salih CANBAZer According to Agamben, the So much so that in the Aus- Sociologist-Writ application of the genocide in chwitz camp, which is an excep- Auschwitz, Germany, namely in tion, the modern state has not a modern state of the Modern seen any inconvenience about Salih Canbaz is a MA student West, which is expected to up- committing genocidal violence. at Sakarya University, Turkey. hold human rights was also due In the same sense, we can give He is mainly studying in the to the exception. an example for Srebrenitsa, fields of identity, nationalism, which was declared as a multiculturalism, and collective The modern state is a safe zone (exception) memory. Canbaz works for state where citizens’ at the time and the Millet Newspaper as columnist and for Millet News as editor. rights are serious- legitimate geno- ly guaranteed. cide followed. However, when we consider an The modern example of a refu- state, lacking in gee camp, the refugee virtue, can show camp is an exception, as all kinds of unhealthy there is nothing seen in the treatment in this way. normal course of life. Thus, When we look at the pan- the laws to be applied to the demic process, we see that the refugees after this process will world is experiencing a whole- show the moral character of the sale exception. In this process, state, since the laws that the we will see how modern na- state has issued for its citizens tion-states or the global state will not be valid for immigrants. will perpetrate violence around Here we remember Weber’s the world. However, when we saying about the modern state: look at Greece, we witnessed

54 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com that the state started to take advantage of the is not wearing a mask or gloves like the resident exception at the first opportunity. was the virus, whereas the reporter himself was not wearing? How could be explained the news The debates on banning the adhan are at the top published that several students tested positive of these. Of course, as the religion of Islam com- among the group of 30 students who returned mands, it is unthinkable to perform prayers in back from Turkey, while only one student tested mosques. However, although there has been no positive among hundreds of students? I will not absolute restriction to read the adhan, we have ask anymore what was the duty of the journal- seen many attempts to restrict it. We see that ists who claimed that students were sent with muezzins/imams confronting persons already the command of Erdogan in order to spread the wearing a blue uniform, that is, persons who virus to Greece, but how is it possible to believe must be obeyed and scared from in such period in these lies? There is a lot of more disgraceful is the indicator of the failure of the promise of news coming to our ear, but we are reluctant to modernity. talk about uncertain issues, since we have not lost anything from our virtue. The media also played a secondary role in this process. While the previous example represents Long story short, let others talk about what ef- direct intervention, the media itself is often the fects COVID-19 will have on the world, we will ‘ideological apparatus of the state’, although keep suffering from fascist ideology of the mod- the media is not in a state role here, if we speak ern state. through Althusser’s mouth. How could be accepted the act of the reporter during the quarantine of Şahin village as he was questioning the village resident why he

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 55 29 May 2020 Discriminatory practices seen as appropriate for the Turkish Minority are expressed internationally

he problems and solution suggestions of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority in the field of discrimination and intolerance were voiced at the OSCE Complementary Human Dimension TMeeting. On 25-26 May 2020, the subject On the first day of the meeting, On the second day of the meet- of “Combating Discrimination Onur Mustafa Ahmet took the ing, in the second session, Per- and Intolerance” was discussed floor in the first session and vin Hayrullah, who spoke on at the Complementary Hu- expressed the recent problems behalf of BTAYTD (Western manitarian Dimension Meet- regarding the Azan and Ra- Thrace Higher Educateds As- ing organized by the European madan drums, the practices of sociation), cited the problems Security and Cooperation Or- discrimination against the Mi- of the Turkish Minority about ganization (OSCE) for the first nority, the issue of imams tried ethnic identity and hate speech time on the internet. On behalf to be determined despite the with examples. The Greek Dele- of the Western Thrace Minority reaction of the people, and the gation exercised its right to re- Graduates Association, Melt- issue of the fountain in Yanıköy, ply after Hayrullah’s speech. In em Giritli, Onur Mustafa Ahmet which was recently destroyed. the 3rd Session of the meeting, and Pervin Hayrullah attend- The Greek Delegation an- speakers from different coun- ed the meeting and expressed swered Onur Mustafa Ahmet, tries had the opportunity to ex- the problems that the Western that none of the practices press their own issues and after Thrace Turkish Minority had re- happened that are stated by this session, the general report cently experienced and offered the minority members.appen. of the meeting was read and solutions to the Greek state. Speaking on behalf of BTAYTD. the meeting was ended.

56 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com

02 June 2020 Ignoring the Turks by the President Sakellaropoulou during the visit to Western Thrace

estern Thrace Turks were ignored once more by the recently elected president Katerina Sakellaropoulou during her visit to Western Thrace, on May 28. AfterW announcing her vis- lems related to the inadequacy applied as previously the Prime it schedule Western Thrace of the school building, there Minister Mitsotakis had ignored Turks were disappointed that was no answer received by the the Turkish community as well. there was no plan related to president rather she visited a This attitude is publicly per- them. Like the former presi- school in which only Greek lan- ceived as covering up the truth dent Pavlopoulos who had al- guage is being taught for mi- of the existence of the Turkish ways claimed that there is no nority students, that is to say community. In other words, in Turkish community in Greece where students do not find the Greece, one takes the advan- but Greek-Muslim community, opportunity to take the advantage of basic human rights only Sakellaropoulou carries on this tage of bilingual education as if he/she describes himself/ policy by ignoring the Turks. it is a right clearly stated in the herself ethnically Greek. Thus Treaty of Lausanne. Western Thrace Turks never Despite the invitation by the seem to obtain their rights. Minority High Schooll Com- This strategy of ignoring the mittee, for solving the prob- Turkish Minority is secondly

58 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 02 June 2020 Revenge of Hagia Sophia is racistly taken from the historical mosque in Western Thrace nemies of Turks and Islam in Greece, who could not digest the reading of the Quran at the Hagia Sophia Mosque, hung a Greek flag in the minaret of the 597-year-old Çelebi Sultan Mehmet EMosque, the heirloom. Greek flag was hung in the municipal officials lowered the burned by accident. minaret of Çelebi Sultan Meh- Greek flag from the minaret met Mosque, the oldest Turkish with the warning of those who GREEK MEDIA CRUSES mosque in Europe, located in realized that the flag was hung in Didimoteichon (Dimetoka), on Saturday morning. Greek media, which provoked Greece. the public with scandalous As will be remembered, the news such as “images of shame The racists in Greece, which six-century-old Çelebi Sul- in Istanbul, Islamic prayer, great has gone crazy after the Qur’an tan Mehmet Mosque (Beyazıt disrespect, and provocation in reading in Hagia Sophia due to Mosque) in Dimetoka was Hagia Sophia,” took the fruit the 567th year of the conquest damaged by a fire in March of provocative publications. of Istanbul, showed themself 2017. Restoration work on the The Greek flag was hanged by once more in Western Thrace. mosque is still ongoing. provocateurs at the 597-year- old Çelebi Sultan Mehmet According to Greek media re- Selecting the region where Mosque, the oldest Ottoman ports, the incident occurred the Western Thrace Turks live, mosque in Europe and listed by on Saturday night, connecting shows that it was a provocative UNESCO on the World Cultural May 29 to May 30. action and it raised the doubts Heritage list. that the burnt mosque might According to the same reports, have been swaddled but not www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 59 02 June 2020 “Junta era is over” says Mayor Önder Mumin to Amutzas

ayor of Iasmos (Yassıköy) Önder Mümin reminds the opposition leader Kyriakos Amutzas that the Junta period is already over as he is uncomfortable with Mümin’s publishing Mthe names of the village in Turkish on his social media account.

Mayor Önder Mümin states the cial correspondence, meetings, turalism of our region and a following regarding the issue: and sites of Iasmos Municipali- democratic achievement. ty is the official language of our “Mr. Amutzas and his squad is country, Greek. With his attitude, Amutzas has uncomfortable as we have pro- been disrespectful to the mi- nounced the names of villages In my own private social media nority people who have sup- in Turkish and calls the prose- accounts, like all Minority poli- ported him for the last 22 years. cutor to do his job. ticians, bilingual languages are I remind him that the Junta era used. The official language of is over. I give the point that, our country is Greek and the use of Turkish as our mother Lawyer Önder Mümin The language used in all offi- tongue is a wealth of multicul- Mayor of Iasmos”

60 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com AA 04 June 2020 Not a single mosque left in Athens: Erdogan Instead of being destroyed out of religious animosity, Hagia Sophia was brought to service of Muslims, says Turkish leader. There is not a single mosque in ceremony for Hadimkoy Dr. Athens right now as all of them Ismail Niyazi Kurtulmus Hos- “Hagia Sophia was opened to have been destroyed, Turkey’s pital in Istanbul, Erdogan said the service of Muslims as their leader said Sunday. that when Sultan Mehmet Han right of conquest by making -- also known as Mehmet the it even more beautiful instead “Not a single mosque of ours Conqueror -- conquered Istan- of razing it to the ground be- still stands in Athens. They were bul, he was not welcomed as cause of a religious animosity,” all razed to the ground. But we an enemy but like an “expected he said, adding other places of did not resort to such ways in savior.” worship were not touched and a city like Istanbul,” said Presi- were maintained to meet the dent Recep Tayyip Erdogan, re- “Our ancestors regarded con- needs of the community. ferring to the 567th anniversary quest as not merely taking of the conquest of city, which more lands but winning over “Only this picture is sufficient to was marked on May 29. hearts,” he said. demonstrate the magnanimity of our ancestors,” he added. “Our mosques and symbolic Erdogan said his ancestors took monuments in places where care of all that is good, benefi- Erdogan underlined that in the we had to leave a century ago cial and favorable for humanity past century, the country has were destroyed in a short time.” not only during the conquest not been “successful enough” of Istanbul but also during the in keeping alive the relics of its Speaking during the opening conquests of all other places. ancestors. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 61 the Muslim holy book, the Quran, in the Aya- He stressed that during the past 18 years, Turkey sofya (Hagia Sophia), a landmark mosque-con- has protected all the heritage of its geography verted museum in Istanbul. and not only the heritage of own ancestors. Accusing Athens of making “futile and ineffec- “When we came to power, we saw that only 460 tive statements” on the event, which marked the buildings had been restored. In the last 18 years, 567th anniversary of the Ottoman conquest of we have restored 5,060 buildings and presented the former Byzantine capital, Turkish Foreign them to the service of our nation and humanity.” Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said Greece’s displeasure illustrated its “intolerant psychology.” - Quran session in Hagia Sophia “The fact that Greece, the only remaining Euro- On Friday, Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tour- pean country without a mosque in its capital, is ism organized “Conquest Feast in Hagia Sophia” disturbed by the recital of the Holy Quran in Ha- in coordination with the Turkish Presidency’s gia Sophia is a case in point illustrating the intol- Directorate of Communications as part of cele- erant psychology of this country, especially at a brations throughout the day of the conquest of time when calls to prayer can be heard from min- Istanbul. arets in Europe and the importance of the principle of mutual respect is increasingly valued,” said The program was followed with the recitation the online statement. of the 48th chapter of the Quran, Surah Al-Fath, meaning Victory or Triumph, which Erdogan Aksoy’s statement came after earlier remarks viewed via video. from the Greek Foreign Ministry saying the move did not comply with the UNESCO Convention Turkey on Saturday shot back at an objection Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and from Greece on the reading of passages from Natural Heritage.

62 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 05 June 2020 Those who try to silence the adhan in Western Thrace are not sincere: Çavuşoğlu avuşoğlu expressed the problems regarding Western Thrace while evaluating the developments on the agenda in the Çprogram he participated in on 24 TV. Çavuşoğlu reminding that Greek State. in Hagia Sophia even though Greece had sentenced to pris- Çavuşoğlu referring to his the judgments of the European on and fined muftis elected by counterpart Dendias who said Court of Human Rights (ECHR) the people, and tried to silence that Greece is not ready to solve are not implemented, elected the adhan in Western Thrace the problems stated that they muftis are judged violating the under the excuse of the coro- will never be ready in response rights of the minority and be- navirus, added that “These are to the criticisms made by the ing the only European country not sincere,” pointing at the Greek State for the Quran read without a mosque in its capital.

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 63 08 June 2020 Greece: Court rejected the application of the Western Thrace Turkish associations he Court of Appeal of Thrace rejected the applications for recognition by the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Region of Rodopi and the Evros Prefecture Minority Youth TAssociation belonging to the Turkish community in Western Thrace.

In its verdict dated 25 May had been rejected and that be- dopi and the Evros Prefecture 2020, the Court of Appeal of cause of this, it claimed that a Minority Youth Association for Thrace indicated that the two new recourse cannot be made registration had been rejected Western Thrace Turkish associ- and thus rejected the applica- by the Greek domestic courts ations had made a recourse to tions of the associations. and following this, the two as- the domestic courts following sociations had applied to the the judgments of the European The applications by the Cul- ECtHR. In its judgments it made Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) tural Association of Turkish in 2008, the ECtHR found the in 2008 but that their recourse Women of the Region of Ro- two associations in their right

64 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com and had ruled that Greece vi- the Region of Rodopi and the stalling tactics and to imme- olated the freedom of associ- Evros Prefecture Minority Youth diately implement the ECtHR ation of the Turkish communi- Association did not surprise us. judgments with respect to the ty in Western Thrace. The two The same court had rejected freedom of association of the associations had applied to the application for the restitu- Turkish community in Western the Court of Appeal of Thrace tion of the official legal entity of Thrace. As ABTTF, we will con- within the framework of the the Xanthi Turkish Union which tinue to inform the Commit- Law 4491/2017 which had been was closed earlier because of tee of Ministers of the Council adopted with the objective that the word ‘Turkish’ in its name. of Europe regarding the latest ECtHR decisions are imple- The verdict of the court is in developments on the ongoing mented by the Greek domestic contradiction with the promis- legal process before the Greek courts and new conditions in es by Greece to the Committee domestic courts and to sup- domestic law. of Ministers of the Council of port our associations”, said Hal- Europe which closely supervis- it Habip Oğlu, President of the “We call on our country Greece es the implementation of the Federation of Western Thrace to stop its stalling tactics” ECtHR judgments regarding the Turks in Europe (ABTTF). Western Thrace Turkish associ- “The negative verdict bearing ations under the name ‘Bekir Source: www.abttf.org political trait of the Cultural As- Usta group cases’. We call on sociation of Turkish Women of our country Greece to stop its

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 65 AA 11 June 2020 Ottoman era buildings misused in Greece Historical buildings, such as mosques, were either closed or turned into museums or exhibition halls. Ottoman monuments in Greece ly being used as an exhibition The Yeni Mosque, built in 1904, are being misused in a major hall. The Tzisdaraki Mosque was is closed to worship and its min- blow to the country’s historical also repurposed as a ceramics aret was destroyed. At present, heritage. museum. it serves as an exhibition hall of the municipality. In the years following the in- There are no signs left of other dependence of Greece, many historical buildings which were The White Tower, one of the Ottoman buildings were used registered in archives and year- most important Ottoman monas military prisons, cinemas, books. uments in Thessaloniki, is pro- provincial offices, hostels and moted as a “Byzantine work” storage units. In Thessaloniki, the Hamza Bey and a symbol of the city. Mosque, the oldest in the city, Moreover, dozens of mosques was closed due to some resto- Mosques and historical build- were closed to worship and ration work aiming to transform ings in many other Greek cities some were converted to the building into a museum. such as Ioannina, Crete, Larisa churches. The mosque, which was built in and Kavala are also suffering 1467, was previously used as a from the same fate. Many abandoned buildings movie theatre. were ruined over time. Aslan Pasha Mosque in the city Alaca İmaret Mosque in the of Ioannina, Veli Pasha Mosque The Fethiye Mosque in Athens, same city, which was built in in the city of Rethymno, and built by Fatih Sultan Mehmet 1484, was also turned into a Zincirli Mosque built in 16th -- also known as Mehmet the museum. century in Serres were also Conqueror-- in 1458, is current- converted to museums. 66 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 11 June 2020 Support from EFA to DEB Party and President Asafoğlu

uropean Free Alliance (EFA), in which 46 political parties including Friendship Equality and Peace (DEB) Party are member of and has 9 parliamentarians in the European Parliament has published a Estatement about the DEB Party president Çiğdem Asafoğlu’s video in which she expressed her views on president Katerina Sakellaropoulou’s attitude that she ignored the minority during her visit to the Western Thrace and the negative, insulting and threatening reactions made by the people and the media against the video. The statement is as follows: “Following the release of a video by DEB’s President Cigdem Asafoglu (Dostluk Esitlik Baris Partisi – The Party of Friend- ship, Equality and Peace) expressing her sadness and concerns about the lack of contact from Greece’s President during her visit to the region, a smear campaign against DEB’s Pres- ident and the party has been launched by several media outlets in the country.

DEP represents the Turkish minority of Western Thrace in Greece. They have participat- strated by the lack of contact nity in Western Thrace. ed twice in the elections, be- from Greece’s President during coming the first elected par- her last visit. At EFA we support our member ty in the provinces of Xanthi party DEB and their democrat- and Rhodope, where the mi- After the release of the video, ic demands. We are strongly nority population is greatest. a smear campaign in nearly 100 against any kind of violence They stand for democratic and media outlets against the DEB or abuse towards the Turkish peaceful dialogue with state and its President was launched, minority of Western Thrace in officials to solve the multiple including death threats, slander Greece and demand an end injustices that they face. These and verbal abuse, as well as rac- to the smear campaign to DEB demands for dialogue continue, ist speech against the commu- and its President. so far, to be ignored, as demon-

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 67 AA 24 June 2020 Greece: Muslim prayer hall ordered shut

Muslim group criticizes government for closing one of oldest Muslim prayer halls in greater Athens metropolitan area. Greece is closing down one of been operating since 1989, ac- choose their own muftis and the oldest Muslim prayer halls cording to the association. the administrators of Muslim in the greater Athens metro- pious endowments (waqfs), politan area. “We believe that acceptance rather than ones appointed by and recognition is evolving in the state. Saying the facility lacks a license society,” said the press release. to operate, the Education and “That is why we consider this Last June, after years of de- Religious Affairs Ministry gave unexpected closing a symbolic lays, a new mosque nominally a 15-day notice to clear the act on behalf of the govern- opened in Athens, but so far it premises in Piraeus, a port city ment that wants to suppress lacks an imam, so it is not yet just 12 kilometers (seven miles) religious expression when it is open for worship, leaving Ath- from the Athens city center. not coming from the predom- ens the only capital in Europe inant religion.” without an official mosque. “We are sad to announce that we received a closure order for Greece has a sizeable Muslim In December, state officials said one of the oldest prayer halls population, including a quar- three more months were need- of the capital…without any ter-million Muslims in metro- ed to appoint new personnel chance of negotiating with the politan Athens. and make necessary arrange- ministry,” said the Muslim As- ments for the mosque, set to sociation of Greece in a press The Turkish Muslim minori- accommodate 350 worship- release. ty in Greece has complained pers. that their exercise of religion The Al Andalus prayer hall has is stifled, including the right to 68 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 30 June 2020 Turks be exposed to racism in Greece throughout the Pandemic

Increasing cases in Western Thrace, Greece, led the State make collective tests in the region.

However, while Turks in West- between Turks and Greeks es- ed from public spaces such as ern Thrace had been tested pecially in İskeçe (Xanthi) where cafeterias, restaurants, super- several times for COVID-19 in culturally various groups had markets etc. the last one month, the local been living in peace for centu- Greek media created a percep- ries. People are questioning why the tion that the virus exists only in tests are being held only in mi- the minority villages. In the recent days it was ob- nority villages but not in regions served that the Turks are treat- especially in islands dense in This attitude of the racist me- ed as infected among public terms of tourism where social dia led to a social seperation sphere, thus they are segregat- interaction is more intense. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 69

05 July 2020 BTAYTD Attends OSCE Complementary Humanitarian Dimension Meeting he Western Thrace Minority Graduates Association attended the Complementary Humanitarian Dimension Meeting held online on 22-23 June 2020. In the meeting attended by BTAYTD Tmembers Pervin Hayrullah and Kerem Abdürrahimoğlu, “Freedom of Expression, Access to Information and Media Freedom” were discussed. Speaking at the first session cies implemented in Greece for tence of the Turkish Minority of the meeting on freedom of years, especially for the Turkish does not mean that the Turkish expression, Pervin Hayrullah Minority, whose rights have Minority does not actually exist expressed freedom of expres- been secured by international in Western Thrace. The Turkish sion in Greece stating that civil treaties, have led to serious hu- Minority makes up almost half / political rights and freedom man rights violations, including of the population in the region. of information are protected in freedom of expression. Ignor- However, during the Western Article 14 of the Constitution, ing the ethnic identity of the Thrace visits, the President of as well as local regulations, the Turkish Minority, prohibiting Greece, Sakellaropoulou and European Convention on Hu- Turkish Minority Associations, Prime Minister Mitsotakis, did man Rights and the Elimination restrictions in all areas of mi- not take into account the repre- of All Forms of Racial Discrim- nority’s life have brought social sentatives of the Turkish Minori- ination. Hayrullah continued: exclusion and marginalization. ty, and did not even respond “However, discriminatory poli- Insisting on ignoring the exis- to the meeting requests of the www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 71 Western Thrace Minority High vulnerable groups. She stated fear of the police without un- School Association and Xanthi that official information was derstanding what is going on Muzaffer Salihoglou Minority only published in the official in the world and recommend- High School. A similar attitude language, only in Greek for the ed that the minorities, refugees towards minority associations Western Thrace Turkish Minori- and vulnerable groups be taken has been going on for years”. ty. However, due to the discrim- into account in accessing infor- inatory and exclusive educa- mation to the OSCE Participat- Speaking again at the second tional policies implemented by ing States, especially Greece. session of the meeting on ac- Greek governments in Western cess to information, Pervin Thrace for years, about 1/3 of Melek Kırmacı Arık attend- Hayrullah emphasized that ac- the Turkish Minority popula- ed the meeting on behalf of cess to information is import- tion could not learn the official ABTTF. Speaking at the first ant for people to participate language, considering the age session, where the relationship in the process of determining of people, many of them could of freedom of expression with priorities and decision making, not understand what does other fundamental rights was ensuring equal treatment and COVID-19 mean and how to evaluated, Arık said that the equal social justice. She not- take measures to protect them- Western Thrace Turkish society ed that the importance of the selves from the effects. She was turned into a scapegoat by issue was felt much deeper stated that many of the Turkish the government and the media during the pandemic, especially minority people comply with during the COVID-19 pandemic. for minorities, immigrants and the restrictions because of the

72 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 08 July 2020 New Democracy Party government ignores minority press

he Greek press, as well as the Minority press, contributed to the public adoption of the importance of the measures taken by the New Democracy Party in Greece against the new type of Tcoronavirus (COVID-19).

The new Democracy Party gov- approximately 20 million euro of the parliament. He asked the ernment announced an eco- aid packages. The new Democ- Ministry of Information why the nomic aid package to be dis- racy government has ignored Minority media in Turkish lan- tributed to the press as part of Turkish newspapers, radios and guage could not benefit from the fight against the Covid-19 websites operating in Western the 20 million euro aid package outbreak. Thrace. and according to which criteria the aid is distributed. Unfortunately, minority media Rhodope MP İlhan Ahmet were not included in the list of brought this issue to the agenda www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 73 13 July 2020 Hagia Sophia demonstration by Fire of Hellenism Members

anthi Hellenic Association members as a reaction to the decision of re-opening Hagia Sophia as worship place held a demonstration at the beginning of the street of the Komotini XConsulate General.

The group consisting of about dent Recep Tayyip Erdogan and sociation. Explaining why they 15 people from Xanthi shouted after the founder of the Repub- organized the demonstration, slogans of “Where will we burn lic of Turkey Mustafa Kemal Kilinkaridis said, ‘Hagia Sophia our candles, inside Hagia So- Atatürk for about 20 minutes. will one day belong to Greeks’. phia” and “Turks out of Hagia Sophia” 100 meters away from At the end of the demon- After the announcement, the the consulate building. stration, Theofilos Kilinkaridis group of 15 dispersed without made a statement on behalf of incident. The group insulted firstly Presi- the Xanthi Fire of Hellenism As-

74 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 15 July 2020 Kurşunlu Mosque be stoned in Trikala city

n Greece, historical Kurşunlu Mosque was attacked by unknown perpetrators. This incident is questioned by the Western Thrace Turkish community as it happened after the reopening of the IHagia Sophia as a mosque. According to the local press in the city of Trika- la, it was reported that the entrance door of the mosque was broken in the attack made yesterday morning by unknown people.

Kurşunlu Mosque, built by Sinan Agha the Grand Architect in the 16th century, is closed to worship. The historical work that was restored a while ago is used for the activities of the municipality and the church.

While the evil face of the fanatic mentality came once again into the open by the breaking of the windows of the entrance door of the historical mosques in both Western Thrace and in different mosque, the fact that the perpetrators of the parts of Greece reveals a different dimension of attacks on the entrance doors and walls of the the issue.

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 75 15 July 2020 Prayer from Western Thrace to Martyrs on July 15, Democracy and National Unity Day

July 15, Democracy and National Unity Day was celebrated with a ceremony held at the Consulate General of Komotini. By the fourth anniversary of ni in Western Thrace in which ceptance of the hundreds of the coup attempt carried out Turkish minority representa- hatims (full reading of the Qu- by traitors of Fetullah Gülen tives attended. ran) read before by the Turkish Terrorist Organization (FETO) community with the organiza- on July 15, 2016, it was held a At the memorial event, speech- tion of the mufti offices was memorial ceremony at Turkey’s es and prayers were made for made. Consulate General in Komoti- martyrs. Also the pray for ac-

76 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 15 July 2020 Racist Bishop Seraphim targets Western Thrace Turks

Pireaus Bishop Seraphim known as an anti-semitic and anti-Islamic Greek bishop, targets once again the Turkish minority. The racist bishop who previously has come to After the reopening of Hagia Sophia as a mosque, the agenda by targeting the Jews in Greece has Seraphim made a statement that the Muslims in targeted once more the Turkish minority. Thrace must be deported in the grounds that they believe to a pervert man, namely Muham- Bishop’s latest case was his insulting words mad, who has created Islam against the Chris- against the prophet Muhammad last year which tians. was conceived as a hate speech.

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 77 15 July 2020 DEB Party slams Bishop Seraphim

riendship Equality Peace (DEB) Party President Çiğdem Asafoğlu reacted to the Piraeus Bishop Serafim, who Ftargets Western Thrace Turks. Asafoğlu, in her video mes- lu stated the following in her We are citizens of Greece and sage, reacted against the pro- message: Greece is our homeland. There- posal of Seraphim to deport fore, no one has the right to those who define themselves as “We have been following the demand that we be deport- Turks in Western Thrace within press and comments about our ed or expelled from our own the framework of the mea- minority in the last two days land. After the cancellation of sures to be taken by Greece from the press in great sorrow Article 19, we were predicting the deportation of those who and disappointment. Especially, that; such antidemocratic and define themselves as Turkish the explanations of Serafim the diseased thoughts have disap- in Western Thrace within the Piraeus Metropolitan are un- peared. But unfortunately we framework of the measures to acceptable and incompatible. see that; such thoughts still ex- be taken by Greece against the In every Turkish - Greek ten- ist. We strongly condemn these metropolitan Serafim’s decision sion, the Western Thrace Turk- dangerous statements and the to transform Hagia Sophia into ish Minority cannot become a minority becoming targeted. a mosque. target. I would like to inform This kind of perception is never the public that we are not vis- acceptable again. “ DEB Party President Asafoğ- itors or guests of this country.

78 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com AA 17 July 2020 Ottoman remains in Greece: Ruined, neglected, misused Majority of Ottoman-era artifacts used out of purpose for years, vast majority of mosques closed to worship.

Even though Greece has criti- Some mosques were converted While intense criticisms were cized Turkey for reopening Is- into churches with renovations, made from Greece in open- tanbul’s historic Hagia Sophia while others were used as bars ing Hagia Sophia for worship, as a mosque, the situation of or movie theaters for “adult” the situation of Turkish-Islamic Ottoman-era monuments in films. works in the country draw at- Greece tells a different story, tention. with most of them neglected, It is estimated that there are ruined, or used for purposes, over 10,000 artifacts and mon- On Friday, a Turkish court an- which completely disregard uments from Turkish-Islamic nulled a 1934 Cabinet decree their history. architecture in Greece. that had turned Hagia Sophia into a museum, paving the way www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 79 for its use again as a mosque after an 85-year hiatus. Before that, it had been a mosque for nearly 500 years.

Built in 1468 in Thessaloniki, Hamza Bey Mosque was used as a place of worship for a while after Greece gained its independence. In the following years, the minaret of the mosque, made of cut stone, was destroyed, the pencil works in the dome and the writing plates were deleted, while the interlocking wooden pulpit inside was also destroyed.

The mosque, owned by the National Bank of Greece in 1927, was later on sold to a private person, divided into a shop and a cinema and used for displaying adult movies until the 80s.

The Faik Pasha Mosque in the city of Narda (Arta) in the Ioannina region was turned into a church after the population exchange between Turkey and Greece in 1923. It is known that the mosque, which was later abandoned, was used as a bar-pavilion in the 1970s.

The mosque, which seems to have been built as the center of a complex in the 15th century, is now in ruins.

On the other hand, mosques and historical buildings in many important cities, including the capital Athens, Ioannina, Giannitsa, Crete, Larisa, and Kavala continue to share the same fate.

In Athens, where there is no official mosque open for worship, the oldest mosque -- Fethiye Mosque -- was used for many different purposes such as military prison and warehouse after the end of Ot- toman administration in the city.

The mosque -- located in the Roman Agora on the outskirts of the city’s Acropolis within the archae- ological area -- is believed to be built during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II and it was used as a storehouse for historical artifacts until 2010. Fethiye Mosque is now used as an exhibition hall since the restoration works ended in 2017.

The Cizderiye Mosque, located a few hundred meters from the Fethiye Mosque, is in the Monasti- raki Square -- one of the touristic places of the city. The mosque is kept closed for most of the year, serving as a ceramics museum for visitors from time to time.

There are no traces of buildings such as Yeni Mosque, Domed Mosque, Ic Kale Mosque, Huseyin Efendi Dervish Lodge, and Haci Ali Bath, which are among the Turkish-Islamic works in Athens and registered in the Ottoman archives as well as yearbooks.

80 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 17 July 2020 Architect traces Ottoman works converted into churches Master architect Yilmaz says 329 Ottoman works turned into churches and bell towers across Europe. Searching and traveling across churches or bell towers. fied the mosques, Islamic mon- the lands that constituted the asteries and shrines that are Ottoman Empire, a master ar- Speaking to Anadolu Agen- turned into bell towers. chitect traced Turkish buildings cy, Mehmet Emin Yilmaz said in 18 countries and found at he traced Turkish architectural Starting at the Balkans initial- least 329 of them turned into works for 10 years and identi- ly, Yilmaz said: “I first concen-

trated on Hungary, Bulgaria “Later, I identified 329 Turkish at various times in a total of and Greece. Because most of architectural buildings such as 18 countries including Algeria, the buildings converted into mosques, small mosques, Is- Ukraine, Crimea, Georgia, Ar- churches are in these three lamic monasteries, shrines that menia, Bosnia and Herzegov- countries.” were converted into churches ina, Cyprus, Croatia, Kosovo, www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 81 Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, two shrines and two clock tow- “In Hungary 23 mosques, five Serbia and Turkey,” he added. ers into churches; in Serbia shrines, a bathhouse and a 15 mosques and two shrines school were turned into church- Giving a country-wise break- into churches; in Georgia and es, however Hungarians are the down, he said: “A total of 117 Azerbaijan a mosque form only nation in Europe who did mosques, seven Islamic monas- each were turned into church- not convert any Turkish archi- teries and shrines and a madra- es during the Russian invasion; tecture into churches. All of sah (Islamic school) were con- three mosques in Bosnia and the conversion of churches was verted into churches and three Herzegovina were turned into done during the Austrian inva- clock towers into bell towers churches during the Austrian sion,” he added. in Bulgaria; in Croatia eight invasion.” mosques and a [historic] tow- Greece stands out er into churches; in Crimea six Yilmaz further said: “Three mosques, a shrine into church- mosques in Algeria were turned Yilmaz said Greece has the es; in Kosovo a mosque into a into churches during the French most Turkish architecture that is church and a clock tower into a invasion, two mosques in Ar- “still in use” and added that the bell tower. menia into churches. In South country converted 76 mosques, Cyprus a fountain, in Moldova 19 shrines and a minaret into “In Ukraine two mosques were four mosques and in Romania churches. turned into a church and a five mosques were all turned minaret into a bell tower; in into churches.” In addition, Greece also con- Macedonia three mosques, verted five minarets into bell

82 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com towers, changing 101 architectural works.

Yilmaz said the Turkish architectural works were converted over political and spatial reasons and added: “Large monumental Turkish buildings and especially minarets in the city centers are seen as the first target to be destroyed due its symbolism of Turkish domination and Islam. It is deeply saddening that in only one night in Sofia in 1878, seven minarets were destroyed with dynamites.” Destruction “We have doted upon it [Ha- “Mosques are the most con- gia Sophia] since 1453, with- verted architectures into Yilmaz noted that components out interfering with the church churches. I have identified 272 such as the domes and arches features. We only added mihr- mosques and masjids. Aside reflecting Turkish architecture ab, minbar [Islamic pulpil] and from the mosques, 36 monas- were purposely destroyed and minaret. When you look at it teries and shrines are turned the architecture of those build- from outside, you can easily into churches. There are clock ings altered. understand that it was once a towers turned into bell towers church... However, the architec- and minarets that bells were “However, no matter how much tural features of the mosques mounted on,” he said. they alter it the main walls, in which we call them main out- that Europeans turned into churches have completely been A tower in Croatia, a reservoir er wall, face the qibla [direc- changed.” of a fountain in Southern Cy- tion toward Mecca] and can- prus, a prayer area in Greece not be changed, thus allowing He stated that his goal in this was converted into Orthodox us to identify the converted archive research was to register worship areas, Yilmaz added. mosques. I was able to identify the Mustafa Pasha Mosque in the Turkish works with documents. “A church was built inside a Budapest this way,” he said. caravansary in Serbia. So it Yilmaz, who has been research- is not only mosques but also Yilmaz stressed that there is ing Turkish architectural works monasteries, shrines, minarets, no other nation that respects for nearly 20 years, has been towers, bathhouses, fountains architectural works more than involved in many restoration and workhouses belonging to the Turkish nation, and said: projects at home and abroad. Turkish architecture that were “Turks were never hung-up turned into churches,” he said. on old civilizations and that is why we never intervened to the He established the Turkish Ar- chitectural Research Center. architectural components of those works that were turned The book from his research into mosques. The best exam- between 2010-2020, Turkish ple to this is the Hagia Sophia Works Converted Into Churches Mosque.” will soon be published. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 83 25 July 2020 First prayer in Hagia Sophia protested in Komotini (Gümülcine) On July 24, 2020 Hagia Sophia was reopened to worship after 86 years. The reopening of Hagia Sophia as a mosques was protested in Gümülcine city center.

The march which started from the symbolic After the speech, far-right racist group started a sword of Gümülcine ended in front of the Con- march towards the Consulate General of Turkey. sulate General of Turkey. Both in the speech and the march demonstrators The protest started with the speech made by the chanted slogans against Turkey and Turks living organizators. in Western Thrace.

84 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 25 July 2020 Turks of Greece commemorate Dr. Sadik Ahmet

embers of the Turkish minority in Greece commemorated their former leader late on Friday on 25 years since his untimely death, with the Mparticipation of authorities only from Western Thrace due to the Pandemic. Elected twice as a lawmaker to the Greek Parliament, Sadik Ahmet led campaigns for the rights of Turks living in Western Thrace in the country, after years of persecution by Athens.

On July 24, 1995 -- the anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne, the agreement which guarantees the rights of the Turkish minority in Greece - Ahmet was killed at age 48 in a suspicious car crash.

‘Western Thrace Turkish Minority is not dere- In the event with limited participation due to lict’ says Erdogan Pandemic, Turkish Ambassador of Athens Burak Özügergin expressing his strong feelings to- Unforgettable leader of Western Trace Turks was wards the minority, also read Turkish President commemorated in his 25th anniversary of death Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s message in which it was in Gümülcine (Komotini). obviously declared that the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace is not derelict.

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 85 27 July 2020 Greek extremists burn Turkish flags over Hagia Sophia

Far-right group stopped out- national anthem and shouted leaders had long advocated side Turkish Consulate in Thes- slogans. for it to return to a functioning saloniki mosque, open for worship. Besides being a functioning A group of far-right Greek ex- mosque, Hagia Sophia is also A Turkish court annulled a 1934 tremists burned Turkish flags among Turkey’s top tourism Cabinet decree July 19 that late Friday in Thessaloniki to destinations for domestic and turned Hagia Sophia into a mu- protest the reopening of the foreign visitors alike. seum, paving the way for its use Hagia Sophia Mosque for wor- as a mosque. ship in Istanbul. In 1985, during its time as a museum, Hagia Sophia was added In the new era for Hagia Sophia, The group burned a Turkish to the UNESCO World Heritage Turkey’s Religious Affairs Di- flag after gathering outside List. rectorate will oversee religious the Agia Sofia Church before services at the mosque, while marching toward the Turkish It served as a church for 916 the Culture and Tourism Min- Consulate while holding signs years until the conquest of Is- istry will supervise restoration that read: “For homeland, na- tanbul, and a mosque from and conservation work. tion and orthodoxy.” 1453 to 1934 - nearly 500 years - and most recently as a muse- The architectural treasure is Protesters were stopped out- um for 86 years. also open to domestic and for- side the consulate by securi- eign tourists free of charge. ty forces but burned another Turkish President Recep Tayy- Turkish flag and sang the Greek ip Erdogan and other Turkish

27 July 2020 ‘Wherever were Turks, they were better’ says Greek Priest

Greek Priest Evangelos Papani- site. kolaou shouts the hidden facts about Turks admitting their kind- Papanikolaou giving a speech ness throughout history after the ritual at the Analipseos Church in Rafina near the capi- While the reopening of Hagia tal Athens stated that Turks were Sophia as a mosque disturbs the always better to the Greeks than mainstream Greek society, an ex- any other nation throughout his- ceptional priest Evangelos Papa- tory. nikolaou claims the exact oppo- 86 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com

02 August 2020 Mitsotakis government continues assimilation policies over religion After a silence of a while, Mitsotakis government announced that the previous assimilation policies against the Turkish minority will continue. According to the new developments the mufti teach the Qur’an in mosques in Western Thrace regents that are not recognized by the minority or to teach Islamic religion to Turkish minority as they are appointed undemocratically by the students studying in public schools in Greek”. state whereas the minority elects its own mufti itself, will be the head of the school committees The religion teachers could be appointed in Ma- in Madrasa (religious) high schools. drasas instead of the fired Madrasa teachers. Accordingly, the curriculum of Islam will be de- Other than that, it was announced that teachers termined by the Greek Orthodox approach and working in Madrasas will be fired as of 31 August will be taught by the teachers appointed by the 2020 with their right to compensation. same ideology that has never taken the initiative to enter a dialogue with the minority at all. A final application is about the ierodidaskalos (religion teachers). The religion 60 religion teach- In this way, the Greek State presents itself as a ers will be appointed to Gümülcine (Komotini), multicultural and tolerant state. However, those and 30 to İskeçe (Xanthi) and Meriç (Evros). The ‘multicultural’ and ‘tolerant’ policies have noth- task of the “irodidaskalos” was recorded as “to ing to do with the minority’s demands.

88 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 04 August 2020 Helping hand from Western Thrace to Somalia

nown for their generosity, helpfulness and hospitality, Western Thrace Turks come to the fore with these characteristics at every opportunity. Despite the economic difficulties, Western Thrace Turks, who always keep Kthe sense of helpfulness alive, participate in sacrificial donation campaigns organized on the occasion of Eid al-Adha and strive to reach out to people in need in Western Thrace and in different geographies.

One of the sacrificial donations organized by the procurational sacrifices. This year, it was re- Western Thrace Turks on the occasion of Eid ported that in the IHH-UK campaign for Somalia al-Adha is the sacrifice campaign organized donated 1200 sacrifices and significant amount by the IHH-UK humanitarian foundation with of them were donated from Western Thrace. The the cooperation of Çınar Association which is a Western Thracian beneficents also provided ba- Western Thrace originated NGO. IHH-UK strives sic food supplies to 300 families for 1 month. to provide humanitarian aid to people living in difficult conditions in different regions, both Ali Tahir Cambaz, President of IHH-UK, went to through the organization of sacrifice on the days Somalia delivered the procurational sacrifices of the Eid al-Adha, and through international aid himself. On the other hand, he he delivered food campaigns at other times of the year. supplies to 300 families for 1 month sent from Western Thrace to. This year too, IHH-UK and Çınar Association organized a sacrificial donation campaign for Sacrificial donation campaigns are organized in many regions. As last year, Ali Tahir Cambaz, the Western Thrace through our mufti offices too. In President of IHH-UK, originally from Gökçepınar this context, donations are delivered primarily to (Glafki) village of İskeçe (Xanthi) living in Lon- the poor people in our region and also to differ- don, went to Somalia personally and delivered ent regions abroad. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 89 07 August 2020 Attack on the mosque in Western Thrace

In the statement made by the Xanthi Elected Mufti Office, it was stated that the Xanthi Central Hürriyet Mosque was attacked. In the statement made by the Xanthi Elected ity meter of Xanthi Central Hürriyet Mosque was Mufti Office regarding the attack, it was stated damaged by an unidentified person or persons. that “on Wednesday, 5 August 2020, the electric- It is announced to the public.”

08 August 2020 Council of Europe Press Freedom Platform criticizes Greece

The Council of Europe criticized Greece, citing In the decision, “Some media outlets were re- Documento newspaper as an example, with the stricted from the 20 million euro advertising decision number 85/2020 of the Platform for the campaign the government gave to the press Freedom of the Press and the Protection of Jour- within the framework of the epidemic campaign, nalists. and some were completely excluded from the campaign. Those who were excluded from the In criticism, “Documento is a weekly research campaign could not receive even a small part newspaper. Coronavirus outbreak ads were ex- of the advertisements given to the other press, cluded. The newspaper has a structure that crit- as they were opponents, and some of them had icizes the government. “ Expressions were used. much more readership than others” statements were included. It is also stated that newspapers criticizing the government in Greece are excluded from epi- In the continuation of the decision, the weekly demic advertising. Documento newspaper published in Greece is shown as an example. The International Press Institute (IPI) had previously sent a letter of complaint to Prime Minister As will be remembered, Turkish newspapers, Mitsotakis about the discrimination against the magazines, radios and websites broadcasting in press. Western Thrace could not benefit from the 20 million advertising campaign. 90 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 12 August 2020 Turkey slams Greece over closing minority schools Shuttering minority schools is part of Greece’s assimilation, oppression of Turks in Western Thrace region, says Turkey. Turkey slammed Greece on Wednesday over tury the number of schools belonging to the systematically closing down Turkish minority Turkish minority was cut in half from 231 to 115. schools in the country’s Western Thrace region, depriving the minority of the education of their “The European Union is watching the systemat- choosing. ic violation of human rights in a member state,” Aksoy added. Athens’ practice of “temporary suspension” of minority schools in Western Thrace – a region Underscoring that Athens’s policy violates the boasting a Muslim Turkish minority numbering 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, Aksoy called on Greece around 150,000 – for the past 25 years is a part to end its policy of using pretexts to violate the of Greece’s “assimilation and oppression” policy, education rights of minority children and to in- said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy. stead reopen these schools.

Such oppressive policies “have been carried out Aksoy also expressed support to statements for decades against the Turkish minority in West- made by Turkish minority institutions and orga- ern Thrace,” read the statement. nizations in Western Thrace, urging the international community and human rights groups to For 25 years, Greece has been systematically recognize and press on the issue. shutting down schools belonging to the Turkish minority on the pretext of austerity measures “Our initiatives with Greek authorities to solve and insufficient enrollment, said the ministry. the educational problems of the Western Thrace Turkish minority will be resolutely continued on Telling how eight more schools belonging to the the basis of reciprocity established by the Laus- Turkish minority in Western Thrace were recently anne Peace Treaty,” the statement added. shuttered, Aksoy said over the last quarter-cen- www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 91 12 August 2020 President of YTB slams Greece over closing minority schools

Western Thrace originated President of YTB (Presidency For Turks Abroad And Related Communities) Abdullah Eren reacts on closing minority schools in Western Thrace. Eren in a post on his social media account stating In an attitude incompatible with Lausanne, that closing the schools is a part of the assimila- Greece continues its systematic pressure on the tion policy, points that lastly a school in Kızılağaç Western Thrace Turkish Minority through edu- village where his father was born was closed and cation. The school in Kızılağaç, my father village, Medrese-i Hayriye High School which has a his- was also closed. The 5-century-old Medrese-i tory of 500 years is digested. Hayriye in Komotini is also being digested. These violations of rights must be stopped. The post of Eren is as follows:

92 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 13 August 2020 Turkish village raided by commandos in Western Thrace In the village of Gökçepınar which has a completely Turkish minority population, the commando unit carried out an exercise. The residents of the village were surprised at what they were going through when they encountered armed commandos in front of them in the morning.

According to the reports, the residents of the re- lage of Şahin. Soldiers located at the entrance of gion were not informed that the exercise will be the village made people question “What is hap- carried out within the municipality’s borders on pening in the region?”, “What is it about landing Wednesday, 12 August, and the sudden appear- soldiers in a minority village in a sensitive peri- ance of armed soldiers performing exercises in od?”. the village and in the cemetery area and its sur- roundings caused concern among the residents. As Mayor confirms, people were not informed The same concerns were experienced in the vil- about the exercise thus it is such a normal case www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 93 that the residents were con- conditions, it is necessary to act Gökçeada? cerned. However, the 4th Corps saner and not to cause a dis- sources claim that those kinds turbing atmosphere. REACTIONS FROM MACEDO- of exercises are an ordinary NIAN MINORITY MEMBERS process. WHAT IF EXERCISE WAS IN GREECE MADE IN THE GREEK PATRI- PUBLIC REACTIONS ARCH AND CEMETERIES IN In social media, the reactions ISTANBUL ... of the citizens of Greece in the It is being investigated wheth- regions where the Macedonian er such exercises are carried One of the highlights of the minority live, such as Florina out in the villages and regions questions related to the subject (Lerin), drew attention to the where the majority citizens of in public opinion was the fol- issue. Members of the Macedo- Greek origin live too. However, lowing: Are exercises performed nian Minority sharply criticized after all, in a sensitive period, by Turkish commandos in the in their posts, stating that sim- such perception operations and regions where Greek-speaking ilar to the ones in Gökçepınar, dangerous steps that will cause Orthodox minority live in Tur- military operations that caused different understandings and key? What would the reactions fear were carried out in the vil- perceptions in the public are be if a similar exercise took lages where Macedonians lived criticized and cause reactions. place around the Patriarchate to intimidate. According to the general opin- or in a Greek cemetery, in Boz- ion of the public, in the current caada or in Orthodox villages in

94 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 14 August 2020 Soldiers seen in minority villages of Rhodope too

hile the people of the region is still surprised about the practice of the commandos in Gökçepınar village and the soldiers located in the entrance of Şahin village, it was Wreported that another soldiers were also witnessed by the residents of two villages in Rhodope.

According to the information received, it was stated that around 09:30 on Wednesday, Au- gust 12, 2020, a military group of about 20 people visited Payamlar village without notice and wandered the streets of the village.

It was stated that the soldiers came to Payamlar village, fully equipped, worried the residents.

The people of the region stated that the soldiers had visited zlukebir Municipality, after stopping for a while the village before, but the military group passed in front of the mosque, moved again and left the through the village fully equipped for the first village. time. It is not yet known where and why the military At around 10.30 in the same morning, it was stat- group came to Payamlar village and stopped in ed that a military convoy with 3 vehicles came to the village centre for a while passing through the village of Menetler, also affiliated with Ko- Menetler village with vehicles.

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 95 14 August 2020 Turks in Greece still being denied their rights Turkish minority faces official denial of its ethnic identity, problems in education, and interference in religious affairs For decades, the Turkish mi- stricting the autonomy of the abuses by the Greek state. Fol- nority in Greece has faced mufti Muslim clerics, land be- lowing Turkey’s 1974 peace op- government-imposed hurdles longing to a Muslim religious eration on Cyprus, the Greek to exercising its fundamental foundation being sold off to a military junta eventually fell, rights on education, religious tourism company, and the gov- but the tight restrictions on the affairs, and the recognition of ernment-ordered closure of Turkish minority persisted, and its ethnic identity. five Turkish minority schools. were even tightened.

Greece’s Western Thrace re- The rights of the Turks of West- By the early 1990s, some rights gion – in the country’s northern Thrace were guaranteed of the Turkish minority were east, near the Turkish border under the 1923 Treaty of Laus- restored, but only partially. – is home to a substantial, anne, a pact forged in the after- However, problems regarding long-established Muslim Turk- math of World War I, but since collective and civil rights con- ish minority numbering around then the situation has steadily tinued and additional suffering 150,000. deteriorated. emerged.

Several recent developments After a Greek junta came to Turkish identity denied have cast a harsh spotlight power in 1967, the Turks of on the problems of Turks in Western Thrace started to face One of the most pressing prob- Greece, including a decree re- harsher persecution and rights lems of the Turkish minority in

96 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com Western Thrace is the denial their religious affairs. The administrators of Muslim of their ethnic identity by the pious endowments (waqfs) are Greek state. Greece recognizes The election of muftis by Mus- also appointed by the Greek the minority in Western Thrace lims in Greece is regulated by state, even though Article 40 of only in terms of religion – that the 1913 Treaty of Athens, a the Treaty of Lausanne speci- is to say, as a Muslim minority. Greek-Ottoman Empire pact fies that they must be elected which was implemented by by the minority. Greece bases this policy on its Athens in 1920. misinterpretation of the Treaty This policy has led to the mis- of Lausanne, as the treaty in no But in 1991, in violation of inter- management of the endow- way excludes consideration of national law, Greece annulled ments, including the expropria- the minority’s Turkish identity. its law implementing the 1913 tion of their properties. treaty, and unlawfully started to Indeed, in the 1950s, during an appoint the muftis itself. Education era of good Turkish-Greek relations, Greece used to official- The muftis appointed by the Currently Western Thrace has ly refer to the minority as the Greek state have since usurped Turkish-Greek bilingual prima- “Turkish minority.” local Muslims’ right of jurisdic- ry, secondary, and high schools, tion over family and inheritance institutions largely regulated by But this stance changed after matters. a 1951 Turkish-Greek education the 1967 military junta began agreement. referring to the minority as The majority of Muslim Turks a “Muslim minority,” a policy in Western Thrace do not rec- But when kindergarten atten- which continues to this day. ognize the muftis appointed dance recently became com- by the Greek state and instead, pulsory in Greece, the need to Throughout the 1980s, Greece rightfully, elect their own muftis. open minority kindergartens even banned associations that However, since 1991 the Greek emerged. had the word “Turkish” in their state has refused to recognize names. these elected muftis, and Greek Despite kindergarten educa- authorities have even put the tion being mandatory, Greece The European Court of Human clerics on trial. does not allow the opening of Rights ruled against Greece on bilingual minority kindergar- this matter in 2008, but Greece In June 2019, a Greek presiden- tens, thus forcing the children has defied the rulings, refusing tial decree further restricted of minority families to attend to implement them. the autonomy of the appoint- Greek ones. ed muftis. The decree contains Under this draconian policy, all provisions downgrading the Over the protests of the mi- Turkish minority associations status of the muftis into ordi- nority, in recent years Greece that contain the word “Turkish” nary public officials. has also closed down several in their names are still forbid- minority primary schools, citing den in Greece. Another law, moreover, enables low enrollment as a pretext. commissions made up of Or- Interference in religious af- thodox Christian civil servants In July 2019, Greece’s Education fairs to control the appointment of Ministry decided to close five imams and Muslim religious in- more Turkish minority schools, Another continuing problem of structors, thus further curbing bringing the total number of the Turks in Western Thrace is Muslims’ religious freedom. shuttered schools to 65. the Greek state’s interference in www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 97 The current minority secondary as a pretext. candidates, in order to prevent and high schools in Western the election of independent Thrace’s regions of Komotini In June 2019, for instance, 34 lawmakers from the Turkish mi- (Gumulcine) and Xanthi (Iskece) acres of land belonging to Mus- nority. do not have enough space to lim pious endowments on Kos enroll all the minority students, were sold to a tourism compa- As the threshold remains in and so new schools are needed. ny for as little as €181,000. The force, the only way Turkish mi- same land had gone on auction nority candidates can be elect- In terms of infrastructure, some 10 years ago, and got a bid of ed now is from within other minority schools also urgently €350,000 – nearly twice the re- mainstream Greek political par- need maintenance and resto- cent sum – but was unable to ties. ration. be sold then. Moreover, outside of the West- The education standards at mi- ern Thrace region, Greece lacks nority schools are also low and Other problems a single functioning mosque. need improvement. For 44 years, around 60,000 Despite continuing requests Dodecanese Turks Western Thracian Turks and by the hundreds of thousands some Dodecanese Turks were of Muslims living in Athens The Aegean islands of Rhodes deprived of their Greek citi- and Thessalonica, Greece’s and Kos (Istankoy), which are zenship under Article 19 of the most populous cities – large- part of Greece’s Dodecanese Greek citizenship code, enacted ly migrants from other Muslim islands, are home to around in 1955. countries, along with ethnic 6,000 Muslim Turks. Turks – they lack even a single This article was only applicable functioning mosque. Greece does not recognize the to Greek citizens who were not rights of the Turkish population ethnic Greeks. This rendered This situation gives Athens the living there, due to a loophole, 60,000 Greek citizens of Turkish dubious distinction of being as these islands were under ethnicity who traveled or mi- the only European capital with Italian rule during the time of grated abroad stateless due to no mosque. the Treaty of Lausanne. the Greek state’s interpretation that they lacked any intention The seemingly endless plan- These Turks do not have and of returning home. ning for a mosque in Athens cannot establish their own has been under way for several schools on the islands, and are Article 19 was repealed in 1998, decades. subject to policies apparently but not retroactively, thereby aimed at their assimilation. leaving the 60,000 people who However, the mosque under had lost their Greek citizenship construction has yet to be ful- The properties of pious Mus- with no way of regaining it. ly inaugurated or utilized for lim endowments in the Do- prayers. decanese are also governed by Another serious problem is Greek-appointed boards, as in the Greek state blocking the Years of failure to complete and Western Thrace. minority’s right to democratic open the mosque as well as its representation. awkward location will probably The assets of these centu- continue to draw criticism from ries-old endowments in the In 1993, Greece introduced a local Muslims for this “mosque Dodecanese are often sold national election threshold of with no minarets.” off by the boards, using the 3%, applicable to political par- mosques’ restoration expenses ties as well as independent 98 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 17 August 2020 YTB President Eren: Western Thrace Turks will never bow to systematic pressures

Turks Abroad And Related Communities (YTB) President Abdullah Eren made statements regarding the unfair attitude of Greece in Western Thrace. Eren emphasized that there are examples of teed by different issues. trying to implement this oppressive attitude through education recently: “In an attitude in- YTB President Abdullah Eren, who also men- compatible with Lausanne, Greece continues tioned the fact that Greece had carried out its systematic pressure on the Western Thrace so-called exercises in a civil settlement with its Turkish Minority through education. Schools fully equipped commandos in Western Thrace were closed in many villages in Western Thrace. a few days ago said: ‘’An extremely irrational The 5-century-old Madrasa-i Hayriye in Gümül- new sample of attitude. Apart from the media cine is also being digested. These pressures coverage, there were reports of military pres- must end”. ence in a few more villages. You know, there is an attack on the cemetery. These are never ac- Abdullah Eren underlined that Greece’s denial ceptable. Western Thrace Turks will never bow of identity, intervention in the freedom of re- to all these systematic pressures seen in every ligious life, and controversial practices regard- field. As President of the Republic of Turkey Re- ing the foundations (waqfs) belonging to the cep Tayyip Erdogan expressed, Turkey will never minority, and now they have made attempts to leave alone Turks in Greece and will defend its disregard the education rights and laws of the rights and the law at all times”. Turks, especially Lausanne, which are guaran- www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 99 18 August 2020 Greek fascist web site reveals the photographer of the commando exercise The photographer of the provocative exercise made by commandos in a Turkish minority village was revealed by a fascist web site known with similar reveals in order to silence the minority. Tourkikanea.gr is a web site which stalks the veals the house’s both satellite and Google Earth Turkish minority members on the social media images from where the photograph was taken and reveals every sharing regarding the minority from. issues intending to target and silence the minority members as every moment causes to judicial In this way, the Turkish community is threatened investigation. indirectly to be silenced and cannot defend their rights. According to the publication, Tourkika Nea re-

100 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 19 August 2020 Turkey issues report on Turkish minority in Greece Parliament elaborates on cultural, religious issues of Turk community living in Western Thrace and Dodecanese Islands. The Turkish parliament on Tuesday issued a report elaborating on religious and cultural prob- It said that Turkish groups in Western Thrace and lems faced by the Turkish minority in Greece. the Dodecanese Islands did not have control over their religious foundations, which negative- The report by the Department of Research Ser- ly impacts the struggle to protect historical sites. vices also examined the difficulties in protecting joint heritage sites in the southeastern Europe- “Absence of any mosque in the Greek capital an country, such as a 600-year-old Ottoman-era Athens, and the country’s second-biggest city mosque in Didymoteicho. of Thessaloniki draws a reaction from the Turk- ish minority. Athens is the only European capital Built in 1420, the Celebi Sultan Mehmet Mosque that has no mosque.” was severely damaged in a 2017 fire. Greece’s Western Thrace region – in the coun- Turkey repeatedly offered cooperation to restore try’s northeast, near the Turkish border – is home the mosque but to no avail. to a substantial, long-established Muslim Turkish minority numbering around 150,000. “Despite the positive steps taken by the Greek authorities, the joint cultural heritage in Greece Decades of Greek mistreatment towards the has not been protected as required,” it said. group has been ignored by the European Union, even as it violates international treaties, high The research argued that some restoration works court rulings, and the 27-member bloc’s own by Greek authorities have destroyed the real rules. character and architectural aspects of structures. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 101 29 August 2020 Minority deals with fake news prepared by local media as well as international media

ustafçova (Myki) Mayor Rıdvan Deli Hüseyin made a statement on his social media account after the military drill in Gökçepınar, drawing attention to the black propaganda carried out against the Turks of MWestern Thrace and saying that it is a system that tries to keep our minority under constant psychological pressure, saying “They indirectly threaten us”. Mustafçova Mayor Rıdvan Deli Hüseyin reacted Deli Hüseyin also stated that Machitis and to the news made on the basis of a statement tourkikanea.gr has a mission of defamation mi- he made on the Independent Turkish website nority administrators but not working for the but did not say (which was later corrected on the peace: According to them, they pursue the duty website) and tried to provoke our society with of blackening the minority of Western Thrace, such news, under constant pressure. He said it presenting them as if they were saying what they was necessary to stop trying to threaten us in- did not say, writing false news, intimidating and directly with such fake news. Deli Hüseyin stated humiliating those who are at the point of admin- that they will give the best answer to such lies istration, in the eyes of the people, as dangerous and distortions with morality, education, culture people, and hurt each other. These are not those and development. who work for the peace of society, they are those who try to make people hurt each other for their own interests.

WHAT INDEPENDENT TURKISH AIMS FOR?

British-based website Independent Turkish which is financed by Saudis and blocked to access in Turkey drew attention with its special interest on Western Thrace, especially the military drill in Gökçepınar.

In the news of the website, it did not go unno- ticed that the Western Thrace Muslim Turkish Minority, whose Turkish identity was denied by Greece as a state policy, was presented only as the “Muslim Minority” and avoided the expres- Deli Hüseyin pointing out the same purpose of sion Turkish Minority in the content of the news. both Machitis Newspaper and tourkikanea.gr For some reason, the use of the phrase “Greek website said “Not only is it enough to deal with Community” rather than “Non-Muslim Minority” our own problems, but you also have to deal in the news about the Non-Muslim Orthodox with the sick minds and the ‘gentle fascists’ and Minority left in Istanbul in return for the Western ‘fascist thoughts’ that threaten to bring you be- Thrace Turks according to the Lausanne Treaty fore the courts at any moment”. left question marks in mind.

102 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com Independent Turkish’s access in Turkey was Mustafçova Mayor Rıdvan Delihüseyin’s “Machi- blocked by Information Technologies and Com- tis, Tourkika nea and Independent Turkish! I think munication Presidency (BTK) (19.04.2019). Ac- your game is common. Let our people know cording to the reports of the Turkish Media, Brit- them too.” statement raised the question wheth- ish-based Independent Turkish became a centre er “Independent Turkish organizes operation in of manipulative news against Turkey. Western Thrace against Turkey”.

29 August 2020 Turkish Consul General of Gümülcine (Komotini) visits the residents of Gökçepınar village

Gümülcine Consul General of Turkey Murat Ömeroğlu visited Gökçepınar village in Xanthi. Consul General Ömeroğlu performed the Fri- day prayer with residents, during his visit to the It is observed that Consul General Ömeroğlu, Gökçepınar village of the Mustafçova Munici- elected officials of the region and the citizens pality on Friday. of Gökçepınar follow the rules of social distance in the best way, both during the prayer in the Consul General Ömeroğlu, who greeted the mosque, in the greeting after prayer and during people in the mosque after the prayer, then the conversation in the cafe. went to the village cafe and held a conversation with the people after a while. In the posts made on the social media accounts of the Consulate General regarding the visit, it During the visit, Ömeroğlu was accompanied was stated that “We visited Gökçepınar (Glafki) by İskeçe Mufti Ahmet Mete, Minority MPs of village and met with the people.” İskeçe Hüseyin Zeybek and Burhan Baran.

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 103 29 August 2020 FEP Party polls minority farmers in Western Thrace

The Friendship Equality Peace Party (DEB), the political party of Western Thrace Turks, conducted a survey with farmers in the provinces of Gümülcine (Komotini), İskeçe (Xanthi) and Meriç (Evros), where minority people live intensely.

A written statement was made by the party re- -Do you believe you are getting rewarded for garding the survey, which lasted for 3 months your effort? 91% NO, 5% PARTLY YES, 4% YES and participated by 2031 farmers. It was also stated that the fact that the average age of our -Are you satisfied with the compensations pro- farmers is over 50 has revealed the reason why vided by the state as a result of natural disasters? our young people migrate or seek for 90% YES, 10% NO different jobs due to dissatisfac- tion with farming. Following the results of the survey, the FEP Party sent a letter to the The results are as follows: Greek Ministry of Agriculture and requested answers to the fol- -Does your income from lowing questions regarding the cotton or tobacco pro- issue; vide your livelihood? 9% NO, 91% YES 1- The total amount transferred from the EU support funds to -As a minority, do you think the Western Thrace Region be- you have been subjected to tween 2000-2020; any kind of discrimination by ELGA? 5% NO, 23% PARTLY YES, 2- The distribution of the number trans- 72% YES ferred to the Western Thrace Region among the Minority-Majority people; -Do you believe that the economy of the region is equated with the country in general? 83% NO, 3- Measures taken regarding agriculture, animal 12% PARTLY YES, 5% YES husbandry and other economic development programs in the region

104 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com

02 September 2020 Former Independent MP İsmail Rodoplu passes away

Former Independent MP İsmail Rodoplu, a leading figure in the Western Thrace Turks, died in the morning today.

Who is İsmail Rodoplu?

Ismail Rodoplu, born in 1938 in the village of Se- metli, Gümülcine (Komotini), graduated from the Department of History in 1968. Rodoplu published a newspaper named “Gerçek” (The Truth) in 1977 about 400 issues until 1994. İsmail Ro- doplu, who had an active political life, entered the general elections of November 5, 1989 as an independent candidate as one of the leaders of İsmail Rodoplu a leading figure who marched on the independent list movement, which is an im- 29 Januaries with the minority members for the portant turning point for the political life of the denied Turkish identity of the Western Thrace Western Thrace Turkish Minority. İsmail Rodop- Turks, to stop their assimilated policies and for lu, who served as the President of the Western their rights not granted, passed away this morn- Thrace Minority Higher Education Association ing. before becoming a deputy, was also a member of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority Advisory Rodoplu had a cerebral hemorrhage in 2010. He Board. had been living a quiet life at home in Gümülcine for 10 years.

106 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 04 September 2020 Greek website threatens Turkish journalists on Meis Island

Anadolu Agency director general, Turkish Communications Director slam editorial for accusing journalists of being spies.

Journalists working for Turkey’s the island by ship. what these MIT spies are trying state-run news agency who to do? We hope the authorities travelled to Greece’s Meis Is- A Greece-based anti-Turkish will do what is necessary!” it land to cover recent develop- website called Turkikanea.gr said. ments there were threatened published a provocative edito- by an anti-Turkish Greek web- rial a few hours after they ar- The website also published site Wednesday. rived. a photo of Durul’s passport identity page, a copy of which Anadolu Agency’s Athens Rep- “Why do we allow Turkish spies should only be kept by Greek resentative Tevfik Durul and of the National Intelligence Or- authorities and not shared with photojournalist Ayhan Meh- ganization (MIT) to go to Meis? anyone. met flew from the Greek capital Why did we let them set foot Athens to Rhodes and reached on the island? Don’t we know An explanation is expected

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 107 from Greek authorities on how ministration for how the identity the site managed to obtain a and passport information of our photo of the passport page as friends, which should only be in Durul had not shown the page the hands of the Greek authori- to anyone besides the author- ties, was leaked,” he added. ities during his trips to Athens and Meis. “You will pay the price”

The website also acted in a “You will pay the price if those provocative manner by posting Turkish reporters come in harm’s information on Mehmet’s birth- way. Nobody can silence Anado- place. lu Agency, whose staff work in the most hostile environments, “Greek authorities should through threats, intimidation or provide a safe working envi- the publication of their personal ronment” information,” Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said on “Targeting two journalists who Twitter. went to the island to follow up on news is a heavy blow to press “We condemn the Greek au- freedom,” Senol Kazanci, the thorities’ efforts to incite vio- agency’s director-general, said lence, through a fascist website, in a statement. against AA journalists in Meis. That Greek journalists work free- Condemning the provocative ly in Turkey, which the EU loves editorial, Kazanci pointed out to lecture on press freedom, as that journalists working for Greece, an EU member, acts like Anadolu Agency (AA), a global a mafia state is worth noting,” news agency, closely follow the Altun added. agenda and breaking developments on Meis Island as in every According to recent media re- corner of the world. ports, the Greek authorities deployed military elements to the “Greek authorities should pro- island of Meis. Turkey slammed vide a safe working environment the move, recalling that the is- for AA journalists,” he said. land has had a demilitarized status since the 1947 Paris Peace “We expect an explanation and Treaties. an apology from the Athens ad-

108 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 04 September 2020 No response received yet for school building issue

The problem of building inadequacy at Iskeçe Minority High School continues despite all attempts. Iskeçe Minority High School many problems, made efforts schools in total all over West- Council Committee stated that to ensure that minority stu- ern Thrace which is consisted of the school’s building inadequa- dents deserve their education 3 provinces and approximately cy continues, the demand for and receive their education as 150.000 minority population prefabricated classes was not they wish. for years. The case of Minority answered, and the promises High School in Iskeçe is much made to end the boycott held THE PROBLEM OF MINORITY more desperate as the building last year were not fulfilled. HIGH SCHOOL IN WESTERN is too small to serve education THRACE for all the population. Despite In the statement made on the all requests made for years, the social media account of the While half of the primary case of building inadequacy has Iskeçe Minority High School schools were closed in the not found any response yet. Council Committee, it was stat- last year, high school students ed that the school, which faced are limited with only two high

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 109 10 September 2020 Turkish journalists under fascist pressure in Greece Turkish reporters in Greece are targeted by the state’s ideological apparatus.

Turkish journalists working in Greece continue to The racist tourkikanea.gr site published the list be the target of fascists with the recent tension of journalists belonging to the Western Thrace in Turkish-Greek relations. First Anadolu Agency Turkish Minority working in Greece for AA and (AA) and then TRT’s reporters working in Greece TRT Haber. The site targeting AA Athens Repre- were made an open target by the racist news site sentative Tevfik Durul and photojournalist Ayhan tourkikanea.gr. Mehmet also published the names of Western Thrace Turks working for official institutions in While the fascist website tourkikanea.gr has Turkey. The racist website targeted TRT’s Foreign been harassing Turkish minority journalists for Languages Director Nevzat Mehmet, YTB em- long years, now both Turkish and Greek citizen ployee Recep Paçaman, Trakya University lectur- Anadolu Agency and TRT reporters became a er Ali Hüseyinoğlu, and TRT’s Komotini reporter target of the racist website. Necat Ahmet.

110 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 13 September 2020 Courtyard of the ruined Hemitli Mosque cleaned by volunteers

The courtyard of the Hemitli Mosque in İskeçe (Xanthi), which has been in ruins for many years, was cleaned by a group of volunteers as a result of the permission obtained the deputy Burhan Baran. Xanthi deputy Burhan Baran thanked the mem- years ago, the repair work of the mosque was bers of the minority in Avdira Municipality and started, but the work was stopped as a result of the deputy mayor for their assistance in obtain- the intervention of the appointed mufti (unrec- ing the necessary permissions in his statement ognized by the minority) of the time. Recently, on the social media account. the damage to the minaret of the mosque drew attention, and different claims were made about The garden of the Hemitli Mosque was cleaned this damage.

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 111 18 September 2020 Turkish Minority Press being opressed by law in Greece

ontinuing its rights violations against the Western Thrace Turks, Greece is exerting pressure through the judiciary to silence the Turkish Minority press, which unwittingly shout and criticize Cthese injustices.

The Western Thrace Turkish Mi- in this struggle, sheds light on the return of this right that was nority has been struggling for this issue by informing the so- unlawfully taken away by arbi- years to solve the mufti prob- ciety. With the 1913 Athens and trary practices. lem that broke out in the 1980s. Lausanne Treaties, Western The Turkish Minority press in Thrace Turks, who had the right Criticizing the violation of the Western Thrace, doing its part to elect their muftis, demand religious freedom of Western

112 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com Thrace Turks guaranteed by international agreements and the unfair The trial was to be held on February policies applied against their mufti, 6, 2020, at the Xanthi Civil Court of the lawsuit demanded 110 thou- First Instance. However, due to the sand euros in compensation from pandemic, the case has been post- Millet Newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief poned to this day. In the meantime, Cengiz Ömer yesterday (Septem- when the appointed mufti Cemali ber 17, 2020). Meço, and Feyzullah Hasankahya, one of the defendants, died, the In the case held at the Xanthi Civil case was continued unilaterally by Court of First Instance with 4 Judg- the formerly appointed mufti Meh- es, 110 thousand euros of compen- met Emin Şinikoğlu. Şinikoğlu now sation from journalist Cengiz Ömer, expects 110 thousand euro com- to whom the appointed (now re- pensation from Millet Newspaper tired) mufti Mehmet Emin Şinikoğ- owner Cengiz Ömer. lu, who was imposed by Greece on the Western Thrace Turkish Minori- ty in violation of agreements and THE MINORITY PRESS IS AC- human rights The grounds of his CUSED OF BEING ANTI-GREEK request, his claims and the witnesses of the defendant were heard. It is alleged that in the articles of The decision is expected to be an- Millet, which is described as “of- nounced in the coming days. fensive articles”, the so-called muftis imposed by the state were CRIMINAL CASE HAD RESULTED slandered and insulted in this way, WITH 15 MONTHS OF IMPRIS- therefore Cengiz Ömer and Feyzu- ONMENT llah HasanKâhya are the servants of the dark Turkish propaganda in Millet Newspaper Editor-in-Chief (Western) Thrace. Cengiz Ömer and its editor-in-chief Feyzullah Hasankahya, who passed WHAT ABOUT TSIPRAS WHO away this year, were sentenced to ADMITTED THE TRUTH ABOUT 20 months in prison before, and 15 MUFTIS months after appeal, in the criminal case previously filed by the Cengiz Ömer, the owner of Millet same individuals for the same rea- newspaper, made a statement re- son. The result of the case brought garding the issue. “Former Prime to the Supreme Court by Millet Minister Alexis Tsipras also admit- newspaper is being waited. The ted that the state-appointed muf- newspaper owners stated that they tis were not recognized by the mi- will take the case to the European nority in Western Thrace, and the Court of Human Rights unless the wrong and unfair policy followed result changes. for years on this issue”. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 113 19 September 2020 ‘Anti-democratic’ headline by the Greek ‘Dimokratia’ newspaper Pro-government Greek newspaper Dimokratia published a scandalous headline insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

astern Mediterranean tension continues be- to the maddening demands of the Sultan” was tween Turkey and Greece. Receiving support answered as “F*uck Off Mr. Erdogan”. from the European Union, Greek tries its Ebest to prevent Turkey’s researches on Eastern Turkey summons Greek envoy over despicable Mediterrenean, while Turkey points out that they news headline Turkey summoned Greece’s envoy Friday for a despicable headline in a Greek newspaper about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Ankara’s foreign minister.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said the Foreign Ministry had a harsh response to Greek Ambassador Mi- chael-Christos Diamessis for a vulgar headline in Greek newspaper, Demokratia, about Erdogan.

Cavusoglu told Anadolu Agency that it was natural for news outlets in both countries to criticize each other’s politicians -- sometimes severely – but under the principle of freedom of the press, insults should not be evaluated this way.

This shows the level to which the newspaper has sunk, he added.

will defent their rights and benefits on Eastern Cavusoglu expressed approval of a statement Mediterrenean. about the headline by the Greek Foreign Minis- try, which he said strongly condemned the inci- Insulting the Turkish President dent.

The newspaper ‘Dimokratia’, one of the media Freedom of expression and press in Greece outlets close to the government in Greece, was published with a headline containing a severe As the Greek foreign ministry condemns the insult to President Erdoğan. President Erdogan headline, it is a matter of wonder whether the was insulted in a very ugly and serious way on newspaper will be subject to any criminal action the front page of the newspaper. In the head- in a country where the minority press is con- line, the question “How should Greece respond stantly being opressed by law.

114 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 26 September 2020 Waive the request for minority school, suggests Bakoyanni

Bakoyanni listened to the ideas and requests of the elected local administrators for the development of the region and presented her own suggestions. ora Bakoyanni, Head The mayor also gave informa- President Rıdvan Ahmet also of the Thrace Develop- tion to Bakoyanni about the asked Bakoyanni to explain the ment Commission, was situation of the students and situation the second opportu- Din the province of Rhodope studying in the schools of the nity schools in the region. today, Saturday, September region. 26, 2020, within the scope of While Mayor Rıdvan Ahmet the visit program for Western Bakoyanni asked the mayor made some demands to Ba- Thrace. Bakoyanni started the how many classes the prima- koyanni about the develop- visit program in the Rhodope ry schools in the region con- ment of the region, one of the region from Maronya Munici- tain. Then, she suggested that most important demands was pality. Bakoyanni, who met with a large public primary school undoubtedly demanding the Mayor Dinos Charitopulos and be built in the region with the building of a new minority sec- listened to the problems of the method of moving to the bus ondary and high school with region, later visited Kozlukebir station so that the students re- the same status of Celal Bayar Municipality. ceive higher quality education. Minority Secondary and High School. Mayor of Kozlukebir Rıdvan Ahmet, Head of the Parliament İsmail Molla Ali Mehmet, vice presidents and elected deputy mayors of the region, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Region- al Vice President Ahmet İbram welcomed Bakoyanni outside the city hall.

Mayor Rıdvan Ahmet gave information to Bakoyanni about the schools working in the region. The mayor also talked about the region’s infrastructure, agricultural livelihoods, land and irrigation methods.

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 115 26 September 2020 Attack on the Association of Muslims in Alexandria It has been reported that an attack was carried out by unidentified persons against the Imathia Muslims Association in the town of Alexandria in Imathia province

usa Çolak, religious dent of the association, I have officer of Imathia Hüseyin Hüseyinoğlu, presi- made attempts and made my Muslims Association dent of the İmathia Muslims statement to the police station Mfounded by Turks immigrating Association, also condemned on the grounds that the perpe- from Western Thrace, said that the attack in the message he trators were identified in order the attack was carried out on published on his social media to ensure the order after the Friday morning when nobody account: attack. While declaring that we was present. Explaining that the are in favor of unity, solidarity windows in the entrance sec- “I would like to express with re- and fraternity, I hope that the tion were broken in the attack, gret that an attack was carried authorities will clarify and en- Çolak stated that the incident out by unknown persons on lighten the incident as soon as was transferred to the police. our association. As the presi- possible.” 116 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com

10 October 2020 Although it is late, it is promising for the future and democracy: DEB Party The Greek Supreme Court decided on the Golden Dawn Party to be a ‘criminal organization’, which the case has been going on for 5 years.

egarding the court deci- democracy”. The statement is organization. The court found sion, the administration as follows: guilty of the president and se- of the Friendship Equality nior executives of the racist RPeace Party (DEB Party) stat- “On Wednesday, 7 October, party accused of forming and ed that “although the justice is the Greek Supreme Court an- running a criminal organiza- late, Regarding the court deci- nounced the long-awaited tion. In addition, those involved sion, the administration of the decision for the Golden Dawn in the murder of the activist Friendship Equality Peace Party Party ... artist Pavlos Fissas received the stated that “even though the necessary punishment. justice has come late, the future As a result, the Golden Dawn has given hope in the name of Party was declared a criminal Our Party, which has been

118 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com struggling to seek justice for were subjected to unreason- years, has been subjected to able insults and threats. After this fair decision, our belief the attacks of this racist party that organizations and organi- from time to time in written, Finally, this victory of democ- zations that segregate, margin- verbal and physical forms. The racy, which we defend both alize and oppress people due panel organized by the FEP Par- wholeheartedly and principally, to their cultural awareness will ty on the occasion of “Human gave us all hope for the future. not be kept alive. Like all people Rights Day” in the hall of the It is our greatest wish that this who have internalized democ- Helsinki Monitoring Commit- fair decision, which makes ev- racy, we, as FEP Party officials, tee, Greece Athens Journalists eryone who believes in democ- share with the public that we Union on December 12, 2016, racy happy, will be manifested welcome this decision. “ was swooped down and the in the face of the injustices we administrators of the FEP Party are subjected to as a minority.

13 October 2020 No teachers for minority students in Dedeağaç The students of the Musaköy Primary School are still awaiting for a teacher. Although the new school year that the village has been resist- a result, students receive Turk- started on September 14, no ing since 2014 to keep open the ish and Greek lessons taking teachers were appointed to school, as the State is closing turns each day because there is Musaköy primary school in dozens of schools every year. As not any teacher appointed yet. about a month. Teachers from the school in the neighboring village take turns coming every day.

The Turkish and Greek teachers from the school in Hasanlar, the neighboring village of Musaköy primary school, which operates as a branch of the village of Hasanlar village, six kilometers away in Dedeağaç, come alter- nately every day.

In a statement made to Mil- let Media, Council Committee Member Ersoy Ömer stated www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 119 15 October 2020 Madrese-i Hayriye students’ parents oppose impositions The parents of the students of the Madrese-i Hayriye Minority School took a brave step to stop the junta-like practices of the Ministry of Education.

Gümülcine Madrese-i Hayriye Minority Foundation Secondary and High School Parents announced that they would not participate in the Athens Governments’ appointing of trustees under the name of the Council Committee election.

120 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 16 October 2020 Will Greece implement the decisions of the ECHR? The case Iskeçe Türk Birliği (Xanthi Turkish Union) was discussed at the Greek Supreme Court Court (Arios Pagos).

The lawsuit filed by the Xanthi tion and association. Turkish Union (ITB) in Western On the other hand, the legal reg- Thrace for the return of its of- ulation for the adaptation of the The court also considered that ficial status after the legal ar- Greek courts to the ECHR deci- even if the aim of the associ- rangement for “adaptation of sions was approved by the Greek ations was to defend the view Greek courts to the decisions of Parliament in 2017 by adding the that the Western Thrace Turks an the European Court of Human statement “In case of national ethnic minority, this could not be Rights (ECHR)” was discussed at security, the decision may not be considered a threat to the demo- the Greek Supreme Court Court implemented” upon the objec- cratic society. (Arios Pagos).

The decision on the case discussed in the 4th Chamber of the Supreme Court is expected to be announced in 3 months.

ITB President Ozan Ahmetoğlu stated in his statement that ITB has been in a legal struggle for 37 years and said, “Our request, our expectation is the return of our association’s official status and the end of injustice in accordance with the decisions of the ECtHR”.

In Western Thrace, the ITB, which was closed by court decision in 1983 on the grounds that it tion of the opposition parties. had the word “Turk” in its name, The ECHR convicted Greece brought the issue to the ECtHR Greece did not allow and closed in 2008 in the “Xanthi Turkish in 2005 after the domestic rem- some associations established by Union” case and in 2007 in the edies were inconclusive. In the the Turkish minority in Western case concerning the association case concluded in 2008, the Thrace, claiming that they were opened by Hasan Bekir Usta and ECHR convicted Greece on the founded to defend the view that his friends. conclusion that “Article 11 of the Turks are ethnic minorities. European Convention on Human The domestic law applications Rights on the right to organize” The ECHR ruled that Greece vio- made by the plaintiffs for the im- was violated with the closure of lated Article 11 of the European plementation of the ECHR judg- associations belonging to the Convention on Human Rights ments since then have been in- Turkish minority. (ECHR) on freedom of organiza- conclusive. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 121 20 October 2020 No election to be held for mufti determination: Giorgos Kalantzis iorgos Kalantzis, who served as the Secretary General of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs for many years, continues his dictatorial attitude towards the religious freedom Gof the Western Thrace Turks.

Kalantzis, who attended the cess of determining the muftis that the Greek state would con- meeting of the Thrace Devel- would continue, and respond- tinue trampling on the religious opment Commission, answered ing that ‘There will be no elec- freedoms of the Western Thra- the question asked by the MP İl- tions for the appointment of a ce Muslim Turkish Minority. han Ahmet about how the pro- mufti’ he once again showed

122 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 22 October 2020 Executives from minority institutions meet with American diplomats The United States (USA) Thessaloniki Consul General Elizabeth K. Lee and Charge d’affaires David Burger met with the executives of minority institutions in Komotini on Tuesday, 20 October 2020.

American diplomats met with the According to the statement made of Greece to implement the de- delegation consisted of Friendship by the FEP Party, the general sit- cisions of the European Court Equality Peace (DEB) Party Chair- uation of the Western Thrace of Human Rights, especially the man Çiğdem Asafoğlu, Western Turkish minority was discussed. Xanthi Turkish Union, the identi- Thrace Minority Higher Educa- Representatives of the Western ty problem, the problems of the tion Association (BTAYTD) Presi- Thrace Turkish Minority were in- mufti, the expectations of the dent Hüseyin Baltacı, and Western formed to the guest delegation Turkish minority from the gov- Thrace Minority Culture Education about the problems related to ernment, and especially the eco- Company (BAKEŞ) General Man- minority education, the failure nomic problems of the minority. ager Pervin Hayrullah. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 123 22 October 2020 Neo-Nazi party’s leadership to be imprisoned

Leftist musician Fyssas’s murderer gets life imprisonment while Golden Dawn party’s leadership gets 13 years An Athens court on Thurs- Fyssas in 2013 and was sen- ens Court of Appeals after a day announced the imprison- tenced to life in prison with long-running trial found the ment of the entire leadership an additional 10 years for his leadership of the far-right of Greece’s neo-Nazi Golden membership in the party. Golden Dawn party guilty on Dawn party after rejecting the charges of forming a criminal prosecutor’s suggestion for In total, the court ruled that 38 organization. suspension of their sentences. from the 50 defendants would serve jail time including its 13 The trial came to an end following over 450 hearings since 2015, when it began.

- Rise and fall

The Golden Dawn was formed in 1980, but was not registered as a political party until 1993.

Its political breakthrough came in 2012 elections when it got 6.92% of the votes, making it Greece’s fifth-largest political group and enabling it to enter the parliament for the first time. It won three seats in the Euro- pean Parliament after winning 9.4% of the votes in the 2014 European elections. Last week, the prosecutor in the MPs, while 12 from the defen- Golden Dawn trial, Adamantia dants were given suspended But in 2019, it was unable to win Economou, suggested that all sentences and will remain free any seats, leaving it out of the former MPs should remain free with restrictions until their ap- parliament. Its rise coincided with restrictions until their appeal is heard. with the European economic peal goes to trial. crisis, which saw Greece suffer One of its core members, Ilias tremendous recession, job loss- The leadership of the neo-Nazi Kasidiaris, appeared at the po- es, and budget cuts, which then political group was sentenced lice station after a voluntary led to a bailout from EU part- to 13 years imprisonment. announcement, local media re- ners and strict austerity mea- ported. sures. Giorgos Roupakias, who mur- dered leftist musician Pavlos Earlier in October, the Ath-

124 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 26 October 2020 FEP Party executives attend FUEN 2020 Board of Delegates The executives of the Friendship Equality Peace Party attended the Board of Delegates of the European Federal Union (FUEN), which took place on Saturday, October 24th.

The DEB Party published a press were presented, decisions were release about the meeting held Following the approval of the made for the board dates and lo- online due to the pandemic and Chairman, the vote counters, the cations for the next 2 years. informed the public. The state- agenda and the voting of the ac- ment made by the party is as fol- tivity report, reports were pre- In addition, we state that we, as lows. sented on the working groups the FEP Party, closely follow the within the FUEN, including the works of the FUEN administra- “FEP Party Executives joined Eu- Turkish Minorities Working tion, which offers different works ropean Federal Union’s (FUEN) Group (FUEN TAG). on behalf of the Minorities for the Board of Delegates that took next period, and we congratulate place online due to the pandem- After the FUEN 2020-2021 pro- the FUEN management who car- ic on Saturday, October 24th. gram, proposals and resolutions ried out the Board perfectly.” www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 125

03 November 2020 Athens’ firstmosque opens doors to worshipers

Lacking a mosque since 19th century, new mosque in Greek capital is overdue, nearly 15 years in the making. thens’ first mosque since measures due to rising COVID-19 (Gumulcine) in Western Thrace, the 19th century finally cases in Greece, as in much of Eu- told Anadolu Agency in 2017. opened its doors to Mus- rope. Alim worshipers on Monday, local Turkey has long decried Greek vi- media reported. The decision to build a mosque olations of the rights of its Mus- in Athens was first made in 2006, lim and Turkish minority, from With the opening, Athens finally with a budget of €887,000 ($1.04 closing down mosques and let- shakes off its sad status as the million), but bureaucratic hurdles, ting historic mosques fall into only European Union capital to protests by far-right groups, and disrepair, to refusing to recog- lack a mosque. legal challenges stalled the pro- nize Muslims’ election of their cess. own muftis. The mosque’s first imam is Zaki Mohammed, 49, a Greek citizen Until today, the half-million Mus- These measures violate the 1923 of Moroccan origin, Greek daily lim faithful in the city had to re- Treaty of Lausanne as well as Eu- Ekathimerini said. sort to dingy basements and un- ropean Court of Human Rights sanitary locations to meet and (ECHR) verdicts, making Greece a The mosque’s inaugural prayers perform prayers, Ibrahim Serif, state that flouts the law, say Turk- were held under social distancing the elected mufti of Komotini ish officials.

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 127 15 November 2020 Western Thrace Turkish delegation participates in OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting

The Western Thrace Turkish delegation consisting of ABTTF, BTAYTD and DEB Party representatives expressed the problems faced by the Western Thrace Turkish community in the field of freedom of religion.

epresenting the Western sociation (BTAYTD) and the pean Security and Coopera- Thrace Turkish commu- Friendship Equality Peace (DEB) tion (OSCE) on 9-10 November nity, the European West- Party participated in the third 2020, titled “The role of digital Rern Thrace Turkish Federation Additional Human Dimension technologies and civil society (ABTTF), the Western Thrace Meeting of the year organized actors in freedom of religion or Minority Higher Education As- by the Organization of Euro- belief”.

128 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com ABTTF International Relations annulment of the decree. Stat- society was taken away. ABTTF Director Melek Kırmacı Arık, ing that the state intervention stated that, in two religious Head of Human Rights Section against the religious freedoms schools (madrasas) belonging of BTAYTD Dr. Pervin Hayrullah of Western Thrace Turks con- to the Western Thrace Turk- and BTAYTD General Secretary tinued during the new type of ish community, which have the Meltem Giritli and FEP Party coronavirus (Kovid-19), ABTTF right to establish, manage and General Coordinator Fatih Hü- asked Greece to return the reli- supervise their own schools, seyinoğlu participated. gious autonomy of the Western Turkish teaching hours were Thrace Turkish community. reduced first, and with the law In the opening session of the adopted last July, the head of meeting, Inid Milo, Head of the Speaking at the same session, the council committee in these Task Force of the Albanian Pres- BTAYTD stated that the free- schools was appointed by the idency of the meeting, Ahmed dom of religion of the West- state but not recognized by the Shaheed, United Nations (UN) ern Thrace Turkish society is Turkish community. Special Rapporteur on Freedom violated in Greece, and as an of Religion or Belief and Depu- example, in the speech of the Speaking at the same session, ty Director-1 of OSCE / ODIHR Secretary General of the Greek BTAYTD noted that since 1967, Katarzyna Gardapkhadze drew Ministry of Education and Re- when the military junta came attention to the importance of ligious Affairs, Yorgos Kalancis, to power in Greece, the state freedom of religion or belief. in the inter-party Thrace De- has been appointing the man- velopment Commission who agement committees for the Speaking at the first session said “no elections will be held foundations belonging to the where the freedom of religion in the process of determining Western Thrace Turkish com- or belief in the OSCE area was the muftis”. BTAYTD called on munity in violation of the Lau- discussed, ABTTF stated that Greece to respect the religious sanne Treaty and international the right to elect the religious freedoms of the Western Thra- treaties. Noting that the West- leaders of the Western Thra- ce Turkish community and to ern Thrace Turkish community ce Turkish community, which recognize the elected muftis. cannot manage their founda- has religious autonomy, was tions freely, BTAYTD demand- usurped by Greece, and the Speaking at the third and last ed from Greece to provide the muftis chosen by the Turkish session titled the role of civil so- right back to the minority to community were sentenced to ciety in promoting freedom of elect the management commit- prison on the grounds of oc- religion or belief for all, ABTTF tees of the foundations. cupation. ABTTF criticized the stated that Western Thrace conversion of the mufti offices Turkish society has the right to Using its right to respond in in Western Thrace to state of- establish, manage and super- both sessions, Greece repeated fices with the Presidential De- vise all kinds of charitable and its official opinion, claiming that cree dated 52/2019 and noted religious organizations, but the there is a Muslim and religious that the General Assembly of right to manage foundations minority in Western Thrace and the Council of State of Greece that serve the religious, cultur- that the state protects freedom rejected the lawsuit filed for the al and social needs of Turkish of religion or belief. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 129 17 November 2020 ABTTF’s video reporting the legal struggle of the Xanthi Turkish Union is on the EIN website

The video depicts the legal struggle of the Xanthi Turkish Union, the oldest association of the Western Thrace Turkish society, which was founded in 1927 but closed due to the word “Turk” in its name.

he video that the Europe- Turkish Union (ITB) before the site. (http://www.einnetwork. an Western Thrace Turk- national courts in Greece and org/blog-general/2019/12/5/ ish Federation (ABTTF) the European Court of Human repeated-refusals-to-regis- Tprepared and shared with the Rights (ECHR), has been pub- ter-associations-involving-turk- public about the legal strug- lished on the European Imple- ish-minorities-in-greece) gle carried out by the Xanthi mentation Network (EIN) web-

130 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 19 November 2020 Education: A fundamental human right or a

By Abdullah Eren tool to play: Op-ed hile discussions around in the region’s history, that con- cluding a large majority of West- an exclusive economic tinues to shape the experiences ern Thrace’s inhabitants, have zone between Turkey of its large Turkish minority pop- emigrated throughout the years, Wand Greece heats up, another big ulation, even today. because of a variety of different issue is laying on the table: The reasons including the social, fi- pressure of Greece on the Turk- Greece and Turkey agreed on nancial and political pressure on ish minority in Western Thrace. a population exchange back in them, whilst living in this region. European countries should pay 1922- 1923, but Turks in West- enough attention to that intense ern Thrace and Greeks in Is- It is important at this point, to pressure on the Turkish minority tanbul were exempt from this understand what the standpoint and they should rapidly act in or- population transfer. That exis at a European level, in terms der to prevent any circumstance changes were made following of what minority rights are and that would damage the stability a bilateral agreement between specifically rights to access edu- of the region deeper. Greece and Turkey dated back cation and to learn in their own 30 Jan 1923 and the same bilat- language. The Framework Con- In order to understand what the eral agreement officially referred vention for the Protection of Na- real situation is, we should firstly and guaranteed afterwards with tional Minorities (FCNM) of the look at the history of the region. Lausanne Treaty article Number Council of Europe states that: For centuries, Western Thrace 142. Although Lausanne Treaty “The upheavals of European his- was a part of the Ottoman Em- Articles 37- 45 ensures free ac- tory have shown that the pro- pire until 1913, when it was oc- cess to education, mobility, jus- tection of national minorities is cupied by Bulgaria and subse- tice and equality as well as usage essential to stability, democratic quently France, at the end of the of mother tongue to enjoy any security and peace in this conti- First World War. In 1923, the re- governmental service for Turks in nent.” gion was formally transferred to Greece, a big percentage of the Greece – this was a key moment Turkish population in Greece in- Moreover, the European Charter www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 131 for Regional or Minority Lan- ers could be found by the school defines the population as “The guages is the European conven- managers. There were protests in Muslim Minority in the Western tion for the protection and pro- 1983 against this new system of Thrace.” Due to this reason, the motion of languages, used by recruiting teachers, subsequently European Court of Human Rights traditional minorities including Greek authorities stepped back ruled against Greece in 2008, but the Turkish minority in the EU for a while. However, this recruit- unfortunately Greece has defied Member state of Greece. Togeth- ment system became the norm these rulings and refused to im- er with the Framework Conven- and even now many Greek teach- plement them which would allow tion for the Protection of Nation- ers are deployed to go and teach members of the Turkish minority al Minorities they constitute the in the Greek language in these to practice their religion, culture Council of Europe’s commitment schools. and receive education freely. to the protection of national minorities and enable minorities to In 2018, the Greek Ministry of Ed- It has been recently agreed by use their own languages in pri- ucation released a decree, that mainstream NGOs from the re- vate as well as public life. there were too many lectures in gion and other parts of the world, the Turkish language and also that these sanctions applied by Greece is also a member state of that the entire school curriculum Greece are against their human the European Union and Coun- should be changed, this included rights and also the U.N. recom- cil of Europe, however, it did not the language of the curriculum. mendation of provision of uni- ratify this particular convention. Parents and students started a versal access to high-quality edu- This action by Greece received protest campaign in response to cation for everyone. The U.N. has intense criticism centered on the this new decree which gathered also referred to this fundamental fact that the primary motivation huge momentum and as a result, right with a new global education of not endorsing this conven- the Greek authorities had to back goal (SDG-4) which has been in- tion was to avoid the pressure to track on their plans for Turkish troduced to “ensure inclusive and provide the Turkish minority in minority students again. equitable quality education and Western Thrace with their critical promote lifelong learning oppor- fundamental rights, including the A meeting was held in Athens, tunities for all.” Recently various freedom of language and access with the parents’ union of the civil society organizations have to education. medrese schools in Komotini, started the foundations of a new students of the schools, school campaign against the Greek au- In terms of education, after 1952, management and Greek author- thorities’ unlawful applications. there were minority schools in ities. It was promised that an the region, teaching in Turkish, improvement would be ensured These problems caused by the medrese (madrasah) schools and and that there would be a solu- Greek authorities increased skep- Celal Bayar Minority schools. tion for these existing problems ticism against the freedom of its These schools educate pupils in the education system for the own citizens and still awaits a fair for six years and are equivalent Turkish minority. Although it has solution and a clear message to to a high school degree. After been more than two years since ensure international community the 1980’s the Greek authorities this promise, there has been no to prevent these kind of viola- started to put increasing pressure change. Protests at the start of tions of international laws in the on these minority schools. No the current semester are still future. teacher from Turkey was provid- continuing and becoming even ed with a permit to go and work stronger. *Abdullah Eren is the President of in these schools to teach in the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Turkish language. Shortly after, The main origin of these prob- Related Communities (YTB) of Greek teachers were deployed to lems is the fact that Greece does Republic of Turkey. teach in medrese schools, with not accept the Turkish minority the explanation that no teach- as a separate minority group, and Source: hurriyetdailynews.com 132 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 25 November 2020 Hate-motivated attacks targeting the Turkish community in Western Thrace in the OSCE Report

The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) published its 2019 Hate Crime Report.

n the report, which includes School on 5 December 2019. sulate in Thessaloniki on Monday statistical and descriptive in- night, 23 December 2019. formation regarding hate crime Moreover, the report also indi- Iincidents in the countries of the cates that the president of the The 2019 Hate Crime Report, OSCE region, hate-motivated at- Friendship, Equality and Peace in which 39 OSCE participating tacks and hate speech targeting (FEP) Party received calls to her States provided official data, con- the Turkish community in West- phone from unknown callers, tains information about hate in- ern Thrace in Greece are also in- death threat messages and tar- cidents in 45 participating States cluded. geted with hate speech as a re- reported by 148 non-govern- sult of the success realised by her mental organizations. The OSCE The Federation of Western Thra- party in the May 2019 European report, the most comprehensive ce Turks in Europe (ABTTF) had Parliament (EP) elections. of its kind worldwide, recorded submitted a written contribu- a total of 6,964 hate crime inci- tion in preparation for the OSCE 2019 Hate Crime Report and had reported the hate-motivated attacks and hate speech targeting the Turkish community in West- ern Thrace in Greece. In the part dedicated to Greece in the OSCE 2019 Hate Crime Report where ABTTF is also cited as an organization having contributed to the report, the attacks reported by ABTTF are also included.

In the report, it is being recorded that an attack was realised at Sünne Mosque in Xanthi on 18 May 2019 by unknown perpetrators who threw eggs and wrote racist slogans on the walls of the The report also refers to the dents in the OSCE region in 2019. mosque, that the gravestones in attacks in March and October the Turkish cemetery in Alexan- 2029 on the Consulate General Please click on the following link droupoli were damaged on 28 in Thessaloniki of the Republic of for the part related to Greece in May 2019 and that it was writ- Turkey which is the motherland the OSCE 2019 Hate Crime Re- ten that “Pork meat is tasty” on of Western Thrace Turks, and the port: https://hatecrime.osce.org/ the entrance door of the Xanthi burning of the vehicle of a diplo- greece?year=2019 Minority Secondary and High mat working at the Turkish Con- www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 133 25 November 2020 Another statement from Secretary-General Kalantzis targeting the Turkish community in Western Thrace

BTTF President: “This insidious policy of the state aims at children belonging to the Turkish community in Western Thrace to lose their identity by preventing them from learning their mother tongue Turkish and to be assimilated. ASecretary-General Kalantzis is in the position of having practiced this insidious policy for years”.

in Western Thrace which enjoys educational autonomy through the Lausanne Peace Treaty, has been demanding for years the opening of bilingual minority kindergartens which would provide education in Turkish and in Greek. However, despite the change of governments, our demand has always been left unanswered till this day. On the other hand, our bilingual autonomous schools are closed one by one every year. This insidious policy of the state aims at children belonging to the Turkish community in West- Greek Ministry of Education with Muslim citizens is that of ern Thrace to lose their iden- and Religious Affairs Secretary the language, Kalantzis said tity by preventing them from General George Kalantzis tar- that it is an important param- learning their mother tongue geted the Turkish community eter for this situation to be re- Turkish and to be assimilated. in Western Thrace in the latest solved. Secretary-General Kalantzis is statement he made. in the position of having prac- Halit Habip Oğlu, President ticed this insidious policy for According to news from Millet of the Federation of Western years. As the Turkish communi- newspaper, during his visit to Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) ty in Western Thrace, we call on Western Thrace last week when made the following statement: our country Greece to fulfil our he spoke to Radio Xronos, Ka- “With this latest statement, demand for the opening of bi- lantzis alleged that the major- Secretary-General George Ka- lingual minority kindergartens ity of Western Thrace Turks he lantzis once again revealed and to refrain from any state described as Muslim citizens do the state’s policy of no good- intervention that would harm not know well Greek. Arguing will towards Western Thrace our educational autonomy”. that the main issue in Thrace Turks. The Turkish community

134 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 25 November 2020 Delegation of the Turkish community in Western Thrace attended the UN Forum on Minority Issues

The delegation composed of the representatives of ABTTF and WTMUGA expressed the hate speech targeting the Turkish community in Western Thrace in Greece.

The Federation of Western Thra- the political and media arenas, subjected to numerous hate at- ce Turks in Europe (ABTTF) and ABTTF explained that there had tacks in the last years and that the Western Thrace Minority been attempts at scapegoating institutions and places of wor- University Graduates Associa- the Turkish community during ship belonging to the Turkish tion (WTMUGA) representing the the first period of the coronavi- community had been attacked Turkish community in Western rus pandemic. by unknown perpetrators. Calling Thrace attended the 13th ses- on the Greek government to take sion of the United Nations (UN) Intervening at the same session, measures against hate speech Forum on Minority Issues under WTMUGA said that the Turkish and crimes targeting the Turkish the heading “Hate Speech, Social community in Western Thrace community in Western Thrace, Media and Minorities” on 19-20 had been targeted with nation- ABTTF underlined the need to November 2020. Deniz Servantie alistic and hate speech in the strengthen mechanisms in or- from ABTTF Brussels Office and majority media in Greece both der to accurately identify hate the WTMUGA member Kerem at local and national levels and speech present on social media Abdurahimoğlu attended the Fo- that this constitutes a direct vi- rum which was held online due to olation of Article 19 of the UN the coronavirus (Covid-19) pan- International Covenant on Civil demic. and Political Rights (ICCPR) with respect to freedom of opinion Hate speech which is a part of and expression. WTMUGA de- systematic discrimination against manded from the Greek state the Turkish community in West- to recognize the ethnic Turkish ern Thrace was put to the fore- identity of the Turkish commu- front nity in Western Thrace and to take the necessary measures to Intervening during the session prevent hate speech and hate entitled “Causes, scale and im- crimes that are its natural conse- pact of hate speech targeting quences. platforms which may well lead to minorities in social media”, ABTTF hate crimes and to take the nec- noted that the ethnic Turkish Intervening during the session essary sanctions in that respect. identity of the Turkish commu- entitled “Regulation of online nity in Western Thrace whose hate speech: the role and re- Using its right of reply at the Fo- status has been determined by sponsibility of intergovernmen- rum, Greece repeated its official the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne is tal organizations, States, inter- thesis that there is only a Muslim not recognised and denied by net companies and social media and religious minority in Western Greece. Further indicating that platforms” on the second day of Thrace and further added that hate speech against the Turkish the Forum, ABTTF indicated that Greece had been taking initia- community in Western Thrace in the Turkish community in West- tives against hate speech. Greece is prevalent in much of ern Thrace in Greece had been

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 135 28 November 2020 Death threat in Western Thrace: ‘Good Turk is only dead Turk’ ‘Good Turk is only dead Turk’ was written in elevator’s mirror of the building where the publicly recognized mufti lives.

Mufti Mete announced the in- the incident was held by the far en Dawn criminal group threat- cident on Friday via his social rightist Golden Dawn group. en the security of the country media account. and the state-backed anti-Turk- Golden Dawn Party mem- ish/Islamic mentality that has Mete, stating the insulting bers were sentenced to prison prepared the ground for such words said that it is a consent for killing a leftist singer, and organizations has targeted of Turkish identity as the Greek orginizing number of violent Western Thrace Turks in recent State claims that there is no acitivities. It is noteworthy that years. Turkish Minority in Greece while organizations such as the Gold-

136 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 29 November 2020 Turkey condemns ‘racist threat message’ in Greece

Insulting message written on elevator of building where Xanthi Mufti Ahmet Mete resides in Western Thrace.

Turkey slammed a “racist threat victim of the attack is a Muslim ty and unlawfully started to ap- message” Saturday in north- as well,” said Sentop. point the muftis itself. eastern Greece written on an elevator of an apartment build- Xanthi (Iskece) is part of The muftis appointed by the ing that is the residence of Greece’s Western Thrace re- Greek state have since usurped Mufti Ahmet Mete of Xanthi. gion, which has a population local Muslims’ right of jurisdic- of 150,000 Muslim Turks dating tion on family and inheritance “This incident once again re- centuries. matters. vealed the intolerance of racist and extremist groups in Greece towards the existence of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace and their representatives,” said Turkey’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Ak- soy said.

“We expect the Greek state to enlighten the heinous incident and bring its perpetrators to justice by carrying out an investigation with due seriousness and sensitivity,” he added.

Separately, Turkey’s Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop also denounced the attack. The election of muftis, or Islam- The majority of Muslim Turks “I condemn the attack on the ic clerics, by Muslims in Greece in Western Thrace do not rec- residence of Mr. Ahmet Mete, is regulated by the 1913 Trea- ognize muftis appointed by the the Mufti of Xanthi in Western ty of Athens, a Greek-Ottoman Greek state and instead right- Thrace. I call the attention of Empire pact which was imple- fully elect their muftis. those who undertake the re- mented by Athens in 1920. sponsibility of protecting the However, since 1991 the Greek rights of the Turkish minority. But in 1991, in violation of inter- state has refused to recognize Hope the EU also recalls the no- national law, Greece annulled elected muftis, and authorities tion of human rights when the its law regarding the 1913 trea- have even put clerics on trial. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 137

10 December 2020 I, once again, loudly demand the rights of our minority arising from Lausanne be applied: Asafoglu

Insulting message written on elevator of building where Xanthi Mufti Ahmet Mete resides in Western Thrace.

Çiğdem Asafoğlu, head of the behavior, and the idea of rights, dialogue is established with our Friendship Equality Peace Party, equality, justice and freedom minority. which is the only political party among people must always be of Western Thrace Turks, issued respected. On the anniversary of the Unit- a message on the occasion of ed Nations Universal Declara- December 10, World Human On the occasion of the Human tion of Human Rights, I whole- Rights Day. Rights Day, I, once again, loudly heartedly congratulate our demand the rights of our mi- minority, our citizens and the In the message published by FEP Party President Asafoğlu, the human and minority rights of our minority were emphasized and the rights of our minority arising from Lausanne were once again demanded loudly.

The following statements were included in the message:

“While humanity has been giving important tests in the context of rights and freedoms in our world in recent years, all our wish is to develop feelings of love, respect and friendship among people, regardless of nority arising from Lausanne be Human Rights Day of all na- race, religion, color, age and applied. I expect understand- tions of the world. I hope that gender. Human rights are the ing and tolerance by our coun- the World Human Rights Day rules that will keep people alive try Greece to these demands. will bring peace, tranquility and in their own right. The rule of As we have stated many times justice to our minority, country human over human is an in- before, I sincerely believe that and all humanity.” hospitable and unacceptable all problems can be solved if a

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 139 19 December 2020 Turkey condemns arrest of consulate staff in Greece

Turkish Foreign Ministry condemns Greek authorities following arrest of Greek-citizen staff member of consulate-general. countries, the statement added that Turkey would take the necessary steps to safeguard Bayram’s rights.

Relations between Turkey and Greece are at odds due to several issues.

Turkey, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has rejected maritime boundary claims of Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration and stressed that these excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of both Turkey and the Turkey condemned the arrest sular Relations and the right to Turkish Cypriots. of a staff member at one of its freedom and security in the Eu- diplomatic missions in Greece ropean Convention on Human Ankara has sent several drill on Friday. Rights, as well as the right to ships in recent months to ex- respect private and family life, plore for energy resources in “We condemn the arrest of Se- the statement said. the Eastern Mediterranean, bahattin Bayram, a contract- asserting its own rights in the ed secretary at our Consulate It also accused Greek media region, as well as those of the General in Rhodes, within an outlets of “targeting our per- Turkish Republic of Northern investigation carried out by the sonnel and his family, as well Cyprus. Greek authorities on allega- as our representatives and em- tions of espionage taking pho- ployees in Greece by violating Turkish leaders have repeated- tographs of ships,” the Foreign the presumption of innocence.” ly stressed that Ankara is in fa- Ministry said in a statement. vor of resolving all outstanding Suggesting that the investiga- problems in the region through In detaining Bayram, who is a tion was concocted by groups international law, good neigh- Greek-citizen, Athens violated seeking to further increase borly relations, dialogue and the Vienna Convention on Con- tensions between the two negotiation.

140 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 27 December 2020 Legal warning letter sent to Millet Newspaper

40 religion teachers’ (ierodidaskalos) association sent a legal warning letter to Millet Newspaper for the ‘Hit after hit to the Turkish Minority from the Mitsotakis government’ (also shortened as ‘Mitsotakis 2government continues assimilation policies over religion’ in Millet News) titled news article published on August 1.

The 240 ierodidaskalos are reli- such methods are reserved. word “Turk” in their names, now gion teachers appointed by the aims to turn the Western Thrace Greek state who most of them What is Greece up to? Turkish Minority into “Greek Mus- are insufficient and unqualified on lims” by eliminating the status of teaching lessons about the Islamic What is Greece trying to do? “minority” with laws against hu- religion. man rights. To this end, it seizes Within the framework of the as- minority institutions with salaried In the warning letter signed by similation policies it implements religious officials and similar staff Memet Mustafa as the head of the against the Turkish Minority, and shapes them arbitrarily. ‘Ierodidaskalos Association’, it was Greece has accelerated its efforts stated that he was uncomfortable in recent years and seized reli- When the Western Thrace Turk- with some expressions in the article and that Millet Newspaper should apologize within 10 days for these statements, otherwise legal rights would be used.

In the letter, in which mistrans- lated parts were included, it was claimed that ‘Ieordidaskalos’ were insulted and Millet writers were religious fanatics with this news.

However, the truth is that applications of the Greek State which are not publicly accepted were disputed.

From the administration of Millet Newspaper, the necessary reply was sent to the Association legally through the lawyer. In the warning sent, it was reminded that by gious and educational institutions ish Minority community reacts to distorting the integrity of a news with laws and regulations that the interventions and pressures text and mistranslation only cer- erode the status of “minority”. that violate human rights and in- tain parts of it, do not have a legal ternational agreements, the state basis, and that the legal require- The state, which banned the ethnic mechanism takes action and re- ments of intimidating press free- identity of the minority by clos- sorts to silencing methods in dif- dom in democratic societies with ing the associations that used the ferent ways. www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 141 28 December 2020 The name ‘minority’ removed from school sign

n the night of August 24, the name ‘minority’ was removed from the sign of the OMedrese-i Hayriye religious high school. Recent applications on the Medrese-i Hayriye High School brings to mind junta-like practices.

Athens Governments’ attempt on appointing of trustees under the name of the Council Commit- tee election was the latest example.

Removing the name ‘minority’ from the sign was strictly condemned Council Committee and Par- ents’ Association.

142 Bulletin 2020 www.milletnews.com 30 December 2020 The name ‘minority’ removed from another school too

On August 29, the name ‘minority’ was removed from the sign of the Religious High School of İskeçe (Xanthi) as in Medrese-i Hayriye religious high school.

ame ‘minority’ was removed from the sign High School brings to mind junta-like practices. of the Medrese-i Hayriye religious high school on 24. After that incident, in less Athens Governments’ attempt on appointing of Nthan a week on August 29 the name ‘minority’ trustees under the name of the Council Com- was removed from the sign of the Religious High mittee election was the latest example before School of İskeçe (Xanthi) too. removing the name ‘minority’ from the school signs. Recent applications on the Medrese-i Hayriye

www.milletnews.com Bulletin 2020 143 , established by Çınar Çınar FM , is one and only radio Association belonging to a station in Greece and aims to be the Minority NGO voice of Western Thrace Turks.