Greek Thrace: a Region Populated by Christians and Muslims in the European Mediterranean Kandler, Hermann
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www.ssoar.info Greek Thrace: a region populated by Christians and Muslims in the European Mediterranean Kandler, Hermann Veröffentlichungsversion / Published Version Zeitschriftenartikel / journal article Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Kandler, H. (2007). Greek Thrace: a region populated by Christians and Muslims in the European Mediterranean. Europa Regional, 15.2007(2), 75-86. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-48097-0 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer Deposit-Lizenz (Keine This document is made available under Deposit Licence (No Weiterverbreitung - keine Bearbeitung) zur Verfügung gestellt. Redistribution - no modifications). We grant a non-exclusive, non- Gewährt wird ein nicht exklusives, nicht übertragbares, transferable, individual and limited right to using this document. persönliches und beschränktes Recht auf Nutzung dieses This document is solely intended for your personal, non- Dokuments. 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Greek Thrace – a region populated by Christians and Mus- lims in the European Mediterranean Hermann Kandler Zusammenfassung Griechisch-Thrakien – eine von Christen und Muslimen bewohnte Region im europäischen Mittelmeerraum Seit dem Vordringen der Osmanen auf europäisches Territorium im 14. Jahrhundert konnte sich im Südosten des Kontinents eine islamisch geprägte Bevölkerung etablieren, die über Jahrhunderte diesen Raum prägten. Erst seit der Gründung überwiegend christlich ausgerichteter Nationalstaaten auf dem Balkan seit dem 19. Jahrhundert wurden die islamischen Bevölkerungsgruppen mit ethnisch-türkischer Ausrichtung zu Minderheiten, deren Beziehungen zu den mehrheitlich christlich geprägten Nominalvölkern aufgrund regionaler historischer Entwick- lungen oftmals schwierig sind. Die Muslime in Griechisch-Thrakien, vom Bevölkerungsaustausch zwischen Griechenland und der Türkei 1923 ausgenommen, blieben in den folgenden Jahrzehnten dabei immer politischer Spielball Griechenlands und der Türkei. Die Betonung des Türkischen in der Minderheit erweckte bei den Griechen immer wieder das Bild der Minderheit als fünfte Kolonne der Türkei, was besonders während der Militärdiktatur (1967-1974) und darüber hinaus zu Einschränkungen der Minderheitenrechte führte. Nach dieser Phase der Repressionen gelang es der Minderheit sich in der Weltöffentlichkeit Gehör zu verschaffen und mithilfe internationaler Organisation wie der EU, Griechenland zum Überdenken seiner Minderheitenpolitik zu bewegen. Der Prozess der Gleichstellung von Christen und Muslimen in Thrakien ist jedoch noch nicht abgeschlossen. Das christlich-muslimische Thrakien zeigt, welche spezifischen Beziehungsmuster sich in einer gemischtreligiösen Bevölkerung entwickeln können, die sich in charakteristischer Weise von monoreligiösen oder geschlossenen Gemein- schaften abheben. Somit lässt sich die indigene muslimische Bevölkerung in Thrakien nicht mit westeuropäischen Migrantengesellschaften vergleichen, allein, weil die thrakischen Muslime wie ihre christlichen Mitbürger die Region als ihre Heimat empfinden und somit ein anderes Selbstverständnis ausbilden konnten als z.B. muslimische Migranten in Westeuropa. Muslime, Christen „Vertrag von Lausanne“, Bevölkerungsaustausch, Griechen, Türken, gemischtreligiös, Sadık Ahmet, Griechisch-Thrak- ien Abstract After the Ottomans advanced into European territory in the 14th century, an Islamic population was able to establish itself in the south-east of the continent and shaped the region for centuries. It was not until the largely Christian national states were established in the Balkans as of the 19th century that the Islamic population groups with Turkish ethnicity became minorities whose relationships with the Christian majority are often difficult owing to historical regional developments. The Muslims in Greek Thrace remained a political football for Greece and Turkey in the decades that followed, with the exception of the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923. The emphasis on Turkish in the minority repeatedly revived the image of the minority as fifth columnists for Turkey among the Greeks, which resulted in curtailments of the minority’s rights, particularly during the military dictatorship (1967-1974) and beyond. After this phase of repression, the minority succeeded in gaining an audience in the world’s public and getting Greece to rethink its minority policy with the help of international organisations and the EU. However, the process of achieving equal treatment for Christians and Muslims in Thrace is not finished yet. Christian-Muslim Thrace shows the specific relationship patterns that can develop in a mixed-religion population, which have different characteristics from mono-reli- gious or closed communities. This means that the indigenous Muslim population in Thrace cannot be compared to Western European migrant societies because both the Muslims in Thrace and their Christian compatriots see the region as their homeland and have therefore been able to develop a different identity from that of Muslim migrants in Western Europe, for example. Muslims, Christians, Treaty of Lausanne, population exchange, Greeks, Turks, mixed religion, Sadık Ahmet, Greek Thrace Christian and Muslim populations words, more or less closed communi- perceive and claim it as home and thus in the Balkans ties living alongside each other. This is do not wish for integration in the above In a speech on 10 February 2008, Turk- more pronounced in the Netherlands, for sense. It is only to be expected that the ish prime minister Erdoğan called for instance, where the term “pillarisation” understanding of cultural and religious the Turks living in Western Europe not was coined to describe the social segre- diversity, which has formed there over to become assimilated. It is statements gation. time, differs from that in Western Euro- like this that keep discussions on how However, the question is whether dis- pean immigrant societies. to integrate Muslims into our occiden- cussions on integration can be held in a South East Europe, in particular, of- tal Christian society alive. Integration place where indigenous populations with fers up a whole range of different forms is needed to prevent the pillarisation of different cultural and religious charac- of Christian and Muslim coexistence, society and all its consequences, in other ters have grown into a region together, the latest case being Kosovo. Although 75 Kosovo’s declaration of independence Muslims and Christians – the his- and is highly valued in the historical on 16 February 2008 is contested inter- torical development of the minor- consciousness, not just of the Turkish nationally and is only being recognised ity situation in Greek Thrace Muslim population in Thrace, but also in step by step, it was the only chance to The case study of Thrace in the north- Turkey (DeDe 1975, p. 48). The 10 years avoid a further escalation of the conflict east of Greece (Fig. 1) features histori- that followed, however, showed that this between the Serbs and Albanians, since cal and geographical singularities, which Thrace at the intersection of Greece, Serbia was not prepared to grant minor- have led to the formation of a society that Bulgaria and the declining Ottoman Em- ity rights to the Albanians in its autono- differs enormously from developments pire had no chance to develop as an indi- mous republic. The historically-founded in other countries. As elsewhere in the vidual state. claim to Kosovo on both sides – it was Balkans, the society was based on the The population exchange between settled by Albanians and is seen as the organisation of the Ottoman state and, Greece and Turkey (Lausanne 14/7/1923) home of Serbian nationalism by the more specifically, on its millet system. meant a significant break for Thrace. Serbs – prevented any idea of peaceful This state organisational form was based According to Article 2 of Appendix A coexistence. ahtisaari’s report stresses on the guarantee of considerable au- of the convention signed by the Grand Na- that: “A history of enmity and mistrust tonomy for individual “national” (millet tional Assembly of Turkey and the Greek has long antagonised the relationship = Turkish for “population”) or ethnic or government on 30 January, the “compul- between Kosovo Albanians and Serbs” religious groups in the Ottoman Empire. sory exchange of Turkish nationals of the (ahtisaari 2007, p. 80). Now the ques- Apart from their declaration of loyalty, Greek Orthodox religion established in tion is whether the new state of Kosovo they were often bound to the Sublime Turkish