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TBMM Speaker Kurtulmuş urges Greece to recognize elected Western Thrace muftis
TBMM Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş called on Greece to fulfill its obligations under the Treaty of Lausanne and recognize the muftis elected by Western Thrace Turks. Kurtulmuş described Greece’s practice of appointing muftis in Komotini and Xanthi as interference in religious freedom, democratic principles and the minority’s right to elect its religious representatives.
TBMM Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş called on Greece to fulfill its obligations under the Treaty of Lausanne, respect the will of Western Thrace Turks and recognize the muftis elected by the minority.
In a statement, Kurtulmuş said Greece must abandon its imposition of "so-called muftis" on Western Thrace Turks and called for the practice to end immediately.
Objection to the practice in Komotini and Xanthi
The TBMM speaker criticized the Greek authorities’ practice of appointing muftis in Komotini and Xanthi. He said this approach constituted direct interference in Western Thrace Turks’ freedom of worship, Muslim identity and right to practice their religion freely.
Kurtulmuş said the practice, which he described as a new manifestation of a decades-long policy of pressure that denies the presence of Turks in the region, sought to determine religious rules and the community’s representatives through state intervention.
“The right to elect their muftis cannot be questioned”
Kurtulmuş said such interference violated the law and the fundamental principles of democracy, stressing that the Muslim Turkish minority in Western Thrace could not be denied the right to elect its religious representatives through its own will.
Kurtulmuş said any interference with this right concerned not only Western Thrace Turks but everyone who respects human rights and religious freedom. He added that those defending fundamental rights and freedoms should not remain silent in the face of injustice in the region.
The TBMM speaker reiterated his call for Athens to abandon the practice of appointing religious representatives contrary to the will of the minority. Kurtulmuş said the legitimacy of muftis elected by the minority could not be eliminated through imposed decisions, adding that Türkiye would not leave Western Thrace Turks alone in their struggle to protect their identity, beliefs and rights.
Source: Anadolu Ajansı
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