‘Muslims’ religious freedoms severely violated in Greece’

ISTANBUL (AA) – The newly elected Muslim cleric (mufti) of the Turkish minority in the Xanthi region of Western Thrace in Greece said Monday that discriminatory practices are being carried out against the Turkish minority in the region.

Mustafa Trampa, who was elected as the new cleric on Sept. 9, told Anadolu Agency that the legal basis of the institution of the mufti is the Athens Treaty of 1913, Law No. 2345 enacted in 1920 and the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, but Greece violated the fundamental rights of the Turkish minority under both these treaties.

He said the Greek press also slandered him, which contradicted the principles of journalism. The “black propaganda” did not find any response in the eyes of the people of Western Thrace and the commonsense Greeks, he said, but it further angered the extremist groups who read these newspapers.

Trampa noted that even though they can pray freely in Greece, their religious freedoms are severely violated.

Stating that the aim of the Greek authorities is to place Christians in minority foundations and religious institutions, Trampa said: “For example, Christians lead the foundation committee in Rhodes. Christians are among the delegations here, including secretaries or in different positions. The latest law states that Christians or people from different religions can also be employed in mufti offices.”

He said it is very difficult to obtain the necessary permits for the maintenance and repair of mosques in Western Thrace and that the bureaucratic procedures that can be completed in two to three months for the construction of a new village mosque have been extended up to 20 years.