By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Greece called it "at least hypocritical" for Türkiye to lecture Athens on religious freedom on October 24, after Ankara rejected new mufti appointments in Western Thrace. The Greek Foreign Ministry cited Türkiye's own system of state-appointed muftis and warned against invoking religious freedom as a pretext for interference in domestic affairs.
Greek presidential decrees published on October 21 named Bilal Kara Halil as mufti of Komotini (Gümülcine) and Şükrü Şerif Damatoğlu as mufti of Xanthi (İskeçe), each for a five-year term.
Türkiye's Foreign Ministry called the appointees "so-called muftis" and demanded recognition of the minority's elected religious leaders. Turkish minority organizations recognize İbrahim Şerif in Komotini and Mustafa Trampa in Xanthi as elected muftis. Neither holds the corresponding statutory office under Greek law.
Greece defended the process under Law 4964/2022. A 33-member advisory committee drawn from the minority assesses candidates before the education minister makes a selection, formalized by presidential decree. Athens says women participate in the process. The law does not provide for a direct community vote.
The Greek ministry maintained that the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne recognizes a religious minority in Western Thrace, rather than an ethnic one. Türkiye and Turkish minority organizations dispute that interpretation and refer to the community as the Turkish minority.
On April 8, Ankara objected to extending the selection procedure to Rodopi and Xanthi after the appointment in Didymoteicho (Dimetoka). Greece rejected the criticism the following day, defending its Lausanne interpretation and the 2022 law. The Komotini and Xanthi posts had not yet been filled.
The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe protested the decrees on October 23. Its president, Halit Habip Oğlu, called for recognition of Şerif and Trampa. The latest decisions complete appointments to all three muftiates in Western Thrace under the 2022 law.
Sources: Türkiye's Foreign Ministry, Greece's Foreign Ministry, Greece's Ministry of Education, SKAI, ERT, Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe, Bosphorus News review and reporting.