2004 Religious Marriages Forbidden to the Muslims of Thrace

COMMENT BY THE MOVEMENT AGAINST NATIONALISM

24 February 2004

Postal address: PO 13794 10310 Athens
E-mail: antiethnikistiki@wxs.nl
Website: www.sitemaker.gr/antiethnikistik

The Movement against Nationalism is publishing the press release by the Greek Association for Human Rights because we believe it has a direct bearing on our campaign against nationalism – despite the fact that, at first sight, it seems to refer only to the religious freedoms of those Greek citizens who are not Orthodox Christians, freedoms which in Greece are systematically denied.

The representatives of the Greek state are happy to satisfy most of the demands of the Greek Orthodox Church, provided that these do not conflict too starkly with the directives of the European Union, as in the case of the declaration of religious affiliation on identity cards.

The Greek constitution states that the Orthodox faith is the official religion of the Greek state. This is the result of factors directly associated with the national identity distinguishing the Greeks from other peoples.

This relationship between the state and the Orthodox Church, too complex to be discussed in detail in the confines of this introductory note, is manifested in the adoption of the Orthodox faith as an integral part of Greek national identity, to be seen first in the references to the ‘Orthodox banners of Revolution’ raised by the leaders of the struggle for independence, second in the use of the cross as the dominant symbol in the Greek national flag, and third in the identification of national and religious holidays – with the obligatory presence of the priest at celebrations of national holidays and the involvement of army and state in major religious ceremonies.

This intimate relationship between state and church was entered upon without any consideration for the ethnic origins, language, customs and traditions which characterized the various ethnic cultural groups who were living in the newly-created modern Greek state.

It is this national identification with the Orthodox faith which leads Greek nationalists to persecute Greek citizens of other faiths, while assisting the leadership of the Greek Orthodox Church to take an aggressive lead in persecuting the ethnic minorities still living in Greece.

Since its very inception the modern Greek state has been waging a systematic campaign - using all means at its disposal, licit or illicit – to impose one language and one religion on the Greek people. In support of this project it has used a partial, distorted, fanatical version of history, entirely unsupported by fact.

With regard to the decision by the Deputy Minister of Domestic Affairs, denounced by the Greek Committee for Human Rights, the Movement against Nationalism regards it as no more or less than a CONSTITUTIONAL COUP D’ETAT.

This is perhaps the first time since the fall of the junta that a representative of the state has – using procedures entirely lacking in transparency and during the run-up to a general election – taken a decision which overrides no fewer than three provisions of the Constitution: namely those guaranteeing religious freedom (Article 13), sanctity of private life (Article 9) and freedom of movement within the country (Article 5). Even worse, this decision was taken without any consultation with the political parties or organizations representing the citizens who will be affected.

The Movement against Nationalism believes that this undemocratic and unashamedly nationalist (in terms of motivation) conduct must be denounced in all the forums of the European Union as a repellent example of institutional prejudice against Islam – an affront to the most fundamental principles of the European Union, uncomfortably reminiscent of the darkest chapters in our history. As such it must be brought to the attention of the appropriate international organizations, especially the UN Commission for Human Rights, the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, and the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance of the Council of Europe.

It is quite simply outrageous that the state should forbid Greek citizens of Muslim faith to marry foreign citizens in accordance with their own religious rites and in the presence of the Mufti of Thrace.

It is patently clear that this decision, which is also in contravention of the European Convention on Human Rights, represents an attempt to remove the right to free choice of a foreign spouse. It will automatically turn Muslims in Greece into second-class citizens, subject to an intolerable burden of oppression extending even into their personal lives.

The ministerial decision represents an unacceptable form of pressure exerted on Greek Muslims, preventing them from selecting foreign spouses in an attempt to limit the ‘Muslim element’ living perfectly legally in Greece.

This act is a triumph for the nationalists, who seek to create a homogenous society, given that most Greek Muslims are of Turkish descent, a fact hard to stomach for the advocates of the horrific theory: ‘one nation – one race – one faith’.

The arbitrary imposition of the marriage rite only in Thrace and only for the residents of Thrace is a crude attempt to concentrate the Muslim population in just ONE region, a practice reminiscent of the confining of populations to ghettoes on the basis of their ethnic and religious identity during periods of history which the continent of Europe will never forget.

This is an issue of major importance and the Movement against Nationalism is now sounding the alarm, calling on all those who believe in the ideals of freedom and human rights to raise their voices in protest against such despicable actions – actions which sadly represent the implementation in practice of a fanatical nationalism so destructive and, hitherto, so prevalent in Greece.

GREEK ASSOCIATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

PRESS RELEASE

Religious marriages forbidden to Muslims of Thrace!

Athens, 24 February 2004

By decision of the Deputy Minister Mr. Lambros Papadimas (F. 97920/201138 / 31.10.2003) the celebration of weddings in the presence of the Mufti of Thrace is deemed to be illegal in the case of the following:

1. A Muslim and non-Muslim

2. A Greek citizen and foreigner

3. Muslims not resident in Thrace

In effect this ruling makes it impossible for Muslims living outside Thrace (or Rhodes) to marry in accordance with the Islamic rites, since there are no serving Muftis in other parts of Greece. The consequence is that a significant percentage of the minority population originating in Thrace but no longer resident there, as well as other Greek Muslims (most of them naturalized citizens) will not be able to wed according to the Islamic rites in Greece. At the same time the confusion concerning the rules governing the marriages of foreign Muslims is rendered even more obscure. This prohibition will thus affect tens of thousands of individuals.

The Greek Association for Human Rights calls on the government to revoke its earlier decision, which introduces unconstitutional curbs on religious freedom in respect of the right to choose a spouse, as well as on the free movement of individuals, given that under the new dispensation a move outside Thrace will entail the loss of the right to celebrate an Islamic wedding. The decision in question is an unprecedented encroachment on the private life and religious freedom of every Muslim. What is more it will lead to major social tensions in an area of exceptional sensitivity, an area which more than any other requires responsible management by the Greek state.

Finally, the Association believes that the imposition of limitations (regarding nationality, place of residence or religion) only on weddings between Muslims, when no such limitations are envisaged in the Civil Code for marriages between Orthodox or Catholic Christians, Jews, Jehovah’s Witnesses or adherents of other religions or dogmas, is a very poor reflection on the nature of our democracy.

President
Dimitris Christopoulos

General Secretary
Yiannis Ktistakis

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