the application of shari’ah in western thrace

7/30/2019 The application of Shariah in Western Thrace

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TheapplicationofShariahinWesternThrace

ProtectingthereligiousfreedomoftheMuslimminorityordismantlingtheGreekConstitution?

byEiriniKakoulidou

InWesterncountriessomeMuftisandMuslimorganisationsexpresstheneedfor

adesignatedcompetentbody,whichwouldresolvemattersofIslamicLaw,such

asdissolutionofmarriage,inheritanceandmarriage.Thecriticsarestrongly

opposedtotheseproposals,duetosecularprinciplesandthenecessityofa

commonlegalframework,whichcombatsanykindofdiscrimination(racial,religiousetc.).

However,foralmostonecentury,intheGreekareaofThrace1,theMuslimcitizens

haveexercisedtheirrighttosettletheirlegalissueswiththehelpoftheirmuftis.

ThevalidityofIslamicLawintheGreeklegalsystemisbasedonArticle4ofLaw

147/1914.2

Theprevailinglegalopinionisthatthisprovisionintroducesapersonallegal

systemoflocalcharacterthatisanexceptionconcerningonlytheGreekMuslims

livinginWesternThrace.GreekMuslimslivingoutsideWesternThraceare

subjectedexclusivelytotheprovisionsoftheCivilCode.Article5paragraph2of

thelaterLaw1920/1991states:TheMuftihasjurisdictionamongMuslimGreek

citizensofhisregiononmarriages,divorces,alimonies,custodies,guardianships,

emancipationofminors,Muslimwills,andinheritancedisputes,ifthese

relationshipsareruledbytheShariah.3

Infact,thereisadualjudicialsystemfortheMuslimminorityinWesternThrace;

theapplicationofIslamicLawandthecivilGreekCode.Officially,inthe

1Western Thrace or simply Thrace is located between the Nestos and Evros. Together with

the regions of Macedonia and Epirus, it is often referred to informally as northern Greece. It

is also called Greek Thrace to distinguish it from Eastern Thrace, which lies east of the river

Evros and forms the European part of Turkey, and the area to the north, in Bulgaria, known as

Northern Thrace.

2

Greek Helsinki Monitor, 2006 : http://www.iwraw-ap.org/resources/pdf/Greece(1).pdf3

Ibid


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abovementionedlegalissues,theMuslimscanchooseeitherthecivilcourtorthe

Muftislegalservices.Actually,inmostofthecases,theychoosethejudgementof

theMufti.Thisspeciallegalsystemofconcurrentjurisdiction,asdefinedbythe

EU,isamatterofcontroversyamongGreeklawyersandhumanrightsorganisations.

ThevexedquestionhasbeenwhetherShariahfamilylawcontains,essentially,

discriminatoryprovisionswhichviolatehumanrights,particularlywomensrights.

Onthesubjectofwomensrights,theapplicationofShariahlawintheareaof

WesternThraceseemstobeinconflictwiththeprovisionsoftheGreek

Constitutionandlegislation.Additionally,itviolatesfundamentalhumanrights

whichfightagainstallformsofdiscriminatorytreatmenttowardswomen.

Thissituationhascreatedalegalandfundamentaldilemma;Ontheonehand,

thereistheneedtoprotectthereligiousfreedomoftheMuslimminority,in

accordancewithitsownculturalandtraditionalvalues.Ontheotherhand,itis

necessarytoensureconformitywiththecardinalrulesofhumanrights,bothona

Europeanandonaninternationallevel,includingtherighttoreligioustolerance.

Isitpossibleforalltheseconditionstocoexistsimultaneously?

Thepurposeofthisassignmentistoillustratetheparadoxoftheapplicationof

IslamiclawinGreece,anEUmemberstate,andthecontradictionbeingcreated.

Neo-milletsystemincontemporaryGreece

TheMuslimminorityofThracehashistoricallyemergedfromtheOttoman

EmpiresdemiseandthecreationofanewTurkishnation.

4

TheOttomanmillet

4The Muslim minority of Thrace has historically emerged from the Ottoman Empires demise

and the creation of a new Turkish nation. The Treaty of Lausanne (1923) established the

obligatory population exchange between Christian Greek populations which were situated in

the borders of the new Turkish nation, with the Islamic Turkish populations which lived on

Greek soil. The Greek minority of Constantinople was excluded from this pact, as well as the

Islamic minority of Thrace, which at the time numbered 86,000 people. Out of the latter,

39,000 were of Turkish descent, 30,000 were Pomaks and 12,000 were Gypsies (Rom). The

Treaty of Lausanne declares that Muslim minority members are free to state their ethnicbackground (Turkish, Pomak or Rom), speak their native languages, practice their religious

tasks and maintain their customs and traditions.


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systemofferedreligiousminoritiestheabilitytoregulatemanyoftheirown

affairsandlegalissues,undertheirownethicsandreligiouscustoms.In1926,the

milletsystemwascompletelyabolishedinTurkey,despitethespecificprovisions

fromtheLausanneTreaty,whichclearlystatedthatGreeceandTurkeymustimplementmeasuresinordertoensurethatallissueswithregardtothepersonal

statusoftheminoritieswouldberesolvedinlinewiththeirreligiouscustoms.5In

orderforthistoactuallyhappen,theminoritieswereaskedtoconsenttothe

revocationoftheirspecialstatus,whichtheydid.Nevertheless,A.Bedermacher-

Gerousisclaimsthattheconsentoftheminoritywasnullandvoidand

thereforeTurkeyviolatedtheinternationalobligationoftheLausanneTreaty.6

AnoutstandingparadoxisthatTurkey,withitsprimarilyMuslimpopulation,has

abolishedthemilletsysteminwhichreligiouscourtswereacceptable,butGreece

aEUcountry,withanOrthodoxpopulation,stillsupportsitinWesternThrace.

AccordingtoTsitselikis,theIslamiclegalregulationofpersonalstatus,inThrace,

convertstheold-fashionmilletintoanenclaveofpostmodernreligioussociety,

creatinginfactaneo-milletsystem,inwhichGreekcivillawhasasecondary

role.7

TheroleoftheMuftiandtheqdi

TheOttomanlegalsystemhadtwomainauthorities:theMufti(ascholarwho

interpretstheShariah)andtheqdi(thejudge).TheMuftigavehisopinion

(fatw)onlegalsubjects,andthen,thisfatwcouldbepresentedbeforecourtby

5AspasiaTsaoussi and Eleni Zervogianni Tsaoussi, A. and Zervogianni, E. (2008),

Multiculturalism and Family Law: The Case of Greek Muslims, European Challenges in

Contemporary Family Law, Katharina Boele-Woelki and Tone Sverdrup, eds., Intersentia:

Mortsel, p.211

6Ibid p.12, note 9

7Tsitselikis, K, The legal status of Islam in Greece, Die Welt des Islams No:44, 3, BrillAcademic Publishers: Leiden 2004, p.130


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eitherofthepartiesasalegaladvice,whichcouldfavoureitherthedefendantor

theplaintiff.8

AfterGreeceannexedmostoftheEuropeanterritorywhichpreviouslybelonged

totheOttomanEmpire,in1881,theGreekauthoritiesassignedthefunctionsoftheMuftiaswellastheonesoftheqditothenewMufti.Putdifferently,the

Muftihad,fromnowonadualrole;hewasbothascholargivingthefatw,and

thejudgecarryinghisopinionintoeffect.Inthesameyear,theMuftiwas

assignedathirdrole,whenGreecesignedtheTreatyofConstantinoplewith

Turkey.Now,theMuftiwasalsothereligiousleaderofMuslimcitizens9

Therefore,accordingtoIslamiclawandtradition,theMuftihasalsothedutyof

collectingthezakt(obligatorycharity),sothattheminimumstandardsof

livelihoodcanbeguaranteedforthepoorestcitizens.TheMuftiorganisesthe

zaktinordertoredistributethewealthfromthewealthiercitizenstothe

poorestones.10

Protectingthereligiousfreedom

Theprotectionoftherighttoreligiousfreedomforminoritiescanbefoundin

severalinternationalhumanrightstreaties,characterisedasaninternational

standardwhichshouldbefollowedbyallstates.

ImmediatelyaftertheWorldWarII,someinternationalinstitutionsincluded

referencestoreligiousfreedom,withregardstotheprinciplesofnon-

discrimination,equality,toleranceandrespectforotherpeoplesreligionand

beliefs.SuchinstitutionscontaintheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRightsand

theInternationalCovenantonCivilandPoliticalRights.Unfortunately,thereisnointernationalofficialdocumentconcerningthe

protectionofreligiousfreedomexclusively.TheUNDeclarationonthe

8Vikr, K. S. (2005), Between God and the Sultan, C. Hurst & Co.: London.

9Tsitselikis, K. Muslims in Greece, Islam and the European Union, Richard Potz, Wolfgang

Wieshaider, eds., Peeters: Leuven, 2004.10

Zakat is one of the five pilars of Islam.


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EliminationofAllFormsofIntoleranceandReligiousDiscriminationistheonlysuch

document,whichcoverstheprincipleofreligioustoleranceonaglobalbasistobe

followedbyallthememberstatesoftheinternationalcommunity.11

AccordingtoArticle3oftheGreekConstitution,theGreekstaterespectstheright

tofreedomofreligiousbeliefsforeveryGreekcitizen.Thisarticlecanbeanalysed

intotwoparts.Firstly,therighttoworshipfreely,eitherinprivateorinpublic,any

religiouscommunityorcreedwhosepracticedoesnotrepresentathreattothe

publicorderandmorals.Secondly,theobligationoftheGreekgovernmentto

offerlegalprotectiontochurches,cemeteries,synagogues,monasteriesand

otherreligiousinstitutionsoftheminorities.Theconceptofmoralitycanbe

interpretedinvariousways,dependingonhistoricalandculturalfactors.

Consequently,itmightbedifferentineverysociety,sincethereisnointernational

standard,whichcanbeapprovedbyallreligionsandculturesaroundtheworld.12

Humanrights

TheapplicationofShariahinfamilyandpersonallawmatters,withintheMuslim

minorityinThrace,asmanyresearchersobserve,hasatendencytodisrespect

internationalhumanrightsnorms.TheimplementationoftheShariahinWestern

Thraceisfrequentlyconsideredasaretrogressiveandanachronisticinstitution

13whichhindersthesocialandfinancialdevelopmentoftheminority.

Themaindeclarationissuedbythehumanrightsisthatallhumanbeingshave

equalvalueanddignity,regardlessofgender,religionorrace.Contemporary

humanrightslegislationrecognisestheexistenceofseveralgrouprights.Nonetheless,itgenerallyoffersadequateprotectiontotherightofindividualsand

11

Proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 36/55 of 25 November 1981

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/religion.htm

12The State, the Law and Human Rights in Modern Greece, Vol. 9, Human Rights Quarterly,

1987.

13Anagnostou, D. (1997), Religious Freedom and Minority Rights in the New Europe: The

Case of the Muslim Courts in Western Thrace Paper delivered to the XV Modern Greek

Studies, Association International Symposium 1997 on Modern Greece, Kent StateUniversity: Kent, Ohio, p. 5


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considersapersonsreligiousandculturalbackgroundaspartoftheirdistinct

identity.

Onthecontrary,theIslamicLawprovidesspecialbenefitstomenanddisfavourswomeninlegalcasesof

familydisputes,divorces,inheritanceandchildcustody.14Forexample,indivorce

cases,whereamancanmerelydivorcehiswifewithoutanyjudicialproceedings

beingnecessary,butMuslimwomenarenotentitledtoasimilarright.Another

practiceinIslamicfamilylaw,whichcanbeconsideredasadiscriminatoryrule

againstwomen,isdrawnupinthelawofinheritance.Thegeneralrulesprovide

thatdaughtersareentitledtohalftheshareofsons.Furthermore,theprocessof

divorce,accordingtoShariah,aswellastherelationshipbetweenthemarried

couple,seemstoalsodisadvantagewomen,especiallywithregardstothe

principleofequalityandthefreedevelopmentofthehumanpersonality.The

formofdivorce,accordingtowhich,ahusbandmayunilaterallydivorcehiswife,

withoutbeingrequiredtoshowcause,andevenwithouttheneedtorecourseto

anycourtorotherauthority,isapparentlydiscriminatory,sinceitisnotaccessible

tothewife.However,aMuslimwifedoesnothavetherighttofileadivorce,

exceptbycourtorderonverypreciseandstrictterms.Thesepracticesandethics

areinabsolutecontradictionwiththeGreeklawandthecustomsofthecountry.15

Weddingceremonies

Atypicalexample:Howistheweddingceremonyperformedandlegally

confirmed?InJune2000,theqdioftheMuslimcommunityinXanthiinWesternThrace,the

Mufti,issuedamarriagelicenceforvirginwomenaccordingtotheShariah.(No

157/22.6.2000).16Itincludesthefollowingterms:

14Naskou-Perraki Paroula (2011), The Law of International Organisations.

Institutional dimensions (Sakkoulas Publishers, Athens) p. 53

15

Ibid

16Provided to the writer by member of the Muslim community of W.Thrace.


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Donationduetothesocialunionthroughmarriage:

One[1]dress,one[1]goldenchain(1meterlength),one[1]pairof

earrings,five[5]goldenbracelets,one[1]goldenring,one[1]watch,a

mattress,aquiltandforty[40]kilosofcopper.Donationduetodissolutionofmarriage:

Onehundredandone(101)goldenpounds.

Sincewehavesettledtheaboveculturalweddingdifferences,wedo

notseeanyreligiousorotherimpedimenttothemarriagebetweenthe

virginwoman[],whoisaGreekcitizenandlivesin[],and[]who

isaGreekcitizenandlivesin[].

Thiscontractwasexecutedbyme,theMuftiofXanthi.

Thewifesrepresentatives

Thehusbandsrepresentatives

Suchlicences,withsimilarterms,contrarytotheGreeklaw,theConstitutionand

theEuropeanlegislation,areissuedforeverysimilarlegalactbetweenMuslim

citizensofThrace.IftheGreekcourtsauthorisetheenforcementoftheselicences,

theyarevalid.Mostofthetimestheyareauthorised.WhentheGreekcourts

authorisetheirenforcement,thisissupposedlyhappeningbecauseofthetreaties

thathavebeensignedbyGreece,fromtimetotime,whichareconsideredas

binding.Isthatthecase?

ItisinterestingthatthetwogreatestinstitutionsoftheGreekjusticedisagreeon

whetherthisTreatyofAthens(1914)thatlegallycoverstheShariahregimein

Thrace,isvalidornot.Intwoofits(similar)decisions,theGreekCouncilofState

hasdecidedthatthisTreatyofAthensisnolongervalid,becauseitisutterly

coveredbythetermsoftheTreatyLausanne(1923)whichfollowedthe

populationexchangebetweenGreeceandTurkey.TheSupremeCourtof

CassationhasconsistentlyheldthatTheTreatyofAthensisthelegalfoundation

oftheminorityprotectioninGreece.17


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IsShariahinW.Thracevoluntaryorobligatory?

Officially,inthelegalissuesmentionedabove,theMuslimscanchooseeitherthe

civilcourtortheMuftislegalservices.Nonetheless,accordingtoTsitselikis,the

Muftisjurisdictionhasactuallybecomemandatory,sinceMuslimwomenare

entrappedbysocialstereotypes:incaseofanapplicationforjudicialreviewtothe

Greekcivilcourts,thislegalactionwouldbecriticised,duetolackofloyalty

towardstheminority.18

AlmostallresearchersinthefieldofIslamiclawinWesternThracesharethe

above-statedpresumption.Thiscouldalsobeinterpretedtheoppositeway:Ifthe

principlesofaminorityaresociologicallyassumedtobecherishedbywomen,

theywouldnotautomaticallyhaveanutterlyindividualisticneedtoresolvetheir

issueatanyexpense,i.e.atthecivilcourt(ortheChristiancourt,asconsideredby

manyMuslims).Certainly,thereareexceptions,buttheassumptionthat,if

MuslimwomenwerenotexpectedbysocietytochoosetheMufti,theywould

probablychoosethecivilcourts,israthergeneralising.ThefactthatMuslim

womenarehighlydedicatedtoIslamicprinciplesisverysignificantanditshould

betakenintoaccount.Nevertheless,DiaAnagnostoustatesthattheMuftis

decisionsarenotasignofastrictapplicationofShariahtofamilyissuesbutthey

demonstraterespecttowardscivillawprinciples,whichgraduallyhaveblended

withwhatisconsideredsociallyacceptableandlegitimatebytheMuslim

society.19

17

In his bookSacred law of Islam and Muslim Greek citizens -between communalism and

liberalism, the Greek lawyer Giannis Ktistakis refers to this argument and agrees with the

Councils view, emphasising that the existing distance from the Greek civil Code, as far as

the Muslim minority of Thrace is concerned, is conflict with essential components of the

contemporary human rights protection.

18Tsitselikis, K The legal status of Islam in Greece, Die Welt des Islams No:44, 3, Brill

Academic Publishers: Leiden 2004 p.p 112-113

19Anagnostou, D. (1997), Religious Freedom and Minority Rights in the New Europe: The

Case of the Muslim Courts in Western Thrace Paper delivered to the XV Modern Greek


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Moreover,thereisanewtrendamongtheMuslimsofThrace:Ininheritance

mattersandindivisionofmatrimonialproperty,incaseofadivorce,thetwo

partieswillfirstseekadvicefromtheMufti.Ifthetwopartiesarenotsatisfiedby

theMuftislegalopinion,thentheycanbringthematterbeforetheCivilcourt.Anagnostoustatesthat,nowadays,mostMuslimsusuallyprefertoseisetoCivil

courtsinordertoresolvetheirinheritancematters,whichhavegraduallyfallen

underthejurisdictionofcivilcourts.20

ThecontrolmechanismoftheCivilCourt

TheCivilCourtcontrolsthelimitsofjurisdictionoftheMuftislegaldecision,

withoutexaminingthemeritsofthecase.IfaMuslimlodgedanappealagainst

theMuftisdecisiontotheCivilCourt,thejudgewouldcontrolonlytheapplication

ofthisparticulardecision.Whatismore,theCivilCourtandtheCourtofAppeal

controltheconstitutionalityoftheMuftisdecision.Nevertheless,ifthecivilcourt

wantstocontroltheconstitutionalityoftheMuftisdecision,thejudgeisnot

familiarwiththecontentoftheIslamiclawrulesand,thus,isunabletoevaluate

thisdecision.21Thiscouldactuallybeaproblem,becausetheconditionofthe

genderequalityprovisionsoftheEuropeanConventiononHumanRightsdoes

notseemtobecompatiblewithcertainprovisionsofIslamicfamilyand

inheritancelaw.

EleniZervogiannimentionsthat,accordingtothestatistics,only11outof2,679

caseshavebeenfoundunconstitutional,since1991.Shestatesthat,apparently,

Studies, Association International Symposium 1997 on Modern Greece, Kent State

University: Kent, Ohio, p.24

20Anagnostou, D. Religious Freedom and Minority Rights in the New Europe: The Case of

the Muslim Courts in Western Thrace Paper delivered to the XV Modern Greek Studies,

Association International Symposium 1997 on Modern Greece, Kent State University: Kent,

Ohio, 1997, p.2421

Tsitselikis, K. Muslims in Greece, Islam and the European Union, Richard Potz, WolfgangWieshaider, eds., Peeters: Leuven 2004 p. 104


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Greekjudgesdonotessentiallyexaminetheessenceofadecisionwhentheyhave

todecideonitsunconstitutionality.22

EventhoughthejurisdictionoftheMuftiisofficiallycontrolledbytheCivilCourt

andtheCourtofAppeal,thiscontrolmechanism,infact,interfereswiththedecisionsoftheMuftionlyonexceptionaloccasions.

Unwrittenlaw

AccordingtotheHanafischoolofLaw(whichisthemostpopularschoolfor

MuslimsinWesternThrace),oneapparentreasonforthejudgesoftheCivilCourt

notbeingeasilyfamiliarwithIslamiclawisthefactthattheappliedlawisnotin

writtenform.Itisneitherstandardisednorcodified.DuringOttomantimes,the

Muftigavehislegalopinion(fatw)onmattersandtheqdiwasabletouseboth

thediverse

rulesoftheShariahandtheqnun,whichwasalegalCodedrawnupbythe

Sultan.However,thenewMuftiofWesternThraceissuesthefatwwithout

havinganysupplementaryauthoritativetext,issuedbyapoliticalauthority,which

mustberecognisedbyIslamicreligion.

Nevertheless,thereareobviouslydifferentapproachesregardingthestatusofthe

Mufti.TheMuslimsofWesternThracefrequently,contrarytothetermcourts,

claimthattheMuftidoesnotissuehisopiniononlegalcasesbasedonthe

conventionalandcivilsenseoftheterm;hisroleisprimarilyconsultativeand

compromising.23

22

AspasiaTsaoussi and Eleni Zervogianni Tsaoussi, A. and Zervogianni, E. Multiculturalism

and Family Law: The Case of Greek Muslims, European Challenges in Contemporary Family

Law, Katharina Boele-Woelki and Tone Sverdrup, eds., Intersentia: Mortsel, 2008, p.p 119-

12023Anagnostou, D. Religious Freedom and Minority Rights in the New Europe: The Case of

the Muslim Courts in Western Thrace Paper delivered to the XV Modern Greek Studies,

Association International Symposium 1997 on Modern Greece, Kent State University: Kent,Ohio, p.25


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Concurrentjurisdiction-Shouldthismodelberevised?

Inits2009HumanRightsReport:Greece,theU.S.DepartmentofStatesBureauof

Democracy,HumanRights,andLabourstatesthatShariahiscriticisedbymany

NGOandmediareportsasdiscriminatoryagainstwomen,especiallyinchild-

custody,divorce,orinheritancecases.24IncontemporaryGreece,therearecritics

whowantthepresentpoliticalmodeltobeabolishedorreformed.Theexpertise

oftheresearchersiscrucialfortheNGOsandmedia.

Thestudieshavevariousapproachesandconclusions.

ThemostpenetratingcritiqueontheapplicationofIslamiclawintheGreeklegal

systemisprovidedbyYannisKtistakis.InhisbookTheHolyLawofIslamandthe

GreekMuslimCitizens(Athens/Thessalonica:SakkoulasPublishers,2006),he

statesthatGreeceistheonlyEuropeancountrywhichstillimplementsthe

Shariah,andthatShariahisinterpretedandappliedbyHolyCourtsinWestern

Thraceinthemostanachronisticway.Thestudyillustratesthefactthat,contrary

totheGreekgovernmentsstatements,noprovisionoftheTreatyofLausanne

makestheimplementationoftheShariahorthefunctioningofHolyCourts

mandatoryfortheMuslimminoritymembers.Whatismore,hestatesthatGreek

courtscannotevaluatethemeritsofdecisions,whicharebasedonanunwritten

lawthatisunfamiliartotheGreekjudges.Inaddition,theMuftisdecisionsare

writteninaforeignlanguage(OttomanTurkish).Therefore,theGreekjudges

cannotreadthem,sincetheirtranslationsarefrequentlyinaccurate.25

AftergivingexamplesofseveralproblemscausedbytheMuftisdecisions,suchasparentalconsentforchildmarriages,womensunequalrightstoobtainadivorce,

indifferencetowardschildrensbestinterestincustodycases,Ktistakisreaches

theconclusionthat,duetochildmarriagesofchildren,thenumberofMuslim

24http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/eur/136034.htm

25Greek Helsinki Monitor 2006 p.37


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divorcesisfivetimeshigherthanChristiandivorces.26Itisnotquiteclearif

Ktistakishasanysuggestionasanalternativesolution,exceptfortheabolitionof

thisconcurrentjurisdiction.

AspasiaTsaoussiandEleniZervogianniofferanotherthoroughcritiqueoftheconcurrentjurisdiction.IntheirstudyMulticulturalismandFamilyLaw:TheCase

ofGreekMuslims,basedonthefactthattheconcurrentjurisdictiondisfavours

Muslimwomen,theysuggestthatthereisabetteralternative.Theyadvisethe

Greekcitizens,regardlessoftheirreligion,tomovetowardsmediation,inorderto

settletheirfamilymatters.Accordingtothem,thebasicprinciplesofmediation

fulfiltheoverwhelmingmoralandreligiousneedsofbothculturesinWestern

Thrace.Therefore,theyprovideandcontainthecommonvaluesofthetwo

competing,yetcoexistingsystems.27

Theircritiquebeginswiththealmostsimilarprinciplessharedbytheminorityand

themajority.Theyalsoarguethatitispossibletoaddressthesensitivityofthe

twocommunitiesinasinglejurisdictionsystemthroughtheAlternativeDispute

Resolution(ADR)procedure.Thisideaseemstocombinethemediationofthe

Shariahwiththesecularprinciple,whichrequiresonejurisdictionforallcitizens.

TsaoussiandZervogianniclaimthattheQur'anssolutiontodivorceoffersthe

mosttypicalexample.Astheymention,inIslam,divorceisacceptableonlywhen

therearemajorirreconcilabledifferences.Divorcehastobethelastsolution,

since,accordingtotheProphet,divorceisthemostdespicableofalllegalaction,

inthesightofGod.Hence,theQuranencouragesthepartiestotryharderto

reconcile,inthefollowingsteps:(1)Thepartiesmustmakeanefforttoresolve

theirdisputesandconfronttheirproblemstogether;(2)Iftheyfail,two

conciliators,onefromthehusbandssideandtheotherfromthewifesside,

shouldbesent,inorderforthemtosettletheirdifferences.(3)Iftheconciliators

effortsalsofail,divorcemaybegranted.26

Ibid p. 39

27Tsaoussi, A. and Zervogianni, E. (2008), Multiculturalism and Family Law: The Case of

Greek Muslims, European Challenges in Contemporary Family Law, Katharina Boele-Woelkiand Tone Sverdrup, eds., Intersentia: Mortsel. p.223


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AccordingtoKonstantinosTsitselikis,theapplicationofIslamiclawwithinthe

frameworkofaEuropeanlegalordercausessomeincompatibilities.Incertain

cases,individualrightsandprinciplesofequalityareinconflictwithreligiousfreedom.28

ItisevidentthatTsitselikis,inmanyofhisconclusions,considersbalancingvarious

interestsasahighpriority.Heclaimsthatthecurrentpoliticalmodelis

disadvantageousnotonlytocitizenswhobringtheircasesbeforetheMufti,but

alsototheauthorityandsignificanceofthisMusliminstitution.Inaddition,he

suggestsare-evaluationandreformoftheMuftiinstitution,withequalconcern

fortheMuslimreligioustraditionsandtheirfreedoms,aswellasforthe

fundamentalprinciplesandindividualrightsofthe

Europeanlegalorder.HislastsuggestionisabouttheMuftisqualificationsasa

legalleader.Tsitselikisissuggestingthat,apartfromthereligiouseducation,the

Mufticandidateshouldbeequallyqualifiedwiththerestofthejudges,soasto

avoidadebasementofhisrole.29Inhisconclusivestatements,Tsitselikissays

thatthesocialbalancebetweenlegallyimposednormsshouldbein

consideration,andthatthesenormsareunknowntotheminoritysociety.30

FederationofWesternThraceTurksinEurope(ABTTF),whichhasitsheadquarters

inGermany,hassubmittedasimilarreporttorelevantauthorities,rightafterthe

release(11March2010)ofthe2009HumanRightsReport:Greece,writtenbythe

U.S.DepartmentofState,BureauofDemocracy,HumanRights,andLabor.The

reportincludesmanyoftheissuesonthetopicoftheMuslimsinWesternThrace

thathavebeenpuzzledbytheU.S.report.Inthesectionregardingwomen,the

reportstatesthatIfthegovernmentrestrainedthepowersoftheMufti(whohas

undertakenreligiousduties)andifitabolishedtherecognitionofShariah,it

wouldbeaviolationofitsobligations,whicharisefrominternationaltreatiesin

28

Tsitselikis, Konstantinos. The legal status of Islam in Greece, Die Welt des Islams No:44,

3, Brill Academic Publishers: Leiden. 2004, p.p 121-122

29

Ibid p.12230

Ibid p.131


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whichGreecehasparticipated.Nonetheless,thisdoesnotautomaticallymean

thattheTurkishMinorityofWesternThracedisrespectsanyconcernaboutthe

applicationofShariahintheareaofThrace,whichismeticulouslystatedinthe

report.ABTTFremindsusthatIslamicinheritancelawhasarestrictedapplicationinWesternThrace,anditisnotapartoftheTurkishMinoritystradition.31

Conclusions

ThepositionofaMuftiintheGreeklegalorderischaracterisedbyafundamental

contradictionbetweentwofactors,whichareequallybasedonrespectforhuman

rights:

TheproblemwhichiscausedbythemajorconflictbetweenIslamiclaw

(Shariah)andGreekLaw,thecurrentsenseofjusticeinGreeceandthe

internationalconventions,signedbyGreece,fortheprotectionofhuman

rights.

TherightoftheMuslimminorityintheGreekregionofThracetopreserve

theirrights,whichareestablished,intheirreligiouslaw.Theserightsare

importanttothisminority,inordertomaintainitscoherenceasa

community.

Accordingtoitscurrentlegalsituation,aMuftihasadualrole:

Ontheonehand,heisthehighestofficialofreligiouslaw:Hehasa

supervisingroleovermosques,prayerleaderspermosque,cemeteriesand

waqfs.Inaddition,heoffershisadviceandguidancetoMuslims,hecontrolsallcharityworkandheperformsweddingceremonies.

Ontheotherhand,heisaqdi(areligiousjudge),havingcontroloverthe

differencesbetweenGreekMuslimswholiveonhisdistrict.These

differencesarerelatedtoonlyafewissuesofFamilylawandInheritance

31Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (2010), Parallel Report by ABTTF on the

2009 Human Rights Report: Greece: https://www.abttf.org/images/Raporlar/US-2010-Human-Rights-Report-on-Greece_Parallel-Report-by-ABTTF.pdf


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law,whicharecrucialissues,asfarashumanrightsareconcerned.The

legalopinionsandedicts,whichareissuedbytheMufti,areestimatedby

theCourtofCommonPleas,andthus,becomeenforceable.

Problems

Ifweexaminethecurrentlaw,boththeSubstantiveandtheProcedurallaw,we

willdiscoverthefollowingthreecategoriesofproblems,whichinhibittheMuftis

workandjustice:

Inmanycases,thereisapoorcontrolofconstitutionalityandcontradiction

betweentheMuftislegalopinionsandEuropeanorpublicpolicy.The

applicationofShariahcausesseriousproblems,ifitiscontrolledaccording

tothebasicprinciplesofthelaw,suchasequality,orchildrensand

womensbestinterest(SeerelevantbindingInternationallawonhuman

rights,InternationalCovenantonCivilandPoliticalRights,Conventionon

theRightsoftheChild,ConventionontheEliminationofallformsof

DiscriminationagainstWomen,etc.)

TheGreekcivilcourtsinterpretinastrictwaytheMuslimtermGreek

Muslimcitizensinthedistrictofamufti,accordingtolegislation

1920/1991.Asaresult,theGreekcourtsdonotauthorisetheenforcement

oftheMuftislegaldecisionsinregardtoaweddingbetweenaGreekand

aforeigncitizenoraweddingbetweeninhabitantsoutsidetheMuftis

district.Therefore,thedissolutionofamarriageisimpossible.

Since2008,thereisanequallystrictinterpretationontheMuftisjurisdictionoverchild-custodycases.Asaresult,theMuftislegalopinions

onsuchcases,incaseofadivorce,arenotbeencompliedwith.


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Legislativegaps

TheoptionaljurisdictionoftheMuftieitherisnotprovidedfororisnot

applicable.Veryoften,civilcourtsbringcasesbeforetheMufti,asan

exclusivelycompetentbody.

Incaseswheretheonepartyapproachesthecivilcourtsandtheother

partyapproachestheMufti,thereisnoprovisionforsuchcases.

IncasesruledbytheMufti,thereisnoprovisionforasecond-degreetrial

oranannulmentofhisrulings.

Neitherthelegalrepresentation,northeprincipleofequalityofthe

parties,northecourtsstatementofthereasonsforitsdecisionsis

compulsory.

IfwecomparetheapplicationofIslamiclawinthreeMuslimdistrictsof

Greece,thereisadifferenceinthequalityofjustice.Theapplicationof

IslamiclawinKomotiniis,toanevidentdegree,thebest.

***

References

TsitselikisK.2004,ThelegalstatusofIslaminGreece,DieWeltdesIslams

No:44,3,BrillAcademicPublishers:Leiden.

TsitselikisK.2004,MuslimsinGreece,IslamandtheEuropeanUnion,

RichardPotz,WolfgangWieshaider,eds.,Peeters:Leuven

KtistakisYannis,2006,TheHolyLawofIslamandtheGreekMuslim

Citizens(Athens/Thessalonica:SakkoulasPublishers.

BoussiakouI.2008,ReligiousFreedomandMinorityRightsinGreece:the

caseoftheMuslimminorityinwesternThrace,theHellenicObservatory,

LondonSchoolofEconomics,GreecePaperNo21:London.


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AnagnostouD.1997,ReligiousFreedomandMinorityRightsintheNew

Europe:TheCaseoftheMuslimCourtsinWesternThracePaperdelivered

totheXVModernGreekStudies,AssociationInternationalSymposium

1997onModernGreece,KentStateUniversity:Kent,Ohio.

MekosZafiris,1991,TheMuftisjurisdictionandtheGreekLaw(Sakkoulas

Publishers,Athens/Kommotini,1991.

GreekHelsinkiMonitor2006,ParallelReportonGreecesCompliancewith

theUNConventionontheEliminationofAllFormsofDiscrimination

againstWomen,http://www.iwraw-ap.org/resources/pdf/Greece(1).pdf

KotzabassiAthina,FamilyLegalRelationshipsamongGreekMuslims,

(Athens/Thessalonica,2001,www.kethi.gr),Systematiclegalapproachto

thismatter,developedbytheResearchCentreonEqualityIssues(Kethi).

TsitselikisKonstantinos,TheMufti'spositionintheGreeklegalorder,In:D.

Christopoulos(eds),LegalissuesofreligiousalterityinGreece,Athens:

Kritiki/KEMO

MAPOFGREECEWITHWESTERNTHRACEINGREEN

the application of shari’ah in western thrace

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