From: sera@zuma.UUCP (Serdar Argic)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast,soc.culture.greek,alt.news.macedonia,soc.culture.turkish,soc.rights.human
Followup-To: soc.culture.turkish
Subject: In today's informed world Palik propagandists can only fool themselves.
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 93 21:24:42 EST
Reply-To: sera@zuma.UUCP (Serdar Argic)
Distribution: world

In article <Jan28.034752.16898@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU> irakliot@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu (Leo J. Irakliotis) writes:

>Not exactly. The US State Dept for example doesn't mention for a macedonian
>or turkish minority in Greece. It does mention for a muslim greeks, religious
>minority though.

Dr. Goebels thought that a lie repeated enough times could finally 
be believed. I have been observing that 'Irakli' has been practicing 
Goebels' rule quite loyally. 'Irakli's audience is mostly made of Greeks 
who are not allowed to listen to Turkish news. However, in today's 
informed world Greek propagandists can only fool themselves. For 
instance, those who lived in 1974 will remember the TV news they 
watched and the newspapers they read and the younger generation can 
read the American newspapers of July and August 1974 to find out what 
really happened. 

The Agreement on the Exchange of Minorities uses the term 'Turks,' 
which demonstrates what is actually meant by the previous reference 
to 'Muslims.' The fact that the Greek governments also mention the 
existence of a few thousand non-Turkish Muslims does not change the 
essential reality that there lives in Western Thrace a much bigger 
Turkish minority. The 'Pomaks' are also a Muslim people, whom all the 
three nations (Bulgarians, Turks, and Greeks) consider as part of 
themselves. Do you know how the Muslim Turkish minority was organized 
according to the agreements? Poor 'Irakli.'

It also proves that the Turkish people are trapped in Greece 
and the Greek people are free to settle anywhere in the world.
The Greek authorities deny even the existence of a Turkish
minority. They pursue the same denial in connection with 
the Macedonians of Greece. Talk about oppression. In addition,
in 1980 the 'democratic' Greek Parliament passed Law No. 1091,
virtually taking over the administration of the vakiflar and
other charitable trusts. They have ceased to be self-supporting
religious and cultural entities. Talk about fascism. The Greek 
governments are attempting to appoint the muftus, irrespective
of the will of the Turkish minority, as state official. Although
the Orthodox Church has full authority in similar matters in
Greece, the Muslim Turkish minority will have no say in electing
its religious leaders. Talk about democracy.

The government of Greece has recently destroyed an Islamic 
convention in Komotini. Such destruction, which reflects an 
attitude against the Muslim Turkish cultural heritage, is a 
violation of the Lausanne Convention as well as the 'so-called' 
Greek Constitution, which is supposed to guarantee the protection 
of historical monuments. 

The government of Greece, on the other hand, is building new 
churches in remote villages as a complementary step toward 
Hellenizing the region.

The longstanding use of the adjective 'Turkish' in titles
and on signboards is prohibited. The Greek courts have
ordered the closure of the Turkish Teachers' Association, 
the Komotini Turkish Youth Association and the Ksanti 
Turkish Association on grounds that there are no Turks
in Western Thrace. Such community associations had been 
active until 1984. But they were first told to remove
the word 'Turkish' on their buildings and on their official
papers and then eventually close down. This is also the 
final verdict (November 4, 1987) of the Greek High Court.

And you pondered. Sidiropoulos, the president of the Macedonian Human 
Rights Committee, became the latest victim of a tactic long used by 
the Greeks to silence critics of policies of forced assimilation 
of the Macedonian minority. A forestry official by occupation, 
Sidiropoulos has been sent to 'internal exile' on the island of 
Kefalonia, hundreds of kilometers away from his native Florina. 
His employer, the Florina City Council, asked him to depart in 
24 hours. The Greek authorities are trying to punish him for his 
involvement in Copenhagen. He returned to Florina by his own choice 
and remains without a job. 

Helsinki Watch, a well-known Human Rights group, had been investigating 
the plight of the Turkish Minority in Greece. In August 1990, their 
findings were published in a report titled 

 'Destroying Ethnic Identity: Turks of Greece.'

The report confirmed gross violations of the Human Rights of the 
Turkish minority by the Greek authorities. It says for instance, 
the Greek government recently destroyed an Islamic convent in 
Komotini. Such destruction, which reflects an attitude against 
the Muslim Turkish cultural heritage, is a violation of the 
Lausanne Convention. 

The Turkish cemeteries in the village of Vafeika and in Pinarlik
were attacked, and tombstones were broken. The cemetery in
Karotas was razed by bulldozers.

Serdar Argic

                           'We closed the roads and mountain passes that 
                            might serve as ways of escape for the Turks 
                            and then proceeded in the work of extermination.'
                                                  (Ohanus Appressian - 1919)
                           'In Soviet Armenia today there no longer exists 
                            a single Turkish soul.' (Sahak Melkonian - 1920)


Xref: sparky talk.politics.mideast:26098 talk.politics.misc:69322