Greeks and their treatment in modern day Turkey

[Prokomenos]

Quote:Present Situation

At the end of the twentieth century, however, the persecution of the Greek Community in Turkey continues. In particular, during the last couple of years, ethnic Greeks in Turkey witnessed:

desecration of their religious sanctuaries

threats against their religious leaders

discrimination against their young people

intimidation of their legal advocates

Desecration of Religious Sanctuaries
October 1994: The Turkish government used the ancient Greek-Orthodox Church of Haghia Eirene in Istanbul as a stage of a beauty contest. This sacrilege insulted millions of Orthodox Christians worldwide.
The Church was built by the Emperor Justinianus I in the sixth century AD and was the Imperial Chapel of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. In 1453, after the fall of Constantinople to the Turks, it was converted to a mosque, and finally transformed to a museum by the Turkish Republic in 1923.

Haghia Eirene is one of the most important existing Orthodox monuments, classified by UNESCO as part of the world's cultural patrimony.

August 24, 1993: Vandals attacked and desecrated the Christian Orthodox cemetery in Yenikoy, Istanbul. The vandals destroyed fourteen graves, broke crosses, scattered the bones of the dead and, in one case, took a corpse outside of its shroud.

March 1993: the Cathedral of Virgin Mary in the island of Imvros was attacked viciously. Icons were stolen and the altar was vandalized.

August 1992: Thirty graves of the cemetery of the Büyükdere were looted.

Religious Discrimination: The Ecumenical Patriarchate
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is the oldest active institution in Eastern Europe and the Balkans today. Its history dates back to 330 A.D., when Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to the new city of Constantinople. Since then, the Patriarchate of Constantinople has been the spiritual center of Orthodox Christians worldwide, its influence spanning from Russia to the United States, and from Finland to South Africa.
The Patriarchate has suffered terrible hardships under the Ottoman yoke first, and the Turkish Republic later. Numerous Patriarchs, hundreds of Bishops, thousands of priests, monks and nuns were executed, imprisoned or exiled. Many Patriarchs and Bishops were deposed. Persecution continues even today.

On August 11, 1995, the US Senate passed a resolution condemning ongoing Turkish provocation against the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the closing of the Chalke Patriarchal School of Theology as a violation of international treaties to which Turkey is a signatory. The lengthy resolution enumerates established charges against the Turkish authorities and said it is in the best interests of the United States to prevent further incidents regarding the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the spiritual leader, it noted, of millions of US citizens.

The Patriarchal Theological School of Chalke: The Turkish Government arbitrarily closed the Chalke Patriarchal School of Theology in 1971. The School was established in 1844 as the principal educational foundation for the Patriarchate's clergy. Many Patriarchs of the Orthodox Church throughout the world, as well as many Orthodox Bishops in the United States, have graduated from the School of Chalke.

Since 1971, Turkey refuses to re-open the School, in spite of the continuous requests by Patriarch Vartholomeos I and his predecessor, Patriarch Dimitrios. Speaking during the celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the School's opening, Patriarch Vartholomeos mentioned that "it is inconceivable that this School should have operated in the days of monarchical Ottoman Empire, and be denied such a possibility in today's republican Turkey." He added that "in a secular state, such as Turkey, all religions and dogmas should enjoy equal possibilities of preparing and training their clerics," noting that Islam has a multitude of theological and clerical schools.

The closing of the Chalke School of Theology violates International Treaties to which Turkey has been a signatory, including the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne (article 40), the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, and the Charter of Paris.

The Patriarchal printing facilities: In 1975, four years after closing the School of Chalke, Turkey closed down the Patriarchal printing facilities, which were in operation since 1937.

The functioning of the Patriarchate: According to Turkish law, the Patriarch and the Bishops of the Holy Synod, must be Turkish citizens. However, given the elimination of the Greek Orthodox Community of Turkey and the closing of the Theological School of Chalke, it is becoming very hard for the Orthodox Church to appoint its primates.

Turkey opposes the ecumenicity of the Patriarchate, and prevents Bishops from the Dioceses of America, Australia and Europe (where most of the Patriarchate's flock resides) to participate and get elected in the Holy Synod; the obstacle being their US, Australian or European citizenship!

When the Ecumenical Patriarchate decided to open a representation office in Brussels (Oct. 1994), at the invitation of European Commission's President J. Delors, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Ferhat Ataman said "the Patriarchate is not a legal body. There is no reason for it to create a representation at the European Union." Mr. Ataman added that the Ecumenical Patriarchate, apart from its religious duties, "has no legal personality," and concluded that there is no reason for it to establish a representation at the European Union." It is noted that one of the reasons that the Patriarchate was invited to establish an office in Brussels, was its influence over the religious and cultural affairs of the Orthodox Christians of Eastern Europe.

Thus, in its quest for ethnic and religious homogeneity, Turkey is threatening the existence of one of the oldest religious institutions worldwide, and to virtually establish the primacy of the Russian Patriarchate of Moscow over the Orthodox World.

Attacks against the Patriarchate: On September 1995, the President of the Turkish Parliament Mr H. Cindoruk, speaking at a meeting of the American-Turkish Council of Businessmen, threatened that "the Patriarchate would be turned to a museum, in case the Patriach makes a mistake." Mr. Cindoruk's remarks were published in the mass-circulation newspapers "Gumhuriyet" and "Yeni Yuzyil."

On March 1994, two firebombs were hurled by unidentified individuals into the Patriarchate's yard in Istanbul. The fire which broke out was quickly put out by officials before any damage was caused.

On April 1994, the newly-elected Islamist mayor of the Phanar district of Istanbul, where the Holy See is located, threatened that he would make a "triumphant entry into the Ecumenical Patriarchate through the sealed gate"—the gate where Patriarch Grigorios V was hanged on April 10 1821, Easter Sunday. The gate has remained closed ever since.

Turkish press attacks the Patriarch: Reacting to the Patriarch Vartholomeos' visit and speech in front of the European Parliament in 1994, Turkish nationalistic press has required that his All Holiness be tried for traveling abroad.

June 4, 1995: The turkish weekly magazine "Aksiyon" published an editorial cover story titled "The Patriarch has gone over the limit." The magazine called the Turkish government to remove Patriarch Vartholomeos from his seat, in order "to prevent future religious leaders from dreaming of universality (ecumenism)." The magazine added that "Patriarch Vartholomeos is no different from Iakovos [the present Greek-Orthodox Archbishop of North and South America].

October 1994: Turkey's mass-circulation newspaper "Sabah" accused the Patriarchate of moving towards "ecumenicity" and that its international personality "will be made official in mid-November." The report said such a development would harm Turkey's interests and accused the Turkish foreign ministry of inertia. It is noted that Islamist and nationalist intellectuals try to instigate anti-Greek and anti-Patriarchate hatred claiming that the "Phanar wants to acquire the status enjoyed by the Vatican," that is, independent statehood.

Violation of Civil and Minority Rights
The Turkish state, with a number of secret decrees (1964, 1985, 1986), revoked the right of ethnic Greeks to trade, buy and inherit properties. In particular, with the secret decree of 1964, authorities had the right to block the transfer of property titles for the members of the Greek minority. As a result, numerous Greeks could not inherit family properties, which were eventually sold to Turks at very low. As the decree was secret, Greeks could not even challenge it in courts.
Private property belonging to ethnic-Greeks and to Greek religious, community and education foundations has been confiscated. Currently, ethnic-Greeks trying to reclaim their property, have to go through years of judicial struggle; most of them are obliged to sell out their estates to Turks for nominal prices.

Ethnic Greek lawyer faces charges: Elpida Frangopoulou, an ethnic Greek lawyer in Istanbul was charged with "insulting the Turkish nation" when she protested after being discriminated against, while trying to acquire a copy of her high-school diploma. After two years of judicial struggle she was convicted to two months imprisonment and was put on probation. Ms. Frangopoulou is well-known for her continuous struggle to save the vast wealth of thousands of ethnic Greeks of Istanbul following the 1964 secret Turkish decree which confiscated their properties.

The islands of Imvros and Tenedos: these two islands of the Aegean Sea, near the Dardanelle straits, had exclusively Greek population in 1922. With the Treaty of Lausanne, the islands were given to Turkey and were granted special autonomy status. Following the establishment of Turkish authorities in September 1923, however, the local governments were resolved and mayors and local officials were expelled. Autonomy was eventually revoked in 1927.

Since then, Turkey confiscated all minority school property in Imvros, the larger of the two islands, closed down six elementary schools, confiscated thousands of acres of land used in agriculture, prohibited the export of meat, and established an open prison in the island. Land appropriations continued through 1984, when the indigenous Greek population was left with virtually no agricultural property. Meanwhile, in 1978, Turkey started distributing these lands to settlers from the mainland.

Inmates of the open prison committed numerous crimes: in 1973, Stelios Kavalieros was slaughtered and the whole island was terrorized; in 1975, inmates raped and murdered Ms. Styliani Zouni in the village of St. Theodoroi; in 1980 they murdered Efstratios Stylianides and Nikos Ladas. On November 1990, Zaf. Delikonstantes was slaughtered. No murderer was ever punished.

Persecution and Discrimination in Higher Education
Since 1936, Turkey has imposed the use of the Turkish language in most courses taught in Greek minority schools, prohibiting the teaching of Greek history and geography. Following a decree of 1964, the Turkish state prohibits the entrance of Greek-Orthodox clerics into Greek minority schools and the celebration of Christmas and Easter; morning prayer in schools is forbidden. Since September 1964, with the Law 8459, Greek students are not allowed to speak Greek during class breaks. In 1971, Greek pupils are enforced to start and end their classes saying : "I am happy to be a Turk." In the 60's, several Greek schools were closed down by the state and their property was confiscated. Since the '70s, the Turkish state has imposed Turkish directors to the schools of the Greek community, who raise all kinds of obstacles in the daily educational work.
April 1994: Unidentified persons tossed burning torches into the yard of the Greek Grand National Academy, in Phanar, Istanbul. The fire was extinguished immediately with Fire Brigade assistance.

September 1994: more than one hundred Greek high-school graduates in Istanbul were not allowed to enroll to Turkish Universities. The pupils had succeeded in the nation-wide entrance exams. The pretext for this discriminatory decision was that they had not attended the course of physical education during the previous school-year. It was because of the Turkish authorities, however, that this course was not taught: Turkey did not allow the entrance of teachers from Greece to teach in Greek minority schools, thus violating the Lausanne Treaty.

Other Greek communities
Besides the Greek communities of Istanbul, Imvros and Tenedos, there are small ethnic Greek communities scattered throughout Turkey. Some have lost their Christian Orthodox faith, others still practice it underground (underground-Christians). All of these communities have no right to express their identity, to maintain and cherish their culture and language.
The case of Antiochian Greeks: with the term "Antiochian" Greeks we describe the ethnic, Greek-Orthodox population of the area of Hatay, around the cities of Alexandretta (Iskandar) and Antioche, the old See of the fourth ancient Orthodox Patriarchate (the current See is in Damascus). The Treaty of Ankara of 1921 gave Hatay to Syria, making it a French protectorate. In 1936 Turkey's leader, Mustafa Kemal, raised demands on Alexandretta. In 1937, Turkey asked for the intervention of the League of Nations, the UN of the time. In 1937 the League suggested the establishment of the independent Republic of Hatay.

However, in 1938, Turkey invaded Hatay and brought settlers from mainland Turkey. After elections that had been carried under Turkish military occupation, the elected Hatay Parliament asked for union with the Turkish "motherland."

According to a census conducted by the Patriarchate of Antioch in 1895, the Greek Orthodox inhabitants of Hatay were 500,000. Today, less than 10,000 remain in Turkey. Most of them are Arab or Turkish speaking. Turkey never allowed them to maintain Greek schools or use the Greek language in their Churches. In 1979, Turkey disallowed the use of the term "Rum (i.e. Greek) Orthodox" in official documents referring to Antiochian Greeks. Many last-names are forcibly turkified.




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[Ellinas]

During the prosecutions of the Greeks from Turkey in 1922 and 1963, a big percentage of Greeks converted to Islam and stayed there. However the ones who still keep their Greek identity today are very few. Even if at least 10 million od today's inhabitants of Turkey are of Greek descent, I doubt if more than 100 thousand of them accept their origin. The ones who are "officially" of Greek descent and express the Orthodox religion are much more less, about 10 thousand as you mentioned.

[Prokomenos]

Originally Posted by Ellinas
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During the prosecutions of the Greeks from Turkey in 1922 and 1963, a big percentage of Greeks converted to Islam and stayed there. However the ones who still keep their Greek identity today are very few. Even if at least 10 million od today's inhabitants of Turkey are of Greek descent, I doubt if more than 100 thousand of them accept their origin. The ones who are "officially" of Greek descent and express the Orthodox religion are much more less, about 10 thousand as you mentioned.

Your correct but many of the Greeks who converted to Islam still maintain their ethnic identity. Most of them converted to in order to supposedly live a better life.

[Psaltis]

Originally Posted by Prokomenos
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Your correct but many of the Greeks who converted to Islam still maintain their ethnic identity. Most of them converted to in order to supposedly live a better life.

They have become Turks when they become muslim. They are not Greek no more. They are tretors which is no good.

[Greece4Ever]

Originally Posted by Prokomenos
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Your correct but many of the Greeks who converted to Islam still maintain their ethnic identity. Most of them converted to in order to supposedly live a better life.

Originally Posted by Psaltis
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They have become Turks when they become muslim. They are not Greek no more. They are tretors which is no good.

You are wrong they are still Greek and many hold on to their identity. Lets see if you were in their shoes what you would do.

[pankration]

Religion is not the determiner of who is Greek despite the Orthodox Church's claim to the contrary. However, speaking Greek, honoring our history, living the type of life Greeks are famous for, and embracing our brethren around the world does make you a Greek.

[Leonidas]

thats true , if u had family and kids and u were afraid of them being hurt or threatened in anyway in a country that has been taken over u would do anything to protect them hense why they converted and called themselves Turks.

[Hellenika]

Originally Posted by Psaltis
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They have become Turks when they become muslim. They are not Greek no more. They are tretors which is no good.

I agree. They have betrayed their country and Jesus.

[enicko]

Theres been times in my life when the situation arose to betray my ethnicity and my religion for my safety. I was never in a state of war but It was close. There was a time it was either I join them or I risk my life and that is the truth. I do not want to elaborate on that part of my life, but the truth is that I was born a GREEK ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN and so I will die one.

My blood runs Greek and the Lord I love, may he forgive me for all my sins. I would rather die with Honor than convert to Islam.


Again that is my choice

[Hellenika]

These people can leave that country. They don't have to stay there. I didn't think we chose our religion based on convenience. The English came to America to avoid religious persecution. They didn't convert or go against their beliefs.

In my opinion you CANNOT be a true Greek and be anything other than a Christian. Thousands of Greeks fought and died against the Ottoman empire to preserve their Christianity. There is a Greece because of that religious unity. I never thought the Greeks as peoples who would accept some stifling insanity as a religion either, therefore, Christianity only makes sense for a Greek.

Pankration: How can you be a muslim and be like a Greek? Greek women walk around now dressed like mummies? Don't Greeks eat pork anymore and love to drink? Being that most Greeks are in fact Christians, doesn't that make us all infidels now in their eyes?

I'm not going to say I would have the guts to stand up and be some martyr. But I would most certainly get out of there.