The Greek constitution defines theEastern Orthodox Churchas the "prevailing religion" in Greece, and over 95% of the population claim membership in it. Any other religion not explicitly defined by law (e.g. unlike Islam and Judaism, which are explicitly recognized) may acquire the status of a "known religion", a status which allows the religion's adherents to worship freely, and to have constitutional recognition. After a court ruling, the criteria for acquiring the status of a "known religion", were defined as being, a "religion or a dogma whose doctrine is open and not secret, is taught publicly and its rites of worship are also open to the public, irrespective of whether its adherents have religious authorities; such a religion or dogma needs not to be recognized or approved by an act of the State or Church". This covers most religious minorities such asRoman Catholics,Evangelicals,Pentecostals,Seventh-day Adventists,Methodists, andJehovah's Witnesses. All known religions to be considered by the Greek state legal entities under private law must establish an association, or foundation, or charitable fund-raising committee pursuant to the Civil Code. TheRoman Catholic Churchrefuses to be considered a legal person under private or public law and has requested recognition by its owncanon law. In July 1999, following a parliamentary amendment, the legal entity status of all institutions of the Roman Catholic Church established before 1946 was reconfirmed. There is no formal mechanism that exists to gain recognition as a "known religion". There are also around two thousand Greeks who adhere to areconstructionof theancient Greek Religion.[6][7]A place of worship has been recognized as such by court.[8]
Muslim
See also:Muslim minority of GreeceandPomaks
There is aMuslimminority who are Greek citizens living inThrace, concentrated in theRhodopeandXanthi regional units. According to the 1991 census, there were 98,000 Muslims in western Thrace, 50% of them of Turkish ethnic origin, with 35%Pomaksand the remaining 15% Roma.[9][10]Other sources estimate the size of the Muslim minority at 0.95% of the population, or approximately 110,000.[11]Aside from the indigenous Muslim minority in Greece, the Muslim immigrant population in the rest of the country was estimated at 200,000 to 300,000, though these are recent migrants and generally not considered a minority.[12][not in citation given]Under Greek administration, the Muslim minority of Greece has adopted a moderate, non-political form of Islam.[13]TheLausanne Treaty, and as a result the Greek government, defines the rights of the Muslim communities in Western Thrace, both Turkish and Pomak, on the basis of religion instead of ethnicity.
Turks
See also:Turks of the DodecaneseandTurks of Western Thrace
A Turkish community currently live inWestern Thrace, in the north-eastern part ofGreece. According to the 1991 census, there were approximately 50,000 Turks, out of the approximately 98,000Muslim minority of Greece[10]Other sources estimate the size of the minority between 120,000 and 130,000.[14][15]The Turks of Thrace descend from Turkish populations living in the area during the Ottoman period. Like the Greeks ofIstanbul, they were exempted from the1923 population exchange; in contrastGreek MuslimsinMacedoniawere not exempt from the exchange and so expatriated to Turkey.[16]
The Greek government continues to deliver Turkish-language public education, and there are two Islamic theological seminaries, one inKomotiniand one inEchinos. The Turkish community of Greece enjoys full equality under the law, adopting Turkish names, publishing numerous Turkish-language newspapers, operating Turkish-language radio stations, converse freely in Turkish and use Turkish in Greek courts.[13]They are allowed to maintain their own Turkish-language schools, which catered to about 8,000 students in the 1999-2000 school year.[13]Since 1920, members of the Turkish minority participate in elections, electing representatives to Parliament.[13]The great majority of Turkic Muslims in Thrace espouse moderate political views and are ready to work and prosper as citizens of the Greek state, with the exception of a relatively small group of ethnocentric activists.[13]
In 1922, Turks owned 84% of the land in Western Thrace, but now the minority estimates this figure to be between 20–40%. This stems from various practices of the Greek administration whereby ethnic Greeks are encouraged to purchase Turkish land with soft loans granted by the state.[17][18]TheGreek governmentrefers to the Turkish community asGreek MuslimsorHellenicMuslims, and does not recognise a Turkish minority in Western Thrace.[14]Greek courts have also outlawed the use of the word 'Turkish' to describe the Turkish community.[19][20]In 1988, the Greek High Court affirmed a 1986 decision of the Court of Appeals of Thrace in which theUnion of Turkish Associations of Western Thracewas ordered closed. The court held that the use of the word 'Turkish' referred tocitizens of Turkey, and could not be used to describecitizens of Greece; the use of the word 'Turkish' to describe 'Greek Muslims' was held to endanger public order.[20]Greece continued this stance in the beginning 21st century when Greek courts ruled to dissolve or prohibit formation of Turkish associations.[19][21][22][unreliable source?]
Apart from Thrace, a small minority of Turks exists in theDodecaneseislands ofRhodesandKos. They were not included in the1923 population exchangeas the Dodecanese were annexed fromItalyin 1947 afterWorld War II. After annexation of islands, their Muslim inhabitants, Greek and Turkish speakers, were granted Greek citizenship. Today, about 5,000 Turks[23]live in the Dodecanese islands of Rhodes numbering 3,000 and Kos numbering 2,000 and use Turkish in everyday life. In Rhodes and Kos, the teaching of the Turkish language wasde factoabolished in the early 1970s.[24]
Pomaks
Main article
omaks
The Muslim Bulgarian-speaking minority are known asPomaks(Greek:Πομάκοι,Pomakoi,Bulgarian:Помаци,Po matsi), they reside mainly in villages in theRhodope MountainsinThrace, inEvros,XanthiandRhodoperegional units of Greece. According to the 2001 Greek census it is estimated that in total there are 36,000 Pomaks, of whom, 23,000 live inXanthi regional unit, 11,000 live inRhodope regional unitand 2,000 live inEvros regional unit.[25]
The language they speak is generally classified as adialect ofBulgarian, and more specifically is the "Central Rhodope dialect" orSmolyan dialect.[26]Despite their mother language, many Pomaks also self-identify asTurks[27]ThisTurkificationhas a number of reasons, including the fact that Turks and Pomaks were part of the samemilletduring the years when their homeland was part of theOttoman Empire.
Under Greek law, the Muslim minority (including the Pomaks) has a right to education in its own language. In practice however, onlyTurkishis used.[27]This is due to the Turkish self-identification of the Pomaks, and the fact that this trend was promoted until recently by the Greek authorities (who from 1968 until the 1980s even officially recognized the Pomaks as Turks)[28]in order to distance them from the Bulgarians.[27]There have been Greek-Pomak dictionaries published and a language primer in the Bulgarian language (in Greek script) has been published for use in Pomak schools.[29]Recently, news have begun to be broadcast in the native language of the Pomaks.[30]
Most Pomaks are fluent in their Pomak dialects (spoken amongst themselves), Turkish (their language of education, and the main language of the Muslim minority), Greek (the official language of the Greek state), and may know someArabic(the language of theQur'an).[27]
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Minorities in Greece
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Originally Posted by Kaspias
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