What Kind Of Europeans Are These?

There are some developments taking place in Europe, “the cradle of democracy,” which are very interesting.1.Sheria (Moslem Law) at the center of EU: Since it recognizes West Thracian Turks as “Moslem minority” in line with the Lausanne Treaty, the Athens government applies the rules of Sheria in this region, through muftis. Therefore 100 thousand Turks of Western Thrace, part of Greece, which is a member of EU, are living under the rules of Sheria as if they were residing in Saudi Arabia. French news agency AFP quoted Sukran Raif, a women’s rights defender from Western Thrace as saying that, in this region husbands could desert their wives by simply declaring this and if the women re-married, the rights on and responsibility of children automatically passed to the husband. Moreover daughters can only get the one third of any inheritance and two third is got by sons. AFP further reports that Western Thrace is one of the poorest regions of EU and that three muftis appointed by Athens are responsible of the family law in the region. If a Turk living in Western Thrace decides to appeal to courts, Greek judges say that they are not authorized on the issues pertaining to the Moslem minority.2.Albanians cannot carry flag: Three years ago, an Albanian student Odesias Cenai, who attended secondary school in Nea Mehaniona town near Salonika, became the highest honor student in the school and thereby had the right of carrying Greek flag in the national ceremonies held on October 28. However, Greek students and parents reacted that an Albanian could not carry Greek flag and they even raided the school. As a result, the second-runner student of the school, who was a Greek, carried the flag. After three year elapsed, the very same student became the first-ranking student of the high school he attended, and naturally attained the right to carry the flag. The entire scenario was undergone once again and the second-place student, surprisingly, the very same student with the first incident, attained the right to carry the flag in the ceremonies. However, she supported her friend and declared that under these circumstances she would not carry the flag. In tomorrow’s ceremonies the third-place student of the high school will carry the Greek flag.3.Censure in jail: The French government did not let the members of Turkish Parliamentary Human Rights Commission visit Turkish citizens in a prison in Strasbourg. The French rejected the demand of the Commission members by asserting that permission should have been taken 15 days in advance. However, ahead of the visit the members of the Commission received a preliminary approval through the Foreign Ministry, nevertheless they were not allowed when they arrived in Strasbourg. Cavit Torun, one of the members of the mission that went to Strasbourg said, “When they came to Turkey and demand such a permission we give it in 15 hours not days. We even accompany them in their visits. In spite of all that, they still criticize us.”�