Greece curbs the power of Sharia courts; spreading equality is the motto

Athens, January 11: Greece is curbing the power of sharia courts that operate in the northern region of the country. The new law (paywall), which Prime Minister Alexi Tsipras described as a “historic step,” gives Greek Muslims the option to take civil cases to Greek courts instead. The law restricts the application of religious law in the country, which according to Tsipras “broadens and deepens equality before the law to all Greeks.” Greece is home to some 100,000 Muslims.

PM Tsipras says that the government is making a historic step today, bringing the Sharia bill into parliament, which extends and deepens equality and equal status for all Greek women and all Greeks. As a member of the European Union, our country is voluntarily committed to concrete conditions, such as the European Convention on Human Rights.

 

With this arrangement, the Government, while respecting the particular characteristics of the Muslim minority of Thrace, restores injustices in the past to its members, exempting them from the status of legal guarantees and individual freedoms, which should enjoy all Greek citizens.

With insistence on the need for dialogue, calm treatment, and conscious of the gravity of the issues, we must move steadily towards reforms that will uphold the rights and quality of life of the Muslim minority of Thrace.