Representatives of the Western Thracian Turkish community condemned Monday an attack on the Çınar Mosque in Xanthi (Iskeçe), in Greece's Western Thrace, after insulting messages targeting Islam and sacred values were written on an exterior wall of the mosque.
The elected Mufti's Office of Komotini (Gümülcine) condemned the incident, saying the messages disregarded "moral and humanitarian values."
The office said negative rhetoric targeting the religious and cultural values of the Muslim Turkish minority in Western Thrace has increased recently, warning that such acts undermine social peace and a culture of coexistence.
Xanthi lawmaker Burhan Baran also condemned the attack, saying disrespect toward places of worship was unacceptable and calling on authorities to identify those responsible and take necessary legal action.
Fellow Xanthi lawmaker Hüseyin Zeybek said the incident should not be regarded as ordinary graffiti, describing it as a provocation targeting social peace and coexistence.
Türkiye's Consul General in Komotini Aykut Ünal visited the mosque following the incident and expressed solidarity with members of the Turkish community. He also voiced hope that those responsible would be identified and brought to justice.
The offensive messages targeting Islam and Allah were written by an unidentified person or persons on a wall near the mosque's entrance on Sunday, Sept. 13.
The Western Thrace region, located near Greece's northeastern border with Türkiye, is home to a substantial, centuries-old Muslim Turkish minority numbering around 150,000.
The rights of Western Thracian Turks are guaranteed under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. But over the decades, the situation has seriously deteriorated for the community, which is also economically one of the poorest in Greece.
The Western Thracian Turkish community often complains of double standards and continuing inequalities in the country, namely socioeconomic discrimination, lack of equal access to quality education for children of minorities, and political rights.
