How many Turks live in Thrace?

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Zoi ((Ζωή))

Many! We don't have any problem with them, either they are of turkish origins either they are Roma or Pomaks.
I don't know their exact number, WHY DON'T YOU LOOK AT WIKIPEDIA????
Why don't you COME AND COUNT THEM ON YOUR OWN??? AND COUNT ALSO THE 'SLAV'MACEDONIANS' AND TELL ME HOW MANY THEY ARE!

@Trotsky: Yes Trotsky, we took Turkish (!!!) land and kicked you out of Western Thrace!
Don't worry about the muslim minority, we don't even torture them!

It is time to move on! You can't raise claims on Greece's lands for ever!
But this is your niveau and you know it, even if you speak English with such an elaborate way.
Hopefully, there are enough Turkish users that really care for their country and they delet trollish questions and answers (even of Turks!). I admire those people, they do a very hard 'job'.

@Trotsky: DEAR Trotsky, I know that you're looking for such an opportunity of someone's outburst.
You are coming to Greek section and say that Greeks stole the Turkish Land, do you expect that you won't be pointed? Other Turks don't do the same, so why should they be pointed?
It would be unfair for them to generalize, don't you think?
On the other hand your history teacher should tell you that a land is conquerred, is given for some specific reasons, even given as a gift but it is not stolen, especially when the people who 'stole' it has a 4000 years of history in this region. Further, Thrace had various 'lovers' Bulgarians f.ex.

I won't answer to what you say about Muslim minority in Greece, you know what your country did to our minority, look at Chortofagus answer, it's informative. AGAIN you want to conclude that a country like Greece is in EU and 'people, look, your country isn't better than ours!'.
You can have your opinion and make your comparisons, you can even come to Greek section and say it, even if it is always so negative and thus biased, but DON'T EXPECT NOT TO BE POINTED AND DON'T EXPECT THAT GREEKS WILL BE SUCH FULLS TO INSULT TURKS, in order to make you the favor to have a reason to come here and 'attack' us and to attack us.
Sorry, don't have time to right more things!

totally trollsky

Only you and a Trotsky!

Trek T

Around 50 000 Greek citizens with Turkish roots live in Greece today.

Charles_N

around 50.000 rest members of the 'Muslim minority' are Pomaks and Roma peope (around 100.000-110.000) it's very interesting though that I see so many people here having an opinion about the demographics of Greece while they've probably never been in this country...

Gigi

I dont know how many live in Thrace, but there are millions living across Europe - predominantly in Germany.
You can go to wikipedia and find more info.

W The...Fichte?

Those videos respond to you perfectly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TQvpzUkW94

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJs97daH068

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wnibdQmLAA

Ioannis Tsimiskis

Millions. Even more than in Turkey. We can afford to send you some if your Former Something (but probably Vardarkan) Democracy (?) is interested.

Cortophagus

According to to latest census (1991) the Muslim minority of Greece is composed by 98.000 people of whom, the 50% are of Turkish origin. So that makes the Turks around 49.000.
In 1922 the Muslim minority of Greece was composed of 86.000 people, that means that it has increased by 12%.
In 1922 the Greek minority of Turkey was composed of 110.000 people. Now the Greek minority of Turkey is around 2.500. That means that since 1922 the Greek minority has dicreased by 97%!!!

It seems though, that for people like Trollsky these numbers are not enough to prove the conditions of living, the discrimination and the equalities of the two minorities. 300 mosques in Greece either, neither the pogrom of Constantinople nor the seizures of the Patriarchy and of the Constantinopoletans.
Anyway dear generous Turks, rather your generosity is not as big as you think. I hope we won't make any steps backwards in order to reach you, and for god shake... stupid Bokayanni say them "NO EU".

Edit: It is surprisingly, how modern Turks adopt the views of their government without any trace of aloofness and above all, without submitting it to their criticism. This might be a proof for the connection with their civilized (;) Ottoman ancestors. So your informer is the Turkish Ministry of foreign affairs..."laughs"
Therefore let's reiterate their claims (let's act like a good Turk...).

1)Why 600.000 and not 800.000 as the Turkish Ministry of foreign affairs says? Did you found it a little excessive? Nowadays it is normal for families to breed like dogs and have 5 or 8 children per family..

"Oh please, 50% Turks what are the rest, may I ask? Turkish speaking Nigerian Muslims?"
Pomak speaking Pomaks would be a very bad idea for the plans of Pan-Turkism, eh?

As for the Nigerians (you love the provocative off-topic comments, don't you?), they would had the chance to drown them if it wasn't already done by the Turkish slave traders.

2)The next time it would be better to not sign treaties for which you have some reservations as for whether you will regret it the future.

3)Although the education system for the Muslim minority is not good enough, your information are again wrong dear. In the two minority high school of Western Thrace are now attending 831 (27%) students, and in the two lyceums 334 (26%). As for the 235 minority primary schools, they are rather unworthy for your reference...

4)Not sure about what are you talking about.. Where did you got that information?

"For hundreds of years, Turks have not taught Greeks anything about tolerance and for that matter, some manners too."
Of course not, and that's why the Muslim minority is still alive in Thrace. If we were as "tolerant" as your are, we would had kicked them long time ago. But barbarism is completely foreign for the Greek people, unlike some of our neighbors.

Edit: After watching "W The...Fichte?" videos, I thank god that after 400 years of occupation, Turks didn't infect us with their "tolerance"...

"I will never become a Turk. You cannot change the conscience of a Greek Pomak and convert him into a Turk"
Sebahedin Karahotza

Vasiliki-Βασιλική

The Muslim minority in Thrace counts 100.000-120.000 Muslims whereas the 50% of them are Turkish origin.

So that means that they are 50-60.000.

SInce the Lausanne treaty were they were 86.000 this number has increased, compared to the Greeks of Turkey were from 110.000 have eliminated to 2.500-5.000.

So according to one neighbor yes that was a great sucess of extermination.
Then you can say that Greeks in Turkey are having a great time but the Turks in Greece not,where somehow they are more than they were.

Thanks for their generosity,we have still some people in Instabul.They wish there was none there!

As for Dimokritos,is a research center.
The university of Thraki is DIMOKRITEIO .

edit:
http://www.duth.gr/en/
http://www.duth.gr/
http://www.gsrt.gr/default.asp?V_ITEM_ID=1112

In Greek is called Dimokritio in ENglish is transformed as Democretus although names in English language should rename the same as in the native.

also
----Treatty of Lausanne refers to Muslim population and counts it 86.000 in 1922.I wonder when you found 129.000!!!
ALso the question is about how many TURKS are in THRACE and not how many Muslim are in thrace.
----Greece has not 2 minorities school but 235 minorities schools, though is 2 ( I m sure this is what you misunderstood)Theological school --Remind me about the Chalki Theological school,is it still CLOSED?
----your 4) is just rediculous

edit@Trotsky

I ll blame the site makers for the name,don't worry it was just a correction about the name of the University.
Of course we know the university you are refering to thats why I did give you its link.It was just a correction.
Don't worry about my english,I know they suck,but YES i am in position to correct how is something pronounced in MY language.

as for the link you provided, its more than hilarious.YOu provide a link with an article made by....the Fyromians organisation-political party in Greece called "Ouranio tokso", well what else are you going to provide here?NExt time,put a reliable source, and then, I ll be happy to believe what you state here.

the 235 schools is refering to ALL kind of schools,primary/elementary-secondary (gymnasium) and Lyceioum
Look at a more reliable source than "ouranio tokso"
http://www.hri.org/news/greek/misc/96-04-06.mgr.html

-->(e) part

@edit once more
i know your edit wasnt for me but I couldnt resist on commenting

your 5)5) The only reason Turks of Western Thrace are alive today is not because Greeks are the most civilized and affectionate people on earth, it’s because murdering 150.000 Turks at the doorstep of Turkey would be doltish even for the Greeks. Besides, why try and kill them when you can find thousands of excuses to make them emigrate? Greek governments always did things underhand, like a petit charlatan and cries out at the top of his lungs when someone steps on his tail.

-------> is this what you did to the Greeks who lived in Turkey and they are now only 2.500?Is this what you believe Greece does?
-------->SInce the number of the Muslim popualtion is increasing and not decreasing,how the hell we made them migrate?

SOmetimes,I found your thought really confused.

Trotsky vs Kerensky-дахэ дэи

Around 150.000 now, I guess it's lesser than that actually. Greeks did everything in their power possible to decrease their numbers. Once Turks consisted 80% of the population, had more than 64% of the land in Thrace and now they are a "minority" and only have 16% of the land, thanks to Greek government giving out loans on low interests to those Greeks who bought property in Western Thrace. A very simple yet striking example: go to University of Demokritos, it's like 4 or 5 times larger in area than University of Aristotle. Why want such a big land? Because those lands belonged to Turks before and the Greek government on the pretext of building universities, military bases, industrial sites yadayadayada and took these lands away from Turks.

150.000. Still a big success for Turks and a failure for Greeks.

It really brings tears to my eyes to see how Modern Greeks of today, although having little Hellenic blood, try to live up to the reputation of their ancestors. How much you seem to know about any given subject. I half-smile with a mild displeasure on my face.

1) In 1923 Turkish minority in Greece was around 129,000. Now it's around 150.000 considering the high birth rate among the Turkish minority, something that has been stated by Greeks on yahoo answers too -to prove Turks are well-off in Greece lol- their numbers should have been at least 600.000 now. Oh please, 50% Turks what are the rest, may I ask? Turkish speaking Nigerian Muslims? I thought all Nigerians were drowned by Greek coastal guards before they could step foot on Greece

2)Greek policies of the repression of Turkish identity went so far that Greeks closed down institutions like "Turkish Teachers Association", "Komotini Turkish Youth Association" and countless others JUST because it bears the name "Turkish" in it.

3) Let's make see, are Greeks really in a position to whine about how Turkey treats its minorities. Greece has two minority high schools (unless it closed them down too) one accepts only 70 students and the other high school is can only accept 40 students while there are thousands of Turkish students in Thrace! Which is why 70% of Turkish students come to Turkey for education.

4)Turks cannot repair their houses, elect their Muftis, have trouble even obtaining driving license. Greek government appoints the Müftü's, how ridiculous is that? You imprisoned a Müftü for ten whole months just because he was elected! In Istanbul, Patriarch is elected by The Holy Synod and Turkish government does not intervene. I never understood that the Partiarch is doing in a predominantly Muslim country anyway. Still, this shows how practices of Greeks and Turks with respect to their minorities differ greatly.

5)Greece is a a member of the European Union while having an article that so much opposes to the very values European identity is based on. Greek nationality law, article 19: "If any person of non-Greek origin leaves the country with the purpose of not returning, his Greek nationality may be taken away". God, I cannot conceive how such a law based strictly on one's race in the 21st century works in a European country, a country where the inhabitants boast about inventing democracy. Hilarious.

For hundreds of years, Turks have not taught Greeks anything about tolerance and for that matter, some manners too.

Add:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democritus_University_of_Thrace

@zoi: I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about. (The part about Hijabs and Euros made me laugh though I didn't fully understand it) Also I think caps are not really necessary. But let me point out clearly that every Turkish user has a sufficient level of intelligence to form his/her own opinions about other users, including me. So saying you don't like one user while praising the rest is hardly a way to expel me to the deep, dark depths of yahoo answers. I don't write this for anyone, I answer the question. Feel free to point out if you think any part of my answer that reveals the Greek government's repression of Turks of Western Thrace is lacking in precision. Thank you.

Edit:

There are 2 highschools in Western Thrace for Turks, one is Celal Bayar in Komotini and Muzaffer Salih in Xanthi. 235? I think you unquestioningly take information from sites without realizing how ridiculous it is. 235 minority schools in a country of 10 million? I shall not even condescend replying to such an obviously exaggerated figure.

Everybody knows which university I’m referring too, I can’t help it if another name is preferred in English, even in their official site it says (http://www.duth.gr/en/) Democritus, you can voice your complaints to them, not to me. For someone who does not seem to pat much attention to spelling, I don’t think you’re in a position to suggest Greek names should be used as exactly as they are in a foreign language like English.

At the time of the Lausanne Treaty there were 129.000 Turks in Western Thrace.

http://florina.org/news/2008/march27_e.pdf

This is the first site that appears when you google it, if you have further doubts I’ll cite books.

Edit:
Actually, it is the first time I visited the foreign ministry site and it proved to be useful. Instead of copying pasting information and make it look like my own, like what most Greeks do here –I even saw one user who copied a Turkish user’s answer from a forum about Cyprus and changed some words to make along the lines of his own opinion- I am only citing my source. Indeed, you may cast doubts upon its credibility then kindly correct the site if you believe it’s in error.

1) 600.000 because I recall the figure from a book rather than the actual site. (“Turkey and Greece: On The Way to Another War?” Akalin, Ankara 1999)
2) God, when will Greeks become convinced that it is not their land that we want? Turkey, fortunately for you, has no traditional terratorial aspirations in Greece. So cut the hundred year old Pan-Turkism talks. The last guy who tried to build a Turkish Empire in Central Asia, Enver Pasha, unfortunately never made it back home. The trouble with Pomaks is, Pomak speaking or not, Greeks have the tendency to label any Muslim a Pomak, for the alternative is found unpleasant. So no one can be sure of their numbers, it’s like adding –i to Turkish surnames to make Balkan Turks appear like Albanians. If you expect me to believe there are 101.000 Pomaks in Greece you confuse me with your compatriots who seem to have developed a habit for believing everything they are told on internet sites.
3) Source?
4) Check out “Turkish-Greek Relations” by Tozun Bahcheli.

“The members of the Turkish Minority do not enjoy full freedom of religion. Because the religious institutions such as the office of the "Mufti" (the religious leader of the Turkish - Muslim Minority) and pious foundations "wakfs" are of fundamental importance to the existence of the Minority as a community, they are primary targets for the Greek authorities. They use all possible means to prevent the Minority to elect its Mufti and the trustees of its wakfs. By two presidential decrees dated December 25, 1990 and January 3, 1991, the Greek authorities have taken over the authority to nominate and appoint the Mufti and the trustees of the Wakfs.
Greece also attempted in the past to prosecute and jail the elected Muftis. Greece doesn’t still recognize the elected Muftis of the Turkish Minority, even though the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (five in total) state that Greece violates the European Human Rights Convention in the context of religious freedom.
The unjustifiable interference in the religious affairs of the Minority by the Greek authorities may take various forms. In this respect, the Greek Government, in line with the Law adopted on 8 February 2007, is prepared to give cadres to 240 Imams who will be elected by a Council composed of Greek Government representatives. This policy is strongly objected by the Minority.”
By the way, the imprisoned Mufti’s name is Mehmet Ali Aga. http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/greece/Greec991-06.htm Though I got the months wrong, it’s 6 months not 10.

5) The only reason Turks of Western Thrace are alive today is not because Greeks are the most civilized and affectionate people on earth, it’s because murdering 150.000 Turks at the doorstep of Turkey would be doltish even for the Greeks. Besides, why try and kill them when you can find thousands of excuses to make them emigrate? Greek governments always did things underhand, like a petit charlatan and cries out at the top of his lungs when someone steps on his tail.

Zoi, with all due sincerity, I only comment on the wrongs of Greece when there is something related to my country Turkey. When is the last time you saw me saying “Greeks are dark, they should be out of E.U” or “Don’t go to Greece, it’s not safe” under other questions? Just because I don’t agree with you doesn’t mean I have not the right to demonstrate my point of view. I don't have a history teacher nor I am a student of history, I just read much and analyze what I read in the most reasonable way possible. I guess you prefer Turks to shut up but hey, life is never perfect. Get used to it.

atrak

126,813 muslim minority live a Western Thrace 98,142 had ethnic connection with turks , rest is albanian, roman, bosnian etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turks_of_Western_Thrace

total turkish minority who living at greece around 150.000 approx at aegean islands, crete and western thrace ..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_minorities

xanthochroi

i agree with kaan in addition there are approximately 150.000 of these people now they speak turkish (which are turks,pomaks,romans etc.) and are remnants of the ottoman empire

edit: i see many people who have never been in this region too because if they're they'd know that most of them still live in their villages(not only rodopi district) and tend to identify themselves as ethnic turks

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