Initiatives and Recommendations for integration

31 people responded to the question: ‘explain what you would like to know or share with the other community’ all of which touched upon different aspects of both communities from community identification to local cuisine. Here are examples of these responses:

Drawing from the interviews, the same interest and curiosity for the other community was observed. Furthermore, when it came to recommendations for a more unified community interesting approaches surfaced, several which were in line with the ones mentioned in the questionnaire but all explored in more depth. Thus, here is a presentation of a selected few of these recommendations attached to further research in those areas.

Firstly, a lot of people drew on the importance of education and language. As it was already established in the last part providing better education for minorities is a key tool for the integration of the Muslim minority in the Greek higher education and society.

In addition, an example of a progressive approach to education that might not be applicable in Greece but that has been acknowledge to have positive impact in places like France, is teaching about religious education in general. Rather than learning specifically about the one religion one identifies to, learning about all religions, whatever faith one might belong too. Thus, teaching and learning about each other’s faith might help to connect with other religions and help people understand each other better.

Other ideas in regards to language run from, having more Greek class opportunities for the Muslim minority or Professor Ali Huseyinoglu encouraged Greeks to learn Turkish too.

These linguistic initiatives are also strongly related to solutions from an economical perspective. Indeed, many people insisted on the impact of the current Greek economical crisis in Komotini and Umit Halil Ibrah for example, argued that knowing both Greek and Turkish is actually a great asset in regards to economical development nowadays. This would on the one hand improve the communication between the communities and as a result bring them closer. On the other, it could bring an economical boost to a region suffering strongly from this crisis. Indeed, Umit Halil Ibrah and Amet Omer for example who have both taken part in economical collaborations with the Orthodox only praised this initiative in terms of personal economical development and the positive impact it has on broadening their social circle of friends and professional network.

Furthermore, a lot of people like Pedro Giatzo and Anastasia Tsibiridou, mentioned the importance of socially and culturally investing time with people from the other community, getting to know each other and taking part in events that could connect the communities. Some of the ideas interviewees came up with are creating events that would aim to make the communities interact, such as cooking classes or cultural events with music from both cultures, and creating clubs pushing for intercultural mixing. Some of these events exist already, however the attendance level on each side is not always what is expected and there could be many more opportunities to create events which would promote cooperation and communication between the communities through art, music or other creative workshops. Therefore, this field has a huge range of possibilities to discover and invent to promote inclusion and unification between the communities.

Some of the other measures thought of by the participants had to do with the discriminatory policies on the Muslim minority stated in the past sections. Indeed, Umit Halil Ibrah pointed out the Greek state has progress to make to finally solve the discrimination of the minority. As Professor Ali Huseyinoglu recommended during the interview ‘The first step to take is from the government, if it moves towards the minority, hears what they have to say and tries to find solutions with them, rather than for them, the community will take the next step forward’. Therefore, to bring progress there needs to be a better dialogue on the local and national level between the minority, the Greek state and local authorities.

In addition, some participants like Pedro Giatzo even took this a step further and required for the involvement of the European Union. Indeed, some believe because the Greek state has proven to be incapable of changing things for the Muslim community, the European Union might be more efficient. In other words, what would be the EU solutions for a more homogenous city and how would it apply to Komotini? Indeed, the EU has taken on many projects that could help for more inclusion in Komotini. For example, their work on non-formal ways of education all over Europe gives practical and creative ways to push principles such as tolerance and non-discrimination. This could be a first step to progress.

Professor Ali Huseyinoglu, also suggested creating a European Union minorities’ institution, similar to the UN's, where all minorities could meet annually and discuss together to find solutions to their problems in Europe. Indeed, the UN initiative taken on a Europe level could benefit communities like the Muslim minority of Western Thrace.

Finally, and most importantly as some of the participants pointed out, a change in mentality and a real will on both sides to have straightforward and non-judgemental relations needs to exist. To achieve this, there needs to be a different approach to the way both communities engage with their difficult shared past. Indeed, it influences their relation on many different levels as this research attempted to illustrate throughout the different categories.

Ending the vicious circle of reciprocity

For example, the relations between Greece and Turkey are influenced by these feelings of negativity from the past that they then mirror onto their respective minorities. Indeed, Ali Dayıoglu and Ilksoy Aslım identified there is a feeling of reciprocity in the relation between the two countries which influences their treatment of their respective minorities. In other words, when the relations between the countries were good, the respective minorities were treated well, when the relations were tensed, the minorities were treated badly. Thus, in order for the communities to improve their current relation this vicious circle of reciprocity needs to be broken. The focus should be on improving the situation of their respective communities regardless of how the other country is treating theirs.

In other words: ‘No matter what their governments are doing, the intellectuals of both countries should sweep away embedded in the collective memories prejudices and biases that poison the citizens of both countries. (…) A reappraisal of history does not aim at moulding the past to fit in with the political requirements of the present, but at explaining the facts in their historical context with new evidence and a new approach, starting with the challenges of the present.’ (2015, 215)

Therefore, this is a reflection of trans-generational trauma and it needs to be brought to light in order for the political systems of both Greece and Turkey to be aware not to be influenced by their past when making decisions that curtail their respective minority’s rights.

Discussing the past to build a future

Furthermore, as some of the survey participants recommended, discussing each other’s opinions is essential. This is also a way to call out the signs of trans-generational traumas. Recognition of the influence of the past on people’s opinions is the starting point to an open dialogue between the communities.

As the European Commission meeting on Dialogue between cultures states:

‘These considerations of collective representations not only relate to the other, but also the relation of each culture to the past and to the memory. Because Mediterranean identities constitute an accumulation of experiences that have their roots in the background, old and new traumatisms, wounds still gaping, we are faced with communities locked in on their own misfortune. One has the feeling that the future is taken hostage in the past, especially when it is marked by terrible suffering, or on the contrary is embellished to the point of representing a sort of historical referent.

Recognizing the suffering of the other is nowadays paramount not only for its 'therapeutic' value (healing effect), but also for its restorative value (redressing the wrongs suffered) and liberating (liberation of history Of the instrumental memory nets). Recognition of wrongs, reparation, reconciliation and forgiveness is the new Mediterranean utopia capable of extracting peoples from their victimology.)’ (2004, 87)

Thus, this hidden discourse needs to be discussed between the communities to break the taboo of historical trauma.

Creative Expression of the trans-generational trauma

To overlap this recommendation with the cultural aspect, a lot can be done to promote inclusion and better relations between the communities through art. Indeed, the 2016 Marcel Duchamp winner drew a very interesting art piece called ‘Reflecting Memory’ through video and sculpture putting in parallel countries or communities’ trans-generational traumas with the personal loss of limbs.

Indeed, this explores the creative ways to address the trans-generational traumas of the past. For a place like Komotini, which suffers from its own unique form of trans-generational trauma, it would be a compelling way to look into their history and to express how people feel about it.

Thus, the difficult past between the Greek Orthodox and the Muslim minority needs to be recognised and expressed on the governmental and personal level in order to move on to a more united future. If the governments of Greece and Turkey and the people in Komotini are able to reflect on the influence of the trans-generational trauma on their opinions and policies they can then promote a safe space for everyone to communicate and share with each other, even in a creative way.

Through my interviews and surveys, I was able to confirm that these issues are not unsolvable and Komotini is on the right path to improvement as all the participants identified ways to connect the communities better through educational, economical, cultural and political ways, in addition to requiring the help of the EU and facing the effect of trans-generational trauma. Now, it is just a matter of finding the people to engage these first efforts towards progress and communication.