Galery

1

The unwritten Islamic law known as sharia will acquire a specific legal form in Greece. A few days ago, Minister of Education Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos signed a decision to set up a committee that is to encode the rules of sharia in Greece.

At first, the book will affect the Greek Muslim citizens who live in the region of Thrace alone. It will be published in Greek and Arabic and will be a guide to resolving the relationships and connections among the Muslim minority. In practice this means that the muftis will have a document on the basis of which they will resolve any disputes.

Eski Mosque in Komotini

Sharia is a combination of legal, moral and religious norms of Islam, covering all aspects of the life of orthodox Muslims. It expresses the voice of Prophet Mohammed that is interpreted by the four major schools of Islam. The guide of the Greek Ministry of Education will be based on the most important among them, namely the Hanafi school, which is named after its founder Abu Hanifa. Its followers allow greater freedom in the interpretation of sharia principles of religious life and legal rules on condition that all decisions are aimed at the welfare of the community. The followers of the Hanafi school are prevalent in Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
 
The Muslim minority in Greece applies sharia only in relation to family and inheritance law. This means that the mufti plays the role of a judge and decides on the relevant cases in compliance with the tenets of Islam. The legal remit of muftis is guaranteed by a law voted by the Greek Parliament in 1990.

Through the decision of the Ministry of Education, the Greek government fulfils a long-standing demand of the muftis of Thrace. In his recent letter to the Ministry, mufti of Komotini Mecho Jamali states that "the need for compiling, printing and providing for free a book on sharia is highly urgent."

The publication, which is to be compiled, will be as short and meaningful as possible. Its purpose will be to explain to all Greek citizens, regardless of their religion, that the application of sharia in the regulation of relations among Muslims is related to their religion, tradition and culture, without threatening human rights and general law and order in Greece in any way.

The publication will be entitled "A guide to interpersonal relationships according to the sacred Hanafi legal system." The muftis of Komotini, Xanthi and Didimotiho will use it as an aid in the implementation of their judicial functions that are provided by the Greek law.

The ministerial decision states, "We are setting up an unpaid committee the sole purpose of which will be to compile a handbook, in the form of a guide, its possible title being "A guide to interpersonal relationships according to the sacred Hanafi legal system." Following a joint decision of the muftis, this guide will be based on authentic sources of the Hanafi school, which are related to family and inheritance law. The guide will be composed in Greek and in the language of the Quran (Arabic)."

The committee involves three muftis, headed by the mufti of Komotini, Mecho Jamali. The copyright of the guide will belong to the Greek Ministry of Education.