A legal consequence of historical wrangling between Greece and Turkey is finally set to be challenged at the European court of human rightsWell out of sight, in her pleasant flat in Komotini, Thrace, in north-eastern Greece, Chatitze Molla Sali is speaking quietly. At times she is barely audible. It’s the voice of a tired 65-year-old, who for many years “lowered her gaze and accepted everything”, as she puts it. But she livens up at any mention of her new determination. She is the first woman from Greece’s Muslim minority to have taken a case to the European court of human rights, disputing a ruling based on sharia law that stripped her of part of her inheritance.When her husband died in March 2008, he left her all his possessions in a will certified by a Greek solicitor. His family promptly disputed the legacy, complaining to the local mufti that under sharia Muslims are not allowed to make a will. Sali appealed to the civil courts, which endorsed her claim. But in October 2013 Greece’s supreme court ruled that matters of inheritance involving members of the Muslim minority must be settled by the mufti, as required by sharia law.The treaty recognised that the community enjoyed the right to live according to its existing customsThe members of the minority are first and foremost Greek citizens, then Muslims, and their rights must be upheldThis case is a historic opportunity to put an end … to this discriminatory situation Continue reading...
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