A representative of the Pomak Cultural Association of Xanthi took the community's identity dispute to an international s...

A representative of the Pomak Cultural Association of Xanthi took the community's identity dispute to an international stage last month, addressing an OSCE human rights forum in Warsaw, Poland. Beniamin Konte, a Xanthi native who now works as a nurse in Thessaloniki, told delegates that Pomaks in Western Thrace face sustained pressure to identify exclusively as Turkish, which he described as a direct threat to their distinct cultural and linguistic heritage. Konte's statement was direct. "We are Pomaks. We do not wish to impose our identity on anyone. We simply want the freedom to speak our language, learn Greek and Pomak, and preserve our traditions." The Pomak language is South Slavic, bearing no relation to Turkish, and the community is one of three distinct groups within Greece's Muslim minority in Western Thrace, alongside Roma and people of Turkish origin. He also raised concerns about unofficial religious education and the way religious leaders are selected within the minority, arguing that religious freedom should not be used as a vehicle to impose a national identity on people who do not share it. As a personal example, he alleged that his late grandfather was removed from a mosque after a family member had spoken publicly about their Pomak roots, connecting the family's villages of Dimario and Kotyli in the Xanthi region to a broader pattern of pressure. The Pomak Cultural Association of Xanthi was established in 2007. These claims are those of Konte and the association, and have not been independently verified. The OSCE forum in Warsaw is a recognized international platform for minority rights and human dimension issues, making Konte's address a notable escalation in the community's push for recognition. #Pomaks #WesternThrace #OSCE