By Krzysztof Popek, Ph.D
Although Greece itself does not want to be treated as one of the Balkan countries, the Greek experience of the period of building its own nation-statehood is characteristic of this region. The Kingdom of Greece was created as a result of the separation of lands from the Ottoman Empire, and then annexing other territories that were not only inhabited by the Hellenes, but also by other ethnic and religious groups. Muslims played a key role among them—not only the former masters of these lands, closely related to the system of power of the Ottoman Empire, but also simple farmers or city dwellers. Muslims had settled there during the period of the domination of the Islamic empire; in other cases, their ancestors were local people who had accepted the faith of the rulers. The formation of the Greek state, whose relationship with the Greek nation and the Orthodox Church was unquestionable, was parallel to the disappearance of the Muslim community from the area.
Traditional Greek historiography is no different in its interpretations of the exodus of Muslims in the nineteenth century from that of other countries in the region: The “Turks” did not leave their homes, but re-emigrated to their former homeland, i.e. Asia, driven by religious fanaticism and the lack of acceptance of changes in the world around them. In the context of the period after 1881, the key influence was also exerted by agitators sent by the Ottoman Empire calling for the faithful people to leave the “state of giaours.” On the other hand, the belief that the departures of Muslims from Greece were a manifestation of the planned policy of repression carried out by the government in Athens became consolidated over time in general historiography. However, the process was more complex. There are clear differences between the policy of the Athens government after the War of Independence and the annexation of Thessaly. It was related to the international context—it was the Treaty of Berlin which introduced a number of regulations regarding the protection of Muslims in the Balkans. The period of the Greek Revolution and the following years was the time—as Justin McCarthy put it—“of death and exile.” As a result of the violence and coercion used by the Greeks with the final consent of the great powers and the Sublime Porte, in the 1820s and 1830s, the Muslim community practically disappeared from the areas controlled by Greeks. After 1881, a key role in the gradual process of Muslim emigration from Greece was played by socio-economic factors, the inability of local Muslims to adapt to the changes which took place, and the lack of acceptance of the rule of the “former rayah.” Although there were direct repressions and discrimination, they were not of decisive importance and did not violate the standards prevalent in Europe at that time. Conflicts between Greeks and Muslims were not only of ethnic, but also of social nature, as evidenced by the fact that in Thessaly to a similar extent Greek peasants were involved in disputes over the parcelling of large landed estates with Muslim beys and with Greek owners. The reasons indicated (violence and discrimination as well as socio-economic factors) were intertwined, regardless of whether—as during the Greek Revolution and in the first half of the 19th century—there was no international protection of Muslim rights in Greece, or—as after 1881—it did exist, however, the authorities were able to disregard it in some aspects.
The process of the exodus of Muslims from the Greek state can be divided into two phases, regardless of whether one has in mind the first half of the 19th century or the period after the annexation of Thessaly or the Crete case. First, there were escapes from pogroms for fear of life in the period of revolutionary turmoil or at the news that the area had come under Christian rule. After the situation became more stable, the decision to migrate was influenced by the changes in the political and social status and the difficult economic situation related to the forced role of second-class citizens.