- Along with human rights, the issue of minority rights today has become an important issue in international relations as well as in international law. Minority rights are considered to be a valid international concern outside the realm of national jurisdiction of states.
The issue of minority rights is of utmost importance for Bulgaria for a number of reasons. First,
Bulgaria is home to a large number of minority groups including a sizeable Muslim-Turkish minority. Apart from certain exceptional periods, the problematic relations between the Bulgarian administration and the Muslim-Turkish minority in the past make this issue important. Second, unlike other former Eastern Block counties, the transition period from real socialist regime to pluralist parliamentary system witnessed no bloodshed or acts of violence among ethnic groups. Third, with the collapse of the Eastern Block, Bulgaria has aligned itself with the West striving to become a member of Western international organizations and part of the Western world. This is why Bulgaria has changed her minority policy radically along the lines of western democracies. Despite the progress made, there remain a number of problem areas.
The aim of this article is to discuss the progress made in Muslim-Turkish minority’s rights of religion and conscience during the 1989-20011 period and the problems faced along the way relating in particular to the Head Muftiate.
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