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The Greek Language and society with the Crypto-Christians of the South East of Pontos (Black Sea Coast ).

Theofanis Malkidis

Lecturer

Democritus University of Thrace

1.  Introduction.

Crypto-Christians can be met in Pontos (Black Sea) since 1650 due to the fanatism of certain "Derembeys"  in the period during which the Othoman Empire is parted into "Dembereilics" that is, into feuds or themas. [1]

 The head of those areas, in many cases, showed exceedingly high fanatism, which was practised with oppression to Christians and forced them to become Muslims. The early attempts towards the islamization of the Pontos Greek population first appears at the Ofis region, [2] followed by the Surmena and Argyropolis, Ionia and others. Publicly the Christians appeared in a Muslim appearance and in public took part in Islamic rituals as if they were genuine Muslsims but at the same time  they could be found to places where under covey priests held liturgies and all other mysteries of the Christian Orthodox creed.

   The Crypto-Christians evaded matchmakings to Muslims on many pretexts and this way matrimonies went on among them. This lasted till February 1856 when pressed by the European powers the Sultan signed the "Hati-Humayium" by which any Ottoman Empire citizen was allowed to change his/her creed and be a Christian again, in May 1856. The Crypto-Christians are also called “Klostoi” was the guard of the Italian Consulate of Trapezous town Pehlil Tekioglou. Since 1856 to 1910 when this policy changed with the coming of the Neo-Turks the Panislamic policy- the whole lot of  the Crypto-Christians came to light when whole villages came back to Christianity.

2.The changes in the Muslim state and Crypto-Christians.

2.1. The Tanzimat

The period of great changes in the Ottoman State "the Tanzimat [3] period" got started by the Sultan Abdul Medjit (1839-1861) with his "Act" Hati Sherif in the year 1839 [4] and was ratified and expanded by the Hati Humayim act in 1856. [5] This period expands beyond the administration  time  of Abdul Hamit B' (1876-1909). The sequences of those reforms are closely connected with economy, the increase of transactions with Europe, more intense penetration of Western business firms, declination of local produce a re-organization of agricultural produce which might secured the survival of the empire [6] itself as well as the political economical and social environment especially of the non-Muslim populations. That's where the most serious repercussion of reform lies which constitute the future determined social developments. The Crypto-Christians problem is one of those directly connected  with the Greek-Turk relations.

2.2. Hati Sheriff.

   Hati Sheriff, in the creation of which Moustaffa Ressit Pasha greatly contributed, minister of Foreign Affairs and six times great Vesier, co-ordinated in such a way  that would satisfy both the conservative Muslims as well as the liberals. The table of privileges that was issued on 21 October / 3 November 1839 contained the following points of privileges;

- Warranty of life assurance, honesty and property on all subjects.

- Order on the fixing and revenues payment.

- Arrangement [7] of enlistment and military duties in general.

Those privileges should come in action for the followers of any creed in the same way irrespective religious beliefs formally, [8] but at the same time it made no mention in explicit way equality among Muslims and non Muslims. [9] The difference in taxation with the "haratsi" the capita impost and other rates and duties at times imposed still went on existing for the former with the exception of the "capita impost" in May 1855 the path was paved for a compulsory enrolment of all non-Muslim citizens of the empire, which from one point of view it was considered a threat for the Muslims who believed that it was only them who had the right to carry arms or be armed whilst for Christians might change the up to then status of redemption of military duty. Therefore this section of the reforms would not be applied and the pre-existing state of things would keep on and the Christians pay off a special tax of redemption. [10] But the issue of this new act was not presumptively accept its application either, because the Muslim population reacted to the better welfare of Christians as much from the political view as well as in a materialistic way, or economically. In the capital city Constantinople and still more in the big cities of the state like Andrianopolis, Smyrna, Caesarea or Ikonio. Assassinations took place in 1840-1842 against Christians. Prominences of power in local areas quite often refused to make use of the reforms provided and as a reaction to this there were forced islamizations. In Caesarea three solid villages were forced to abandon their creed during that period and part of the above population chose cryptochristianism preserving both creed and ancestry. Preservation of morals, traditions and cultural inheritance were some of the defence measures taken towards this peculiar and painful situation they were met with. [11] In the year 1843 a Constantinople Armenian, who had turned to Islam paid for "death penalty" his return to Christianity.[12] The Ottoman authorities felt the pressure exerted on by the European powers in relation to the re-iteration of actions like this but it did its best to evade the inviolable Muslim law to impose death penalty for those who apostate from Islam. [13]

2.3. Hati Humayun.

The Hati Humayun of 6/18 February 1856 was issued after pressure exerted by the European powers which aimed at the establishment of equal rights to the Christians of the Ottoman Empire. [14] In this way they aimed at depriving the Russians of mixing up with the home affairs of the Ottoman state, taking advantage of the offer of protection to Christian populations and particularly the Grecians by granting them the Hati Humayun all Christians obtained equal rights with Muslims as much on  the religious field as on the legal one. On this Sultans emphatically said: «my heart makes no exception between the slave of my empire. Rights and privileges will equally be shared with no distinction to all with no exception».[15] In places and quarters of towns and villages with purely Greek- Christian  schools were opened, free religious worship was granted to exert their religious duties into and outside places of worship and what is the most important of all the change of religion [16] was safeguarded, the community self- government, when the Ottoman state, ratifies the National and General Regulations of the Patriarchy, which will be the Constitution chart of the Orthodox Church till 1923. Of great value is the opinion of the German clergyman H. Gentzer on the Greek communities of Minor Asia for the period after 1836. In Minor Asia the Greeks are making an unexpected progress. They grow in number quickly because there are a lot of children in every family. They move from place to place all the time. At first a grocer will  migrate. Then some families will move there too. A teacher follows, a church is erected, a priest is placed soon a new Greek community is set up. [17] The example of Amissos (Samsounta) )is most characteristic. Until 1860 Amissos was only a small village of 4,000 inhabitants. But within 50 years became the biggest and busiest port with a population of 40,000 people of which 2/3 of them were Greek. [18]

    Since 1856 till the official recognition of Kappadocia and Pontos Crypto-Christians in the year 1911 by the authorities, there were several sources about the Crypto-Christians with the most characteristic of P.S. Sideropoulos or Pehlil, who unveiled himself to his boss the Italian Consul Fabri. [19] Since 1856 till the official recognition of Kappadocia and Pontos Crypto-Christians in the year 1991 by the authorities, there are several sources about the Crypto-Christians with the most characteristic of P. S. Sideropoulos. On May 14th to 1856 Sideropoulos was finally recognized as Christian [20] by the Ottoman authorities. This news brought about new dates in the place and on July 15th 1857. 1590 representatives of Crypto-Christians congregated at the church of Theoskepastos in Trapezous, after a memorandum to the Sublime Port, the ambassadors of the European powers and the Ecumenical Patriarchy. [21]

   An account of the British sub-counsul A. Stevens in 1857 addressed to the British ambassador Stanford about the Kromni district made a report that in 55 villages 9,535 Muslims were sensured 17,260 Crypto-Christians and 28,960 Christian Greeks. Gervassios the Sevastia bishop then referring to the Crypto-Christians of Minor Asia says that after a European interventions there in the year 1858, 25,000 of them confessed publicly their Christian creed. [22] The fact of this religious public turn to Christianity of their subjects frightened the Ottoman authority which followed the developments made them feel most worried.

    As a means of hindrance to this climate in the official lists besides the Christian name of the recognized former Crypto-Christian, the distinct note was also added «Tenessour Roum» meaning "apostate, denier or creed". Christians who were so marked were normally enlisted and had to undergo the corresponding added sufferings. Their children were not allowed to inherit their parents' properties who as Crypto-Christians officially bore a Turkish name a fact that was rightly excused by the Islamic jurisdiction which prohibits any transmission of heir from Muslims to Christians. [23] The proceedings were implemented with the aim of barring the trend of Christians returning to their former creed but also to safeguard domestic income. [24]

The period after 1869 is characterized by ever increasing persecutions of the late Crypto-Christians, whilst there were some who tried to get a Russian citizenship aiming at getting the protection provided by the adjacent country. In the year 1876 there will be act of violations of Ponto's Turkish population which keeps on for long.

3. The 1876 Ottoman Constitution and the Crypto-Christians.

The reforms that took place in the Ottoman state came to a peak in 1876 together with the preparations of the New Constitution by the Great Visier Midhat Pasha the head of the Neo-Turk movement. During this period the Otoman state took the shape of a Constitutional monarchy, but soon Abdul Hamit B' abolished the Parliament. It was only shortly before the Young-Turk movement  in 1908 that he was forced to grant his condescendence

for a new parliament assembly on July 23rd 1908. The constitution resulted that equality of rights among all citizens will be declared for all religions and it was then that Crypto-Christians of Kapadocia will freely declare their creed. Those Greeks called Stavriotes, taking their origin from "stavroti" village, led a double life for a great length of time, Christian in private and Muslim in public. [25]At Easter in 1877 300 Stavriotes families were bold enough to publicly declare their Christian creed celebrating "Ressurection", in church taking advantage of the constitution.  The 1876 constitution  charter was no longer in use and formally, nothing changed in their district, People were able to send their children to the Greek orthodox school go to church and come to matrimonial ceremonies. [26] Until 1898 the Ottoman authorities took a mediocre imposture towards it all but after the 1897  Greek-Turkish war wild persecution broke out against Minor Asia Christians broke out especially neighbouring Trapezous area. The Abdul Hamit "Kulturkampf" cultural battle waving the panislamic flag did not prove to be free of bloodshed. The Sultan put forth a plan towards an enforcement of the Ottoman culture fomenting religious devotion to Islam. Studying at Greek schools was banned, children born by non recognized Christian parents were considered "bastards` illegitimate and of a great extent enlistment was carried out. [27]

4. Neo-Turks and the Crypto-Christian Question.

The Neo-Turk movement first appeared in the Ottoman political field with the issue of the magazines The interpreter of times (Tercuman-I ahwal), and Picture of Thoughts (Tasvir-I- Efkar) with a basic aim was to radically changing the operating structure of the Ottoman State. [28] At its first fase of development of the Young-Turk movement there were groups in it, with different objectives from those of the leading group and the atmosphere in general which were expressed by the slogans and the policy of a pan-islamic ottomanism, the Turkish nationalism and modernization. Of them all very few agreed that Christians and Muslims should have equal rights within a modern Muslim State. Some followers of a Panislam ideal advocated for the islamization by force of the Christian population and particularly the children's, a movement which met with the approval of those living at the remotest  parts of the empire and away from the urban districts where christians were a minority.

   The islamization problem developed into a serious one for the Patriarchy and Church in general, forcing its religious leadership to send out ecclesiastical reports (takriria) to the Ottoman State with the aim to explain the particular problems. [29]

   As a political problem the Neo-Turks appeared in the decade of 1870 with the so-called Modern Ottoman party, a party of the liberal owners of big farm properties and the small bourgeois class, which had just started to come into being. With the bankruptcy of the Ottoman State in 1875 the party  mobilizing the people, made the Sultan Abdul Hamit B' to appoint the Great Visier Midhat Pasha who for all the mask of political liberalism and rights he wore he amalgamated the non -Muslim subject- citizens with Islami and Turkish ideology. The Neo-Turks will take shape with the establishment of their club "Progress and Unity" at the Military Medical Academy of Constantinople in 1889, but the climate of freedom of movements does not last long, and its leading hierarchy will be persecuted and will gather close together with each other around the "commision" Union and Progress, in Paris (1897). The Union will play an important role in its base. [30] Taking advantage of the 1905 census and until 1907 and the 1908 revolt, the situation was again led to tension concerning the Crypto-Christians and Stavriotae demanding to be registered as Christians, a request which was responded with acts violation and when the expected result did not come with offers of offices. [31]

   The 1908 Neo-Turk rise brought back the constitution and succeeded in the Sultan's changing. It was something that was welcomed by Greek-Christians and nationalities and religions of the state, as a hope, but they soon realized that the Shauvinistic character of the movement as it was planning the extermination of the non Muslims it was a period characterized by seeming retreat of the Ottoman administration on the relevant demands of Crypto-Christian's recognition. Stavriotae attempted through memoranda to bring their demand again to action, but it took them at least 2 or 3 more years before a tentative solution was given with the acceptance of the Neo-Turkish side of the Crypto-Christianish problem and the stavriotae insisted on being censured as Crypto-Christians. Although the Neo-Turks spoke for reforms they were practically sauvinists. Turkish is established as the official language and at school up to secondary education will solely be Turkish the right to become M.P.'s had only those who had good knowledge the official language and Osmanism was  proclaimed as national ideal which is formally the equality of all citizens before the Sultan, but practically denied the existence of other nationalities, trying to assimilate them by force. The U.S.S.R. world history says that «the top stratums in their bourgeois class the interests which defined the basic fondamentalization of the Neo-Turks policy aimed, above all, at taking part in the profitable broker's business neither for those stratums nor ever more for the feudal who, too, affected at a large extent the Neo-Turks' policy, where radical changes were necessary in the state and economic system. That's why the Young-Turks main most aim was to hold their rebellion into legal and constitutional frames to keep order all over the country, aiming this way to crash the classical fight of the working class and the national liberation movement of the Non-Turk populations».[32]

    The French historians E. Dicault and M. Lheritier write that «modern Turkey of 1907 was more nationalistic rather, than liberal. Ahmet Keza in the Young-Turks gazette adopted the right of self-control, but this right was also claimed mostly by the Turks ...». [33] The constitutional Ottoman empire, for all its declarations which affected lots of democrats and combatants from various nationalities simply continued the Sultan's policy, the reforms were not materialized nor respect was shown towards minorities.

    At the Young- Turks conference in Thessaloniki in 1911 decisions were adopted which turned against every non-Muslim minority who lived within the boundaries of the Ottoman State. «Turkey should eventually become a Muslim country. The Mohammedan’s concept and power should keep control all over the country. Any other religious propaganda should be banned. The existence of the Empire depends on the forces and power of the Neo-Turk party and the crashing of any other ideology antagonizing it. The muslimization of peoples should be completed as soon as possible. Of course, it is clear that it cannot be accomplished by convincing them and that the only way is to use arms force. The feature of the empire should remain Mohammedan’s and upon this we should see that Muslim laws and decrees will be respected by all. The right of all other nationalities to have their own organizations should be obliterated. Any form of decentralization or self administration will be considered treason for the Ottoman Empire Nationalities are elements of no value. They may be allowed to keep their creed but not their language. Expanding the Turkish language is one of the most basic principles for securing the Mohammedan’s superiority and the assimilation of non Mohammedan  population». [34]The German ambassador in Athens A.Wangenheim wrote to the German Chancellor of State F. Bulow what the Turk premier and minister of defence, field Marshsal Sefrer Pasha, said about the new state of being «The Turks have taken up an exterminating battle against the Christians of the empire. Turkey is going to be their starting point where the largest part of them and then outside Turkey, where there are centres of resistance».[35]

   Since the very beginning the Neo-Turks tried to crash down the Crypto-Christians turn over movement and at the same time to give a strong blow to the religious beliefs of the Greeks Nazim Bei, of the leading members of the movement said to the Greek poet Argyropoulos «the Greek feeling must for the sake of the salvation of Turkey to be diminished not only at school but also anywhere it comes up». [36]The Turk ambassador Ahmed Reza used to say about the Greeks of Minor Asia at that same period. «Modern Turkey wants to put an end with the confusion of these 2 nations, that is the Greeks and Turks became by the word Greek the whole lot of Christians is meant. He wants the Greeks to understand that the Greeks of Turkey are Turks not Greeks. The ecumenical Patriarchy should stop being the centre of Hellenism. The Ottomans who are the only masters of their home will surely impose their will on all the benevolent ones and with understanding ones but with a greater stability than ever before». [37] This programme was brought into action with the break out of World War I, on all acts that dealt with the Christian nationalities of the Ottoman state leading to a great rush of Islamization long before the compulsory population exchange, [38] which was agreed half a year ago according to the Lausanne treaty on a 2 side agreement between Greece and Turkey (30/11/23). [39]

5. The present status of Crypto-Christians of the Pontos dialect speakers.

Until the mass expulsion of the Greek population from Pontos, [40] Ionia and Thrace, Kappadocia - the muslimized - greekspeaking of Pontos kept their touch with the Greek Christians live and lasting. In 1914 according to an official statistics of the  Ecumenical Patriarchy, entered in the Greek ministry of Foreign affairs records, estimated that the Greek speaking Muslims came up to 190.000. [41] The prior of St. John's convent Panaretos in his report to the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs writes the following about the Greek speaking people «They are Greeks who were forcedly islamized during the pitch black centuries of slavery and even today adopt mohamedanism but their mother tongue is Greek, are aware of their Greek origin, and islamized by force keep it as a shrine and do not compromise with it by any means to the alienation of them. Turkish is taught at school as for their women speak greek more fluently. And this is in spite of the fact that they live enclosed by a Turkish environment».[42]

   But the expulsion of Greek populations (as well as Muslims) after 1923 and the upcoming mass crime of genocide, [43] left those people with no contact with either their Greek environment or the church, with the only exception of those who migrated to Constantinople, where they created strong Greek speaking communities which kept and are still keeping their traditions and mainly the Pontos dialect. In spite of the absence of contact the well planned policy of a forced embodiment in the Turkish society reflected from the side of Greece [44] those people still preserve elements, consciousness which are beginning to be being sought for, since the last 70's when they took their share in the big migration rush in great number from Turkey to the Western Europe. There, they met with Greeks from Pontos region, immigrants, and gradually their first contacts are restored, through their common changeable throughout the centuries, language, customs and tradition, dances, songs  and other things. At the same time the contact of Crypto-Christians-Greek speaking with the Pontians of Greece is re-enforced through the effort of bringing again to life the Pontos problem in all its dimensions in the Greek area and the organizing of their first visits to Pontos.

    Nowadays there are almost no Crypto-Christians in Turkey with the sense of keeping creed. But there are families which were of weak religious belief and stayed in Pontos area for various reasons. To-day their (unknown) number of Greek speaking Muslims-Crypto-Christians, pioneered by college youths, in their attempt to find answers about their ancestors' culture history identity are leading a hard path of self-determination and search of identity concerning the present situation, about numerical data of Greek-speaking Crypto-Christians but only presumptions can be made. So, at Sourmena, the capital of the district consisting of 19 villages, 5 of them are purely populated by Greek-speaking people to-day Mazera village was also Turgut Ozal's birth-place with a descend of Adnan Kahfedji family the one who get the inspiration of the reforms and claimed the knowledge of Pontos dialect and who got killed under obscure conditions in a road accident. The Sourmena Pontians, with special tendency to learning business and fishing, have got a numerous settlement in Constantinople. The Galians district (ancient Guliena) consisting of 18 villages and settlements. Half the population of the district are local people islamized and the other half have re-established themselves from the villages Kullish and Archangelos of Surmena district in the 3d decade of the twentieth century. The habitations of the people who deal with stock breeding are mostly mixed and the Turkish language has most recently stared to be replacing the Pontos dialect language which is not spoken by people, at least below 20. The Tsa΄kara region (Kato-Chorion) is purely Greek-speaking and the last to have become islamized (end of 19th century) with a sufficiently highly developed religious feeling of Crypto-Christians. Lately its youth have been affected by leftist ideas and a claim of self determination, self-cognition and search of their own identity. The people there are mostly stock-breeders whilst as many have migrated to Constantinople where they have constituted a powerful federation, working as scientists, businessmen, statesmen, for example from the "Sineck" village of Katochorion the former president of Turkey Seudet Sunay drew his origin. The Off district (ancient Offis region) consists of 49 villages, completely Greek then, but nowadays only one the Evenkioy remains still Greek-speaking. There the Muslim celebration of Ramadan, Triod called from the Greek Triodion. [45]The majority of its inhabitants are Muslims and about their identity mainly leftists mention  it but also a good number of islamists. The Offis inhabitants mainly yeomen and stock breeders have astablished in Constantinople and other cities large communities. The Greek-speaking writer Homar Assan from Erenkroy has published the book "Pontos Culture" Pontos Culture in plain Turkish and has greatly contributed to the identification seeking of those people.[46] References have been made even in a Turkish magazine which emphatically says that «the traces of the orthodox tradition are obvious and here everybody speaks Pontos-Greek. The Rum and Orthodox is clearly seen».[47]

   Ano Matsouka (upper Matsouka) consists of 8 villages located at the Zygana pass with Hapsikoy at the very centre. It is about Greek - Christian villages of which the greatest majority of its  population derives from Greek-speaking settles from Tonia district that settlers there after 1924. Greek-speaking communities of Ano Matsouka can be found to-day at Yalova, Gebdge and Constantinople itself. The Tonia (the ancient Thoania) district consists of 18 villages 7 of which purely Greek-speaking. The people of the surrounding area, still keep so many elements of the Pontos Hellenes. While they are at the same time, renown for their love to weapons and preserving the custom of the "vedette". It is from Alexandrana village that the former minister A Sener derived his origin whilst the inhabitants of the district still keep large communities in Yalouz and Karamourseel, at Gemze, Bouyouk Tsakmese, Constantinople and elsewhere. Conscious of its identity, which they comparatively claim do possess some pioneering members of their youth being affected by their left members.

To conclude with, what has to do with numerical data and given the Turkish authority maliciousness towards a research of the national origination of the great minorities in their country, [48] as well as the obvious hindrances towards their national self-definition it is too difficult that some precise evaluation as for the number of Pontean Crypto-Christians existing to-day to be made. [49]

   Socially, the Pontos CryptoChristian-Greek speaking people used to be and still remain conservative unit groups of people, with tight bonds among them, family or relative ones - it still keeps on endogamy, as has already been said and they are extremely resistant to any   changes attempted to be imposed on them. Such changes that are imposed by the Turkish authorities aiming at the introduction of a unique Turkish identity and language.

    Nevertheless during the latest decades of years a feeling of some kind of specific identity is ever increasing, accompanied by deeps of mental and cultural rise. But even those attempts from the side of youngsters, mainly from Pontos, to express in words or script texts their Pontean dialect, history, the cultural identity of this people, are faced with hat red by the Turkish authorities whilst the lives of Ponteans who dare express their views are threatened.[50] This oppression is accompanied by pseudo-scientific attempts distorting the rich History of this people and their region, as the official Turkish political line status that this historic nation is of Turkish origin.

   Concerning the language it seems that a large part of Islamized Greek-speaking people of Pontos,particularly in the Trapezous district, Tonia, Ofis, Sourmena, Matsouka as well as some Constantinople boroughs, have preserved their Pontean dialect unchanged. So in those districts, the language, illegal in Pontos and all other parts of the Turkish region that consists a tenacious bond of identity, is kept alive. Of course there is not a single school in Turkey where Ponteans will be able to learn, promote, their language. Pontos youths - especially those coming from inland - because of the fact that their families keep stuck to their own language and do not know Turkish, they first come in contact with this language at school and have to learn this language through hard teaching methods. Even, in Primary schools there is a net of young pupils of reliable informers that indict to their teachers. Pontean school-mates who speak the Pontos language in private and whom it's their teacher's turn to take them or even the police through some hard convincing methods. At Junior and Senior High Schools the work of terrification is handed over to racism and clans of fascists like the one of "grey wolves". Under these terms Pontos students are excluded from Universities and Colleges. Students of Pontos descendance who make an attempt to show their Pontos origination and culture by means of printed matter - a magazine was issued at the Trapezous University in 1999 - they run the danger of being sentenced to imprisonment by the Turkish authorities. According to the Turkish policy activation of youths and quite often of some political standing, concerning their identity in Pontos, is included in the attempt of re-birth of "Pontos Empire".[51]

   As a continuation of this policy from the side of Turkey a demand was made by the Turkish ministry of Foreign Affairs, to deport about 50 Greek-speaking students who came to Greece in search of their own identity. [52] The cases of Redza Gildiz, Fethi Giultepe and Kara Bayram deportation are the most well known and about which the principals of Panteion University, Pontean societies, University teachers, citizens active members of the Greek society were mobilized against it.

    Because in an official standard at least, the Greek state does not become activated on, the question of the Greek-speaking CryptoChristians, it has been shown at the level of the Greek society,  either from the side of Pontian societies or non government organizations. In particular, the Pontian associations through presentations to Greek and Turkish as well as any power bearing centres the problem has been made known to them of the Greek-speaking ones and the oppression they suffer focusing their reports on the question of the deportation demand of Pontians from Greece. And also the restrictions in Turkey to-day, against freedom of Islamized Ponteans has been denounced by a non- governmental organization «International Union for the Rights and Liberation of Peoples»  [53] with a written memorandum to the Organization for the European security and co-operation (O.E.S.C.) and also the Human Rights Bereaux of the U.N.O. in Switzerland there was also a verbal intervention at 58th meeting of the U.N.O. on the same subject to the committer for the Human Rights and by the French non government «AMRAP - Movement against racism- for friendship among peoples».[54] The non government organization of the International Union for Liberation, made a special statement - against the systematic attempts being made for banishment of the Pontian dialect, as being the one nearest to the ancient Greek, spoken to-day but also the persecutions against Pontian thinkers (intelllectual people) like the writer Omer Assan. Describing this situation the International Union for the Rights and Liberation of People expresses their wish to insist on the problem of inexistence of freedom of speech of Pontian people Turkey in to-day whilst that statement was also made to give information on the conditions of life of its people as the international community should know the situation. Furthermore as it has been pointed out in the statements of the non-goverment Organizations, the interventions towards the  abolishment of discriminations against that people, it all consists a step towards the preservation of a live civilization that has enriched the whole of the humanity.

6. Conclusions 

For all 1839, 1856 reforms and 1876 constitution the problem, of CryptoChristians will still be affecting the whole of Minor Asian Pontos till 1923. Persecutions is the dominant feature for all the at times intervals, due to domestic or world datas. After the outbreak of World War I persecutions against Christians will become more intense by the Neo Turk regisme of which "Stavriotae", the inhabitants of Mt Ak Dag, were more severely to be tortured who through their forced islamization, tried to avoid tortures. Bishop Gervassios states that out of 19629 soldiers, Greek Christians and Crypto-Christians of the district only 1.300 will survive. [55]

  In Pontos, after the Russian army had retreated in the year 1916, those recently declared their Christian creed will be tortured whilst their enlistment to the Labour Batallions will be intensified. The first World War was followed by the Greek-Turkish one which resulted an re-animation of tension and persecutions. After the Lausanne Treaty and an earlier agreement concerning an exchange of population became possible to come to Greece only those who had officially turned to Christianity, leaving in Turkey lots of Crypto-Christians. Nowadays that problem of Greek-speaking Crypto-Christians is part of a constituent which has lately become part of a talk between Greece, Turkey, Europe, U.S.A. and world organizations. [56]Roughly speaking there can be a statement to situations that are connected with the contact of Greeks and particularly Pontian immigrants to western European countries with Pontians from Turkey, visits that have been made during the last years to Pontos, meeting one another and a mobilization against the  Turks' demand of deportation of all Greek-speaking students settled in Greece. Anyway, that last parameter resulted that the problem became known beyond the narrow margins of a Pontian printed matter and be spread about to stratums of the Greek, Turkish, Europe - and even American society which either ignored it or went past it acknowledging it.