Foreign Muslim women in Greece speak out

Source:  Enet.gr

(translation below)

 «Οι ρόλοι σ’ εμάς είναι ξεκάθαροι: Μάνες, σύζυγοι και εργαζόμενες»

 

Η 27χρονη Μπαϊάν Αλ Σαχιάντ γεννήθηκε στην Ιορδανία. Οχτώ ετών ήρθε με τους γονείς της στην Ελλάδα. Πήρε το πτυχίο της από την Ιατρική Σχολή Αθηνών, είναι παντρεμένη με Ιορδανό και η κόρη της Γιακίν είναι τριών ετών. Δείχνει ευτυχής που φοράει την παραδοσιακή μαντίλα:

«Στο πανεπιστήμιο εκτιμούσαν την επιλογή μου να σεβαστώ τη θρησκεία. Συζητούσα συχνά με τους συμφοιτητές μου. Περπατώντας στο δρόμο υπήρξαν κάποιες ενοχλήσεις. Οι Ελληνίδες δεν το φορούν αυτό, μου είπαν κάποιες. Αλλά εγώ νιώθω σίγουρη για την επιλογή μου, δεν ταλαντεύομαι. Υπάρχουν όμως μουσουλμάνες, νοικοκυρές, που δεν μιλούν ελληνικά, ντρέπονται που ξεχωρίζουν. Οι άνθρωποι βλέπουν μπροστά τους ένα ντύσιμο και κρίνουν μόνον από αυτό.

Νιώθω την ανάγκη να εξηγήσω στον κόσμο γιατί το κάνω. Το χιτζάπ (μαντίλα) καλύπτει όλο το σώμα εκτός από το πρόσωπο και τα χέρια. Ντυνόμαστε έτσι για να μην προκαλούμε, για την προστασία μας. Οι ρόλοι σ’ εμάς είναι ξεκάθαροι. Μάνες, σύζυγοι και εργαζόμενες. Η κάλυψη μας βοηθάει ώστε να μην προχωρήσει το ζευγάρι σε εξωσυζυγικές σχέσεις. Δεν αποτελεί σύμβολο ούτε έθιμο γιατί τότε θα το έβγαζα. Και είμαστε ελεύθερες να επιλέγουμε το χρώμα και το σχήμα του χιτζάπ».

Η Σαχιάντ υποστηρίζει τις επιλογές της: «Αν πιστεύεις ότι οφείλεις να το φοράς, συμπεριφέρεσαι ανάλογα με την πίστη σου. Αυτό εμπλουτίζει τη ζωή μου. Αλλά μέσα στο σπίτι ντύνομαι κι εγώ όπως όλες οι γυναίκες. Το χιτζάπ υποχρεώνομαι να το φορώ όταν υπάρχει αντρική παρουσία. Οταν με βλέπουν φίλες δεν είμαι υποχρεωμένη να το φορέσω. Για τον καθένα η σεμνότητα εκφράζεται διαφορετικά. Για τις μουσουλμάνες υπάρχει ένα όριο, το ίδιο για όλες. Υπάρχει μέσα μου η επιθυμία να φαίνομαι κομψή. Αλλά της επιθυμίας επικρατεί η οφειλή, το χρέος μου να μην περάσω το όριο.

Διαβάστε περισσότερα …

 

 

«Roles to us is clear: mothers, wives and workers»

Summary:  

The foreign Muslims spoke about their lives, wearing hijab in Athens. A 27 year old doctor from Jordan explained that at university they appreciated her choice to follow her religion, had long talks with her colleagues, had a few comments walking at the streets, but she has no doubt about her choice.

She states that there are many Muslim women housewives who do not speak Greek and they feel ashamed that they look different. She analysed shortly the reasons for wearing a hijab, about modesty, and if this was a custom or a symbol then she would probably take it off.

Νοσοκομείο στη Γάζα από την Εκκλησία

Source: Enet 

(English translation below)

 
Νοσοκομείο στη Γάζα προτίθεται να χτίσει η Εκκλησία της Ελλάδος, που θα συνεργαστεί γι’ αυτό το σκοπό με το υπουργείο Εξωτερικών. Ο Ιερώνυμος, πιστός στο όραμά του για βοήθεια στους αναξιοπαθούντες απανταχού της γης, δεν μπορούσε να μείνει ασυγκίνητος από το δράμα των Παλαιστινίων.

*Ετσι, στις συναντήσεις που είχε με την υπουργό Εξωτερικών συμφωνήθηκε να δώσει η Εκκλησία τα χρήματα στο υπουργείο Εξωτερικών με αποκλειστικό σκοπό την ανέγερση του νοσοκομείου και το υπουργείο να προβεί στις απαραίτητες διπλωματικές ενέργειες για να διευκολύνει την υλοποίηση αυτού του έργου. Τα χρήματα για το νοσοκομείο συγκεντρώθηκαν από δισκοφορίες στους ναούς. Ως παράδειγμα του ύψους του ποσού που συγκεντρώνεται, αναφέρεται ότι κάθε μία από τις εκατοντάδες εκκλησίες που βρίσκονται στη δικαιοδοσία της αρχιεπισκοπής στην περιοχή των Αθηνών, συγκέντρωσε ποσά άνω των 700 ευρώ.

*Συγχρόνως συμφωνήθηκε να τεθεί στη διάθεση του υπουργείου Εξωτερικών ο ξενώνας της Εκκλησίας που βρίσκεται στην περιοχή του Φιξ, για να φιλοξενηθούν οι συγγενείς που θα συνοδεύσουν παιδιά από την Παλαιστίνη τα οποία θα μεταφερθούν σε νοσοκομεία της Αθήνας. Το ίδιο θα γίνει και με τον ξενώνα της μητρόπολης Νεαπόλεως στη Θεσσαλονίκη. Ενεργοποιείται επίσης η «Χριστιανική Αλληλεγγύη», που συνδέεται με ιδρύματα όπως το «Κόκορη» και «Δάμαρις» για κορίτσια με νοητική στέρηση.

Η οργάνωση αυτή είχε ιδρυθεί από τον αρχιεπίσκοπο Δαμασκηνό το 1940 και τώρα πρόκειται να συντονίσει τα βήματά της με τη ΜΚΟ «Αλληλεγγύη».

 

 

Hospital in Gaza from the Church

The Church of Greece is planning to build a hospital in Gaza, who will work for this purpose by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  The Jerome, faithful to the vision of assistance to the disadvantaged across the land, could not remain unmoved by the plight of Palestinians.

* For example, in meetings with the Foreign Minister, [they] agreed to give the Church the money to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the sole purpose of building the hospital and the ministry to make the necessary diplomatic efforts to facilitate the implementation of this project.  The money for the hospital is  collected  from diskofories in temples.  As an example of the full amount collected, indicated that each of the hundreds of churches in the jurisdiction of the archdiocese in Athens, collected in excess of 700 euros.

* At the same time [they] agreed to put at the disposal of the foreign ministry of the church hostel located in the Fix, to accommodate relatives who will accompany children from Palestine which will be transferred to hospitals in Athens. The same will happen to the metropolis of Naples hostels in Thessaloniki.  Also the “Christian Solidarity” activated related institutions such as the “Kokoris” and “Damaris” for girls with mental deprivation.

The organization was established by Archbishop Damaskinos in 1940 and is now to coordinate steps with the NGO Solidarity.

Η πρώτη μουσουλμάνα Επαγγελματίας Οπλίτης

Source: Ethnos 

(English translation below)

 

Μεγάλωσε σε οικογένεια χωρίς προκαταλήψεις, είναι δυναμική και όμορφη και από την ερχόμενη Δευτέρα θα υπηρετεί ως ΕΠΟΠ στις Ενοπλες Δυνάμεις.

Είναι 25 χρόνων, όμορφη, σύγχρονη, δυναμική, οδηγεί μηχανή εντούρο, αυτοκίνητο και τρακτέρ, και από την ερχόμενη Δευτέρα θα γίνει η πρώτη μουσουλμάνα που θα υπηρετήσει ως επαγγελματικό στέλεχος στις ελληνικές Ενοπλες Δυνάμεις.

Η Σεϊβτζάν Σαντουλά, από την Ξυλαγανή Ροδόπης, διαφέρει σε πολλά από τις υπόλοιπες κοπέλες της μειονότητας. Μεγαλώνοντας σε μια προοδευτική οικογένεια χωρίς ταμπού και προκαταλήψεις, ήταν η πρώτη στο χωριό της που φοίτησε στο ελληνικό γυμνάσιο, μιλά άπταιστα την ελληνική γλώσσα, ντύνεται μοντέρνα, ενώ στα αξεσουάρ της γκαρνταρόμπας της δεν υπάρχει η μαντίλα.

First Muslimah in the Greek Army

Are devout Muslims obsessed? You bet!

 

Recently, 28 million free DVDs of an Islamophobic, “documentary movie” called “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West” were distributed by direct mail in several parts of the USA. The film ostensibly attempted to draw parallels between “radical Islamists” and the Nazi Party during World War II.

And the question one should ask here is, are Muslims really obsessed?

Apparently, obsession is an inevitable part of everyone’s life.

 

There are people obsessed with money and possessions.

We call that greed.

Others are obsessed with their own appearance or accomplishments.

We call that vanity.

Others obsessed with eating.

We call that gluttony.

Others obsessed with their own country.

That is chauvinism.

Others obsessed with blood and bloodshed.

That is savagery.

Others obsessed with riots and revolutions.

That is anarchy.

Others obsessed with sexual satisfaction.

That is debauchery.

Others obsessed with idols, saints, Ahlul-Bait (descendants of the Prophet), or even the Prophets themselves.

That is shirk (polytheism).

And, finally, there are people obsessed with God.

And we call that perfect faith.

 

These (latter) people strive to centre their lives on the worship and pleasure of their Lord.

 

When a devout Muslim sets out to do something…

He says: “Bismi’llah” (In the name of God).

When asked: “How are you?”

He answers: “Alhamduli’llah” (Thank God / Praise be to God).

When he want’s to express his regret for doing something wrong…

He says: “Astaghfiru’llah” (I seek God’s forgiveness).

When talking of an intended future action…

He says: “Insha’Allah” (God willing).

When expressing wonder at God’s creation…

He says: “Subhana’llah!” (Glory to God!).

When expressing admiration of someone or someone’s deed…

He says: “Ma sha’Allah!” (So is God’s will!*).

When mourning…

He says: “Inna li’llah wa inna ilaihi raji’oon” (We belong to God and unto Him we shall return).

When cheering or garnering one’s inner strength…

He says: “Allahu Akbar” (God is greater!)

 

These are just a few of the words a devout Muslim uses in his everyday life that reflect his devotion.

Plus, as part of his obligations, he prays to God Almighty five times a day, corresponding to the time of dawn, afternoon, midday, sunset, and evening.

If he wishes to do more, he can also perform the prayers performed regularily by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and any voluntary prayers he’d like to add (separately).

But the obsession of pleasing God is NOT confined to rituals. Rather, it extends to each and every other aspect of a Muslim’s life… Starting from the respectful treatment of one’s parents and wife, all the way to – yes! – striving towards the protection of the Islamic Ummah against invaders and towards the peaceful process of conveying the message of Islam.

This notion can be summarized in the following two ayas (verses) of Surat Al-An’am (of the Noble Qur’an) in which God says:

“Say: Lo! My worship and my sacrifice and my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the Worlds. He hath no partner. This am I commanded, and I am first of those who surrender (unto Him).”

So, yes, we are obsessed! But this obsession – you’ll have to agree – is a healthy one, if not a recommendable one.

 

 

—-

Note:

*a statement that’s meant to avoid envy or the possible threat of an evil eye.

 

 

 

How to get married for practicing Muslims!

A sister asked me to post this.  I highly encourage anyone who wants to get married to go through this world-class training program.

How can you find Mr. or Ms. Right without compromising your Deen? This is a question lots and lots of practicing Muslim singles keep asking. While many of us want to be able to choose like minded spouses, no one wants to end up compromising their highest principles, and lowering their standards, especially when it comes to searching for a strong, practicing Muslim. (Speed meeting events? No thanks!)

Enter PRACTIMATE! A new service that provides both marriage training and matchmaking, (though the matchmaking part is optional, you could just want to do the training)  and has been co-founded by Sh.Yaser Birjas who is an AlMaghrib Institute instructor, counselor, Imam, valedictorian of his class from Medina University, AND best known for teaching seminars titled “Love Notes” and “Fiqh of Love.” All I can say is  having someone like this on board will surely set apart Practimate from any other program out there for Muslims so far.

Please share this blog link with your friends and family so everyone can learn about this amazing opportunity. They just opened to the public today!

You can visit the website for more details, and a short video clip from Sh.Yaser explaining what Practimate is all about.

 

Welcome our new Greek Converts Manager

Please give a warm welcome to our new Greek Converts Manager, Mariam Eustathiou.

Mariam is from Cyprus and is now living in Switzerland.  She is the founder of the Facebook group, Greek Muslims, and is a new member of our admin team to help provide support for the Global Greek Muslim community.

She is heading up our crucial project to collect as many Greek convert stories as we can, either in text or video format.  As you know, many Greeks don’t want to accept the fact that we are Greek, raised just like them, and consciously choose Islam.  So, if we don’t have your story submitted already, I highly encourage you to get in contact with Mariam at greekconverts@greeksrethink.com.

Please give a warm welcome to Mariam.

Exclusive coverage of Gaza demonstrations in Greece – with photo gallery

Muslims, anti-war organizations, students and the general Athens population came together daily to protest in support to free Gaza against this humanitarian tragedy.

 

Main Demonstrations – Saturday, January 10

We participated at a large demonstration brought forth by many organizations, political parties, syndicates and the Arab community at Syntagma square. It was very successful and peaceful although it was crowded and long.  Walking from U.S. embassy to the Israeli embassy, people expressed their frustration and promised not to stop demonstrating until the attacks are stopped and the Israeli troops are withdrawn from Gaza Strip.

 

Children’s Demonstration – Sunday, January 11

In front of the Greek Parliament, Palestinian, Greek and Arab children up to 14 years old stood with their parents in unity to raise their voices in hopes to make a difference. Heading to the U.N. offices and stopping to the E.U. offices, this was the most successful protest, completely peaceful with small children.

 

Blood for Gaza

The Ministry of Health & Welfare along with the Minister Avramopoulos personally responded instantly to the request of the Muslim Association of Greece and organized a two-day blood collection for Gaza on Monday and Tuesday. Many people among Greeks and Arabs donated their blood and as soon as the blood reaches Gaza, they will hold another blood collection very soon, but the ministry needs to assure the route first because blood is a sensitive material and Gaza is a very difficult destination.

 

 Demonstration in Astakos, Greece

On Thursday, the authorities of the region of Etoloakarnania, the mayor of Astakos, political party Synaspismos, anti war coalition, Palestinian community and the Muslim Association in Greece all took part at the second demonstration at the Greek port in Astakos.

The speeches were at the center of Astakos, where the mayor was one of those who acted immediately and dynamically to stop this ship. Everyone spoke with flaming words about the war in Gaza who stood at the side of the Palestinians suffering but still enduring this slaughter.

Protests continued at the port facilities, but we were not allowed to enter because port police and special forces blocked the entrance. The citizens of Astakos were actively following the demonstration, conscious about what was about to happen in their laps.

Next demonstration on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in Athens. The demonstrations continue until this brutality in Gaza is stopped.

 

 

—–

Notes:  other coverage in Greece

Μετά την κινητοποίηση στον Αστακό που εμπόδισε την μεταφορά όπλων προς το Ισραήλ συνεχίζουμε με το αντιπολεμικό συλλαλητήριο το Σάββατο 17/1

03-01-2009 ΔΙΑΔΗΛΩΣΗ ΑΛΛΗΛΕΓΓΥΗΣ ΣΤΗ ΓΑΖΑ

Why Arabs Hate Jews

I sit here in my room and I don’t know whether to cry or scream.  I’ve been staring at nine different websites this morning, all reporting Israeli international war crimes and I wonder why the world is blind.  But then I remember, I was blind once too. I couldn’t understand why Arabs and Muslims ‘hated Jews’* until I met many people that would expose my naivety.  

Treated Precisely Like Animals

Like when many Palestinians told me they were treated precisely like animals when they were in Palestine, or when the Israelis commanded everyone to be locked in their houses for 45 days, even when they had no food, or when Israelis bombed their homes, schools, a major university and the U.N. headquarters in Gaza!

Demolishing Their Homes

What about the chemicals they try to put into the water to try to stop Palestinians from having babies? The two hours of water per week? Intermittent electricity? Or the 15 minute evacuation notice from their homes they lived in their entire lives because it’s going to be demolished with them in it or not!  Or when the Israeli government doesn’t allow reporters into Gaza (or civilians out of Gaza) because they don’t want their war crimes to leak out to the rest of the world?

Killing Children

What hurt me a lot was when I heard that it’s normal for the children and adults to pee their pants out of sheer fear of death when they hear bombs, shooting or sirens.  Or, an Israeli who killed a 13-year old Palestinian girl with 17 shots, who the soldier admitted that she was “scared to death”. The commander saying, “This is commander. Anything that’s mobile, that moves in the zone, even if it’s a three-year-old, needs to be killed. Over.”  

And Canada supports Israel?!

So, how was I so blind to overlook these war crimes? Why would Canada – my country!- be the only one out of 47 nations to oppose a motion condemning the Israeli military offensive in Gaza in the United Nations human rights council a few days ago.

And then I read this quote and everything made sense.

In 2002 Dr. Pierce reported on an unusual display of chutzpah, unusual in that the late Israel Asper who owned some 60% of Canada’s media outlets at the time had actually issued a written (vs. verbal) directive instructing his newspapers that they must not print anything critical of Israel or of Zionist policies.

And this just says it all:

Jews Against Israeli War Crimes

 

 

I guess in the end, I shouldn’t cry or scream.  I should just pray.  Because that’s the only thing that is going to put human back into the word humanity.

 

—–

*Note: Arabs don’t actually hate Jews.  They hate what the Israeli government is doing and join the rest of the Jews that stand up against international war crimes. For more information, read, Why Muslims want to kill infidels.

 

 

Israeli weapons at Greek port: the real story

 

“Go Greece!!! Greeks hinder US arms delivery to Israel!!!“  When I saw this title posted on www.islamify.com, it made me smile.  By now, the word is getting out that Israel is trying to obtain another U.S. weaponry shipment that is tied up at the Astakos port in Greece.  Although many news networks are covering the story* around the world, I thought it was interesting to hear the details directly from one of my sources in Greece that are in the area:

Astakos is one of the very few ports that is big enough and it’s private so it doesn’t belong to the government. This way, the Greek government is somehow explaining the fact that it is not interfering in that matter that much.  However, Greek law states that whatever lies in Greek waters is under the jurisdiction of the Greek Navy and the government.  And since the European Union and the U.N. condemn what Israel is doing, the Greek government had the right to not allow those ships to deliver those cargos.  But these days, the Greek government went on saying that such a matter (i.e. sending weapons to Israel for the war in Gaza) doesn’t even exist.

 

Some journalists (who live close to the area) said that these weapons were already stored here in Greece and this is why those ships were sent here to take them. Some American ships were on the port on January 7, 2009.  Some people have claimed that they carried many containers with unknown types of weapons. Also, some military analysts claim that because of the heavy load, they are probably carrying GBU-28 bombs, each of them weighing 2.2 tonnes, that can bomb through 6 meters in concrete!

 

The U.S. is now saying that it will not happen anymore even though the shipment is still at the port, but since practically no one believes them, there have been demonstrations at the port.  The Greek government, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, has tried to say that the matter is not even discussable and they treat it as it doesn’t exist.  The Greek people, however, are not going to pretend to be blind.  So far, Muslims and non-Muslims in Greece have been protesting at the port twice in addition to all the demonstrations going on in Greece, including the Communist Party being involved in the protesting.

 

Please join the facebook groups protesting to stop this Gaza genocide:

Σταματήστε το φονικό στην ΓΑΖΑ! | Stop killing in GAZA!

GREEKS PROTEST Against Israel For Shooting At a Greek Aid Ship Heading Gaza 

 

—

*Note:  Some other reports about the incident:

http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=967338

http://astakos.wordpress.com

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N12348891.htm 

http://www.inteldaily.com/news/163/ARTICLE/9285/2009-01-14.html

اعتصام بمرفأ يوناني يستخدم لنقل أسلحة لإسرائي    AlJazeera

Why Muslims want to kill infidels

Actually, they don’t. 

 

A non-Muslim visiting our website told me that Muslims need a better Public Relations department.  Well, he’s right. After listening to false media, people start to wonder, are Muslims a bunch of 1.5 billion terrorists, plotting all day to try to kill ‘infidels’?  Well, if news reports are about Muslims, take only 10% of what you hear.

Here’s why:

 

Muslims don’t use the word ‘infidels’

You can tell the fakeness of the article if you read made-up words like ‘infidels’, ‘Islamists’ and ‘fundamentalism’ etc. Making up new words is a media technique to incite fear into the readers so that they scare you to move forward with their agendas. Muslims use the terms that God uses in the Quran – believer (mu’min) and disbeliever (kaafir).

Being vs. treating

There’s a difference between being a disbeliever and how Muslims treat disbelievers – a disbeliever being someone who does not submit their entire life to One God without partners.  Just because you choose not to be a believer doesn’t mean that we hate you and want to kill you.  It just means that you have denied the One that created you.  Think about it, would you ever deny that your mother gave birth to you?  Then why deny the God that created you?

Hate the sin, not the sinner

But it’s out of God’s mercy that he has instructed us to love all human beings – even if you deny Him – and that each and every human life is sacred.  We are instructed to be loving, respectful, sincere, humble, kind and courteous to all people and to hate sins, but not hate the sinner.

To hate murder, but not the murderer.

To hate adultery, but not the adulterer.

And to hate the greatest sin of all time,

disbelief in God, but not the disbeliever.

 

It goes to say that if human life is sacred, we are definitely against anyone who takes a civilian life away, regardless of the religion the murderer professes. So, if your next door neighbour is Muslim, don’t panic.  Just go over and say, hey, I think you guys need a better Public Relations department.

 

 ————

Notes:

1) Muslims are not allowed to judge another person and label them disbelievers unless the person himself openly declares that he does in fact disbelieves in One God without partners.

2) Muslims are not allowed to take any rulings of Islamic law into their own hands just like you don’t have authority to take your country’s law into your own hands unless you are a judge, for example.  Also, Islamic law only applies in a true Islamic state (there are no true Islamic states in the world today) just like your country’s law only applies in your country.

3)  Are Jews and Christians believers?

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