Fury of Muslims in Greece, Leading Where?

The torn copy of the Holy Qur’

http://www.islamonline.net For two subsequent days hundreds of Muslim immigrant demonstrators filled the streets in Athens protesting against an incident that a police officer had torn up a copy of the Holy Qur’an. The incidents caused different kinds of reactions and resurfaced the problematic status of the marginalized Greek Muslims.According to Mr. Naim El-Ghandour, President of the Muslims Association in Greece (MAG), there was an abrupt police raid on a Syrian café in Athens, across Nicolas Church Street. The clients were checked by Greek policemen who asked the immigrants to show their ID credentials. They also ordered the immigrants to take off their shoes, socks. They were thoroughly searched.

However, nothing illegal was found and the immigrants proved to be legally residents of the country.

Up to that point, nobody was to blame…

During the raid, one of the Greek officers, whose identity is still anonymous, approached Mohammad, 24 years, speaks poor Greek, and asked him to empty his pockets.

Worth mentioning that the Syrian café is a meeting and a recreational place for many Muslims in Athens.

Among the belongings of the young man, the officer found a booklet with Arabic characters and asked what it was. “It is the Holy Qur’an, which I recite every morning and evening” Mohammad replied. “As you recite the Gospel, we have the Qur’an” he tried to explain.

The police officer’s reaction to those words was that he tore the Holy Qur’an up, threw it on the floor, and stepped on it.

One of his fellow officers asked him to stop because this was the Holy book of the Muslims, but in vain…

Immediate Reactions

With a torn up version of the Holy Qur’an, the President of the Muslim Association of Greece headed for the closest police station and the Public Order and Safety (Ministry of Internal Affairs in Greece) and reported the sacrilege.

Statements of the Greek Authorities

As a rejection to any kind of anti-religious freedom action, Mr. Evangelos Antonaros, the Deputy Government Spokesman, issued the following statement on May 22, 2009 (full statement is on the official website of the Ministry of Interior, Hellenic Government, click here):

“The Greek State totally respects the religious freedom of everyone and distinctly convicts any kind of insult for such freedom, especially insulting sacred texts and symbols that are inextricable parts of any faith.

Every action that is turned against the religious freedom of the others warrants total disapproval of the Greek society that traditionally accepts with hospitality people belonging to any race or religion, since they respect the laws of our country.”

Muslims’ Feelings after the Insult

Mr. Naim El-Ghandour with the torn copy of the Holy Qur’an.

“The fact that the police officer tore up the Qur’an and stepped on it is a major crime as far as Muslims are concerned,” Mr. Naim El-Ghandour explained.“The Qur’an is our sacred symbol and represents our Faith,”

“It is a tremendous insult of the religious beliefs of people who have found themselves targeted by wars and islamophobia evoked against them even in Greece,” El-Ghandour highlighted with sorrow.

On the governmental level, Mr. Christos Markogiannakis, the Deputy Minister of Inner Affairs stated that: “The General Police Administration of Athens is investigating this case in which a policeman is accused of insulting a religious symbol. The inquiry goes into depth and whoever is proven responsible for such act will be brought to justice.

Escalating the Situation

Moreover, Mr. Naim added that some of the small Left parties misused the situation by provoking the immigrants to demonstrate against the racist and oppressive acts of the police in St. Panteleimonas area. Demonstrations centred in the heart of Athens where those parties distributed posters with their claims, using the ripped part of the Qur’an as a trigger for violent reactions.

Consequently, the Hellenic Government replied to those actions saying: “The incident is still under investigation. Yet, it does not justify the actions by some people who are determined to commit damages to civilians’ properties nor to engage in civil clashes causing injuries and disturbing severely the social and economical life of the city,” added Mr. Markogiannakis.
MAG Attitude

On the other hand, Mr. Naim El-Ghandour stressed “the Muslim Association of Greece as well as the habitués of all mosques in Athens has refused to participate in any demonstration.”

“We resort to the legal channels. We are waiting to recognize the name of the involved police officer in order to sue him. Of course we have every confidence in the Greek Judicial System. As the whole country faces depression and crisis, a reckless man commits an irresponsible action and creates a problem.

To All Immigrants

During his statement, Mr. Markogiannakis addressed the whole immigrant community saying: “We ask the legitimate immigrants who live in Greece to respect peace and order assuring that the State will not allow such extremist behaviors.
We expect from all political forces to show responsibility, to satisfy the demands of the civilians within law and order.
The problem of illegal immigration is a sensitive national issue.”
(Full Statement by the Greek Deputy Minister of Interior for the current events in the center of Athens in Greek, Please click here to view)

Causes for the outrageous reaction

“Many of the new immigrants are young, kids of 19, 20  years old, who have no jobs, face every day hunger, and have lots of problems..” Mr. El-Ghandour explained.

Under such circumstances, the slightest provocation can cause an explosion and especially for a religious symbol.

We should have mutual respect for each other’s religions. Everyone should treat the other’s sanctuaries with respect.

The politicians need to speed up action and find a solution for the immigrants’ problems and we must learn to live together respecting each other,” he added.

Political Declarations

On a broader level, all the political parties in Greece have condemned this incident.

Characteristically, the PASOK Spokesman Giorgos Papakonstantinou pointed out that the “phenomena of humiliation and disrespect of the religious rights and the insult of symbols of any religion cannot be tolerated for any citizen;  Greek or immigrant.”
(For more information, please click here).

Causalities on all levels

The Pakistanis, Afghanis, and Bangladeshis participated in those demonstrations that lasted for two days and serious damages occurred: many stores, cars, bus stops were smashed. Many thieveries occurred; there were also injured policemen and immigrants. Again, the smell of tear gas and of the cocktail Molotov canisters was spread everywhere in Athens.

Late at night, a small group of people set fire to a basement of a residential building where there was a prayer place, an unofficial mosque for the Bangladesh community.

Four people were inside the prayer place at that hour and luckily they were not hurt.

However, none was blamed for this terrorist act which was regarded as an act of revenge.

Mohammed, the immigrant involved with the officer, having the torn version of the Holy Quran accompanied by Mr. Naim El-Ghandour, the president of Muslim Association of Greece, and represented by the distinguished attorney Frangiskos Ragousis filed a lawsuit at the Hellenic Courts on Monday May the 24th.

All parties are waiting for the Court’s ruling…