Call for Athens mosque by Cairo Imam

Source:  Ethnos

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Muhammad Herzullah, Professor of Al Azhar University – Imam of Hussein Mosque Cairo

The request of the presence of an official imam and the existence of a mosque and Muslim cemetery in Athens expressed in his interview at “Ethnos”, Dr. Muhammad Herzullah, Professor of Al Azhar University and Imam of Hussein Mosque of Cairo. Dr. Herzullah defends the ideals of Islam and states that many times Islam is distorted in the West. The imam also rejects the aspect that the division of the Muslims into Shias and Sunnis has religious base and he supports that in fact there are different schools of Islamic thought.

An interview with Paraskevi Vonatsou

The interview was given in the context of the International Conference that took place in Athens the day before yesterday and the translation was made with the assistance of the president of the Muslim Association of Greece, Mr. Naim Elghandour.

In the Western world many times it is attempted to connect Islam with terrorism. How do you interpret that?

There is not the relevant education to understand Islam. In the countries that the one is connected with the other there is not the right information, Islam is something unknown.

Islam is a religion with high standards, respects for others and all opinions. This is the basis of Islam. I wish there were theologians coming from certified universities to many countries, in order to avoid misconceptions.

Then why there are deaths in the name of jihad?

The word jihad is another misunderstood term of the West that connects it with terrorism. It is a fight, and effort, a struggle. The word jihad exists everywhere: when one is going to study, to work, when one tries to solve problems between people, when he preserves his rights, when he defends his country.

In Athens, where there is not an official imam, is there a bad interpretation of the Quran from those who play the imam role at the unofficial praying places?

This is really very dangerous because anyone may interprete the Quran as he pleases. The authorities of the countries that have Muslim population must take care of the wellbeing of the country and for the harmonious coexistence, they must solve this matter, so that the faithful know which is the true Islam.

Does the religious division between Shias and Sunnis exist, or this is a case of political perspectives?

In fact those are different Islamic schools of thought. This hard rivalry between them is provoked by enemies of Islam, as happened in Iraq, where after the intervention of the foreign powers began the inner fight between them.

What is Islam at last? Is this a religion, and ideology or a way of living?

Islam is the vein of life. What gives life. It respects other religions, wants dialogue and thinking, and adopts the exchange of opinions with other religions, in order to eliminate religious conflicts and deaths in the name of religions.

There is the aspect that the Muslim woman has a diminished role in the society. Is this an order from the Quran?

No, this is a wrong aspect. Islam has given rights to the woman and gives her freedom of thinking and will. For example when a woman does not want to marry someone, she expresses that, she cannot get married by force, also the courts issue divorces to women. The Muslim is also a very good husband.

Polygamy is not derogatory for a woman? Why does it not exist for the opposite also?

I invite you to think which is best: a man to have two or three formal wives with rights at heritage, at pension and fortune or to have mistresses? The vise versa does not stand because a woman is not created in her nature to have many husbands. It is scientifically proven that the woman in her nature cannot marry more than a husband. This does not underestimate the woman. It is characteristic that many women accept the role of the second wife instead of being mistresses without marriage.

How do you comment the fact that there is not an official mosque and Muslim cemetery in Athens?

Greece is considered as the Cradle of Democracy and Freedom since those ideals were born here. I also ask the Greek government to make action those that your country represents. Like in Egypt, we have Orthodox churches and schools and communities and cemeteries.

Muslim Conference in Athens

The different schools of Islamic thought but also the hot issue of not having a mosque and a Muslim cemetery in Athens were the issues that were discussed at the first international conference titled “the Muslim Communities and their Cultural Identity”.

The initiative for the organizing this belongs to the Cultural Center of the Iranian embassy in Athens, to the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic School of Thought, and the Muslim Association of Greece. In the beginning at his salutation, Mr. Yunes, representative of the Afghani immigrants in Greece underlined that Athens is the only European country, despite of the existing laws that has not allowed yet the existence of a formal place of worship and a cemetery for the Muslims.

On behalf of the Muslim Association of Greece, Mrs. Anna Stamou underlined, “Islam is a system of life, not just a religion, and takes part at every aspect of people’s life. If someone wants to be called a good Muslim, he must fully respect the laws of the state in the country he lives.” The result of the conference was read by a professor of Tehran university and concluded that the right face of Islam must be shown globally.

Between the speakers were Ayatollah Akhtari, of the International Committee of Prophet Muhammad’s descendents, Ayatollah Taskhiri, secretary General of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic School of Thought, Yashar Sherif Damadoglou deputy mufti of Didymotiho and the unofficial Mufti of Komotini Ibrahim Sherif, to whom the Muslim Association of Greece kept the distances.