Finally, the mosque! (memoir of a Greek Muslim)
May 3, 2010 by ImanK
Source: Protagon.gr
© Translation: Muslim Association of Greece
by Gerasimos Loukatos
As a Greek, I learned to be proud for the country I was born and raised in, the cradle of democracy and of a great civilization that our ancestors established. As a Muslim, I met another great civilization whose achievements benefit humanity but are known only by a few.
When joining the team of the Muslim Association of Greece, on the road to our meetings with officials of the Ministry of Education, I had doubts about the outcome. The mosque should have stood upright since 2004 so what could change after six years?
To my great surprise, I met people there that showed a sincere interest for the thousands of Muslims that have no official place to pray and they feel isolated. For all those who do not find the guidance of an acknowledged imam when they need it, and for those who cannot be buried to the country that they were born in, raised or spent most of their lives in.
With great joy, I read about the announcement of the Minister of Education for the immediate construction of the Islamic mosque, not only because there will be an official place for me to pray but for the guidance I need as a new Muslim. I am also happy because this is an action in the right direction that is in harmony with the ideals of democracy. An action that I do not read in a history book but in articles that talk about tomorrow!
I am as much Greek as a Muslim and those who know Islam in depth know that this is the middle way. It is no more than the famous saying ‘Metron Ariston’ [free translation all in good measure], applied in every aspect of Muslim’s life.
In the middle of this crisis, maybe the necessary changes shall succeed that will lead to a harmonious coexistence and equal rights and obligations, no matter what religion, beliefs or other factors. The only negative point is the inadequate capacity that comes from the statements of the officials for the mosque and the future problems they might occur.
The steps to the right direction could be more correct if the ‘future’ factor was considered into the equation.
*Gerasimos Loukatos is member of the Muslim Association of Greece
Translated by Anna Stamou
I am surprised that Greece is building a mosque at a time we Arab Christians are facing continuous discriminations. Let me ask why in sAudi aRabi no church is allowed ? and why Christians in the Arab countries are beeing forced to leave and treated as 2nd class citizens
ONLY Lebanon is a heaven (so far) for Arab Christians in the middle east.
In our schools we are forced to hear abt iSalm and nothing else
YES Greeks re-think b4 allowing islam in ur country I can see then in few years u will become a minority as we are now in the Middle East
In my last trip to sAudia the Holy Bible (in Arabic) that I was carrying was confiscated at the airport ! I thought we are ”ahl al iktab”
Brother, how come that I hear from other Christians from Palestine & Israel that Muslims and Christians live in peace with each other there? Secondly, since you know your rights as one of the ahlul Kitab, according to Shariah, why don’t you struggle in order for Muslims to recognize these rights? This is what we do here in Greece. We know our constitutional rights, so we struggle for those right (for example, having an official place to pray, instead of underground garages etc.).
Lastly, you know very well that this has nothing to do with Islam, but rather with Muslims, cause at other times, things were different, and Christians were more accepted than they are in our time. You might even want to look into the reasons why Christians are discriminated against in our time. Anyway, just some food for thought.
Christians in all arab countires have right even more than muslims some times. they were never 2end class i am not sure where are you getting this info. they can build as much churchs as they want with no control even thought arab countires are not democratice like greece for example but yet u can see that greece didnto allow the mosque for long time even though there are greeks who are muslims.
for saudi there are not saudi born local christian that could calim and ask for church.
Ghassan,
I am surprised you are an Arab Christian and you don’t know more about the situation in parts of the middle East!
Either way, I will try to explain to you why there are no official churches in Saudi Arabia. By its opponents it is called a sect, a heresy or a movement and by its followers it is considered a return to the original practice of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Wahhabism took its name from the scholar Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab who introduced the idea of purging Islam from any innovation (bidaa) that came after the Prophet (PBUH).
I say “introduced” because traditionally there has been a distinction between good and bad innovation, a good innovation considered the one that does not contradict fundamental Islamic principles. Note that Wahhabism was a reaction towards the end of Ottoman empire, sometime in the mid- to late 18th century. Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab perceived political and religious corruption as a threat and went to the other extreme of condemning democracy as a source of evil in the world and in turn, the west who established it. Unfortunately, when people see a way out from dead-ends they tend to follow it and ibn Abd-al-Wahhab’s ideas gained influence in Saudi Arabia. Among his ideas was that Muslims should not only oppose people of other religions but even hate other people for their religion! He even questioned the blind following of the teachings of the 4 rightly guided Imams of early Islamic era and the blind following of authority. Indirectly, even Sharia was questioned, as it was formulated during the same Islamic era.
Now, following blindly anything is an ignorant practice, I’d say even for those who adopt the extreme and in many cases non-islamic positions of Wahabbism, today. Unfortunately, the Saudis are investing a lot of money, funding mosques and publications, in order to promote the ideas of Wahabbism and unfortunately you will find the ideas of Wahabbism, present to Muslim as well as non-Muslim countries around the world. The degree will differ depending on the level of ignorance and the degree of marginalization of Muslims in the societies they reside. Now to your question, churches are not allowed in Saudi Arabia, simply because the Pope hasn’t recognized the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a prophet and as a result of such extreme views towards other religions. In regards to Jews and Christians, such views are directly against the Quranic view as the people of the Book!
So, why these ideas have nothing to do with Islam and the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH)? It is because he said in one of his hadiths that we shouldn’t hate people but their actions. It is the actions who are a result of either ignorance or knowledge. Muslims who inherit their religion from their fathers are not less ignorant from any person on this planet who inherits his/her religion and customs from his/her father. You may take a verse or a line out of context, from any religious or other book, in order to justify your opinion or point of view. However, that opinion will still be false and out of context!
It is very clearly stated in the Quran that religion should not be out of compulsion and that is because beliefs cannot be imposed on people. As a Muslim I have to tell you the truth of my belief, if you recognize it that’s fine, if not, it’s your problem not mine. So, even proselytization is not allowed in Islam. Even more so, according to Sharia, religious people and their places of worship are to be protected under Islamic rule. Sharia cannot be partially applied but do you think there is a single place on earth where sharia is applied properly, as a totality? The answer is no!
Instead, you have dictators placed all over the Muslim world, with the support and influence of western countries, to safeguard their interests, for the purpose of exploitation. The question is, why every time a Muslim does something wrong it is a fault of Islam, the religion of 1,6 billion people, when in reality it is a result of the ignorance of his religion! On the other hand, when innocent civilians are bombed it is not a Christian violence! Yet you have people going out and killing, devout Christians claiming they heard a voice from God!! And in case you don’t know it, any war that has been fought by the US at least the last 20 years, it has been fought with the financial and political support of more or less powerful Christian denominations in the US!
I don’t know what you have experienced as an Arab Christian but I know for sure from the little you mentioned, it was not Islam, it was the actions of ignorant Muslims. And unfortunately you speak more like a Jew (eye for an eye) and less as a Christian (turn the other cheek). So, you may be as ignorant of your religion as the people you accuse! The fact is, unless injustice and oppression is recognized and be dealt with, from all sides, expressions of extremism will continue to flourish, whether it be Wahabbism, Zionism, extreme left and right wings, you name it!
At least now you know why there are not any churches in Saudi Arabia and why bringing it up as an example is as bad as your knowledge of Islam. You are not supposed to know about Islam but when you want to understand a situation you need to understand the circumstances around that situation. Maybe it’s not your fault, because the educational system never provided you that information but it is your fault when you go about accusing people, without trying to find out and understand why things are the way they are and how they ended up here.
Now, you know also that as a Muslim and by Sharia, I seek to benefit the society I am living in and that is by following the most fundamental Islamic principle of seeking knowledge before acting and speaking. Therefore I’d rather have one mosque established by the authority of the state, than 100 mosques funded to promote external or other interests alien to the teachings of Islam. Because at the end of the day, Islam is the middle way and extremities have no place in it!
Gerasimos