Prayer on the sidewalk

Source: Protagon

By Naim Elghandour

Διαβάστε στα Ελληνικά

Ramadan in Athens for the 37^th time. It started on August 11 with the sweltering heat and will end on September 10^th. The first days of adjustment are always harder as the rhythms of life do not change despite the fasting from sunrise to sunset.

Late evening before August 15^th, after having iftar at home, which is the dinner that breaks the fast, I took Sheikh Mohammed, a respectful imam from Al Azhar university to go and pray at Piraeus. Al Andalus is the name of the praying place but it does not remind me anything of the glory of Andalusia as it is an underground warehouse on Filonos street in the heart Trouba where we pray for the last 17 years.

As we go down and go inside, in the first five minutes the sweat is running like a river. My breath stopped and the 60 year old imam who came from upper Egypt who can [usually[ bear the heat was ready to collapse. He told me that his sweat was dripping under his face all the way down to his socks. Why???

I was in despair because I am responsible for all these people who come to pray. I prayed that the temperature falls a bit to avoid the ambulances. You cannot put ventilation in this place nor air condition because it has no window. It is a hole under the ground.

We finished our prayer as [best] we could and when we went up to the surface I realized that this cannot happen again. The temperature at 11pm was 37°C and who knows about the humidity, it was suffocating even in open air.

The day after, I informed the state security that we were going to pray on the sidewalk outside of the “mosque” and that it is better to bring us a police car than to be taken by ambulances.

Sunday at 10 in the night all prayer mats were laid down on the sidewalk of Filonos street and the few people that walked by were surprised. Of course we did not bother anyone, all stores were closed. But we were alert, you never know what could happen, but the prayer was more humane in those hot days.

And I am thinking: What does a man have to go through to praise God as He deserves? My little kids were crying to take them with me earlier, but where can I take them?

Sometimes I take them to the Neos Kosmos garage that has better ventilation and they play with the other kids. There, the older kids are learning how to pray and the little ones imitate the grownups and then they start chasing each other and laugh, but we are always underground. When we finish, I buy them ice cream.

This is how Ramadan is in our great city.

———

Translated by: Anna Stamou

MAG at Athens observatory to sight new moon

Διαβάστε στα Ελληνικά

The evening of Tuesday August 10, 2010 representatives of all Muslim communities responded to the call of the Muslim Association of Greece and met at Pendeli Observatory for the third year in order to sight the new moon for themselves that will start the beginning of the Ramadan month.

With great pleasure, the Athens Observatory (www.noa.gr) responds to our request for sighting the new moon with our the eyes of the reps of Muslims of Attica. Distinguishes scientists explain the phenomenon of new moon and reply to the questions of the participants. Everyone of them have the chance to look at the telescope. This year, like last year, we were hosted by Dr. Anastasios Dapergolas who responded to many questions and explained that new moon is a global phenomenon, not a local one, subsequently the only thing that changes is the local time of each country.

People from all lengths of the Muslim world were present. From Morocco to Bangladesh, from Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Algeria, Iran, Pakistan, Kurds, and of course Greeks. Among us was the honored guest of MAG, imam of Al Azhar university sheikh Mohammed Abdelsalam. All together we left to inform the prayer places of the common decision, based on the astronomical data of Pendeli Observatory, that the new moon is born and the forst of Ramadan is August 11^th, 2010. So the Taraweeh prayer at the praying places of Attica has started on Tuesday night at 10.

Ramadan Kareem

Photo Gallery

MAG press release: Israel murders civilians

Διαβαστε στα Ελληνικά

Gaza is bleeding and so are the people who support and love Gaza, but this time literally.

The Muslim Association of Greece highly condemns the hijacking of the unarmed freedom flotilla by the Israeli Navy in international waters. Thanks to the indifference of the world opinion, we were led to this bloody attack resulting in tragic deaths of passengers and dozens of other injured activists who were armed with nothing else but the sense of hope, justice, and the determination of a free Mediterranean.

We have actively participated since the beginning of the movement with plenty of tireless volunteers. The president, Naim Elghandour was on board of the cargo ship, Free Mediterranean, representing all of us.

People from every corner of the world, every age, ideology and status and religion have united for a just cause and now others are dead, others are wounded and some are prisoners. In the holds of the ship are dozens of electric wheelchairs for the disabled, prefabricated homes, desalination systems, building materials, and medical supplies which will never reach the receipts in Gaza who are in dire need.

Amongst the six ships of the “Freedom Flotilla” two Greek vessels and crews, the Free Mediterranean and Sfendoni were severely attacked in international waters as they also witnessed the bringing down of the Greek flag and its humiliation which is something that frightens us.

At least 4o Greek poeple are missing with Israel being the only one able to give us answers. Indeed, these are the very same poeple that killed so many civilians. How reliable can their data be and what is the fate of the hundreds activists?

The international community must act now because today civilians were killed while fighting in the name of liberty.

We express our sincerest condolences to the families of the victims, dead, wounded and prisoners and we dearly wish that one day Gaza will stop bleeding and the Mediterranean will be free.

 ——

Photo taken from aljazeera.net.

Cargo ship to Gaza leaves Greece (full photo gallery)

Note from the people from the “Ship to Gaza”:

Subject: The Greek ships leave for Gaza!

First the truck (FREE MEDITERRANEAN) and after the cruise (Sfendoni) depart from Piraeus today bound for the port of Gaza. After weeks of preparation and hard work uploading the truck for three days and nights, ready to join other ships of the “Liberty Fleet” and become the means for breaking the siege of the Zionists, who threatened to stop it. The briefing will be ongoing and will be from the site and from the digital platform. They should be ready for mass mobilization, when it enters the latter part of the business (about four days). We want you all with us!!!

More information and digital broadcasts boat picture of the ships for all of us who can not travel, visit the site www.shiptogaza.gr.

Click on the photo to view the photo gallery from the Muslim Association of Greece.

In Votaniko, the mosque! (in-depth report)

Source:  Expresso

© Translation: Muslim Association of Greece

Διαβάστε στα Ελληνικά

And the name…Votanikos! This is the name of the location that the first Islamic mosque of Athens will be constructed, after the decision of the government to proceed applying the law of 2006 and to satisfy a permanent claim for the Muslim community [in Greece].

After negotiations between the City of Athens and the related ministries of Education and National Defence, the government judged the most suitable place for the construction of the mosque to be a part of the field that occupies the Navy Entrenchment of Votanikos. The land has 17 acres and is located where the current Central Station of Navy Cars is.

The first mosque of Athens will be located at Iera Odos, a few hundred metres from Markoni Street and the Eleonas metro station. There exists several home trade businesses, car sales, and construction material in this area and it is diminished by the passing of heavy vehicles. However it is almost certain that in a few years the picture will be totally different, as the new stadium of Panathinaikos will be constructed nearby along with plans to widen  the streets of this area.

According to the existing plan, the entrance of the mosque will be from Iera Odos. The construction will have a capacity of about five hundred persons and will “be included in a wider open green area,” as announced the government spokesman George Petalotis, but it will not have a minaret. As far as the Station of Navy Cars is concerned, it will be relocated to another place of the Navy Entrenchment of Votanikos.

The president of the Muslim Association of Greece, Naim Elghandour, is satisfied with the developments and emphasizes that the mosque is essential for the thousands of foreigners but also for the Greeks, as he says – Muslims that live in Athens. At the same time, he promised that when the mosque starts operating, most of the unofficial praying places that exist today at the capital will close.

“The Muslims are praying in warehouses and underground garages. This is not right and it does not suit to our civilization,” says Mr. Elghandour and states that the Association “will go forward to close,” those praying places that are located today at areas that will be accommodated by the Votanikos Mosque.

Mr. Elghandour has an Egyptian origin but has Hellenic nationality and has served in the Greek Army. In a way, he considers those developments his achievement and the Association’s, since, as he states, by their letter to the Minister of Education Marietta Giannakou in 2006, they began the procedures for the voting of the relative law, and with a recent letter to the present Minister of National Defence, Evangelos Venizelos, ‘unsticking’ the case that was frozen for a long time.

“We proposed to be a Hellenic mosque, in the terms that no foreign country is to put money so that they will not have the upper hand,” refers the president of the Muslim Association of Greece and adds that they do not want the mosque “to be something huge and attract attention negatively.”

As far as the imam is concerned, Mr. Elghandour asks the Ministry of Education to choose one of those that the Association will propose. “We want him to be active, strong and educated in order to gather the people around him and teach them the correct Islam,” says characteristically. “There is no extreme Islam – these are politics. Islam is a religion of peace, love and beneficial to the society, just as we Muslims in Greece live. We love, respect and defend it,” he underlines.

However Mr. Elghandour does not hide his disappointment for the fact that the mosque will not have a minaret, while he sees the capacity of 500 people very little. “They should think about it. We had proposed to the Ministry of Education [for the mosque] to be 2500m², and to have two floors in order to accommodate 2500 persons,” he ends up.  

“With State Funds”

The construction will be based to the law 3512/2006 where describes the establishment of a legal body of private law under the name “Administrating Committee of Islamic Mosque of Athens” and its work will be the management of the mosque. The administration of the mosque will have the Greek State since the 7-member board of the committee will be consisted by the general director of religions of the Ministry of Education, a general director of Finance ministry, two reps of the City of Athens, a consultant that will be assigned by the Athens Academy and two representatives of Muslims that live in Attica. At the mosque, there will be an imam that will be assigned by the Minister of Education and will have a two year contract and his duties will be “limited in the responsibility for the internal operation of the mosque.”

For the time being there is no evaluation for the whole cost of the construction. As Mr. Petalotis announced, “the project will be executed with Greek funds by the Program of Public Expenditure Fund, and offers from foreign factors, governmental or not, will not be accepted.” According to the law 3512/2006, the operation costs of the mosque will be covered by the funding of the Ministry of Education but also from endowments, donations and every kind of offers of natural or legal faces.

 

By: Stathis Deligiorgis

Photos: William Faithful

Translated by Anna Stamou

Camp for New Muslims in Spain

 

2^nd Annual Camp for European New Muslims

28^th of May to 1^st of June 2010

Malaga, Spain 

 

The Native European Muslims Assembly (NEMA) invites you to attend the 2nd Annual Camp for European New Muslims.

Please check the details below in the documents. Deadline April 30 (as long as spaces are available).  For registration or further information, please contact nema.information@googlemail.com. 

Flyer

Registration Form

 

 

 

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Δελτίο Τύπου για τον εμπρησμό στο Ηράκλειο Κρήτης

Με λύπη μας στέλνουμε αυτό εδώ το δελτίο τύπου για να καταγγείλουμε την εγκληματική ενέργεια με γκαζάκια κατά των γραφείων του Πνευματικού και Πολιτιστικού Συνδέσμου “Αλληλεγγύης και Ειρήνης των Αράβων” που χρησιμοποιείται και ως λατρευτικός χώρος όπως ορίζει το καταστατικό τους,  στα Καμίνια Ηρακλείου Κρήτης. Πρόκειται για μία άνανδρη επίθεση άκρατου ρατσισμού κατά θρησκεύματος αλλά και κατά έθνους. Είναι βέβαια απόρροια της όλης της εκστρατείας σπίλωσης των πιστών μίας παγκόσμιας θρησκείας 1,8 δισεκατομμυρίων πιστών που αβασάνιστα έγινε τον τελευταίο καιρό στη χώρα μας με αφορμή το νόμο για τους μετανάστες δεύτερης γενιάς για λόγους εντυπωσιασμού.

Και βρισκόμαστε εδώ να κινδυνεύουμε επειδή έχουμε Μουσουλμανικό θρήσκευμα από ανώνυμους που δρουν ανενόχλητοι. Χτες ανατίναξαν ένα παιδί πρόσφυγα από το Αφγανιστάν με την αδερφή του, σήμερα ανατίναξαν ένα νόμιμο σύλλογο και χώρο προσευχής των Μουσουλμάνων του Ηρακλείου, που απαρτίζεται από νόμιμους και μόνιμους πολίτες. Η τυφλή βία από όποια ιδεολογία και αν προέρχεται εξυπηρετεί τα ίδια συμφέροντα. Τον εκφοβισμό και τον εξευτελισμό, τον αποκλεισμό ορισμένων πολιτών της Ελλάδας. Και η κοινωνία μένει πάντα σιωπηλή αφού δεν είναι όλες οι κρίσεις πρόσφορες προς πολιτική εκμετάλλευση. Και η Πολιτεία εξακολουθεί να καθυστερεί την δημιουργία επίσημων υποδομών για τους Μουσουλμάνους αποδεικνύοντας ότι θα πρέπει να καούν περισσότεροι Μουσουλμάνοι ώστε να σκύψουν στις αγωνιώδεις εκκλήσεις μας.

Εμείς η Μουσουλμανική Ένωση Ελλάδας καταδικάζουμε με όλη μας τη δύναμη τέτοιες ενέργειες που δεν τιμούν τη χώρα και την ιστορία μας, και ελπίζουμε ότι η κοινωνία θα αρχίσει να αντιδρά σε τέτοια φαινόμενα τυφλής βίας και θα στηρίξει τους Άραβες συνανθρώπους που πλήγησαν ηθικά ώστε να εξακολουθούμε συνυπάρχουμε αρμονικά χωρίς διακρίσεις βάσει θρησκεύματος στην Ελλάδα του Πολιτισμού.

Επίσης καλούμε τους Μουσουλμάνους της χώρας να κατανοήσουν ότι το γεγονός αυτό προήλθε από μια συγκεκριμένη ομάδα μίσους και δεν εκπροσωπεί την ευρύτερη κοινωνία που δεν συμφωνεί με τέτοιες ενέργειες. Πρέπει οι αρετές της πίστης μας να πρυτανεύσουν, να δείξουν τη δύναμή τους στην υπομονή, όπως έπραξαν οι αδελφοί στην Κρήτη κατόπιν παραινέσεως της Μουσουλμανικής Ένωσης Ελλάδας και επέδειξαν μεγαλοψυχία και ήθος, επισκευάζοντας ταχύτατα τις ζημιές και τελώντας την προσευχή της Παρασκευής κανονικότατα.

Ευχαριστούμε θερμά.

Muslim Association of Greece – accomplishments and photos for 2009

We put this together to capture all the key steps we took forward in 2009 toward our mission for Muslims in Greek society that might be missed by your eyes otherwise.

The Muslim Association of Greece annual report highlights its accomplishments throughout the year through photos and descriptions. Click on the photo below to download the annual report.

Ship to Gaza – Ένα Καράβι για τη Γάζα

Wednesday, March 24 at 9′oclock

at the Badminton theatre

featuring Orchestra Mikis Theodorakis, Ross Daly and many others

Visit www.shiptogaza.gr  for more information.

 

Τετάρτη 24 Μαρτίου ώρα 9

στο θέατρο Badminton

με την ορχήστρα Μίκη Θεοδωράκη, Ross Daly και πολλούς άλλους

Επισκεφτείτε τη σελίδα www.shiptogaza.gr  για περισσότερες πληροφορίες.

 

From their website:

We demand

The lifting of the land, air and sea siege of Gaza by Israel and the free navigation in the Mediterranean Sea.

The dismantling of all Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The end of Israeli occupation of Palestine.

We support

The right of the Palestinian people to resist the occupying Israeli forces until the achievement of their national independence.

The right of all Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland.

We are against

Any form of foreign military intervention and occupation in any region of the World

We are faithful

To the long standing and strong Greek-Palestinian fraternity

We are determined

To sail again to Gaza, carrying with us the Message of Friendship and Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Από την ιστοσελίδα τους:

Υποστηρίζουμε

-Το δικαίωμα του Παλαιστινιακού λαού να ζήσει λεύτερος στην ιστορική του πατρίδα.

-Το δικαίωμα του Παλαιστινιακού λαού στην αντίσταση με κάθε μέσο, για να απελευθερώσει την πατρίδα του από την κατοχή και να κατακτήσει την εθνική του ανεξαρτησία.

-Το δικαίωμα όλων των Παλαιστινίων προσφύγων να επιστρέψουν στις εστίες τους και στη γη τους.

Απαιτούμε

-Να φύγουν οι κατακτητές απ’ όλα τα Παλαιστινιακά εδάφη.

-Να αποχωρήσουν οι έποικοι και να διαλυθούν όλοι οι Ισραηλινοί εποικισμοί στη Δυτική Οχθη.

-Να αρθεί ο αποκλεισμός της Λωρίδας της Γάζας από στεριά, αέρα και θάλασσα.

-Να επιστρέψουν στη γη τους οι Παλαιστίνιοι πρόσφυγες

-Να απελευθερωθούν οι περισσότεροι από 11.000 Παλαιστίνιοι πολιτικοί κρατούμενοι.

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