Construction of mosque in Botanical – green light after three decades

Source:  Kathimerini

© Translation: Muslim Association of Greece

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In the near future the tens of thousands of Muslims living in Attica (and the visitors as well) will be able to pray at the first official place of worship that will be constructed in the capital after about two centuries. The government announced their decision settling, in fact, a pending case of three decades.

 

Discussions, laws, plans on paper, bureaucratic obstacles, reactions of citizens and ecclesiastic leaders, in combination with the “political cost” intercepted every attempt dealing with a social matter that was putting the respect of human rights and religious freedom to trial.

“We are very satisfied that an official place will exist. It will be a significant step for the unobstructed practice of our religious duties,” states to “K” Mr. Naim Elghandour, president of the Muslim Association of Greece.

Already, in the last months, the issue was frequented in meetings with the participation of the related factors meaning the ministries of Education, Internal Affairs, Foreign Affairs, City of Athens, Navy General Headquarters, and the Organisation for Regulating Planning of Athens.

As was decided in a meeting, the mosque will be constructed in an area of 17.000m² at the Votanikos area, where today the Maintenance Centre of Navy Vehicles exists. According to the plan, from the moment that all legal procedures will finish in order to bestow the usage of the area to the ministry of Education, it will take 6 -12 months to relocate this Navy department.

The mosque will be constructed by the expenses of the Hellenic state by the Program of Public Expenditure Fund. According to the relative law that was forwarded from 2006 by the former Minister of Education Marietta Giannakou, the building of the mosque must agree with the terms and limitations of building of this area. According to these terms, the building area should cover 839m², its entrance being from Iera Odos Avenue through to Asyrmatou Street and will be close to the church of Saint Christopher.

History

 

The matter of constructing a mosque in Athens was on the table for the first time since the late 30s. The discussion was forgotten after World War II began. After the change-over and particularly in the 80s, the issue was brought again by ambassadors from Muslim countries. In mid 90s the issue concerned the government again.

The negotiations between those who were concerned led to voting for law 2833 in 2000 that described the construction of a mosque and an Islamic cultural centre funded by Saudi Arabia. For this reason, the state bestowed an area at Peania, but was confronted by the citizens of the area and the deceased Archbishop Christodoulos, who did not agree that the first view of visitors landing to Greece from the new airport to be an Islamic minaret.

As the solving of the matter was not proceeding, the proposal of the former mayor (and right after Foreign Minister) Mrs. Bakoyiannis, to operate the Monastiraki mosque again that today is known as a popular art museum. Finally, after ‘fermentations’ in the internal affairs of New Democracy government the Votanicos solution was forwarded.

Associates of the former foreign minister expressed their satisfaction for the decision to proceed with the construction of the mosque.  Mrs. Bakoyiannis was always in favor of the construction of a mosque. She played a significant role in choosing the place and to the disengagement of the issue from the ‘protection’ of foreign interests,” they state at “K” associates of the former minister. In 2006, the minister of Education Mrs. Giannakou presented the existing law that describes the construction of a mosque with funds from the Hellenic state.

By Nikos Papachristou

Translated by Anna Stamou

Greece: the Church, the Mosque and the lost vote

Source:  Enet.gr

By Thomas Tsatsis

© Translated by the Muslim Association of Greece

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Ten years ago, when the issue of the identity cards and the indication of the religion was hot, the former bishop of Alexandroupolis – Anthimos was supporting the position of the official Church in an…unorthodox way.

Referring to a fact that was never clarified if it had a real existence, the bishop was saying that about 70  Muslims that were living in the wider region of Alexandroupolis had asked a “voting paper” to sign their claim to mention religion on the ID cards.

This is the same bishop that gave a battle after – out of solidarity – against the Muslim mosque at Peania, as was ordered by the law that was voted by the parliament.

And now he starts a new battle against the law that gives Hellenic nationality to the immigrants who many of them are Muslims. With a simple argument: “The Church was not asked about that. You can’t bring 700 thousands Muslims in the country and make them Greeks without even asking the Church.”

The Thessaloniki bishop (Anthimos), whatever they charge on him, one must admit that he knows about politics. The governments many times are acting according to the perception of the “lost vote” from the “side-church” that prevails inside the hierarchy. That means that the bishop will shout from the pulpit, the Christian crowd will be terrified, the MPs will feel pressures and they will transfer this to their parties to convey the message.

Thus with the populism of the opposition party and with the fear of the vote that can be lost, the government goes backwards and turns 180 degrees. The issue of the identity cards confirms the above. There were only two or three MPs and ministers of PASOK during 2000-2004 that defended the omitting of the religion from the identity cards publically. The rest had disappeared in order not to be indicated as opponents of the Church.

Four years now the governments do not take over the political cost of the construction of the Mosque at Eleonas as mentions the law of New Democracy government of 2006. But they are also scared to proceed to the construction of the Muslim cemetery in a field that the Church has bestowed! Yes, of the Church!

The government has not many choices. Either they will proceed immediately and solve the problem of the thousands of immigrants – and not only – Muslims that live in Attica and will confront a part of hierarchy in front and behind stage, or they will confront issues that cannot solve.

The scattered mosques-warehouses that are more than 100 in Attica are not under any control. Whatever is heard by “imams” that are self-announced small “prophets” many times are dangerous and cannot be confronted by the police. The legitimacy, the operation of one or more mosques with rules and conditions, official, with moderate imams and not with competing “Mujahidins”, can be a start.

Unless the government is waiting to finish first with the law for the immigrants and after that to take counsel with the Church. And just the day before yesterday the Hoy Synod stated that they believe that the law for the nationalities does not coincide totally with the immigration problem and that the government should consider the opinions of the bishops.

Bishops that “on one hand they preserve the teachings of Christ for love to everyone, on the other hand they do not know the partial national and social sensitivities, thus their opinions should be co-calculated to face such crucial matters.” This is the Holy Synod whose president is Archbishop Ieronymos.

Question to the parliament for mosque and cemetery by MP Gr.Psarianos

MP of SYRIZA party, Grigoris Psarianos applied yesterday a formal question to the Parliament about the construction of the official mosque and the Muslim cemetery, as this issue seems to be forgotten once again.

Below you can read the entire question

 

 

Διαβάστε στα Ελληνικά

Question To Ministers

• National Defense  
• Education, Life Learning and Religions
• Internal Affairs, Decentralization and Electronic Governing
• Infrastructure Transportations and Networks

 

Subject: “Construction of Muslim mosque and construction of Muslim cemetery”

The Muslim immigrants that live in our country are estimated to be about 700-800 thousand and most of them live in Attica. According to their biggest organization, the Muslim Association of Greece, despite the fact that they do not face problems with the Greek citizens, the same does not happen with the Greek State, which seems to totally ignore their community.

The proof is in the long procrastination of the Hellenic state to fulfill two major issues of the Muslim community: the construction of an official mosque and of a Muslim cemetery in the Attica region.

Today in Athens there are only unofficial praying places, about 100, and the Arabs, Pakistanis, Bangladesh and Kurds that are the majority of the Muslim immigrants. The Muslims from other nationalities pray at the places of the Arab community.

The places are undergrounds, garages, stores, some are neat and others in a miserable situation, depending on the potential of every group. Also in Athens there is not a Muslim cemetery, nor a section for Muslim burial.

Some deceased are transferred to their countries of origin, if this is possible, as it is very costly. Others have no homeland to bury [their dead] as the Palestinians.

The construction of a mosque is described in two laws. The first was by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2004 describing the construction of a worship place for the Muslims at Peania.

But this plan was abandoned after the reactions of the residents of the area and the Church as well. The second law was voted on in 2006 and described the construction of the mosque at Eleonas.

Also, according to a briefing to Muslim Association of Greece by the special Secretary of Religions Ministry when the minister was Evr.Stylianides, there was a disbursement of 15 million euro for the construction of the mosque taken by the State expenditure treasury, as the law of 2006 describes, and that the only delay was the relocation of the supermarket of the navy base from this area, something that was under the authority of the Ministry of National Defense.

With a relative question from Syriza PM Pericles Korovesis, on March 2009 to three ministries, the National Defense Minister replies that on August 2008 there had been sent to the Ministry of Education and Religions, “document that are mentioned the possible locations that the mosque can be constructed at the Navy Base of Votanikos, as well as the financial demands for relocation of the activities of the Navy to another area…”

The Ministry of National Defense and the navy headquarters are expecting the notification of the intentions from the Ministry of Religions. The Ministry of Environment and Zoning replied that “the issue of the Islamic mosque is being handled by the Ministry of Education and Religions.

And the Ministry of Education and Religions, refusing any responsibility, replies, “We are notifying you that the responsibility of the ministry lies only to the financial management of the Islamic mosque that starts after its construction.”

However, article 3 of Law 3512/2006 defines that, “the construction of the mosque will be done by the administration of Applying Educational Projects of the Ministry of Education and Religions and with expenses of the Program of State Investments.” Nevertheless the minister “washes its hands” while the first disbursement has been made.

A similar case stands with the construction of the Muslim cemetery. The Church has bestowed for this reason in 2005 a field of 30.000m² at the Shisto area. But according to the document of the ministry of internal affairs “after reservations that the Organization “Athena” expressed regarding the suitability of the place in question for the specific usage, from zoning and ground aspect, this case is reconsidered…”

After that on June of 2009 the Church states with a letter to the Minister of Environment and Zoning, Mr. Souflias, that this is a social necessity and moves to the next step. [It] bestows another field in the area and has already prepared and given the blueprint and asks the immediate response of the ministries. Until today the State has not responded.

 

Because of a multicultural Europe of today, Athens is the only European capital that has not taken care of a place of worship and burial of the Muslim population and because it is an issue of social acceptance and mutual respect  to the hundreds of thousands co-citizens, the ministers in charge are asked:

1. In which stage are the procedures for the construction of the mosque at Eleonas?
2. Which ministry is responsible for the funding of the relocation of the services of the navy that is operating in the area?
3. What happened to the 15 million euro that according to the Ministry of Education and Religions has been disbursed by the treasury for the expenses of the construction of the mosque?
4. Has a notary action been conducted between the Church and State, with which the specific field at Shisto is being bestowed for the construction of the Muslim cemetery? If not why is it delaying, while the church has all good intentions to proceed with this issue?
5. Which ministry coordinates the construction of the Muslim cemetery and when is it expected to conclude the works?

The parliamentarian that asks,

Grigoris Psarianos

See related posts by Enet and Zougla

The Attica Islamic temenos: Speech of Minister Mr Sgouridis

In Greek/ Στα Ελληνικα

The following video is the speech of the minister  of Xanthi, Mr Sgouridis in The Greek Commons in 2007.

The speech is with reference to the Islamic mosque and cemetery in Attica or rather the absence of them.

Mr Sgouridis is  resident of Xanthi and as such makes an  attempt of trying to understand issues of the Muslim communities and especially the worship and burial problems that the Muslims of Attica encounter due to the absence of the Islamic Mosque and islamic Cemetery.

Mr Sgouridis outlines his own  objections towards the current legislation concerning the Muslim temenos in Attica and he forwards his own opinions and the reasons why this current legislation should be withdrawn and replaced.

Greek immigrants graduate from Odysseas

One blames the other on cemetery/mosque

Source:  Enet.gr

(Διαβάστε παρακάτω, στα ελληνικά. )

Οταν το 2005 η Εκκλησία της Ελλάδος παραχώρησε 30 στρέμματα στην περιοχή του Σχιστού για τη δημιουργία μουσουλμανικού νεκροταφείου, κανείς δεν θα μπορούσε να φανταστεί ότι τρία χρόνια μετά δεν θα είχε γίνει απολύτως τίποτα. Το ίδιο ισχύει και για το άλλο θέμα, αυτό της ανέγερσης τζαμιού στην περιοχή του Ελαιώνα.

Ενα νομοσχέδιο που έχει ψηφιστεί από το 2006 και προβλέπει όλες τις λεπτομέρειες, παραμένει στα συρτάρια του υπουργείου Παιδείας, καθώς το υπουργείο Αμυνας ζητάει χρήματα για τη μετεγκατάσταση των αποθηκών του Πολεμικού Ναυτικού. Αυτή τη φορά η Εκκλησία δεν φέρει καμία ευθύνη.

Το «πάγωμα» τόσο της δημιουργίας μουσουλμανικού νεκροταφείου όσο και της ανέγερσης τζαμιού περιγράφονται μέσω των απαντήσεων της Εκκλησίας της Ελλάδος και των αρμόδιων υπουργείων, έπειτα από αίτημα της Μουσουλμανικής Ενωσης Ελλάδας και ερώτησης του βουλευτή του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ, Περικλή Κοροβέση, προς τα αρμόδια υπουργεία. Η Εκκλησία, απαντώντας στη Μουσουλμανική Ενωση, στις 6 Απριλίου «καρφώνει» τέσσερα υπουργεία. Μετά την απόφαση της Διαρκούς Ιεράς Συνόδου τον Δεκέμβριο του 2005, γράφει ο γενικός διευθυντής των Οικονομικών Υπηρεσιών της Εκκλησίας, Αντώνης Ζαμπέλης, «προέβημεν εις εγγράφους και προφορικάς υπενθυμίσεις, προς τους αρμοδίους Κρατικούς φορείς (υπουργεία Εσωτερικών, Εξωτερικών, Εθνικής Παιδείας και Θρησκευμάτων και ΠΕΧΩΔΕ) προκειμένου να υλοποιηθή η δημιουργία του Κοιμητηρίου με την λήψιν αποφάσεων και την προς τούτο έκδοσιν των απαιτούμενων διοικητικών Πράξεων (λ.χ. Προεδρικό Διάταγμα καθορισμού όρων χρήσεως κ.λπ.). Ανευ των Πράξεων τούτων δεν δυνάμεθα να προχωρήσωμεν εις την διά συμβολαιογραφικού εγγράφου παραχώρησιν χρήσεως της εκτάσεώς μας προς τον φορέα που θα αναλάβη την διαχείρισιν του Κοιμητηρίου». Ο κ. Ζαμπέλης καταλήγει: «Εκ των ανωτέρω προκύπτει ότι την ευθύνην διά την καθυστέρησιν της υλοποιήσεως της Αποφάσεως της ΔΙΣ φέρουν αποκλειστικώς και μόνον οι αρμόδιοι Κρατικοί φορείς, οι οποίοι μέχρι σήμερον δεν έχουν προβή εις τας απαιτουμένας ενεργείας».

Οι «αρμόδιοι κρατικοί φορείς», απαντώντας σε ερώτηση του βουλευτή του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ Περικλή Κοροβέση για το θέμα του μουσουλμανικού νεκροταφείου, είναι αποκαλυπτικοί:

- Ο υφυπουργός Εξωτερικών Θόδωρος Κασσίμης γράφει στην απάντησή του μεταξύ άλλων: «Πληροφορούμεθα ότι η περιοχή που προσφέρθηκε από την Εκκλησία της Ελλάδος για τη δημιουργία του μουσουλμανικού νεκροταφείου, κρίθηκε από τις αρμόδιες υπηρεσίες ως ακατάλληλη για χωροθέτηση νεκροταφείου. Κατόπιν αυτού, μελετώνται ως εναλλακτικές λύσεις άλλοι χώροι που θα μπορούσαν να διατεθούν είτε από την Εκκλησία της Ελλάδος είτε από την ΚΕΔ».

- Ο υφυπουργός Εσωτερικών Θανάσης Νάκος, στην ίδια γραμμή, υποστηρίζει ότι «το ζήτημα επανεξετάζεται, προκειμένου να ληφθούν τα αναγκαία μέτρα, ούτως ώστε να υλοποιηθεί η απόφαση για τη δημιουργία του μουσουλμανικού νεκροταφείου στην Αττική». Και παραπέμπει στο ΠΕΧΩΔΕ, που με τη σειρά του (υφυπουργός ΠΕΔΩΧΕ Σταύρος Καλογιάννης) αποφεύγει να απαντήσει, λέγοντας γενικά και αόριστα ότι έχει ενημερώσει την Ιερά Σύνοδο.

Ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον όμως είχε η απάντηση που έδωσε το υπουργείο Αμυνας, μέσω του υπουργού Ευάγγελου Μεϊμαράκη, που εξηγεί γιατί δεν μπορεί να παραχωρήσει 36 στρέμματα στην περιοχή του Ελαιώνα για την ανέγερση τζαμιού. «Δεν υπάρχει δυνατότητα χρηματοδότησης από τον προϋπολογισμό του έργου της μετεγκατάστασης των υπηρεσιών του Πολεμικού Ναυτικού σε άλλη περιοχή». Ο υπουργός Αμυνας συνεχίζει: «Οι πιθανές θέσεις για την ανέγερση του τεμένους και οι οικονομικές απαιτήσεις για τη μετεγκατάσταση των υφιστάμενων χρήσεων του Πολεμικού Ναυτικού είναι οι παρακάτω:

* Η θέση του Κεντρικού Σταθμού Αυτοκινήτων του Πολεμικού Ναυτικού, στο μεσαίο τμήμα του Ν.Ο. Βοτανικού, η επιλογή της οποίας θα είχε ως συνέπεια τη μετεγκατάσταση της χρήσης σε έκταση 30.000 τ.μ. και την εκταμίευση ποσού 62.600.000 ευρώ .

* Η θέση του ΠΟΝ, στο νοτιοανατολικό του Ν.Ο. Βοτανικού, η επιλογή της οποίας θα είχε ως συνέπεια τη μεταγκατάσταση της χρήσης σε έκταση 30.000 τ.μ. και την εκταμίευση ποσού 28.650.000 ευρώ ».

 

Special report: Greek Parliament member pushes religious freedom for Muslims

Parliament member Mr. Periklis Korovesis from the Syriza party lodged a formal question [about religious freedom] to the Greek Parliament, in particular the Ministers of Internal Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Education and Religions, National Defence. (Please view the seven questions at the end of this report.)

 

 

 

 

Subject: Muslim Cemetery and Mosque in Attica

In Athens, where 700 000 Muslims of all nationalities live, there is neither a mosque nor a Muslim cemetery, making Greece the only country in Europe that has not taken care of this.  This practice opposes Article 13 of the Constitution and Article 9 of the European Convention for the Human Rights that clearly state “the freedom of religious conscience is unhindered”.

Understandably, the Muslims in Athens feel the sense of rejection as they have no ability to pray, get married, and have a funeral service with dignity.  As a result, this brought the existence of over 50 unofficial praying places in the region, often located in undergrounds and garages.

Just recently, the Prefecture of Athens fined the owner of an underground building at Nea Ionia 60 000 euro and 30 000 euro because he used it as an unofficial mosque without special permission of a “bethel”, allowing Muslims of the area to pray there.

There were significant local protests from the immigrants who opposed the prefecture as well as Greek inhabitants and authorities, demonstrating on Saturday February 7^th at a massive movement in this small area (more than 1000 people) asking for a proper place to conduct religious tasks, which is a right registered by the constitution. 

However, the decision of the prefecture and the reactions on behalf of the immigrants is not new.  Thirty years have passed since the first claim in 1976 was lodged for building a mosque in Athens from the Arabic embassies, when all Greek governments projected several barriers in order not to proceed to its fulfillment.

Meanwhile, in other countries like Sweden, there are five mosques, 150 praying places and 10 Muslim cemeteries; in France there are 2000 praying places and 12 mosques when the cemeteries (except for one Muslim cemetery established in 1930) where it is obliged to have place of burying Muslims; in Norway (Oslo) the mosque was established in 1980, in Poland (Gtansk) in 1989, in Russia (Moscow) in 1912, in Scotland (Glascow) in 1983, in Portugal (Lisbon) in 1988, in Malta in 1978, in Ireland (Dublin) in 1978, in the UK there is the biggest Muslim cemetery in Europe and many mosques.

In 1983 the Greek state was committed to construct a mosque in Marousi, but this did not work due to the reactions of the local authorities. In 2000 the law 2833 was including the establishment if an Islamic Cultural Centre and Mosque in Peania with expenses that the Saudi Arabian Government would cover. This project was cancelled and in the very same place they realized that was already been built an orthodox church!

In October 2006 the Ministry of Education presented a draft law for building a mosque at Eleonas, a feasible project in harmony with the protected green of the area. The decision remained inapplicable because at the area that was given for the mosque is located navy base and the transfer of that means that 5 000 000 euro should be found. Although the Muslim Community was willing to offer that amount, this offer was not accepted, for it is the obligation of the Ministry of Defense to provide the funds to the Navy.

The Muslim Association of Greece sent a recent letter (27.01.09) to the Minister of Education and Religions asking to fulfil the governmental commitments and accusing the ministry’s palinodes twice for losing the necessary documents for the realization of this project.

Similar luck seems to have the permanent claim of the Muslims for the establishment of the Muslim cemetery in Athens, for which we have lodged a question (number of lodgment 1334/15.7.2009).

Despite of the bestowal of the field at the area of Schisto for the establishment, and the commitments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that was authorized as a coordinator of the engaged authorities, no procedure has proceeded. Hence, since the Muslims of Attica have no official mosque, nor  a cemetery, nor a religious scholar who will be under a law to practice their religious rituals, they are forced to move their dead to Thrace or abroad with a huge economic cost for the family, that rates even 5000 euro (for Pakistan).

For the construction of the Muslim cemetery in Schisto, the Muslim Association of Greece has sent a letter again to the Minister of Internal Affairs on 27.01.2009, asking for intervention, as far as the bureaucratic procedures of the local authorities are concerned for the following reasons:

•  All these are unprecedented for an elemental democratic country and equals to “Islamophobia” and discrimination if the Islamic civilization;
• The pertinacious non-immigration policy of the governments has created a suffocating place of living for Muslim immigrants and refuges that are in Greece, insulting fundamental and obvious human rights of every civilised country;
• The immigration stream of the last decade has definitively changed the face and composition of the Greek society affecting even its deeper structures, transforming it to multicultural and religious differentiation, which in fact compels changes in point of vision, criteria and methods.

 The ministers are asked:

1. What is the status of the procedures for the construction of the Eleonas mosque and what are the obstacles of moving the navy base, the cost of the moving etc.
2. Have the funds been found by the Ministry of National Defense for the move of the navy base from the area of Eleonas?
3. In which point are the procedures for the establishment of the Muslim cemetery in Shisto? Is the topographic survey of the area that was expected to be completed within a two months period starting from July 2008, according to the response that was given to us by the Deputy Minister of foreign affairs Theodoros Kassimis?
4. Has the transfer of the proprietary title of the area been made by the Church of Greece to the local authority in charge of the Muslim cemetery?
5. Are the procedures of the Ministry of Zoning and Public Works finished as concerning the zoning of the cemetery area?
6. How do they think to improve the conditions of religious freedom and equity, having in mind the condition that has prevailed in Greece and in Europe, in order to reduce the distance that separates our country from the rest of Europe?
7. Which constitutional preconditions they think to create will allow all religious communities to enjoy the internationally acknowledged equity of rights and parity for the religious rights?

 

Athens, March 26, 2009

Member of Parliament

Periklis Korovesis