Hellenic Church makes the next step for Muslim cemetery

In Greek/Στα Ελληνικα

Honorable Minister,

It is well known that the Church of Greece helps the state by solving a social problem proceeded in bestowing the ecclesiastic land for use of a field of 30,000m2 to be constructed a Muslim cemetery at Scaramangas- Shisto area.

Although five years have passed since this bestowment, there has not been any development to the procedures to construct this, probably due to the problems that are referring to the letters 2225/12-07-2007 & 1283/1-4-2009 of Athens Organization and also at letters 31229/27-7-2007 & 38133/1-11-2007 of the administration of OKK.

For that reason, the Church of Greece decided to bestow another field of 30,000m2 in another location in the same ecclesiastic property in order to make easier the tasks of the related authorities. This field is described to the attached blueprint no AS550B, that has already been given to the Honorable Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Kassimis.

Of course, if the bestowed land for usage is finally accepted and receives all necessary licenses after the necessary declassification, and because it is located inside of a wider church property, all necessary formation and works will be executed under the surveillance and approval of our department.

We anticipate the authorities indicating to us with whom we will sign the relative contract, and we are kindly asking for your concern.

The General Director

Antonis Zambelis

Notifications

Honorable Mr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos, M inister of Internal Affairs

Honorable Mrs. Theodora Bakoyiannis, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Honorable Mr. Aris Spiliotopoulos, Minister of Education and Religions

Muslim Association of Greece

Dept. of Property (Internal section)

Dept. of Technical Services (Internal section)

Dept. of Legal Services (Internal section)

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

 

 

 

Mosque and cemetery: too much to ask?

This an article by our brother and head of the Muslim Association of Greece, Naim El-Ghandour,  published with IslamOnline.net.

 

In an ancient region called Thrace, North East of Greece, a Muslim community of about 120, 000 Muslims is based. Historically, the population of this city was exempted from applying the provisions of the Treaty of Lausanne VI, 1923; a treaty which aimed at applying an obligatory exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey following World War I. This Muslim minority is composed of three ethnic groups, in which the element of homogeneity is absent. More specifically, 50 percent of Thrace’s Muslims are of Turkish origin, 35 percent are Pomaks [1], and 15 percent are Roma people [2]. Each of the aforementioned groups has its own language and traditions. They have their own muftis, imams, mosques, cemeteries, schools, etc. But they are all united, mainly, in their strong connections with Turkey, such as joining Turkish universities, migrating into Turkey for work, etc.
Besides the first Turkish Muslim group there is another group of Muslims in Greece which includes immigrants who had settled in Greece during the last 40 years coming mainly form Arab countries and partly from other Islamic ones. These Muslims are doing all kinds of jobs all over this European country, not only as low-profession workers who are estimated at 90 percent of the total immigrant percentage. Some of these immigrants have better opportunities and work in high-professions, so there are doctors, scientists, professors, entrepreneurs, businessmen, and importers.
The last smallest group of Muslims consists of the converted Greek Muslims who embraced Islam after studying it, or after getting married to Muslims whereby they had the chance to meet Muslims and interact with them. Those were the three Muslim groups living in Greece with different characteristics and cultures and are estimated at 830,000.

 

Muslim Associations in Greece

The Association of Muslims in Greece (AMG) was established in 2003. It is the organization that brings together all Muslims from all over Greece. It is located in Athens, where about 700.000 Muslims live. The Association of Muslims in Greece exerts efforts to defend the Muslims’ rights in several fields, like having an official mosque and a Muslim graveyard, etc. Many Muslim citizens contribute to the AMG’s efforts including permanent residents who pay taxes to the Hellenic State, the legal immigrants, the university students, and also the political refugees. Even Sunnis and Shiite are united under the umbrella of the AMG while having the same demands for an official Hellenic Mosque and a common Muslim cemetery.

 

The History of Greek Mosques

Surprisingly, there is no official mosque in Greece up to the moment. However, there are some unofficial mosques in Greece which totally depend on the private efforts of the Muslims there. The first mosque in Athens was built in 1985 by the Sudanese Dr. Munir Abdelrasul in Goudi, a neighborhood of Athens; the second in 1989 by myself, Naim El-Ghandour, at Piraeus district; the third in 1989 by the Egyptian Mohiy Eldin in the center of Athens; the fourth in 1993 by the Palestinian Mazen Rassas at Neos Kosmos in Athens. Many mosques were established then and Greece now has 67 Islamic places for worship in Athens only. These mosques attract all Muslims from both Arab and non-Arab backgrounds, like the Persians, Greeks, Albanians, Sub-Saharan Africans, and European Muslims. The Greek State did not raise any objection against the private efforts of Muslims in building mosques as there is no other place for them to practice their religion.

 

Financing Mosques in Greece

The fundraisers of the places for worship are the owners and Muslims who spend a lot of money to cover the rent and other expenses. At Friday prayers, Muslims usually give alms to the mosque. In fact, sometimes the charity money is enough to cover the mosques’ expenses and sometimes it is not. All mosques in Athens are self-funded except for only one mosque which is funded from abroad since it belongs to the Federation of Islamic Organization in Europe (FIOE).

 

Efforts With the Governments

Few years ago, the Association of Muslims in Greece had many attempts to approach the government for the official mosque and the cemetery. Muslims communicated with the Ministry of Education and Religions and conducted several meetings regarding the needs of Muslims in Athens. Greek Muslims were mainly concerned with the following issues: how would a mosque in Athens operate harmoniously with all different nationalities and languages, and the demands of a mosque. Finally, the state greatly appreciated our proposal and we had a very satisfactory law that describes the Athens Mosque as a mosque built by the Greek state in cooperation with Greeks and EU funds. The government also stated that the mosque’s imam should be certified by an authorized university, like Al Azhar, to be considered officially as a civil servant with a two-year contract.

 

A Far-Fetched Dream

Unfortunately, after all these efforts and achievements, the Minister of Education and Religions was deposed in a ministerial change. So the whole project was delayed due to lack of information, another ministerial change, and a national need for the money dedicated to the mosque. Muslims’ claims are well known to the public, since they are always hosted in many TV and radio programs and ncluded in the coverage of all online and printed newspapers.

 

Muslims’ Gathering Events

Feast Prayer at Olympic Stadium
Twice a year on both Islamic `Eids, members of the Arab Muslim community gather in the Olympic stadium of Athens (OAKA) where they perform the `Eid prayers together, often headed by a famous imam from abroad. Greek Muslims of Pakistani origin also go to the SEF Stadium, another big Greek Stadium, due to the different languages, but once the Hellenic mosque is ready, Muslims from different backgrounds agree to meet there no matter which language will the majority adopt.

 

A Cemetery as Well

Muslims have been trying to achieve this goal since 2005. At that time, the former Archbishop Christodoulou announced that the Church of Greece donated a piece of land for Muslims to build their own cemetery on. The Association of Muslims in Greece got in contact with the Church, which is connected to the government, to proceed with this project. Many months followed, but the archbishop passed away, a new one was elected, and Muslims had to send new letters. The matter was no longer in the hands of the church but in the state’s. Many meetings were held where Muslims reassured their desire to have the cemetery very soon. When they felt that there were no steps taken, they addressed the Minister of Internal Affairs Mr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos and asked to meet him as Muslims consider this a matter of human dignity.

 

And Muslims’ efforts still go on…
Are you a Greek Muslim or a Muslim living there? What do you think of the Muslim status in Greece? How do you think Muslims can integrate into the Greek society while maintaining their Islamic identity?

 

——————————————————————————–
[1] An indigenous population that initially lost its native tongue and subsequently espoused Islam during the Ottoman occupation. They are also said to be a Bulgarian-speaking Muslim population group native to some parts of Bulgaria, specifically southern Bulgaria, and the adjacent parts of Greece and Turkey.
[2] An ethnic group with origins in South Asia who are widely dispersed with their largest concentrated populations in Europe.

Sources:

Hellenic Resources Network: Miscellaneous Greek News Sources. The Muslim Minority of Greek Thrace. April 1996.