Contradictions in the Greek Parliament between Mpeglitis and Georgiadis for the mosque in Votanicos
November 6, 2010
Source: TVXS
© Translation: Muslim Association of Greece
The question that was submitted by the deputy of LAOS’s party, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, in the Greek Parliament, concerning the Mosque in Votanicos was discussed with great tension. Answering, the surrogate Minister of Defence Mr. Panos Mpeglitis attributed to the inquiring deputy “extreme xenophobic motives that serve suspenseful needs within his political party.”
Mr. Mpeglitis firmly assured that the Mosque in Votanicos, will be built with expenses of the Greek State and its operation will be completely regulated by the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, though, the land acres will be granted for usage only to satisfy the needs of a worshipping place.
By his own point of view, Mr. Georgiadis said “you are building a Mosque and you will harvest blizzard” paraphrashing the Greek expression of “sow winds and harvest blizzards” He referred as well to the recent statement of the Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, of failure of Germany’s multicultural model, as well as to the banishment of the hijab in France, though he argued, that in Greece the ownership of the land acres is handed over with “obvious dangers for the National Security.”
Additionally, he pointed out that in one hand the allocation of land acres to the Monastery of Vatopedion is characterised as scandal, though for the government it is not considered a scandal that land acres of the Hellenic Navy are donated for the needs of the Muslims.
Mr. Mpeglitis answered that Athens is the only European capital that a Mosque is inexistent and this constitutes a serious deficit of democracy, a fact that does not in any case serve the interests of the Greek State.
The Minister pointed out that a greater danger is constituted by the uncontrollably spread Mosques throughout the whole area of Attica, attributing to the deputy “a false approach of the issue with the creation of an extreme and xenophobe ambiance due to the elections period”, considering the fact that it is a responsibility of a country’s democratic state, to defend the religious rights and secularism.
The Minister strongly highlighted that nobody is given ownership titles of the land acres, though the land in Votanicos is allocated only for use, referring as well to the law that was voted by the previous government of Nea Dimocratia.
“If Mr.Pavlopoulos had acted as Rightist, Nea Dimocratia would not be at such a condition” was the answer of the deputy, who further clarified that the right of secularism is not questioned but the disagreement is with the development of a giant Mosque with minarets that will have a monumental character, something that is not happening in other countries.
Answering, the Minister designated the notions of the deputy obsessive, underlining that due to the grave stalling of the creation of a Mosque in the past, by several public bodies and the Church of Greece, resulted in the lack of control of the Muslim worshiping places.
Finally, considering the allegations of a giant structure, he reassured that all the masonry regulations of the area will be kept, though he characterised as at least inappropriate the comparison made by the deputy with the Vatopedion issue, an issue that as he said, was indeed a true scandal.
It is pointed out that the announcement of the construction of the Mosque took place at the end of April, just a few days before the visit of Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in Greece. It is about to be built in the area of Eleonas, in Votanicos, on land acres given by the Hellenic Navy. According, to the goverment’s representative G.Petalotis it will have a capacity of 500 people.
The law imposes three major prerequisites : its construction has to be financed by the Greek State , the commanding committee will be composed by five Greek public servants and two muslims of accredited organisations in Athens, though there shall be an Imam who will be appointed by the formal approval from the Minister of Education.
Translated by: Myrto Zacharof
The foundation of the mosque in Votanicos will not be unverifiable
November 6, 2010
Source: Enet
© Translation: Muslim Association of Greece
Mr. Panos Mpeglitis, answering a relevant question that was submitted by the deputy of LAOS party, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, in the Greek Parliament, strongly assured that the foundation of the Mosque in Votanicos, will be done with expenses of the Greek State and its operation will be completely regulated by the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, though, the land acres will be granted only to satisfy the needs of the Mosque itself.
The surrogate Minister of Defence accused Mr. Adonis Georgiadis for “extreme xenophobic motives that serve suspenseful needs within his political party”
The LAOS deputy argued that the ownership of the land acres is handed over with “obvious dangers for the National Security” referring as well to the recent statement of Angela Merkel of failure of German society’s multicultural model, as well as to the French law of banishing the hijab.
Additionally, he pointed out that in one hand the allocation of land acres to the Monastery of Vatopedion is characterised as scandal, though for the government it is not considered a scandal that land acres of the Hellenic Navy are donated for the needs of the Muslims.
From his side, the surrogate Minister of Defence answered him that Athens is the only European capital that a Mosque is inexistent and this constitutes a serious deficit of democracy.
In parallel, he strongly highlighted that nobody is given ownership titles of the land acres, though the land in Votanicos is allocated only for use, referring as well to the law that was voted by the previous government of Nea Dimocratia, so to get the following answer from LAOS deputy that “if Mr.Pavlopoulos had acted as Rightist, Nea Dimocratia would not be at such a condition”
Mr. Adonis Georgiadis though, clarified that the right of secularism is not questioned but the LAOS party disagrees with the development of a giant Mosque with minarets that will have a monumental character, something that is not happening in other countries.
Translated by: Myrto Zacharof
Call for Athens mosque by Cairo Imam
October 12, 2009
Source: Ethnos
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.
Islamophobia’s injustice: a deadly double-standard
July 20, 2009
Read in Greek/Διαβαστε στα Ελληνικα
Source: Alarabiya.net
By Radwa Khorshid
Five years on, the Western media still frequently makes reference to what happened to the Dutch film director Theo van Gogh who was killed by Mohammed Bouyeri, a Dutch Muslim of Moroccan origin, three months after the release of van Gogh’s Submission 10-minute movie.
Focusing on the topic of violence against women in some Islamic societies and using Quranic verses unfavorable to women projected onto their bodies in Arabic flew a Muslim fury at the movie, which is seen by Muslims as “an offensive and provocative one.”
Boyeri was accordingly sentenced to life without parole. Of course I do not defend this 31-year-old youth whose crime is neither tolerable nor acceptable; but I have a point to make about Europe’s Islamophobia.
The charges by the prosecutor against him included the following statement:
“The defendant rejects our democracy. He even wants to bring down our democracy. With violence. He is insistent. To this day. He sticks to his views with perseverance. This calls for a strong response. By literally placing him outside our democracy.“
And yes, according to the European Court of Human Rights “the idea of freedom of expression has an essential role to play in a democratic society, helping to foster the development of an open, tolerant society in which human rights are respected.”
Let’s now recall another recent scenario that took place in a European courtroom where a three-month pregnant veiled mother, Marwa al-Sherbini, was stabbed 18 times to death by a German 28-year-old attacker, identified only as Axel W, who was “driven by a deep hatred of foreigners and Muslims,” according to a German official.
Axel W and Sherbini, an Egyptian living in Germany, were in court for the former’s appeal against a €750 fine for an insult to her headscarf, hijab, in 2008. Attempting to rescue his wife, Elwi Okaz — who was present with their child — was shot when a policeman opened fire in the courtroom. Okaz is now in a critical condition in hospital with an unpredictable future, whether dead or survived.
In Europe, the continent of freedoms and democracy, the hijab is still unacceptable by many Europeans, though, as a dress code for Muslim women, the hijab neither insults nor provokes others.
Sherbini’s mere crime was wearing the hijab and reporting a discriminatory act she faced, thus becoming a “terrorist” and deserving death — at least in Alex W’s eyes.
A few Western media outlets reported the case and referred to the murderer’s “hostile toward foreigners.”
With no purpose for raising any doubts about the German legal system and the way Dresden court, where Axel W is currently in custody, is dealing with the situation, German veiled Muslim women should now investigate into the death threat posed by any Islam- or veil-hater and call for safety procedures to follow.
It is not all about Muslims’ sympathetic attention given to Sherbini’s story; it is about the culture of accepting Islam and Muslims in Europe and the escalating Islamophobic trends towards Muslims and the veil.
According to a study conducted by the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), 59 percent of European Muslims nowadays believe that Islamophobic and discriminatory actions against them have become part of their “normal everyday existence” thus “nothing would happen or change” if they report such incidents to authorities.
Scanning through the two European death tragedies (Van Gogh’s and Sherbini’s), one can easily realize the difference in the way and magnitude of coverage adopted by the western media towards the two incidents.
Van Gogh’s killer was identified days after his crime, and was described by the Western media as a “radical Muslim,” “terrorist” and “extremist.” The whole genealogic tree of Boyeri made the media headlines for months.
In incidents like that, Western media gives the green light to any related fact that would spark a venomous attack against Muslim communities in Europe and thus guarantee a special outcome.
I am not accusing the Western media of stirring debate against Islam and Muslims, as it’s not their fault only. It is a culture and will remain a culture unless positive official and unofficial steps are taken.
Dialogue to bridge this gap is an effective solution. Objective media coverage is another one. But justice is the pre-condition for all of this and it must prevail. Muslims in Europe should continue to report discrimination and Islamophobic incidents, seek their rights and fulfill their obligations, and make their voices heard.
* Written for AL ARABIYA. Radwa Khorshid is the editor of IslamOnline.net’s European Muslims section and travels frequently to Europe. She holds a bachelor of law from Cairo University.
The tide is turning in Europe
July 29, 2008
I see more and more European news outlets and blogs such as this one talking about Islamophobia*. If I was not a Muslim, I guess I would be concerned too, being constantly bombarded by heavily distorted and false propaganda, but really if you understand Islam and how an Islamic state treats and protects dhimmis with high respect and honor, there’s nothing to be afraid of. And I’ll go even further to say that it’s a much better system than how democracy treats its minorities.
Will Muslims be the majority in Europe in 20 years? Maybe.
Could Christianity die out in a century? Allah knows.
Is Europe afraid? Definitely.
Is there a need to be afraid. I don’t think so.
This blogger seems to think so with her ’see saw’ theory that when Europe is up, Islam is down and vice versa. She has a point.
The tides are turning and no one can deny that. Br. Amr Khaled has stated it publicly as well as Shaykh Yusuf Qaradawi here:
Someone might view this video and be afraid but there’s nothing to be afraid of. The truth of God stands clear and everyone is given a choice to accept or decline.
*Note: Just had to throw this definition in here to show our “Greekness” 
A phobia (from Greek: φόβος, phobos, “fear”), is an irrational, intense, persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, or persons.
