Iman Kouvalis on Muslimas Oasis

I was interviewed by Muslimas Oasis so I thought I would share.

 

Source: Muslimas Oasis

I’ve had the privilege of working with Iman for the past couple of years doing web design work for her company Optimize It Designs. Iman is a successful and ambitious sister and an inspiration to many. I am excited to bring you this interview where she talks briefly about the flourishing Global Greek Muslim Community she has developed through Greeks Rethink and what it means to be a Greek Muslim.

Tell us a bit about Greeks Rethink, how it started and the work you do for the Greek Muslim Community.

It all started with a question. Where are all the Greek Muslims? The majority of us are scattered around the world but we have a passion to connect with each other. I started two years ago and now our website is a meeting place for people who want to learn about Greeks who have rethought life.

Do you primarily work with Muslims in Greece or Greek muslims abroad?

Our work is for Greek Muslims globally but we are aligned with the Muslim Association of Greece (www.equalsociety.com) who is the association that takes care of the national Islamic issues in Greece.

You’re a Greek Muslim revert/convert mashaAllah! Tell us a bit about your experience as a Muslim in relation to your Greek culture and heritage?

We are between East and West. If you’ve ever watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding, that’s pretty accurate to who we are. Greece brought a rich civilization to the world as did Islam so I enjoy being part of both.

We see a lot of abuses of Religious Freedom around the world, increasingly in Europe, what is the situation for Greek Muslims in this regard?

Greece is the only EU country without a mosque in its capital city. With 700 000 Muslims in Athens, this is a tragedy. The Muslim Association of Greece is working tirelessly for years to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims in Greece.

What other sorts of issues do Muslims face in Greece?

Apart from the mosque issue, Muslims do not have a cemetery and have to ship their dead to external countries or at least eight hours away. The hard reality is that Greece has many misconceptions towards Islam but the average Muslim neighbor enjoys friendship with the average Greek neighbor.

What sort of feedback have you gotten about your work? From the Greek state? Muslims? Non muslims?

Through the Muslim Association of Greece, we have had positive attention from major media networks globally, global Muslim networks and Greek authorities. Even many non-Greeks have told me that they visit our website regularly.

In your experience how does the Greek culture compliment Islamic culture, what are the similarities?

Our traditional heritage and etiquettes are similar to Islamic etiquettes, not to mention great food and a rich history of thinking, reflecting and civilization.

Islam spread to much of Europe in the past, what part does Islam play in Greek history?

Islam was part of Greece for about 500 years during the Ottoman Empire period. Today, you can still see remnants of Islam in Greece through its museums, foods and words.

What sort of goals do you have for the future of your work?

Our annual goal includes the building of five websites:

• www.greeksrethink.com (Connecting Greek Muslims)
• www.equalsociety.com (Muslim Association of Greece)
• www.ora-islam.gr (About Islam in the Greek language for Non-Muslims)
• www.islamfriends.gr (Islamic culture and civilization in the Greek language)
• Fifth website is still a secret to the public!

How can other organizations like yours that cater to specific ethnic groups of Muslims learn from Greeks Rethink?

If you want to run a project like Greeks Rethink, the best thing to do is to contact someone who has already done something like this and ask them a lot of questions. Before I started, I spent six months with high-powered people just learning from them. But to give you a few hints, try this: think big, plan big, start small, make a team, get some business skills and make lots of dua.

Tell any Greek Muslim readers out there how they can get involved, InshaAllah?

Visit www.greeksrethink.com and introduce yourself at our forum. Greek or not, I’m sure you’ll be intrigued by what you find at our website.

Greek Muslims majority at European camp

Source:  IslamOnline.net

Article:  EU Muslim Converts Sharing Experiences (at NEMA Camp in Turkey)

“Participants are coming from different European countries, but Greek Muslim participants represent the majority.”

 

Imagine 60 native European Muslims to gather in one place for four days to discuss, learn, and seek beneficial inspiration for overcoming any challenges facing them as European Muslim reverts – that is what the Native European Muslim Assembly (NEMA) current camp looks like.

As one of the associations of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), NEMA organizes its second annual meeting for EU Muslim converts in Istanbul. The camp, which started on April 10 and lasted for three days, aimed at reinforcing a European-scale network for the new Muslims.

“NEMA has already held two important meetings; the first took place in Brussels which aimed at getting accurate view of new Muslims, determining the main challenges, and setting an action plan for NEMA’s task while the second one was in Birmingham, UK, where the reverts’ monitors had a series of training sessions,” said Dr. Hany El-Deeb, NEMA’s president.

“This project came very late as it should have been launched years ago,” said Dr. Ayman Ali, FIOE’s secretary general,referring to NEMA’s recent launch that was founded after the FIOE’s New Muslims Committee (NMC)’s workshop in May, 2007.

Inspiring Models

 

Over the four-day camp, EU reverts are presenting their successful experiences to set models for the other participants.

Nourdeen Wilderman, a Dutch lecturer within the Dutch Islamic Ummah, is one of the converted presenters who came to Istanbul to share his inspiring experiences with others. His range of activities included delivering speeches, interacting with the media and acting as a stand-up comedian.

Wildeman’s presentation was mainly tackling his well-developed project: “Masjid Finder”, which he hoped to expand with the help of fellow Muslims. Speaking about his project, which serves as a good example for a Da’wah effort carried out by a proactive revert according to NEMA, he says, “My project provides a detailed database of Mosques in the Netherlands.”

“By car, I have visited more than 250 mosques in the Netherlands to confirm their addresses, the services they offer, the languages they use in Friday khutbas, and more detailed information.”

Wildeman, who was officially converted to Islam in December2007, got his project’s idea from what he used to experience when googling the mosques in his region.

“I used to follow the information available online, but unfortunately it was usually out of date.”

Greek Muslims Rethink

 

Participants are coming from different European countries, but Greek Muslim participants represent the majority.

“The group of Greek Muslims who came here not only for the camp’s activities, but also to discuss serious issues of the Muslim affairs in Greece,” said Naim Al-Ghandour, president of the Muslim Association of Greece who takes part in the camp.

The Greek Muslim group has managed to create a team that would work hard on solving the Muslims’ problems in Greece. The meeting was coordinated by Greeks Rethink, member of the Muslim Association of Greece. “It is absolutely necessary for our team to act radically since the Muslim population in Greece is constantly increasing.”

Networking

 

While Dr. Jamal Badawi’s lectures were advantageous for many participants who came to learn from him how to respond to controversial questions and how to deal with other non-Muslims in general, networking also was of interest to many of the camp attendants.

“I am attending the camp to do networking with other European converts,” says Alser Ebroothaers, a Belgian Muslim convert. Ebroothaers, who has been a Muslim for almost a year, is looking forward to getting connected with new converts through the camp as she worked with a Belgian organization for converted women. She wants to see how her organization can expand and reach out to new converts in Europe through making use of others’ previous experiences and collaboration.

Non-Membership NEMA

As one of the projects that was founded and operated under the umbrella of the FIOE’s Da`wah department, NEMA camp’s organizers were keen to involve Dr. Jamal Badawi in the camp. Dr. Badawi is a prominent Muslim Canadian scholar and a member of the Islamic Juridical [Fiqh] Council of North America, the European Council of Fatwa and Research and the International Union of Islamic Scholars.

At the camp, a couple of lectures are given by Dr. Badawi on different issues that have to do with European Muslim converts, such as converts’ isolation and the way of integration, balanced Islam, how to deal with controversial questions about Islam, etc.

“This camp is our first experience in gathering Muslim converts from different European countries at the same place and time,” declares Wanees Mabrook, head of the Dua`wah department in the FIOE.

Both Mabrook and Al-Deeb insist that NEMA be a non-membership organization that offers services to any native European Muslims. “We felt happy when we knew that we helped any convert on an educational or a social basis.”

Converts’ challenges range from social, spiritual, to educational ones. Such gatherings are seen as “turning points” in their path to become active European Muslims who can serve their Muslim Ummah and their local European communities.

In your opinion, what are the challenges which the European Muslim converts face? How can they get encouraged to overcome those challenges? Do you think sharing experiences through such camps and events can help them positively?

 

 

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Radwa Khorshid is an editor in the Euro-Muslims Zone at IslamOnline.net. She is a graduate of the Department of English Studies, Faculty of Law, Cairo University. You may contact her at radwa.khorshid@iolteam.com.

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?

 

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[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.

Exclusive coverage of Gaza demonstrations in Greece – with photo gallery

Muslims, anti-war organizations, students and the general Athens population came together daily to protest in support to free Gaza against this humanitarian tragedy.

 

Main Demonstrations – Saturday, January 10

We participated at a large demonstration brought forth by many organizations, political parties, syndicates and the Arab community at Syntagma square. It was very successful and peaceful although it was crowded and long.  Walking from U.S. embassy to the Israeli embassy, people expressed their frustration and promised not to stop demonstrating until the attacks are stopped and the Israeli troops are withdrawn from Gaza Strip.

 

Children’s Demonstration – Sunday, January 11

In front of the Greek Parliament, Palestinian, Greek and Arab children up to 14 years old stood with their parents in unity to raise their voices in hopes to make a difference. Heading to the U.N. offices and stopping to the E.U. offices, this was the most successful protest, completely peaceful with small children.

 

Blood for Gaza

The Ministry of Health & Welfare along with the Minister Avramopoulos personally responded instantly to the request of the Muslim Association of Greece and organized a two-day blood collection for Gaza on Monday and Tuesday. Many people among Greeks and Arabs donated their blood and as soon as the blood reaches Gaza, they will hold another blood collection very soon, but the ministry needs to assure the route first because blood is a sensitive material and Gaza is a very difficult destination.

 

 Demonstration in Astakos, Greece

On Thursday, the authorities of the region of Etoloakarnania, the mayor of Astakos, political party Synaspismos, anti war coalition, Palestinian community and the Muslim Association in Greece all took part at the second demonstration at the Greek port in Astakos.

The speeches were at the center of Astakos, where the mayor was one of those who acted immediately and dynamically to stop this ship. Everyone spoke with flaming words about the war in Gaza who stood at the side of the Palestinians suffering but still enduring this slaughter.

Protests continued at the port facilities, but we were not allowed to enter because port police and special forces blocked the entrance. The citizens of Astakos were actively following the demonstration, conscious about what was about to happen in their laps.

Next demonstration on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in Athens. The demonstrations continue until this brutality in Gaza is stopped.

 

 

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Notes:  other coverage in Greece

Μετά την κινητοποίηση στον Αστακό που εμπόδισε την μεταφορά όπλων προς το Ισραήλ συνεχίζουμε με το αντιπολεμικό συλλαλητήριο το Σάββατο 17/1

03-01-2009 ΔΙΑΔΗΛΩΣΗ ΑΛΛΗΛΕΓΓΥΗΣ ΣΤΗ ΓΑΖΑ

Greece featured in Euro Eid coverage

The widely respectable news portal, IslamOnline.net, has been gracious enough to work with us to regularly include Greece in their Euro section so I was happy to see our community member, Anna Stamou, featured in their article today, “EU Muslims: Does `Eid Make You a Well-Integrated Muslim?”  Congratulations Anna.

Excerpt:

In Europe, Muslims also celebrate `Eid, but celebration should fulfill the necessity of integration and strengthen the spirit of solidarity among the Muslim community.

As a European Muslim, how does `Eid make you a well-integrated Muslim, and how can you celebrate `Eid as a Muslim in a non-Muslim country? How can `Eid add to both your European and Muslim identity?

 

Anna Stamou, Greece

 

Celebrating ‘Eid in Athens is not like being in a Muslim country of course, yet, we feel the joy of ‘Eid with hundreds of thousands of Muslims in our home city.  A few days before ‘Eid, we get into the festive mood by decorating the Olympic stadium in Athens, where Muslims of many colours and nationalities attend the prayer lead by a famous guest from abroad, a different one each year.

 

After the prayer, we give presents to the children that make their presence so vivid with their yells and laughter.  It’s a rare chance to meet people we hardly see throughout the year, shake hands, and give wishes.  People then split into groups and have festive lunches in their houses, exchanging visits and giving presents to their children.  Many prefer not to sacrifice the lambs in Greece but they give the money to an organization that sends the money to the orphans of Palestine where meat is hard to come by.

 

I personally have no experience of celebrating ‘Eid in a Muslim country but the feeling in Athens is often isolated because the festive atmosphere is restricted to the stadium and houses.  On the other hand, non-Muslim neighbours are always happy when there is a happy occasion because this is part of Greek culture and often participate by tasting different recipes and observing how Muslims celebrate.  It is very usual to have both Muslims and non-Muslims at our festive tables.

 

Read the full article…