New Greek Muslim needs your advice

This came in through our old blog site.  Can you give her some advice?

 

My name is Aisha(19 years old) and I am Greek currently living in Czech Republic for my studies. When I was in Greece i had no idea about Islam, due to the lack of information about it in Greece. I just thought that it is a religion for Arabs… However Allah gave me the opportunity to see this beautiful way of life in Czech Republic.

As most of the Greeks understand being a muslim in Greece is not very common. In about 1 month i will go back to Greece and i will have to face my Christian parents. Although they are not very religious, they don’t go to church except Easter and Christmas and sometimes not even then, the idea of having a different religion from the rest of my family (and the rest of the Greek citizens) and the idea that i will make it so obvious by wearing the hijab will not give a very good reaction according to their behaviour…

I would appreciate it a lot if you could give me some advise on how to talk to them and what to tell them because they don’t know anything for islam except that it is a religion that people from Pakistan that live in the city center,where most of violence occurs in Athens. May Allah help me and make it easy for me.

Moreover, showing off in Greece is something that I use to do but i find it meaningless anymore. Girls nowdays in Greece have lost their mind and walk almost naked in the street,driving the attention of every female person that passes next to them.

However this is something very common, but wearing the hijab isn’t.. I don’t know what my non-muslim friends will be with the idea of going out with a girl that covers her body… Iknow them since i was a little child and they will understand but i will have to explain them in the right way… do you have any suggestions?

Even a very small advice might be very usefull for me so please help a new muslim girl that needs your help.  please take in consideration that i reverted to islam 2 weeks ago

The following text is for muslim women:

In Czech Republic like in Greece there are not a lot of muslims especially girls. Can you please send me a few basic information about basic things concerning the islam?

not for the social life but the every day life and things that muslim gilrs do!

Peace be upon all of you!!

Thanks to all of you spending time even reading about my story.

ALL PRAISES BE TO ALLAH!

Salam!

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.

Elena Pouliasi: my journey to Islam

The experiences of Greek student after her decision to accept Islam

Source:  Kathimerini.gr 

Διαβάστε στα Ελληνικά

 

“Shall I write your name?” “Yes write it.” “And your parents?” “Eventually they will get to know the truth. I did not fall into drugs!”

Twenty-three year old today, Elena Pouliasi is young and beautiful girl – you can see that even under her hijab. It has been less than a year since her decision to accept Islam, decision that cost her enough friends and posed the risk of rupture with her family.” This is my truth though,” says to “K”.

For the past three years, Elena is in England for studies. In her neighbourhood and university, Muslim population outclass in number. “Like most Greeks, I had too grown with the mentality that the Muslims are strict and oppressed people. I saw women with headscarves and I thought that they do not have a life. But the people I met there were quite different.” Her two best friends in London were from Saudi Arabia – she describes them as “incredibly intelligent and talented.” They naturally wore the headscarf. Elena could not understand and neither wanted to challenge their religion. Herself from a little girl believed in God. “I began to read about Islam in order to convince them, to prove that in the subject of their religion they are misguided.”

She began to read the Quran in his Greek translation. “I began to realize that I had learned it… differently. I saw, as an example, love and respect for the women and mothers. Almost unconsciously I stopped drinking and eating pork. I did not know what the truth was and until I find it, I decided to remain open at all. This process lasted roughly eight months. “I lived as a Muslim. I was careful where I go out, I was more careful with the clothes I wore; I stopped swearing, and became more generous and polite.”

On May 15^th she officially became a Muslim. The subject of hijab worried her. In the beginning, she wore it outside, but used to remove the scarf when she entered her office (alongside her studies in International Business and Management, she also runs a translation office). “I did not want the behaviour of my colleagues to change towards me. But now I wear hijab all the time. Why? Because it makes me feel better. I feel secure”.

Personal cost

Her decision did not come without personal cost. “It was something that affected my family too. Even though I have not announced it, my mother understands that I have changed. I lost also many friends. The only consolation is that they were not real friends, or if they were they would like to be with Elena as she really is, not only with Elena that used to go out on Friday night and get drunk.”

It is not that she does not understand them. “Most people have a tendency to believe that to become a Muslim you must have been brainwashed.

However, nobody put the Quran in my hands, it was my choice.

They say to me, “but you were born Greek!” I say to them, “but I am Greek.” Becoming Muslim does not mean that my life is over and that I should devote myself in reading Quran, bear children and become fanatical. On the contrary, I get angry with the Muslims who are extremists.” Before we close,” she points out, “They will ask you for sure, if I became Muslim because I fell in love.  Answer them that I did not. Most women become Muslims before they meet their prince.”

Many are baptized Christian Orthodox

In www.greeksrethink.com, the global online community of Greek Muslims, you find enough testimonies of Greek Orthodox that at some point made the conscious decision of embracing Islam. Most are Greeks of abroad and, in their narrations, describe rather with gloomy colours the way that they were faced by their families. “This is an experiential, hard road to change your religion and which in any case should be treated with respect,” says in the “K” professor of Comparative Philosophy in University of Athens Mr. Marios Begzos. In Greece, however, we are open only in words; instead there is great difficulty in the assimilation of the ‘other’. Especially Muslims, who in our conscience are acknowledged as Turks therefore there are negative records in our subconscious.

The natural routes between the two religions have two directions. Many Muslims every year are baptized Christian Orthodox in a church of our country, although as emphasized in the “K” Chairman of the Board Movement Citizens’ Coexistence and Communication in the Aegean Mr. Stratis Potha, in most cases the reason is marriage.”For Muslims especially, that is something not easy to reveal to their family.

Hotdogs, souvlakia and shawarmas: my life, my culture

A few days ago I was invited to a New Muslims dinner with Canadian converts to Islam.  It was refreshing to see a culture opposite to your typical Arabic culture.

(That means we were eating pasta, deviled eggs, taco dip and banana bread instead of your usual shawarma, rice and hommus mix.  )

It was funny because at one point one of the Canadian-born sisters was sitting next to me and because we were relaxing so much she crossed her leg and the back of her foot happened to be facing me.  We both laughed because she said she was sorry so I won’t take offense.

Right away, I knew what she was referring to.  In the Arabic culture, if your foot is facing another person, that is one of the most demeaning insults you can make to a person.  (Remember the whole Iraqi journalist-slash-Bush-slash-shoe-throwing incident?) I told her not to worry because I’m not Arabic to begin with.

But it was interesting because the other Canadian sister beside me saw us and said, “Oh, that’s why my father-in-law was so angry when I did that to him?!”.  She was a brand new convert and got her first shockwave of Arabic culture.

When people first convert, some think that they have to become “more Arabic” to become more pious.  Instead of sister, they call you “ukhti”.  Instead of hotdogs, it’s kebabs.  Instead of a baseball cap, it’s the traditional headdress Saudis wear.

I thought like that too at first but with proper knowledge of Islam, I started to realize that I don’t have to be an Arab.  There is nothing wrong with being an Arab, but I can just be myself - a Canadian Greek Muslim- as long as I take the good from each culture.

For example, in the Canadian (and sometimes even Greek) society these days, it’s very normal to see some kids violently swearing at their parents and yelling at them or treating them with no respect whatsoever.  Obviously, this is totally against Islamic principles.

But then there are other cultural things in Canada that I like, like saying please and thank you.  (I was told not to say thank you in Athens, otherwise they will consider me to be a foreigner!)

And then it gets really confusing for non-Muslims (and sometimes Muslims too) to try to figure out what is culture and what is Islam.

For example, my Canadian friend was telling me one of those “horror stories” of a Muslim friend in the Indo-Pak region that is being completely denied of her financial maintenance rights from her husband.  Obviously this is completely unIslamic but without proper knowledge, someone can easily look at that and so, oh, see what Islam does to Muslim women?!

So, in the end, culture and religion is not a black-and-white issue, choose-one-or-the-other idea.  Muslims come from cultures in every country and every continent and they are as different as fingers of my hand. No one is better than the other, but we are one hand and one nation united by one belief,

There is no object worthy of worship

except the one true God (who created everything).

The next time you see one of the 30 million Chinese Muslims, what will you think?

Ship leaves Cyprus to Gaza, IDF navy intercepts

Greeks Rethink Note:  The ship is part of the Free Gaza movement headed by Greek Professor Vangelis Pissias.  Please watch video below for his interview and mission.

 

 

 Διαβάστε στα ελληνικά.

Source:  Jerusalem Post

An IDF Navy unit took over a ship that was en route to breaking the naval closure on the Gaza Strip, the IDF said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

International activists cover boxes of medical supplies to protect them from the rain aboard a boat before setting sail for Gaza from the Cypriot port of Larnaca, Monday.

After the Navy contacted the ship and realized it was headed to Gaza, the troops clarified that the Strip is under naval closure and that because of security concerns it will not be allowed to reach the beach of Gaza.

The ship, named Arion and referred to by the Free Gaza movement which sponsored its trip as the Spirit of Humanity, continued sailing to Gaza despite the Navy’s warnings, and after refusing to heed consecutive calls not to sail to the Strip, Navy troops mounted the ship and navigated it to the Ashdod port.

The Arion’s crew and passengers will be transferred over to relevant authorities, the military statement said.

The IDF added that any entity wishing to transfer humanitarian aid can do so through land crossings, after coordinating with the relevant Israeli authorities.

The Cypriot Embassy in Tel Aviv issued a statement following the incident, saying “The Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Israel would like to inform that the “Spirit of Humanity” boat, sponsored by the Free Gaza Movement, that attempted in the early hours today to reach Gaza was given permission by the competent Authorities of the Republic of Cyprus to sail off the port of Larnaca in Cyprus on the basis of its declaration that its intended destination was the port of Port Said in Egypt.”

To the President and then to Euro Court

Source: Kathimerini

http://news.kathimerini.gr

The Chairman of the Muslim Association of Greece Mr Naim Elghandour reveals through “K” the intention to appeal to the European Court if their demand for an Islamic Mosque in Athens is not met. “The time is running out ,putting as deadline  the answer of The President of The Democracy in a related letter of the Union.
“The President of The Democracy is our last hope,” stresses Mr Elghadour “If there is no answer ,or if we see that despite his positive attitude ,still nothing is being done, the only way is The European Institution.

However already via specific websites (such as the popular greeksrethink.com) Muslims who live in our country are in a race to mobilise their  “brothers” abroad.
The Global Greek community is large and scattered in every corner of the globe(Canada, USA, UK, Australia and elsewhere.) “ We are asking for their support  in our cause ” says the Chairman of MAG . “Initially just to ask  the priest in their local parish if they would accept the creation of an Islamic Mosque in Athens.” Given recent statements by Archbishop Ieronymos who spoke about the obvious and inalienable right of every human being to freely worship his Lord. The Greek Muslims have secured a positive response from their priests.

“Listen! Things are simple” says Mr Elghandour. “ Thirty years have passed since allegedly started the construction of the Islamic Mosque but we are still at talks. I consider that the demand is not only ours but of every freedom loving person on the planet”.

Athens , a city in which live more than 700,00 Muslims , is the only European country without a Mosque and a Muslim Cemetery. For their worship needs the Muslims are served by app 100 informal mosques operating in various parts of the Capital , in apartments, garages, warehouses and basements. Even this way of exercising their religious duties is not without a hindrance. A few months ago the Prefecture in Athens fined the owner of  a basement in Nea Ionia ,which was being used as an informal mosque 60,000 and 30,000 Euros as there was no special licence for the premises.
The decision sparked off one of the largest (up to then) mobilisation of Muslims in Athens involving more than 1000 believers demanding an official place of worship.

We all remember the strong opposition of the Municipality and  of the residents of Paeania, when in 2000, by law 2833 it had been decided the construction of the Islamic Centre with the expenses to be borne by Saudi Arabia.
This project never materialised and the only reminder of the story is the cross on the slope of the mountain which continues to welcome those who leave the airport with Athens as their destination.

However neither the last chapter seems to have a happy ending for the Muslim community. This project which in 2006 passed in the Parliament according to which the Islami Mosque would be constructed at a naval base in  Botanicals ( where at the moment there is a supermarket and offices of the Greek Navy) and gave provision to a series of safeguards to prevent such as  the Imam being a civil servant.
In the beginning we were told that there were 57 acres.
From discussion to discussion  and while ministers were changing the area kept on  being reduced  and finally it was down to  16 acres.
“Even if it is 16 acres or 16 yards , please let us built at last” pleads Mr Elghandour.

Difficult…….. The navy claims that it needs 5 million Euros to relocate , money that nobody is willing to spend. “ We told them that we can mobilise our people to find the money and give it to them but they replied that it ….sin. At the same time they can not find the money. In response to a recent question by a member of parliament, Mr Perikles Korovesi , the Defence Ministry said that they would investigate if the construction of the Islamic Mosque  raises an issue of safety  to the base.
“ Now all of a sudden they  are afraid that the Muslims might go  to the supermarket  and steal macaroni and rice” says frowning  The Chairman of MGA , Mr Elghandour. And the letter we have sent to the Minister of Education remains unanswered.

“The truth is that we have not fallen to zero. We have fallen below zero. And for you to know, the  American Embassy and other International Human  Rights Organisations have approached us asking about these problems and I have answered “ No thanks, there is the possibility that  there is a mistake.” Because we are Greeks  and we have no intention to expose our country or be reported in the state department.
“We love Greece. The problems are ours and we do not need “the neighbourhood” to know.
But this is not appreciated by the Government” concludes Mr Elghandour.

Halal hugs and kisses

I can’t believe it’s been one year.  I posted my first blog entry on April 8th, 2008.  Since then we’ve gotten 120 members, 7 admin team members, 62, 939 views to our website and 1604 blog comments. 

This is not counting how many views we get to our forum.  I’m guessing that would bring the number up to 100, 000 views.

It’s wierd to look back at my past posts.  I usually cringe or laugh at what ridiculous things I’ve written!  But here’s what I wrote:

 

Lately, I’ve been thinking about Greek Muslims more and more. We ARE out there, but where? Every once in a while, I either get an e-mail from a Greek Muslim I’ve never met before or I’ll receive a notice about a new youtube video create by a Greek Muslim. The thing I hate though, is that I try to save all of this stuff in one place but I end up forgetting where it all is.

 

What’s this blog for?

So, I decided to first start a blog for Greek Muslims, if nothing else, where I can collect all of the videos, books, articles etc. about Greek Muslims and post it in ONE place. That’s the purpose of this blog.

 

So, what’s the benefit?

When I first converted to Islam, I wish I had a place to go to online to find out that 1) there ARE other Greek Muslims and 2) connect with them. And so, the benefit of this blog is that this is the online place to find it all.

 

We’ll try our best to keep you updated with all the new videos, articles etc. we find and also try to post up some reflections of what it means to be a Greek Muslim and some of the hardships you might run into with your family.

So, stay tuned and keep coming back for more.

 

We’ve come a long way since then.  Thank God.  And thank YOU for being part of our community.  Halal hugs and kisses.

 

p.s.  Sorry, but I just couldn’t resist being all lovey dovey for this post!

Athens: Greeks unite for anti-war protest

A large antiwar demonstration was held on Saturday March 21^st at Syntagma square in Athens to protest against 10 years from the NATO bombing of Serbia, eight years bombing and occupation of Afghanistan, six years from the war in Iraq, the 60 years of NATO, as well as the Gaza attacks.

The demonstration was organized by the Stop The War Coalition of Greece and participants students organizations, Hellenic-Palestinian Friendship, the Pakistani Community, the Afghani community and the Muslim Association of Greece.

A music concert was about to start by the orchestra Mikis Theodorakis and various artists with conscience and strong anti-war feelings, but the heavy rain that started minutes before did no allow this.

The demonstration started with the speeches from the organizations that were participating: Yannis Sifakakis from the Stop the War Coalition, Hala Alary from the Hellenic-Palestinian Friendship, representatives of the students and the workers, and Anna Stamou from the Muslim Association of Greece.

People raised their voices to terminate the military occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan for all troops to leave immediately, especially the Greek forces to leave from Afghanistan, south Lebanon, Somalia, and solve this tragic situation in Gaza to free the Palestinians.

Also the 60 years of NATO were severely criticized since they have offered nothing peaceful to humanity so far and 60 years are enough. The demonstrators walked to the U.S.A. embassy under pouring rain.

Earlier on Tuesday, a press conference was given by the Stop The War Coalition of Greece, the Greek Syndicates, the Hellenic-Palestinian Friendship, and the Muslim Association of Greece in front of the French embassy regarding the 60 years of NATO that will be celebrated in Strasbourg in a few days, and massive anti-war movements will gather to protest.

The media covered this press conference with great interest.

Life is a…

 

When I ask people to fill in the blank with the first thing that comes to their minds, you would be surprised at some of the crazy and exhilarating answers.  A blast, a party, a cucumber, hell, a roller coaster, a maze, a garden, you name it.  I wish my answer would be life is a blast, but honestly, the first thing that came to my mind is that life is a test.

That’s been my answer at least since I took my shahada to become a Muslim.  From one test to the other through the typical obstacles of a new Muslim (compound the test when dealing with Greek families!), sometimes you can feel despair.

But, when I learned that the more Allah tests you, the more He loves you,I felt a sense of hope and strength that I can get through it.  At times like this, I used to go upstairs to the sisters’ end of the mosque and sit there by myself and stare at the intricate designs of the carpet.  I would imagine that this one thread of carpet I was pulling at would be my entire life from beginning to end and that the entire carpet would be the vastness of the afterlife that lasts an eternity.  It reminded me of the hadith,

Al-Mustaurad bin Shaddad reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “This world (i.e., its pleasures and duration) in comparison with the hereafter is (similar to the amount of water) one gets when he puts his finger in the sea. Let him then see what it returns with”. [Muslim].

This would calm me and put my life back into perspective that the tests we go through are not that big of a deal.  It also reminded me to sweat the small stuff and not to blow up over something so insignificant when things can be worked out in a better manner.

I’ve always been the type of person that strove to attain what others may think is the impossible. So, no wonder I think that life is a test.  In this type of business, you just have to expect problems – big problems! – and big tests, one after another. 

I reminisce over the words of wisdom of one leader who said that the higher you go in life, the bigger the problems you will face so if you’re going to face problems anyway, why not aim for the biggest of problems?

Also, when watching a farewell video of a leader who was told recently by his doctor that he had three months to live, he said that when you want to do something, there are going to be brick walls.  They are there to give you a chance to prove how badly you want something and to keep the others who don’t want it badly enough out. 

In the end, life is what you make of it.  Most of us screw up 90% of the time, but the important part is how we fix it.  After all, the entire reason we are on this planet is to worship the Creator of the heavens and the earth alone and work for the real life – the hereafter.

So, what is life for you? 

Life is a… (fill in the blank in the comments section).

 

p.s.  No, the photo at the top is not of me, haha.

Islam: It’s all Greek to us

It’s a great pleasure to announce that our team has produced our first professional (hard copy) brochure that is at the printers as we speak.  This is for you to read and distribute either online through forums, blogs, email, websites or offline by passing it out to friends and family.

 

  

 

View online brochure in pdf:          English        Ελληνικά

Obtain free copies of the brochure in the mail:

Contact marketing@greeksrethink.com.

 

 

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