Translation © Muslim Association of Greece

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Yesterday’s public player that was performed by at least 13.000 Muslims in twelve different points of Attica was unprecedented for what is usually happening in the capital. This public manifestation worked as triggering event for the development of a Mosque in Athens but as well as the expected social reactions.

The prayer, which was performed due to the occasion of celebrating the first day of the Muslim feast Eid-Al-Adha (equivalent to the sacrifice of Abraham) started at 7:40 in the morning and lasted approximately three hours. As the Greek Police stated, the Muslims’ manifestations were attended by 4.000 people at Aigaleo, 2.000 at Kiprou str.  at Moschato, 500 at Propilea were the prayer took place under the initiative of the Muslim Association of Greece, 600 at Attica square, 1.000 in the old Racetrack Court in Faliro, 1.000 at Karamanlis Avenue at Menidi, 300 at the in the basketball court of Elefsina, 250 at Aspropirgos and 1.000 in the court of Ierotheos at Peristeri.

All the manifestations took place peacefully, with the exception though of Attica square. There, a group of habitants attacked with eggs and with other objects against the offhand prayer site, though other habitants had placed on their balconies Greek flags, they put loud music inorder to interrupt the process of the prayer.

The Request for an Official Prayer Site

Yesterday’s prayer was the third one that took place in a public place, (previously it had been performed in Kotzia square and in Olympic stadium) but it was the most impressive. The representatives of the Muslims referred again on their claim for the development of an official prayer site. Mr. K. Aivaliotis representative of LAOS’s party stated that this is a “demonstration of power in Athens by African Muslims.”

 “In the times we live in, it is imposed, in the civilisation we claim we are having and which governs our society, and it is a duty of the Greek state, to facilitate each person who wants to perform his religious duties” the Government’s representative, G. Petalotis, highlighting that “there is a legal commitment made to create a Mosque in Athens, in order for our fellow Muslim citizens to perform with safety and liberty their religious rights.”

In Athens… by Coach

 “Athens needs many , small sized religious prayer sites for the immigrants”, the journalist Stavros Theodorakakis claimed yesterday while on air on the radio station Flash, who due to his show for the flux of immigrants in Greece through the land borders( it will be presented next Sunday) , he stayed  for a few days in Evros.

 “ The loops that originate from Turkey, meaning the slavers and the traffickers have realised that practically the Greek Authorities have no practical means to oppose against the flux of unarmed immigrants” Mr.Theodorakis stated, though Mr. Salamagkas, police officer of Orestiada , referred, participating in the same show , that the Authorities after the capture of the immigrants and their identification, they release all those who cannot be deported (such as Palestinians or  Afghanis for whom there are specific international treaties about their immunity.) They are given a piece a paper referring that they should leave the country within thirty days  and they leave them free outside the detention centres where they are temporarily located. There usually there is a coach awaiting them who transports them in Athens.

Translator:  Myrto Zacharof

© Translation: Muslim Association of Greece

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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

Translation © Muslim Association of Greece

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Kotzia Square was transformed into an outdoor mosque yesterday morning for about two hours, just opposite of the town hall of Athens. About 4000 Muslims without a mosque prayed the last prayer of Ramadan.

The festive prayer called Eid Al Fitr was organized by the Muslim Association of Greece after consultation with the City of Athens that gave them permission to pray in the square. Muslims living and working in Athens attended the last prayer in celebration of the end of Ramadan (the month of Ramadan).

Once again, however, the representatives of the Muslim Association of Greece and other Muslims pointed out that it is necessary to build a mosque in Athens; thousands of Muslims who live in Attiki pray in inappropriate places such as warehouses, basements, garages, apartments etc.

“If there was a mosque in Athens, the prayer would not commence in Kotzia Square. Would have been done in the courtyard of the mosque and no one would perceive. Many people asked what is happening in the square. Why are they so many people gathered together? We do not want to close the roads or to bother anyone. That’s why we try to remain strictly within the square, said the president of the Muslim Association of Greece, Mr. Naim Elghandour, in “Ta NEA” newspaper.  

As the president of the Association said, Kotzia square was chosen because of the no cost. “In previous years we held the prayer at the Olympic Stadium, either in closed or an open space, but you pay rent of about 1,700 euros. This year, things are strained by the economic crisis, so we came to an agreement with the City of Athens.”

Votanikos. The government in April decided to go with direct procedures for the construction of a mosque for 500 people in the Navy base of the Botanical Fortress. According to information from the Ministry of Education, the preparation for the relocation services of the Navy from the site has now completed.

“Unfortunately these procedures are progressing slowly, as with other things in Greece. It is though a cultural requirement to have a mosque in Athens. Therefore I appeal to the Ministries of Education and National Defence and the Municipality of Athens to find a solution quickly,” said Mr. Elghandour. Indeed, the Muslim Association of Greece is the one that in recent years has raced and is liaising with ministries in order to build a mosque in Athens.

As a reminder, the bill for the construction of the mosque is in place since 2006. Indeed, the ND government then had promised that the mosque will be ready in late 2009. However, the bureaucracy and misunderstandings between the ministries turned the case of the “mosque in Athens” to Artas Bridge…

Seraphim “delirium” for the granting

In a four-page announcement … holy crazy issued yesterday, Eparch Seraphim of Piraeus says the prayer of the Muslims should not be in public open space as in Kotzia Square. The Eparch, who for some time now is a member of the Standing Holy Synod, used harsh words to characterize the granting of the square by the municipality of Athens irresponsible. He connects even the prayer for the Muslims with the Turks in Greece, saying that such prayer is the “first in regular life again after the revolution and the shaking off of the brutal Turkish atrocities.”  Please note that they [the Muslims at the prayer] come from various countries.

Translated by: Elena Nikolova

Διαβάστε στα Ελληνικά

Translation © Muslim Association of Greece

The huge square opposite of the town hall of Athens was turned into an outdoor mosque yesterday. The president of the Muslim Association of Greece noted that Greece sends a message of education and culture today. 

The economic crisis was the cause of the ceremony not being held in OAKA (Olympic stadium), as other times, as the Muslim community preferred to spend their lease money to cover the livelihood needs of certain members.

Prayer in a scene of reminisce that of … Mecca, was held by two imams from Egypt, invited by the Association. Like always, the men and women prayed separately, as earlier they had rolled out the carpet. Great was the participation of believers from Africa, while many were those who wore traditional costumes.

Muslims quickly “spread” across the square from 7.00 in the morning and the organizers spoke of big concentration. This colorful and multi-racial ‘tapestry’ created a very impressive scenery in central Athens and several were the passers-workers and tourists, who stopped to observe the ritual.

In a speech, the president of the Muslim Association of Greece, Naim Elghandour thanked the Mayor of Athens, Nikitas Kaklamanis, for the permission of the square and noted that, “the attitude of the Greek state today is a response to the American priest who wants to burn the Koran, but also to Angela Merkel who awarded the Danish cartoonist who ridiculed the drawings of Muhammad “.

Speaking with the “Ethnos” newspaper, Mr. Elghandour noted that the message sent today is that Greece is the capital of education and culture. For the Islamic religion, yesterday was a significant day. The strict fasting of Ramadan ends and the great mass prayer is a thanksgiving to the prophet. A day earlier, representatives of Muslims visited the Observatory of Penteli and had confirmed the position of the moon that the fasting is over. After the prayer, they gave out sweets to the children, while many homes made a festive table. The next mass prayer will be approximately in 70 days.

Responses
Seraphim against Kaklamanis

The granting of Kotzia square by the Mayor of Athens Nikitas Kaklamanis, for prayer of Muslims has prompted a strong reaction of Eparch Seraphim of Piraeus, who in a statement refers to it as “unacceptable behavior harmful to the main state religious faith.”

“With feelings of grief”, as the Eparch points out in his statement,” we have witnessed the concession of the municipality of Athens so irresponsibly to permit Kotzia Square to be used by Muslim religious persons.

Translated by: Elena Nikolova

Source:  Ethnos.gr

© Translation Muslim Association of Greece

Translated by Elena Nikolova-Pouliasi

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The subject that concerns the Muslims of Athens remains inactive and the construction of the mosque and cemetery still remain frozen despite the reassurance of the people responsible for that matter.

A deed between the Church and the State ‘for concession to use’ is the only thing that remains to be solved for the cemetery to start operating. The representatives of the Muslims say that the lack of coordination causes obstruction. The president of the Muslim Association of Greece, Mr. Naim Elghandour, expresses his concern while speaking with the ‘Ethnos’ newspaper.

Mr. Elghandour, on the topic of Shisto area, which was given by the Church of Greece and afterwards was considered inappropriate notes, “The proceedings are stuck again. We have received government reassurance that they are good intentions but again the issue is not proceeding.  Last time we were told that we need to fill the space. We are willing voluntarily to take this project and fill the space!”

In Shisto, the Greek Church originally gave 30 acres of land for the cemetery, but the land was found inappropriate because it was bedrock and afterwards was given another land in the same area. Again the issue is not progressing.

“It is necessary to have several acres of land, as according to the Islamic religion three is digging, so it takes considerable space,” says Mr. Elghandour.

Moreover, to complete the process it is necessary to make an arrangement for the cemetery to be classified as inter-municipal, and therefore to be used by all Muslims in Athens.

However, the issue of the mosque seems to be frozen. Recently the move of the Navy base from Votanico was estimated to 2.5 million euros by the Ministry of Defence.  In the same area of Votanicos there have been 17 acres in total allocated for the construction of the mosque.

According to reports, in a meeting held last Friday by the secretary of the Ministry of Education, Thalia Dragona, and the representatives of the Muslim Association of Greece, there were assurances regarding the government intention of the construction. But there we mentioned ‘bureaucratic reasons’ causing the obstruction.

“It is disappointing to know that the barriers for the construction are the lack of coordination between relevant institutions of the state,” says Mr. Elghandour to Ethnos newspaper who recalls that the relevant 15 million allocated have been disbursed.

According to those sources, the Muslims have pointed out another problem regarding an official Imam in Athens, preferably a university professor, who will call for prayer and teach the Quran in order to avoid any misinterpretations from people who have no formal approval or understanding. However, the Ministry of Education does not seem positively supportive to make such a decision.

In most cases, the dead are transported to Xanthi and Komotini.

Odyssey is the burrier of Muslims in Athens

The Muslim burial in Athens is an odyssey.  In some cases the Egyptian Embassy of Athens takes responsibility to pay for the cost to transfer the body to Egypt. But in most cases the dead are transferred in Xanthi and Komitini where they are Islamic cemeteries to be buried, away from their families.

In Athens, on average of 10 Muslims die every month. The way that Muslims are buried is special, as the dead person is washed and taken care as a living body, then it is shrouded and buried in the ground without a coffin.

At least 30 spaces operate in Athens as informal mosques. In some cases they have been given penalty charges for the misuse of their premises. The prayer is performed by a Muslim with some Islamic knowledge, but there is no official imam. Sometimes they are recognised imams who visit Greece and perform prayers but that is done occasionally. There are two public prayers organised per year in Athens. 

Friday Vonatsou

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

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

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.