Greece: the Church, the Mosque and the lost vote
February 10, 2010
Source: Enet.gr
By Thomas Tsatsis
© Translated by the Muslim Association of Greece
Ten years ago, when the issue of the identity cards and the indication of the religion was hot, the former bishop of Alexandroupolis – Anthimos was supporting the position of the official Church in an…unorthodox way.
Referring to a fact that was never clarified if it had a real existence, the bishop was saying that about 70 Muslims that were living in the wider region of Alexandroupolis had asked a “voting paper” to sign their claim to mention religion on the ID cards.
This is the same bishop that gave a battle after – out of solidarity – against the Muslim mosque at Peania, as was ordered by the law that was voted by the parliament.
And now he starts a new battle against the law that gives Hellenic nationality to the immigrants who many of them are Muslims. With a simple argument: “The Church was not asked about that. You can’t bring 700 thousands Muslims in the country and make them Greeks without even asking the Church.”
The Thessaloniki bishop (Anthimos), whatever they charge on him, one must admit that he knows about politics. The governments many times are acting according to the perception of the “lost vote” from the “side-church” that prevails inside the hierarchy. That means that the bishop will shout from the pulpit, the Christian crowd will be terrified, the MPs will feel pressures and they will transfer this to their parties to convey the message.
Thus with the populism of the opposition party and with the fear of the vote that can be lost, the government goes backwards and turns 180 degrees. The issue of the identity cards confirms the above. There were only two or three MPs and ministers of PASOK during 2000-2004 that defended the omitting of the religion from the identity cards publically. The rest had disappeared in order not to be indicated as opponents of the Church.
Four years now the governments do not take over the political cost of the construction of the Mosque at Eleonas as mentions the law of New Democracy government of 2006. But they are also scared to proceed to the construction of the Muslim cemetery in a field that the Church has bestowed! Yes, of the Church!
The government has not many choices. Either they will proceed immediately and solve the problem of the thousands of immigrants – and not only – Muslims that live in Attica and will confront a part of hierarchy in front and behind stage, or they will confront issues that cannot solve.
The scattered mosques-warehouses that are more than 100 in Attica are not under any control. Whatever is heard by “imams” that are self-announced small “prophets” many times are dangerous and cannot be confronted by the police. The legitimacy, the operation of one or more mosques with rules and conditions, official, with moderate imams and not with competing “Mujahidins”, can be a start.
Unless the government is waiting to finish first with the law for the immigrants and after that to take counsel with the Church. And just the day before yesterday the Hoy Synod stated that they believe that the law for the nationalities does not coincide totally with the immigration problem and that the government should consider the opinions of the bishops.
Bishops that “on one hand they preserve the teachings of Christ for love to everyone, on the other hand they do not know the partial national and social sensitivities, thus their opinions should be co-calculated to face such crucial matters.” This is the Holy Synod whose president is Archbishop Ieronymos.
Enet.gr: Immigrant neighorhood in Athens
December 4, 2009
The Arabs have their own corner at the Neos Cosmos neighborhood of immigrants
Source : Enet
A scent of aromatic spices is spread at the alleys of Neos Cosmos in Athens. Satellite dishes and men’s washed clothes coexist in the tiny balconies of the old residential buildings for the workers. Young Arabs ask for 30€ a day at construction jobs.
The Arabs settled at Neos Cosmos since the 80s looking for a new life. The central mosque of the Arabs is located at a multi-storey building on Galaxia Street. At the entrance we met Naim Elghandour, president of the Muslim Association of Greece, “Yesterday night they attempted again to attack an Arab store of the neighborhood. It was the same group. The Arabs caught on to them and they chased them. Now they are guarding their stores”.
There is an Arabic supermarket in the building’s basement. The owner is Mazen Rassas, vice president of the Association. He treats us mango juice saying that “around the neighborhood there are about ten Arabic mini markets. Our customers are Syrians, Egyptians and Iraqis. But Greeks also come.”
Rassas narrates, “We settled at Neos Cosmos in the 80s. It was then that the first Arabs were arriving. Then we began constructing this building. We used the underground garage as a mosque. We were asking permission from the governments to build our mosque ourselves but they did not allow it. We hope one day to achieve it”.
The shelves of the store – as in all Arab stores – are loaded with Arabic bread, dates, Arabic newspapers, rice and lentils of fine quality, spices that their smell is spread out to the street. But there are no customers, “the same situation we share with all Greek store owners. We are dancing the same dance…”
Brothers, cousins, the whole family lives on the upper floors of the building. For so many years there has never existed a single problem with the neighbors. Even when we gather every Friday more than 1000 Arabs to pray”. They squeeze, one next to the other, and they do not fit in. They fill the stairs, the pavement…
We descend with Naim Elghandour to the second basement that operates as a mosque. A blue carpet is laid down and has a ventilation system. Young Arabs are studying the Quran.
Behind a curtain at the right corner is the library. Every weekend, they say, is full of students that learn Greek and Arabic language, and are taught the Quran.
No cemetery
The vice president of the Muslim Association is pointing out the need for a cemetery. “I buried my parents at Komotini. For years and years we knock the doors of the ministries without an answer”.
N.Elghandour adds, “We pay the operating expenses from our pockets. We do not ask for funding and European programs, we want to be independent. But a program for integration of the Arabs could be launched in the local society. We also ask from the City of Athens to bestow us a place with low rent to cover the needs of the community. We closed our offices to save the rent.”
We discussed the attack at the two stores, “It was a fascist attack. Some young people attacked, but also young are the Arabs. If they chase them they will catch them. And then we will go to another situation. The state must secure the fortune of the victims of such terroristic attacks. We noted down the destruction and we will claim compensation at the courts.”
In Attica, more than 700 000 Muslims live legally. We need an imam theologist, with academic education. If they allow this we will pay from our wages his salary and his accommodation. Now every community sets an imam that is a construction worker…” he adds.
A few meters away, at Dorm Street, the workers’ residential building are located. Men’s clothes freshly washed and satellite dishes are witnessing that there lives exclusively Arab immigrants. “They repaired the face work, the apartments. They were dilapidated,” an old woman remembers.
We met her across the street at the store “Salma” that was destructed at the attack. Salle gives her a bottle of water. He says that “I am trying to replace the broken glass windows. I pay 350 euro for 9m².” His customers are the Arabs of the buildings across. “Here lives more than 200 Syrians. They all work at construction jobs. They pay rent of 250-270 euro for 30 m² at these dilapidated buildings. Three to six people live in every small apartment.
We go four floors up by the stairs. There was never an elevator. Nor central heating. From the moldy walls of the corridors old pieces of plaster are dropping. Hussein, 28, opens his door and shows us the repairs proudly. He tiled the bathroom and repaired the old window doors. He lives with an Iraqi to share the rent. He complains, “There are no jobs. A year without a wage. And I just ask for 30 euro a day. But in Syria and Iraq things are worse. It is impossible to go back”.
The Greeks
At the entrance we meet a Greek man, “Some Greeks and Arabs sub-rent rooms by person. Things get wild. It’s like we have a piece of meat, we pull from the edges like dogs”.
At the Arabic café, at Kasomouli Street, the Arabs of the neighborhood met. “Here we live 350 Arabs. Every morning we go to work, at evening we go home. We gather ten people in each apartment. We drink tea, chess, backgammon, cards. This is our life,” says Aiman Alahmat.
“Did the neighbors stand up for you?”
“One does not bother the other. We do not steal, we do not make trouble. We know each other, many of us are relatives. We need work and legal documents. Not to be attacked by the fascists and not to be disturbed by the police. We do not need them.”
At the café, before the gathering of Arabs and Greeks in order to group the “committee of Greeks and immigrant residents of Neos Cosmos,” we met Thanasis Kourkoulas from the movement ‘Deport Racism’: “Many Arabs from Neos Cosmos are attending the Sunday immigrant school. They have an organized community, they help each other to overcome the difficulties. They are angry though because suddenly fascist groups are appearing that question their peaceful coexistence.”
By Georgia Dhama
Photo by Spyros Tsakiris
How Greece welcomes its female Muslims
October 4, 2009
Source: IslamOnline.net
As the first step in our journey to discover the European Muslim women’s opportunities and challenges that are hindering them from integrating into Europe’s different communities, IslamOnline.net (IOL)’s European Muslims Page is quoting Anna Stamou on the status of Greek Muslim women.
Name: Anna Stamou
Profession: Anna Stamou is one of the National Board Members of Muslim Association of Greece (MAG)
Country: Greece
IslamOnline.net (IOL): How do you evaluate the Muslim women’s situation in Europe?
Mrs. Stamou: I believe that the Muslim women in Europe have many opportunities to succeed in their fields of interest. However, they still face more challenges since the European atmosphere is not Muslim-friendly, though Europe is a tolerant continent.
IOL: What are the major problems facing Muslim women in the West? And how do you suggest they should react to these problems?
Mrs.Stamou: In this context, I recall a Greek saying “The Muslim woman has to prove that she is not an elephant,” this means that she must change the stereotypes that perceive the Muslim women as being oppressed, hidden behind their veils, brain washed, and with no free will and no rights.
After a Muslim woman manages to prove all these stereotypes wrong, then she has to encounter all major problems that any ordinary European woman has: starting with unemployment and having less career opportunities than men.
However, with faith and high educational level, a Muslim woman is able to cope with all challenges in life and to reflect her true reality.
IOL: What is the status of Muslim women in Greece? Are there any key figures who occupy high positions in society?
Mrs. Stamou: Greece is divided into two main Muslim communities that rarely communicate. The smaller but the older community is the Greek Muslim minority of Thrace while the bigger but newer is the Muslim immigrants’ community. The later live all over Greece. The Greek converts mingle with the immigrant and mostly with the Arabic-speaking community.
The majority of the immigrant women in Greece are not active, especially for those women who try to provide Islamic education for other women or for their children. The successful women in Thrace have (in the majority) weak religious conscience and they try to manage their lives showing up their secular face.
Though we have some Greek Muslim women working in politics, they don’t wear hijab and they have never demanded any rights for Muslims. They pursue only their local claims (which are really a lot). The active women are the Greek converts who maintain their Greek culture and practice Islam freely.
IOL: What are your contributions in favor of the Muslim women in your country?
Mrs.Stamou: Since I became a Muslim, all my focus was on providing Islamic information, material, and inspiration for fellow Muslims. I started with publishing books and an Islamic cultural newspaper then my efforts included supporting other converts.
Now my responsibilities increased since I joined the Greeks Rethink team. I’m also responsible for the marketing and public relations of the Muslim Association of Greece.
I wish I could have the opportunity to organize a supporting program only for Muslim women, but so far this is not feasible because most of the Muslim women in my area have to reach the first integration step which is to learn Greek.
The Ministry of Education and the local authorities have launched very useful programs for teaching Greek to immigrants. Definitely we support those programs and encourage every Muslim woman who does not speak Greek to go and attend one of these programs. We are looking forward for the coming steps.
In fact, my team and I have many dreams and plans for Muslims in Greece. I strongly believe that all our activities will benefit my beloved country, because we do love Greece and Islam; an irresistible combination!
Press Release: The Muslim Association of Greece
May 26, 2009
Athens, 26th May 2009
The Muslim Association of Greece was present from the first instance the complaint of the ripped Qur’an was reported, when a policeman ripped and treaded on an immigrant’s Holy Qur’an during a police inspection. The complainant surrendered his ripped Qur’an straight to us and with this in hand we went to the police station, where we and the Colonel sent by GADA discussed the incident in detail.
We were assured by him that the name of the police officer involved in the incident will be released to us and that the police force strongly condemns actions such as those that offend the religious feelings of citizens. We stated that we will resort to legal action and that we will wait in good faith for the name of the police officer involved to be given to us before we file for a report.
We strongly condemn the incidents in Central Athens, assuring that our members did not participate in the events and instead we had moved towards defusing the situation as we had accepted the promise given to us by the police towards defusing the situation in good faith.
The media (MME) reported our position precisely and broadcasted the message to hundreds of thousands Muslims in the country and abroad stating that calm should prevail and we should allow the issue to be dealt by the law. We submitted to GADA the witness reports and data along with the ripped Qur’an and we continued waiting for the name of the police officer to be given to us before we officially proceed with the submission of our complaint to the courts.
On Tuesday 25th May 2009 we submitted to the court the complaint towards “Unknown.” We were pleased with that as we thought we are heading towards a solution of the problem even without us having the name of the police officer.
Unfortunately during the subsequent meeting between The President of The Muslim Association of Greece, Naim Elghnadour our Council Mr Francis Raghousi along with the Brigadier in charge of the case of GADA it became obvious that the police do not wish for a solution but for a continuation of the issue.
It was explained to us that the officer’s name will not be given, at least not in the near future and perhaps a month or more might lapse as the police officer has right to defer and defend.
As you understand this reverses our efforts for appeasement and it could possibly trigger reactions from the entire Muslim population in Athens, who in the meantime have been accepting our urge not to protest and seek solutions through the legal channels.
For this reason the Arabs in Athens will meet with The Muslim Association of Greece on Wednesday at 8.00pm to calmly discuss and plan their next move.
Any possible new peace moves will be made known at a later press release. We repeat that we condemn the incidents in Central Athens, the theft, the damages as we also condemn the violation and attack of religious symbols and sentiments of the people. We condemn the exploitation of a part of the immigrants by political parties, heightening religious faith, multiplying their sense of injustice resulting in uncontrollable consequences. The faith of a Muslim is the most precious possession he has, and we having our faith as driver live in harmony in the society here for decades.
We believe that the police incident was just an isolate incident .We would like to end this matter with a legal solution and not to be exposed and hanging as a result of the worrying delay by the police, and to the end issue by surrendering the personal details of the officer involved.
Thanking you
The Muslim Association of Greece
Aθηνα
26 Μαΐου 2009
Δελτίο Τύπου
Η Μουσουλμανική Ένωση Ελλάδας από την πρώτη στιγμή ήταν παρούσα στην καταγγελία του περιστατικού όπου αστυνομικός έσκισε και πάτησε το Κοράνι ενός μετανάστη κατά τη διάρκεια τυπικού ελέγχου. Το Κοράνι το παρέδωσε ο καταγγέλων στα χέρια μας και με αυτό πήγαμε στο αστυνομικό τμήμα όπου συζητήσαμε λεπτομερώς με τον συνταγματάρχη που απέστειλε η ΓΑΔΑ για αυτό το λόγο. Μας διαβεβαίωσε ότι τάχιστα θα μας δώσει το όνομα του αστυνομικού και πως η Ελληνική Αστυνομία καταδικάζει τέτοιες ενέργειες που προσβάλλουν το θρησκευτικό αίσθημα των πολιτών. Εμείς δηλώσαμε ότι θα προσφύγουμε στη δικαιοσύνη και πως καλή τη πίστει θα περιμένουμε από την αστυνομία να μας δώσει το όνομα προκειμένου να προχωρήσουμε στην κατάθεση της μήνυσης, έτσι ώστε να παρέλθει και η διαδικασία του αυτοφώρου, όλα αυτά καλόπιστα.
Καταδικάσαμε έντονα τα επεισόδια στο κέντρο της Αθήνας, τα μέλη μας δεν συμμετείχαν, αντίθετα κινηθήκαμε προς εκτόνωση του θέματος καθώς θεωρήσαμε δεδομένες τις υποσχέσεις της αστυνομίας ότι θα κινηθεί ανάλογα προκειμένου να οδηγηθούμε σε εκτόνωση. Τα ΜΜΕ κάλυψαν με ακρίβεια τις θέσεις μας και μετέδωσαν το μήνυμα στους εκατοντάδες χιλιάδες Μουσουλμάνους της χώρας αλλά και στο εξωτερικό που δηλώναμε ότι πρέπει να ηρεμήσουμε και να αφήσουμε το θέμα στα χέρια του νόμου.
Καταθέσαμε στην ΓΑΔΑ τις μαρτυρίες και τα στοιχεία μας καθώς και το σκισμένο Κοράνι, και αναμέναμε το όνομα του αστυνομικού προκειμένου να καταθέσουμε και επίσημα τη μήνυση στο δικαστήριο. Την Τρίτη 25 Μαΐου 2009 καταθέσαμε μήνυση κατ’αγνώστου και δηλώσαμε ικανοποιημένοι γιατί έτσι οδεύαμε προς λύση του ζητήματος έστω και χωρίς όνομα.
Δυστυχώς στη μετέπειτα συνάντηση του προέδρου της Μουσουλμανικής Ένωσης Ελλάδας Ναΐμ Ελγαντούρ και του συνήγορού μας κ. Φραγκίσκου Ραγκούση με τον ταξίαρχο της ΓΑΔΑ που έχει αναλάβει την υπόθεση, μας έγινε σαφές ότι η Αστυνομία δεν επιθυμεί λύση αλλά συνέχιση της παρούσας κατάστασης. Μας εξηγήθηκε πως δεν πρόκειται να μας δοθεί όνομα, σύντομα τουλάχιστον, ότι θα περάσει ίσως και ένας μήνας προκειμένου να απολογηθεί ο εν λόγω αστυνομικός καθώς έχει το δικαίωμα αναβολής.
Όπως αντιλαμβάνεστε αυτό ανατρέπει την προσπάθειά μας κατευνασμού και είναι δυνατό να πυροδοτήσει αντιδράσεις από το σύνολο του Μουσουλμανικού πληθυσμού της Αθήνας που μέχρι στιγμής δεν έχει διαδηλώσει καθώς ακολούθησε την προτροπή μας για λύση μέσω της νομικής οδού.
Για το λόγο αυτό οι Άραβες της Αθήνας θα συνεδριάσουν Τετάρτη ώρα 8μμ με τη Μουσουλμανική Ένωση Ελλάδας προκειμένου να σχεδιάσουν με ψυχραιμία τις επόμενες κινήσεις τους. Τυχόν ειρηνικές κινητοποιήσεις θα γίνουν γνωστές σε επόμενο δελτίο τύπου.
Επαναλαμβάνουμε πως καταδικάζουμε τ, τις φθορές, τις επιθέσεις, τις κλοπές, όπως καταδικάζουμε την καταπάτηση α επεισόδια στο κέντρο της Αθήναςκαι προσβολή των θρησκευτικών συμβόλων και αισθημάτων των πολιτών. Καταδικάζουμε την εκμετάλλευση μερίδας μεταναστών από πολιτικές κινήσεις εγείροντας την θρησκευτική τους πίστη πολλαπλασιάζοντας το αίσθημα αδικίας μέσα τους με ανεξέλεγκτες συνέπειες.
Η Πίστη του Μουσουλμάνου είναι ό,τι ακριβότερο διαθέτει και εμείς έχοντας οδηγό την Πίστη μας ζούμε αρμονικά στην κοινωνία εδώ και δεκαετίες. Πιστεύουμε ότι η ενέργεια του αστυνομικού ήταν ένα μεμονωμένο περιστατικό, θα θέλαμε να λήξει εκεί με τη νομική λύση και όχι να βρισκόμαστε εκτεθειμένοι και μετέωροι από την ανησυχητική καθυστέρηση της αστυνομίας να τελειώσει το ζήτημα αυτό δίνοντας επιτέλους τα στοιχεία του καταγγελόμενου αστυνομικού.
Ευχαριστούμε
Το Δ.Σ. της Μουσουλμανικής Ένωσης Ελλαδος
Επικοινωνία
Ναΐμ Ελγαντούρ
τηλ.6972 008214 – naim_elghandour@yahoo.gr
Exclusive photos: Quran indeed ripped by police in Greece
May 24, 2009
These photos below were taken as evidence that indeed pages from the Quran were ripped by a police officer in Athens, Greece.
Photo credits to to www.enet.gr and www.ethnos.gr.
Related article: Operation broom: Racism in all its glory
Operation broom: racism in all its glory
May 22, 2009
Source: Enet.gr
The “Operation Broom” of the Greek Police, a careless act and a torn up Qur’an brought to the streets hundreds of Muslims in Athens.
The night before last and during a police raid in an Arab Café in Aharnon St. in Athens, a meeting and a recreational point of the many Muslims of the city, a police officer smashed to pieces one of the very few things that support these people: ” Their Faith.”
Hundreds of Muslim immigrants gathered in Kypseli protesting against the insult towards their religion.
According to eye witnesses, a police team of about 7-8, who were yesterday patrolling the area of Agios Panteleimonas, entered at 9.00pm the specific café, which at the time was full and asked the patrons to produce their documents.
“They ordered them to take off their shoes, socks and they were searching everything,” say the immigrants, pointing out that the café has a good reputation and families often visit.
During the raid one of the police officers approached Mohammad, 24, who speaks poor Greek and asked him to empty his pockets.
The police officer among the belongings of the young man discovered a booklet with Arabic characters.
“What is this?!” he asked. “It is the Holy Qur’an, which I recite every morning and evening” he replied. “As you recite the Gospel, we have the Qur’an” he tried to explain. The police officer then snatched the Qur’an from the young man’s hands and ripped it to pieces.
“Don’t rip it man” shouted one of his fellow officers. “They can ….” He then shouted and threw the Quran on the floor. Later with a torn up Qur’an in their hands the representatives of Muslims in Greece addressed the Ministry of Public Order and Safety, reporting the abuse.
“This is the first time such an event has taken place in Greece and it should not be repeated” they replied.
Yesterday afternoon, when the incident was announced, large groups of Muslims gathered and marched in front of the A.T Kypselis at the junction of Thira and Patision.
In that position there were two MAT Squads. The assembly started shouting slogans, reacting and responding to the insult towards their religion, at the same time throwing some stones and rubbish resulting in the cause of some damage to one vehicle and one shop.
Bystanders reported that the police retaliated by throwing tear gas and chemicals aiming to move the demonstrators on, forcing them towards Omonoia Sq. to continue with their protest.
“The fact that the police officer tore up the Qur’an and stepped on it is a major crime as far as Muslims are concerned” says the Chairman of the Muslim Association of Greece, Naim El-Ghandour.
“The Qur’an is our symbol and represents our faith.” And a Muslim is only worth what his faith is worth. In the meantime communities and associations of immigrants from Arab countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh) are calling in protest this afternoon. The movement “Abandon Racism is demanding an immediate dismissal of the police officer.
This demand is based on the laws of racial discrimination. They also demand an official apology by the Greek government.
“It is a tremendous insult of the religious beliefs of people, people who have found themselves targeted by wars and Islamophobia that follows them even in Greece.
“It seems that Pavlopoulos and Makrogiannakis were enough to encourage the police to take on literally a crusade against immigrants of Greece.
Anti Capitalistic Left Wing in cooperation with Anatropi ( ANT.A.R.SY.A) are talking about the racist and oppressive acts of the police in Agios Panteleiomonas.
As a Muslim Union, we from all the mosques have refused to participate in today’s protest march” says Mr. El-Ghandour. “We choose the legal channels. We are waiting to learn the name of the police officer involved in order that we follow the legal route. Of course we have every confidence in the Greek judicial system. As the whole country faces depression and crisis, an irresponsible man comes along commits an irresponsible act and creates a problem. Many of the new immigrants are young kids of 19, 20, who have no jobs, face every day hunger and have lots of problems…
For them in those circumstances the slightest provocation can cause an explosion. We should have mutual respect for each others religions. Every one should treat the other’s sanctuaries with respect. The politicians need to hurry and find a solution for the immigrants’ problems and we must learn to live together respecting each other.”
Athens: Muslims protest Koran destruction
May 22, 2009
Source: Reuters
Muslims protest alleged Koran destruction in Greece
Hundreds of Muslims marched through central Athens on Thursday, damaging shops and cars, to protest what they said was the destruction of a Koran by a Greek policeman.
The president of the Muslim Union of Greece, Naim Elghandour, said that during police checks at a Syrian-owned coffee shop on Wednesday, an officer took a customer’s Koran, tore it up, threw it on the floor and stomped on it.
In response, about 1,000 immigrants, many from Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, marched to central Omonia Square, smashing several shop windows and five cars, a police official said.
Police sources said an internal investigation was launched into the Koran incident.
“We were told by police we will be given the name of the policeman who did this so we can press charges,” Elghandour said.
Thousands of immigrants, many from Muslim countries, cross into Greece illegally every year seeking a better life in the West. Trapped in legal limbo, most have no jobs, live in squalid conditions and are often arrested for minor crimes.
On May 9, members of a rightist group attacked immigrants in Athens, sending at least three to hospital. Rights groups accuse predominantly Orthodox Christian Greece of not doing enough to protect immigrants.
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photo credit: (¯`·.¸¸.¤*¨¨*¤.๑۩۩۩๑Zeyneeep!
No Authorized Imam in Greece?!!
April 23, 2009
Source: IslamOnline.net
After several attempts to uncover the Muslims’ status in Greece, IslamOnline.net (IOL)’s Euro-Muslims Page is shedding the light on the role of Greek imams as an alternate solution to many challenges they face in their way to integration into their European society while maintaining their religious Islamic identity.
For that purpose, IslamOnline.net (IOL)’s Euro-Muslims Page hosted Mr. Naim EL-Ghandour, President and Co-founder of the Association of Muslims in Greece, in a Live Dialogue session on April 6, 2009, to talk to IOL’s audience on the status of imams in Greece.
Naim El-Ghandour was born in Egypt in 1955 and has been living in Greece since 1974. He has the Hellenic citizenship and is a successful businessman. El-Ghandour dreams of seeing the Athens Mosque and the Muslim Cemetery in Athens and he exerted all his efforts for these two main projects.
Accordingly, he has proposed many requests to the Greek Government asking for the Muslims’ rights to have their own official Mosque and cemetery in Greece. His attempts are still going on.
In a response to a question from IOL’s audience during his Live Session about the mosques and its role in Greece, Mr. Naim said, “We, the larger Muslim community, are exceeding 700,000 only at the capital Athens, but we have no official mosque, just unofficial places to pray. We are fighting hard to have our own official Athens mosque and cemetery and en shaa Allah we will succeed. It is essential for us to have a mosque.”
IOL’s audience also raised an important question on what can be done to make it easier for immigrants to feel accepted in the Greek community. Our guest replied, “Greece is the number one destination for the illegal immigrants of Europe, and this is very difficult for all. But education is above our strength as the Muslim countries are not contributing, they may have not realized the current situation in Greece. At a governmental level, we are trying to start contact between the Greek state and the Muslim states to allow Islamic education to be a subject taught at schools.”
What does the Greek Muslim community lack in your opinion? Do you agree with El-Ghandour on his views on Greek Muslims’ challenges?
Read the full Live Dialogue, if you have any comment or suggestion for the coming Live Dialogues’ guests and topics, please write them below or email them to Euro_Muslims@iolteam.com
Greeks Rethink note: click through to the article to find some juicy comments by the visitors!
Special report: Greek Parliament member pushes religious freedom for Muslims
March 30, 2009
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 7th 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:
- 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.
- Have the funds been found by the Ministry of National Defense for the move of the navy base from the area of Eleonas?
- 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?
- 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?
- Are the procedures of the Ministry of Zoning and Public Works finished as concerning the zoning of the cemetery area?
- 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?
- 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
Hope for immigrants in Greece
December 6, 2008
The Ministry of Education and Religion has established a program for the immigrants who want to stay in Greece for it to become their second homeland. Learning the Greek language, history and culture at authorized centers can provide a really long stay permit (like a green card) in order to let immigrants live a life of equity in Greece and feel the sense of of belonging.
At a special event, the ministry awarded students from many cultures diplomas who were very happy and proud to accept this honor and the president of the Muslim Association of Greece, Br. Naim El-Gandour, was chosen as a honoured representative to award the Muslim students.
